About Nat

Marketer and Triathlete in Salt Lake City // Pound the rock. Do good. Have a great time.

Got a New Whip … Meet Ceevee, My P3

As I prepared for the 2017 season I knew I had 17 tris under my belt, and with another 6 planned … and with a 14-year-old bike … it was time for a new whip!

Here’s my old whip, Betty, on the road to Cape Cod in 2014.

Opposite to how I bought Betty — scoured NYC Craigslist for something about $500 that also “looked good” (i.e. didn’t have round, silver, 24-spoke wheels), took her for a fast test ride then plopped down a wad of cash — I planned to follow a long methodical process to nail the perfect bike for me this time around.

While it took all season [8 MONTHS!] . . .  totally worth it.

Here’s the scoop. (Want to skip the story and jump straight to the gear list & summary? Click here.)

Shopping for a new whip — ya don’t “just buy” a TT/tri bike

Step 1: Pre-fitting for frame selection

In February [MONTH 1], I went in to see Jeff Sherrod, aka The Bike Whisper and genius at Precision Bike Fit, to get a quick set of measurements done.

Probably the biggest mistake people make in buying a bike is getting the wrong size frame. They may base the frame size they need simply off height. There’s more to it than that. Best to talk to a bike fitter about what and how you plan to ride, take measurements, and then narrow down what types and sizes of frames can work for you.

Step 2: Strategy conversation

Also during that visit, I ran by Jeff my idea of how I wanted to get a bike. I thought I’d get my hands on a frame, have it custom painted, work connections to get a deal on a component group, get wheels from ENVE as part of my gig with sister company Suunto, etc.

Jeff nixed my piece-by-piece strategy really fast.

He suggested I look at Garneau’s tri bike since they do custom colors, so I started considering that.

Step 3: Frame shopping & Pre-purchase fitting

While continuing to think about the Garneau, I asked Jeff to clue me in on used bikes he knew of that were up for sale.

By the end of March [MONTH 2], there was one for sale by another member of my tri club. I ran the idea by Jeff, he said it would probably fit well, so I picked it up and took it in for a pre-purchase fit.

Thumbs up from Jeff.

Step 4: Offer, Negotiation, Purchase

Convo with previous owner.

Do I want the:

  • pedals?
  • seat?
  • stock seat?
  • yada yada

I drop the “so what’s your training-club-friend and alma-mater-fellow-graduate price?” and saved myself a couple bucks.

This time I wrote a check and took delivery.

Step 5: The Real Fit

It’s now April [MONTH 3] and I’m back at Precision Bike Fit (shares a wall with The Bike Shed where the repairs and upgrades happen) getting a real fit.

Rather than starting on the bike, Jeff takes me into the physical therapy room, has me sit on the table and runs through a series of measurements to check flexibility, mobility limitations, weaknesses or other injury-related factors to consider in the fit. He checks my legs for flexibility, measures the resting rotation in my ankles, and more.

I have no idea this is part of the process. That’s why I go to Jeff to expert to fit my new whip.

Measurements recorded, Jeff rigs the bike up on his stand. Next he takes my shoes and adds shims, of specific thickness for me, between the shoe and the cleat to account for the natural rotation/angle of my ankles.

Up on the bike now, I get a bunch of velcro dots tagged on me all on my right side at each joint — ball of foot, ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, hand (maybe more). So that Jeff can get a live measurement of all these angles as he makes adjustments, he then attaches sensors to each of the velcro dots.

My geometry on this bike is now on display on a TV in the fitting studio, and the work begins.

We spend 30 minutes or so moving things up/down, forward/backward … raising the stem, moving the elbow pads, sliding the seat in different positions. While we do this, Jeff is watching the numbers and moving my angles into optimal ranges; hips aren’t closed leading to tighter hip flexors, but not so open that I lose power; as I pedal, my ankles aren’t stiff or stuck in a firm position; and on. I don’t remember, but I know it counts.

Conclusion: I’ve got a great fit, now time for several real rides to see what else needs to change.

Step 6: Confirm the fit

I started riding her and my first race came soon, the RaceTRI Ice Breaker where I had the 2nd fastest bike split all day.

