Grumpy Bear

How do they install? Counter guy had no idea.

Today I ordered the set of box paint protectors. The ones that go on the lower front edge just behind the cab. Place the rock chip is. $43 for the pair. OUCH. Still cheaper than paint. FYI the chip is in the chip proof rubberized paint they spray on the lower 6" of the truck to prevent that from happening. How's that for a testimonial? Nice job GM. Told me they will be a week coming and getting drop shipped to my address. Hey, might be warm enough to paint by then. Sundays forecast bombed out.

14 tanks of fuel are in this calibration sequence. This chart shows the six point moving average error between the gallons the pump shows filled vs the gallons the Scan Gauge II is recording as used. It looks like a lot. About a third of a gallon. But it isn’t as bad as it looks. It's a third of a gallon in an average 18.3 gallons per fill. This translates to Scan Gauge II giving a MPG average that is in fact only 4/10 of a gallon less than the actual calculated number subject to the same six point average. I did wish this to read pessimistic as you recall. Under a half gallon is pretty tight but… Can I make it closer? I didn’t think so earlier as the individual fills have a pretty large standard deviation. Quarter of a gallon in fact. That’s allot of signal noise. That said the standard deviation is two thirds the six point moving average error which says I have an opportunity to cut the error maybe 30% without getting optimistic readings for fuel usage if I'm patient. It’s a longer term study. ​On another note: Picked up a nasty rock chip in the box. Front lower passenger side. Another project for a warmer day. Sunday maybe. Rumor has it in the 60's. I need 55F to paint. I'll pick my shot.

Yea, it’s only February. I know. So let’s call it some Pre-spring cleaning. No carpet at the WT1 trim level and the rubber flooring isn’t as durable as one might hope for. Hard to clean and it pills when scrubbed hard enough to remove the ground in. Worse, it’s been a pretty dry winter here and I don’t drive it in inclement weather unless trapped during an outing as was a recent case. That said, before it wore threw I wished to add some protection. Matts are ridiculously expensive and the liners don’t fit right without factory carpeting and the hold downs those employ. Rectangular braided matts are cheap, Fit like a glove in this truck and cleaning is as easy as a new set.

I'm more than good with the AFM in my 2015 1500. No switching issues. No oil usage. No blues. Smooth as a kitten. Just clicked over 19K on the clock. 5993 miles, 240.677 gallons = 24.90 MPG. What's not to like?

The difference between the fill and usage as recorded by the Scan Gauge. This is over 5500 miles and 12 fills with four in each state of calibraition. As you can see I've overshot the mark and on the last fill backed out 1/10 of a gallon of correction. I was hoping to find a mark that keep the Scan Gauge pesimistic but I don't have a fine enough adjustment to make that happen. We will settle then on over/under.

$65 repair. Is it like new? No. Minor tear in the lower rubber lip and one clip mount broke out but to replace both repair cost goes over a grand. And this boys and girls is how it starts.

Got my "Truck Fox Report" today.

Took it Deegan's today to let Jason have a look and determine if it is job he wanted. Yep! Goes in Wednesday for a Face Lift. The line between wrench and body man is getting blurry these days. I'm thankful for that.

Here's another way to modifiy your Terrian. Hit a Racoon Wednesday night. Bumper.

38.91 MPH. That’s Peppers to date lifetime average speed. ​I took note that both seat belt recalls have been done on this truck and without the butcher shop tactics most have experienced.

Tchotchkes. Past floor liners and window tint the list for the Terrain is simple little tchotchkes. Tis a true soccer mom ride.

Quaker State UD Full Synthetic 0W20 or 5W20 in every car on the lot. Will also use Mobil 1 5W20 and Redline 5W30. All of these oils changed between 5 and 7 K have provided 200K plus trouble free miles from oil related issues. Redline is mixed with nothing other when used. It's a true polyol-ester. Changed 2500 to 3000 I have also had great success with Phillips Trop-Artic, Wolfs Head, Cen-pe-co, Shell and Valvoline 10W30 conventional. What I haven't had success with conventional or partial syn Penzoil. In fact I've never had a Penzoil motor make it to 100K without some oil related issue. Leaks both internal and external and heavy deposit lay out in the rocker and valley areas. Scoop it out with a tablespoon. After the second I quit banging my head against the wall. I has been 20 years since my last attempt to be fair. It's my experience not the gospel.

