“To
everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
heaven,” but you don’t have to be a Bible scholar or a fan of The Byrds
to know that getting the Eagle’s engine running was a time to
celebrate. It was an important practical and symbolic step in what is
sure to be a lengthy journey. But now it’s serious times. The euphoria
of hearing that old straight-six cough, then scream,
then roar for the first time in ages, has passed, and now we gotz to
get down to bid-niss once again.
Everything
between the engine and the wheels is still an open question. Over the
last few days I raised the car on jackstands so that the wheels
could spin freely (not an easy feat, considering the high ground
clearance) and performed the factory-prescribed transmission diagnostic
procedure. Outcome: regardless of what gear the transmission is in, the
engine and wheels both seem unaware of its presence.
broken transmission? That's jacked up, yo!
I
hoped that this was because the transmission fluid was a little low, so
I added enough to get it to the Full line on the dipstick. Put it
into gear again and… nothing. Not only that, the new fluid was all that
showed up on the dipstick, meaning that it wasn’t circulating in the
transmission. No bueno.
Yes,
I knew that the car was immobile when I picked it up, but you always
hold out hope that the easy solution works first. And I have one
more easy solution to try. If the transfer case is in what’s known as a
“false neutral” position, this might, MIGHT, explain the problem.
Fixing it is a matter of turning one wrench in the short term and
replacing 2 vacuum hoses in the long term.
... is pretty much what I'm trying to say.