New Whip - first race

I started feeling the need to re-gear on this race. On even gentle descents, I was spinning out in top gear.

Later I figured it out:

My old whip had 53 teeth on the big chain ring and 11 on the smallest cog on the cassette.

The new whip, however, limited my speed with just 50 teeth up front and 12 in the back.

That’s a HUGE difference in gearing on the top end.

Gearing aside, the fit was good.

I knew I was still getting used to the more aggressive geometry, but everything else checked out. No pains, just a little discomfort with the shift.

Step 7: Paint the new whip

As you saw in the first picture, Betty was white.

And so was the new whip.

White bikes are hard to keep clean.

Everything shows. And every mark leaves a mark.

Furthermore, the new whip wasn’t just white, she was matte white!! Almost ANY dirt on your hand will transfer to a matte finish. Woof.

Now, Skye took great care of her and kept her clean. The bike was in fact white for me to start with. Which was great. Thanks, Skye. (She’s a pro triathlete, check out her blog here.)

I just didn’t want to do white again and have to work as hard as Skye did to keep that matte finish clean.

ALSO – I’ve been racing for TeamTriggerPoint and our colors are black, lime/acid/neon green and silver. The bike was white, black and red. Not a good match for my race kit.

And I’m a BYU fan … our rivals are red. So red’s gotta go.

Therefore, all signs pointed toward: “Time for a paint job.”

I found plenty of shops that paint metal frames, but not carbon ones.

Much as I pounded Google for an answer, it was Jeff who knew a guy who knew a guy . . . and that brought me to dropping my new whip off at the paint shop a week or two after that first race.

At the paint shop at the end of April [still MONTH 3] . . .

Now from the beginning I had the possibility of painting in mind, so I held off on getting new shoes, a helmet, and wheels to match until I knew what the color scheme would be.

The plan was to go all black, and all b/w lettering be graphite, and everything red to become green.

Step 8: Shoes

The bike ended up being shiny black with graphite and a few touches of classic green (like inside the fork and seat stays), and the TeamTriggerPoint kit “green” is almost yellow, and the color of MAVIC’s gear (the cycling gear sister company to Suunto) IS yellow . . . so I went with yellow for shoes and the helmet (hadn’t arrived for the race below).

Also a throwback to my high school colors (Sycamore, Go Aves!) which were green and gold.

(Also, I’ve been running on Newton’s Distance Elites which are yellow since Sept 2016)

The first pair of MAVIC tri/cycling shoes arrived in May [MONTH 4], but at Jeff’s advice I sent them back for a smaller pair. Glad I did. Power transfer decreases when feet shuffle around inside a not-snug cycling shoe.

I got these ones and picked up the new whip from the painter in June [MONTH 5] just in time to zip off to Vail for the GoPro Mountain Games.

2017 GoPro Mountain Games Sunday Photos for Trigger Point. Photo: Myke Hermsmeyer. Contact: [email protected] / @mykehphoto / mykejh.com

Step 9: Wait on Gear

While I ordered my wheels in May and helmet sometime around then, I waited all of July [MONTH 6] for them to arrive … and they didn’t until August [MONTH 7], and even in August they all came AFTER my big race of the month!! Bummer. I wanted so bad to be fully kitted on the new whip for this race. And the timing didn’t work this time.

The helmet order got funky and I ended up getting both MAVIC’s aero helmet (left) and their leading road helmet (right).

As a result of a bad batch of raw carbon, ENVE’s production fell way behind through the summer so everyone was getting wheels late. Tough situation for their manufacturing, glad I found out what they were dealing with. So that’s why it took 3 months for them to deliver. But deliver they did!

First pic of wheels out of the box . . .

To get the wheels to work, I cannibalized tubes from other wheels of mine. I started the wheel install late on a Friday night to prep for a group BAM ride in the morning, and I really wanted to give them a go.

Because the rims are so deep, most tubes need valve extenders to get the valve nipple outside the rim. And valve extenders only work on valves with removable cores. But the last time I ordered a box of tubes from Amazon, I got the best deal I could find and those tubes … have solid cores. I didn’t even know that was a thing.