Fuel update. ​Baby got her bath last night.

“Brrrr…it’s 14F today and he wants to go visiting. He does know we have a dusting of snow on the way…right?” Taking a few extra cranks to get in the mood and a few more to get a start. Pepper hasn’t been moved in a week and that just a jaunt to the café. Instruments come to life and all fluids are 2 below air temperature. It’s a big mass and takes a while to get the flywheel in motion. Tire pressures are 2 psi under target but even and it will warm up at least ten degrees in the next hour. She has a half a tank on board and a thin frost on the windshield. Nothing a bit of deicer doesn’t handle. Windows are frozen shut. Interesting. A bump into reverse is solid and smooth but the skin of ice on her protest echoing the sound of shattering Romanian Chrystal. I have to laugh. Silly girl. The steam off my coffee and my breath are going haze the glass soon if we can’t get some heat or a window down. Less than two hundred yards from the highway and up to 45 mph. Water temperature is climbing gently as she shakes off the morning chill. It’s five miles to town. A few squeaks from the suspension rubbers over the judder at the crossroads. It will be 10 miles before the water temp reaches 150 F and I turn the defroster on low and hot bumping the speed up to 50 mph. It will be 15 miles before it reaches 190 and another 5 to open the thermostat at which point the trans fluid temperature is 125F. Tire pressure up to target and we are toasty. At 160 we were up to 55 mph. We will be climbing out of the Mississippi River valley at a distance of 100 miles and two and a half hours later before the transmission peaks at 184F. At bit over half way to the Monticello Nursing Home, the target of today’s travel, the snow starts as a very light flurry and the Jones County road crew is attacking it like they are bracing for a nine foot fall. Chains on road graters and salting an inch thick where no snow is or will be and I’m not driving on that so I turn her head northeast along Iowa 61 and head for Belleview. We will visit later. American Bald Eagles everywhere, deer and coyote scramble along the bluffs. Pretty and we are pretty empty. Time for some fuel. The Car Wash at 800 State Street has six octane grades of alky free. My selection costing but twenty cents more than the E-10 87 which is Peppers default diet. I think I hear her purr. I tape off the top half of the grill and the locals inside notice. I make my explanations and heads smile and nod. The Old Timers love that stuff. Attendant asks if it’s new noting how clean it is. “Nope, a 15”, I respond. It would not remain that clean much longer. Heading north along US 52 we re-enter the snow falling ever so light and two degrees above freezing on roads salted like winter pork. A truck route and Pepper takes on the look of white frosting. Had I seen this coming we would have never left the house. At Dubuque we head southwest down US 151 toward our first destination. Can’t hurt it much more now. The side trip took about 40 minutes. Long enough to hear Rossini’s Overture from the Barber of Seville. Iowa Public Radio Classical has the state in a blanket of repeater stations. My Aunts, a cousin and a close friend of Marcella, the younger Aunt in the home and self, have a nice visit while Pepper dodges the insults of construction workers doing their best to lay her harm. I bounce out long enough for a rescue pointing out to young moron he is in reserved parking for outpatients and Pepper is not his personal dumpster. He moves to the off side without event. In for a penny, in for a pound I head south on Iowa 1 to US 30 and finally my father’s home 35 miles further along the way. We visit. Kick back a 50/50 Apricot brandy/bourbon mix Gramps called a “hooker”. It’s a tradition. It’s getting long in the day. I have another 200 plus miles to home and I have to wait for Dad to quit laughing at the ugly state Pepper is in. He has never seen such a mess owned by me. “Finally got ya”. I-350 / I-80 / I-88 and Illinois 72 are the route home with a 20 mph tailwind and a setting sun. Sky cleared in the last half hour to a beautiful red sky rapidly in decent. I grab a bugger and a coffee and plug in a double helping of Mozart. Set the cruse to 60 and enjoy the meal. Once I hit the 88 I ramp it up to 70 ish for the final three movements of the second disc and an hour or so of Illinois classical PBS radio out of DeKalb. Trip averaged 26 mpg over 400 plus miles. De-trashed the interior and made a note to give baby a bath tomorrow. Nice day all said and done.