I had ONE new tube with a removable core, but I shredded it trying to get the new tire on! Gah!

I pulled one from another wheel and got it on.

But I needed one more! I looked and didn’t see another. So even though it was after 10pm, I went to Walmart and Target desperately searching for a tube that would work — nada!!!

Called a guy in my elders quorum presidency who also cycles … he didn’t either!

Gah again!

Went home in despair.

Checked all my wheels again in a last-ditch effort.

BEHOLD! One more removable core!

Pulled that tube and got it in. My TV room was a mess with open wheels and tires strewn everywhere … but I was ready!

Or was I?

Nope. I needed wider brakes.

I removed the brake pads and let all tension out of the brake calipers just to get the wheels ON. And I jerry-rigged a one-ride solution that relocated some of the brake pad washers just to get the pads back on. I did what I could to get as much clearance as possible. Not pretty, but I wanted to ride!

With a little MacGyvering I was set for my first carbon-frame-on-carbon-rims ride EVER.

Step 10: Component upgrades

Since the stock brakes weren’t going to work long term, I called up Jeff to figure out a solution.

And since I was ordering new brakes, and I had ridden enough to know I wanted to re-gear, and I because I knew training and racing with a power meter would elevate my game big time . . . I handled all my new whip’s component upgrades/swaps in one swoop.

I got new:

  • Brakes (my old ones are SOLD) … because wider clearance is needed for fatter rims
  • Chain rings … Q-rings! for smooth power transfer and more teeth up front
  • Cassette … for a smaller small gear in the back for more top-end speed
  • Chain … because a new whip with a new cassette just needs a new chain
  • Crank arms with integrated power meter … because training and racing with power is a better read on work than heart rate alone
  • Bottom bracket … because #maintenance

Because Jeff has a whiz technician, Adrian, he passed me over to him to take care of all this.

Adrian called in the orders, installed everything in a day, and bam!

On September 2 [MONTH 8] my new whip was finally done!!!

New whip - with upgrades!

My master mechanic, Adrian, tuning the new whip’s angle between the crank arms and the oval-shape of the Q-rings:

Step 11: Fine tuning . . .

I took off the saddle that came with (an older ISM) and put my previous saddle back on. In the fall of 2015, I picked up an ISM Adamo Time Trial. So that’s what’s on the new whip now. I just couldn’t settle into the other saddle and had been happy with my previous one so I went back to it.

I also decided to upgrade the worn-out aero bar pads. So I ordered a pair from Ceegees that came highly recommended from my coach Andrew, aka Bamdrew. They are indeed great. Go for it.

And then I:

  • dropped the stem
  • wanted to extend my reach so I moved the bar ends out a little and put on my old stem, which is longer
  • made my elbows and shoulders happy by adjusting the aero bar pads to where they wanted them
  • tried a ton of seat angles and finally moved it back about an inch and that did the trick

And after collecting tons of data with the ROTOR app on a few rides, I had Adrian adjust my chain-ring angle. Glad I got the micro adjustable spider (MAS) option.

From all this finagling, the new parts, etc. it’s time for . . .

Step 12: End-of-Season-New-Whip Re-Fit

Now you might ask, “Why now? Why not wait until you ride outdoor again in March or April?”

Because I’m going to train on it at least 2x a week all winter!

Very important to dial in the fit again now.

Jeff! I’m calling ya soon.

Step 13: Be very excited for 2018

Fo’ real. Having taken all season to get the new whip outfitted all the way, I’m super stoked to train all winter on the same geometry that I’ll race on in 2018. The bike is more aggressive, the fit is more aggressive, the gear is more aggressive . . . with a season piecing the gear together, with only ONE race with everything in place, and now with a full winter ahead to super dial in all the new stuff, I can’t wait to see my splits next year.

Pains, gains & growth. Onward and up.

I’m no salesman for the bike industry but if you’re now inspired to get ya own new whip I won’t be surprised.

Gear & Upgrades Summary for the New Whip

Bike: Cervélo P3

Name:Ceevee

Power meter: ROTOR 2INpower with MAS (Micro Adjust Spider)

Power data receiver: Suunto 9 Baro (formerly used a Suunto Spartan Ultra (sometimes use the ROTOR app to grab ALL the data; my post on how to export ROTOR app data in FIT files)

Shoes: MAVIC Cosmic Ultimate Tri Shoe (yellow, also in red)

Helmet:MAVIC CXR Ultimate Helmet (yellow)

Wheels: ENVE SES 7.8s (clinchers, DT Swiss hubs, Shimano 11spd)

Tires: Continental Grand Prix 4000sII 700×25 (with the 5000 series coming out, these are a great deal now: a pair for $80, or with tubes for $105. I have a stock of them. Once I’m out, I’ll try the 5000s which are $80/tire or $150/pair)

Tubes: Continental – there are a lot of interesting packs (I’ll use whatever for training, but race wheels I get the good stuff)

Brakes: Shimano Ultegra Dual Pivot SLR EV Brake (BR-6800)

Brake pads: ENVE Black (to maintain your ENVE warranty on wheels with the new brake track, you need to use these pads)

Chain rings: ROTOR Qarbon 110BCD (52/36)

Bottom bracket: ROTOR Press Fit 4630

Cassette: Shimano Ultegra HG EV Cassette Sprocket (11-Speed, 11/28, CS-6800; the 8000 series is solid too)

Chain: KMC X11SL Ti-N

Aero bar pads: Ceegees (CY3T01)

Saddle: ISM Adamo Time Trial

Fitter: Jeff, Precision Bike Fit

Mechanic: Adrian, The Bike Shed

WAIT. ONE LAST THING.

All the work wasn’t complete until I did this:

New whip - with BAM stripes

. . . spot it?

Curious what you see that’s different. Let me know in a comment.

Wheels up and happy trails,

Nat Harward

By |2022-09-26T21:23:31-06:00October 1st, 2017|Triathlon|6 Comments

Why Isn’t My Heart Rate Monitor Working? Because It’s Dirty

Why isn’t my heart rate monitor working today?

May 2020 UPDATE: You can go thru the process of cleaning your heart rate monitor regularly . . . but seriously, just get a Polar H10. You’ll see in the comments below that I switched from saying, “A lot of people in my forums recommend it” to “I got one, and I recommend it.” I got mine Dec 2019 and it’s been just about flawless. The first battery ran out quicker than I expected . . . in March. The replacement is still going. No connection problems. No data drops. No data spikes. Will report again in December. Again, skip the frustration … just get the H10.

That’s a question I never want to ask myself yet I have several times this year. I have two Suunto watches — for tracking my triathlon training, mountain adventures, and navigating in the backwoods — the Spartan Ultra and the Spartan Sport Wrist HR.

Heart rate monitor cleaningThe Suunto Spartan Ultra.

My Heart Rate Monitor: Suunto Smart Sensor

The Suunto Spartan Ultra (SSU) doesn’t have HRM on the wrist, so I always wear a chest strap with it.

While the SSSWHR model has an optical heart rate monitor on the wrist, I wear a chest strap heart rate monitor all the time with that one too since chest straps are slightly more accurate … by all the time I mean except swimming, since pushing off the wall nearly always has enough force to slip the chest strap out of position and that’s mad annoying.

Multisport Heart Rate Monitor - Suunto Smart SensorThe Suunto Smart Sensor Multisport Heart Rate Monitor

Anyway, things were going swimmingly … two watches, one heart rate monitor strap synced to both, connected quickly and flawlessly every time … for 7 months until one day in July things between my SSU and my HRM went south.

Heart Rate Monitor Frustrations

At first how it went is I’d go to the “pre-start” screen where the watch is locking in connections just before starting an activity, and the screen would show a connection to the Suunto Smart Sensor HRM (which connects to the watch via Bluetooth), even indicating my present heart rate. But as soon as I started the activity, the watch showed my heart rate as “—-“, and when I later finished the activity synced the data to Movescount, there was no heart rate data. Annoying.

So I tried stuff like unpairing my watch and the heart rate monitor. And repairing. And the same thing would happen.

And then it got worse … my SSU just stopped finding my HRM at all whenever I tried to re-pair.

I replaced the battery, hard reset the watch, un-paired the HRM from every other device and on and on … all to no avail. But there’s a good ending to this story.