I appreciate that, thank you. It’s a bit difficult to keep the news fresh and read worthy but I enjoy writing and am enjoying the truck and this forum. Thank you for allowing me to spout.

Sam runs our local dinner and always has something to say about Pepper. He hadn’t seen her in a while so when he saw her today I get the usual. “How many times a week do you wash that thing?” Truth is I haven’t washed her since sometime early December. Sometime before the snow storm shown in post #108 and I tell him so. I get the usual “BS”. Comment. Then considering he says, “Oh, you keep it in the garage”. Nope sits outside no matter what. Garage is for Grumpy’s Buick. I mention that too. “How is that possible?” Don’t drive it in the salt. Don’t drive it in the rain. Pretty easy actually. It’s called a second car. The daily workhorse. That would be the Civics’ job to plow around in the mud and the muck. We’ve had pretty warm weather for January in upstate Illinois this year. Let the snow thaw naturally and the first rain storm washes the dust off. It needs a bath now after the last two days of piggy trucks testing the shoulders of the road. Still a good 20 footer. K&N 2044 cabin filter search local is coming up empty. Local Farm and Fleet has everyone made but this one. Don’t even show it in their books. I’m getting allot of that lately.

I haven't a photo yet. She isn't out of it more than a few minutes a day. Husky matts installed. Nicely made. Nicely finished. Great fit and look very functional. Good buy.

Step bars. We were hoping a set would solve the doors packing with ice and snow. Not going to happen says my Truck Gear guy. Just bad seed. Who designs this stuff. Plastic exterior to prevent rock chips but an overhang that literally packs salted ice between the door and door sills below the drains so the door stays full? For now. We keep a large towel handy to wipe the door interior off at each exit. And a package of pipe cleaners to clear the drains. Hello, GM anybody work there? Function and form can live in the same house kids. Sometimes being "Grumpy" is just good common sense.

Stopped in at the Truck Gear store looking for a grill mask. Kind used to regulate engine temperature and heat up time. See them on school busses and big rigs. All sorts of them for the 2500 and larger series. Pickings are slim for the 1500’s. One actually even worth slowing to give a look. Problem is the mounting. Some sort of epoxied on studs to the grill. Not going to happen. Even if so inclined, which I’m not, it has to be over 60 F and that way for 72 hours. Not sure what I’m missing. Maybe this is going to take a custom solution. I know from this past summer covering the top third of the grill is a plus for fuel usage. I know summer bugs in the grill stink, are hard to clean out without damaging the radiator core or disassemble of the grill which is a PITB for this year. I know I waste about 25% more fuel winter than summer to heat ups and if the day is cold enough with the heater on in slower traffic makes getting enough heat to satisfy the EMC’s fuel tables for low temp enrichment iffy. I know all three of these have a solution that isn’t ugly as sin. Works. Won’t cost $2500. Have I ever mentioned I LOVE my Scan Gauge? (8025)

Lord I hope so Steve. She wore me out looking at these things.

Holidays perhaps but it took four days to get this things insurance card. Her first accessory order is the Husky Weather Beater floor mats. Should be here soon. The promised photo attached.