In case you’re wondering, yes, I was soaking my chest strap as well to ensure there was enough moisture to conduct electrical pulses from my skin and so the chest strap had something to read and data to relay through the device.

Almost the whole time through this, I could still get my SSSWHR to connect … almost.

For awhile, my heart rate monitor performance was unpredictable, and I couldn’t stand it.

I mean really couldn’t stand it.

I count on heart rate data in my workouts to track how much work I’m doing and how much at what intensities. Without the HR data, my data has gaps and I my aggregate numbers get off. Since I really want that data, and I couldn’t get it from my SSU, it became almost unusable for me for awhile even though it is an amazing watch and can do so many other things.

This was no good.

It’s supposed to be a great watch! It IS a great watch! I’m the U.S. Endurance Community Manager for Suunto!!! … but my watch, within year 1, isn’t working!!!

Not a good situation.

Trawling the Internet for a Heart Rate Monitor Solution

Through my various attempts to getting a connection to happen, I did clean my strap. But not really clean it.

In trawling the internet for what people do about their HRMs, I found a forum post where someone went into depth about cleaning it. I decided to go Type A and clean every single thing I could to see if that would work. Because if a deep clean didn’t work, then it truly was a product defect and I’d send it back for a replacement.

How I Cleaned My Heart Rate Monitor

Prep: disconnect, un-pair, “forget” or otherwise completely sever the connections between your HRM and your watch, phone, bike computer and any other device you’ve connected it to. Get a bowl, dish soap, rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and cotton swabs / q-tips.

Step 1: Fill a bowl with warm water and some dish soap. Place the chest strap into the bowl. Let it sit overnight.

UPDATES:

[1] Liquid dish detergent and laundry detergent are best.

[2] By “warm” I mean less than 100F (<40C). So, like “the middle” of your hot and cold settings. Very lukewarm or maybe a tad on the “when I put my finger in to test it, it feels slightly chill.”

[3] Yes, a bowl and not the laundry even though that’s what’s in the user guide.

Why? According to my biochemist bro:

For dish and laundry detergent: they don’t have any moisturizing additives that leave non-conductive deposits behind. The whole point of washing is to get rid of the non-conducting oils.

For water temp: hotter water will do a better job cleaning, BUT above 40C it will damage the elastics & stretchy fabrics in the band. And that breakdown is no good. (Fwiw, 40C is the hottest recommended temp by Suunto in the user guide.)

The crud that builds up on the electrodes and makes them non-conductive (so you stop getting accurate readings consistently) is a mix of greasy skin materials. Sweat is bad for your HRM band and the electronics because sweat includes oils and salts. That combination loves to stick to smooth, rubbery surfaces like the electrode pads. Detergents are their enemy and will wash them away.

And my take on why soak overnight instead of tossing in the laundry machine per the user guide (English PDF, other languages): less wear and tear. I’d rather my band sit in a little bit of water than get tossed around with my jeans.

H/T to Dimitrios Kanellopoulos for starting a convo with me that lead to adding this info! He’s active in this Suunto users group on FB. Join us.

Step 2: While the chest strap soaks, open the HRM to replace the battery. And then clean the battery with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol, on both sides. When the alcohol has evaporated, put the battery in. Using the q-tip and rubbing alcohol, swab around the sealing edges of the case but don’t swab directly on the electronics board. If the battery connectors look dirty, carefully swab those. Swab the entire removable casing/shell/battery cover. Finally, reinstall the cover.

Somewhat risky step … not liable for anything that may or may not happen if you do this: if you are still having data consistency issues after all this, some people say to put the battery in upside down for about 20 seconds. Not recommended because reverse voltage can damage electronics, and while the sensor probably has some voltage regulating safety bits, it’s best not to stress them with a battery the wrong way.

Step 3: Clean the connector terminals on the sensor. Whatever brand of HRM you use, there are likely two metal posts on the sensor that “snap” into the chest strap. That’s what I’m talking about. Swab those super clean with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol as well.

NOTE: Rubbing alcohol will also damage the elastics. So be careful where you swab (same in Step 5).