Wife bought a 2015 GMC Terrain SLE-2 AWD 2.4L. Before we sealed the deal I had Jason, my wrench, put his four man teams talents to work turning that thing inside out looking for flaws and found none. After two hours what we did find was a rock solid design, build and a fairly nice fit and finish. Yes it could always be better. What couldn’t be? We had heard complaints about the 2.4’s durability. Jason says pre 2014 true. 2014 forward stone axe reliable. Hope so. This 2.4 and the matching six speed are in her 14 Buick Verano as well and we both love that car. We had heard complaints about a decided lack of power. We wouldn’t have bought a second one if the first was found that lacking. Overly abundant power? No. Adequate power? It’s enough for anything it will ever be asked to do. Like the Silverado the smaller motors lose some frugality into stiff head winds. Thing is so would a big motored, low drag/small frontal area vehicle. It’s just more noticeable in high profile trucks and suvs. Nothing that’s a deal breaker. I had no trouble getting 28/30 mpg on our 200 mile two way shakedown get acquainted run. And without any hoop jumps or hypermiling tricks. Eco mode and 55 on the cruise. The ride is compliant and comfortable without the Buicks plushness but also without the Silverado’s high velocity compression harshness. With four wheel independent suspension that seems well sorted it has a very anchored feel in the twisty sections. A confidence you like to have when your wife is alone on a snowy day. The drivers heated multi-adjustable power seat is the cat. I’m not small but my 6’2” 190 lb. frame is well supported and very comfortable. More so than my LaCrosse. There is enough range to satisfy both myself and my much smaller wife’s architecture. The trim level does not treat the passenger as nicely as the driver. It is heated just not powered nor equipped with the array of directions. Still it sits you for hours without complaint. I do not like, a preference not shared by all, the red night instrument lighting. I do like the driving/fog lamp lighting range and brightness. Like the big truck I can see where I’m going at a speed that isn’t holding up the world. Nice. This specimen has 22,000 miles on the clock. A one owner female driven example with full records by an Ohio dealer registering 5K oil change and tire rotation records. No dents. No paint issues other than a few small front rubber bumper road rash type wear and tear chips so small they escape notice for the casual observer. Flawless interior. One year lease turn in. GM certified action sale to Tom Sparks Buick in DeKalb Illinois. A real 99 point car. Actual photo soon as I get some light and no rain.

We do realize that the ICE is a demand device…right? Motor only makes the power it needs to overcome the load running against it. That said, with nearly 300 Hp on tap out of the 4.3 Ecotec3 those that say it isn’t enough power are saying that they drive in a way that demands over 300 horsepower for the daily commute the majority of the drive. Here’s a bet you can check with a Scan Gauge II. I’ll bet you don’t ask your half tons motor for more than 100 Hp 99% of the time.

December 2nd. Last time I had Pepper started. Today after two days rain thawing a half foot of snow off her and the roads free of salt I thought, why not? Programed two new X-Gauges. Current transmission gear and ambient humidity. Then took off for the day covering about 250 miles. Wife went with. First half of the day was into a 20 mph head wind. 40 F at 40% RH and registering 14.2 BAR. With a flag I have a virtual weather station. Today we just drove paying no special attention to fuel. Ran the speed limit except for a few miles on I-80/I-39 were I ran 65 against the 70 mph limit. 55 into the wind netted 18 mpg. 65 with the wind at our back 30 mpg. Days average just under 22 mpg. That would be 3 to 4 mpg off my caution mode. I came to have a new appreciation for both the 4.3 and the six speed. After three weeks dormant fired first click and ran like a top all day. This gear box gets allot of grief from some. I think it’s the cat’s pajama’s. Always in the right gear at the right time. Grade logic and speed logic work flawlessly. Something I failed to note until I had eyes on the exact gear and could tell the difference between gear changes, converter lockup and V-4 engagement. Stayed in D all day. One event made the day just short of perfect. As we entered Lanark on highway 64 two dozen high school athletes with about 6 coaches walking back to school decided Pepper was a good moving target for a volley of ice balls throw at about 10 paces. I have some sheet metal to straighten out and some paint correction to do. As I had just got off the gas to turn into a restaurant the thud I heard I counted to something sliding up in the box. Wife thought I hit some ice in the street seeing the spray in her mirror said nothing. Wasn’t until after lunch we saw the damage to her side of the box. Mob mentality. An event I am positive would not have happened if that culprit would have been alone. (7646)