Step 4: (Next morning) Remove chest strap from water and dish soap solution. Rinse out the soap.

Step 5: Again with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol, swab out the receivers on the chest strap where the posts on the sensor snap in. Really get in there to wipe them clean.

Step 6: Let all the alcohol evaporate, run the chest strap under water or apply electrode gel. Put the strap on. Snap your sensor in. Reconnect to your devices, one at a time.

Step 7: As a result of your cleaning efforts, enjoy a HRM that works!

I Cleaned It. That Worked. Heart Rate Monitor Restored.

So after all that my SSU found and successfully paired with my HRM and hasn’t skipped a beat since.

So . . .

Yeah . . .

(Chest strap) Heart rate monitors need clean electrical lines to sense the electrical pulses of our heart beats and clean lines to send all that info from the strap to the sensor. If those lines (in the strap) and connections (from strap to sensor) get too dirty (easy to happen when you train daily and jump in a lake now and then), then they need to get cleaned.

OK! Now I can stop ranting about my HRM not working … because I know it’s my job to clean it.

New ritual: HRM deep clean every 2 months.

Between Deep Cleans, Try This:

Put a small drop of dish soap on the soft side of a kitchen sponge, and then quickly swipe the contact pads. This will keep the contact pads cleaner so you can go longer between deep cleans.

[FOR REFERENCE: I hear people have success using the Polar H10 belt and Bluetooth enabled HRM transmitter, and they say it’s more robust than the Suunto Smart Sensor, requiring less maintenance.]

[UPDATE Sep 2018: I got a Suunto 9 in June when it launched and have sold the Sport WHR.]

[UPDATE Dec 2018: I also sold my Ultra. All-in with the 9.]

By |2021-12-28T14:13:25-07:00September 30th, 2017|Triathlon|78 Comments

Metabolizing Anxiety: Highlights from Ask a Mormon Sex Therapist (Ep 20)

If the mere mention of Ask a Mormon Sex Therapist in my bio hasn’t prompted you to listen, maybe these selections on metabolizing anxiety will.

Btw, these interviews are all Q&A based — usually two Qs per episode, this one has three. To get the backdrop on this metabolizing anxiety conversation, jump to the start of the third question and Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife’s answer at @ 22:00.

What follows are loose transcripts from the episode. I cut “you knows,” “I thinks,” and so on, and added content (in parentheses) that I believe accurately connects allusions to previously mentioned ideas so that it’s easier for you to follow the excerpts.

 

@ 34:33 – Giving people space to grow

To tolerate the discomfort of another’s discomfort is part of what it is to actually give people the space that they need to really grow, and to manage your own anxiety.

 

@ 35:59 – Metabolizing Anxiety

If you’re going to actually grow, you have to metabolize more anxiety within yourself and not use the people around you to manage what is your work, or what is your job, or what is your responsibility.

What is of virtue is to take 100% responsibility for exactly what your responsibility is — in a marriage, or in a family, or in any group — and 0% responsibility for what isn’t your responsibility.

That sounds very selfish, but that’s actually one of the most virtuous things you can do: to really do what your job is in any situation.

It also frees up other people to grow in the ways that they need to grow.

When we get in trouble is when we rush in to kind of get anxiety to go down in the moment, but then we stabilize and mature our destructive patterns.

The virtue in creating goodness is tolerating difficulty up front. That’s what sacrifice is: you take your difficulty up front to create something better ultimately.

It’s against our human nature (to do that, to sacrifice, to tolerate difficulty up front) — it’s natural man to not to do it (to avoid difficulty up front, escaping to an easier path). But what creates goodness and godliness is doing that (tolerating difficulty now).

 

@ 40:15 – When’s the time for metabolizing anxiety?

It’s when you’re having a hard conversation, and they’re pushing on those buttons on you that you like to react to, that you get all self-righteous about.

Instead of getting self-righteous and reacting, you calm yourself down and you stay constructive. That’s what I’m talking about in the “real time”: that you don’t (use) your losing strategies, which are the reactive things we do that feel good in the moment but that keep suffering alive.

You have to really track what it is you do (habitually) so that you can push yourself to do the better thing in the face of a lot of pressure to do the thing that’s familiar. (Catching yourself before you do the familiar thing) is what development is all about.

 

@ 42:56 – The effect of metabolizing anxiety

When you step into new action, or action that’s driven by a sense of what you believe is right, even if it’s hard, you literally expand your capacity as a person, and you expand your sense of self.

 

@ 43:52 – Metabolizing anxiety includes not doing the familiar thing to get validation

Many of us prefer to kind of just do and deal with the (familiar) things that (have, in the past, managed to get us) validation from the other person, and so we constrict our relationships (to doing just those things, even if they are losing strategies that perpetuate suffering) to our detriment.

We have to work against that natural-man tendency.

 

Ask A Mormon Sex Therapist is a sub series of the Rational Faiths podcast.

Have a listen.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]

Metabolizing Anxiety

Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

By |2021-01-15T15:37:22-07:00August 31st, 2017|Faith, General Life|0 Comments

Neal A Maxwell: A Complete Chronology of His Talks and Speeches

In mid 2016, I read a book by Neal A Maxwell. Shortly after, I embarked on listening to his entire BYU Speeches archive, in chronological order.

I listened to many of these talks while making the long drive from Salt Lake to Heber City. At the time I was seeing someone who lived in Heber, and each time we made plans to get together I looked forward as much to her company as I did to the drive from my home in Millcreek, up Parley’s Canyon, past Park City and back down into the neighboring valley — my quiet, private time with Neal. The drive being an hour each way, I listened to one talk there and another on the way home.

In 2017, I started listening to the entire archive of his General Conference talks.

His perspectives certainly colored this piece I wrote, where I included just one of his golden nuggets.

I thought I’d put together all the speeches and talks of this man who seemed so well to maintain proper perspective for all life’s experience. For as he once said, “This world is not the one we are preparing for.”

The first book I read was We Will Prove Them Herewith. I think it’s out of print, but you can find it on Amazon.

Will update this with all of his Ensign articles, books, etc. I have a book that isn’t on the Wikipedia books list, so I think it will take some work.

I also recommend his biography, A Disciple’s Life: The Biography of Neal A Maxwell, which I finished fall 2017.

Neal A Maxwell - A Disciple's Life

From the Life of Neal A Maxwell

b. Jul. 6, 1926

1970 – Appointed Commissioner of Church Education

1970 – Feb. 23 – Spiritual Ecology – BYU/CES

1971 – Oct. 23 – Mormon Milieu – BYU/CES

1972 – A Time to Choose – Deseret Book

1972 – Apr. 27 – Freedom: A “Hard Doctrine” – BYU/CES

1974 – Jan. 15 – Family Perspectives – BYU/CES

1974 – Apr. 6 – Called as Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

1974 – Apr. – Response to a Call – LDS General Conference

1974 – Sep. 1 – But for a Small Moment – BYU/CES

1974 – Oct. – Why Not Now? – LDS General Conference

1975 – Apr. – The Man of Christ – LDS General Conference

1976 – Jan. 4 – Taking up the Cross – BYU/CES

1976 – Apr. – “Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King” – LDS General Conference

1976 – Oct. 1 – Called to the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy

1976 – Oct. – Notwithstanding My Weakness – LDS General Conference

1976 – Oct. 26 – Insights from My Life – BYU/CES

1977 – Nov. 8 – All Hell Is Moved – BYU/CES

1978 – Feb. – The Gospel Gives Answers to Life’s Problems – Ensign/Liahona

1978 – Apr. – The Women of God – LDS General Conference

1978 – Oct. 10 – Meeting the Challenges of Today – BYU/CES

1979 – Nov. 27 – Patience – BYU/CES

1980 – Apr. 21 – In This Time of Complexity and Challenge – BYU/CES

1980 – Oct. – The Net Gathers of Every Kind – LDS General Conference

1980 – Oct. 7 – True Believers in Christ – BYU/CES

1981 – Jul. 23 – Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

1981 – Sep. 15 – Grounded, Rooted, Established, and Settled (Ephesians 3:17, 1 Peter 5:10) – BYU/CES

1981 – Oct. – “O, Divine Redeemer” – LDS General Conference

1982 – Apr. – “A Brother Offended” – LDS General Conference

1982 – Sep. 5 – Meekly Drenched in Destiny – BYU/CES

1982 – Oct. – “Be of Good Cheer” – LDS General Conference

1983 – Feb. 18 – Try the Virtue of the Word of God – BYU/CES

1983 – Apr. – “Shine As Lights in the World” – LDS General Conference

1983 – Oct. – Joseph, the Seer – LDS General Conference

1984 – Apr. – The Great Plan of the Eternal God – LDS General Conference

1984 – Jun. – Friend to Friend – Liahona

The subtitle of this article is “From a personal interview by Janet Peterson with Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve.”

And from this article comes this quote, which is plastered all over the internet and attributed to Elder Maxwell without proper citation — in all but one instance.

Elder Maxwell would like to give this message to the children of the Church: “It’s extremely important for you to believe in yourselves, not only for what you are now, but for what you have the power to become. Trust in the Lord as He leads you along. He has things for you to do that you won’t know about now, but that will be revealed later. If you stay close to Him, you will have some great adventures. You will live in a time when instead of just talking about prophecies that will sometime be fulfilled, many of them will actually be fulfilled. The Lord will unfold your future bit by bit.”

The internet memes and quote-spiration pages often end the quote here, although the conclusion is:

All the easy things that the Church has had to do have been done, so you’re going to live in a time of high adventure. You were brought to this earth because you can handle that time of adventure, and you will do well.

So long as Janet Peterson transcribed her notes correctly, what can we do but say this is indeed Elder Maxwell.

Kudos to Tim Tanner for tracking down and citing the Liahona source in his Aug 6, 2019 BYU-I devotional address.

1984 – Oct. – “Out of Obscurity” – LDS General Conference

1984 – Dec. 4 – If Thou Endure Well – BYU/CES

1985 – Mar. 19 – Part of Destiny – BYU-I/CES

1985 – Apr. – “Willing to Submit” – LDS General Conference

1985 – Oct. – Premortality, a Glorious Reality – LDS General Conference

1986 – Feb. 7 – Good and Evil Spoken of Among All People – BYU Management Society

  • Address given at a dinner event of the BYU Management Society, Washington, D.C. Chapter.
  • Only exists as two print copies — no known recording or transcript. Print copies on file at HBLL Special Collections – Americana Collection, BX 8608 .A1 no.2968.

1986 – Mar. 30 – Joseph Smith: “A Choice Seer” – BYU/CES

1986 – Apr. – “Called and Prepared from the Foundation of the World” – LDS General Conference

1986 – Oct. – “God Will Yet Reveal” – LDS General Conference

1986 – Oct. 11 – Great Answers to the Great Question – BYU/CES

1986 – Oct. 21 – “Meek and Lowly” – BYU/CES

1987 – Apr. – “Overcome … Even As I Also Overcame” – LDS General Conference

1987 – Oct. – “Yet Thou Art There” – LDS General Conference

1988 – Apr. – “For I Will Lead You Along” – LDS General Conference

1988 – Oct. – “Answer Me” – LDS General Conference

1989 – Mar. 26 – “A Wonderful Flood of Light” – BYU/CES

1989 – Apr. – Irony: The Crust on the Bread of Adversity – LDS General Conference

1989 – Oct. – “Murmur Not” – LDS General Conference

1990 – Feb. 4 – The Children of Christ – BYU/CES

1990 – Apr. – “Endure It Well” – LDS General Conference

1990 – Oct. – Put Off the Natural Man, and Come Off Conqueror – LDS General Conference

1991 – Mar. 31 – “In Him All Things Hold Together” – BYU/CES

1991 – Apr. – “Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds” – LDS General Conference

1991 – Sep. 27 – On Consecration, Scholarship, and the Defense of the Kingdom (pp 12-21 in the PDF, printed as pages x-xix) – FARMS

  • The version linked to above is the transcription Daniel C. Peterson published in the Interpreter in 2003. Peterson got the transcription from Matthew Roper, who was present and recorded the speech, and then transcribed it on 5 October 1991, slightly more than a week after the event. As far as anyone knows, that recording (and no others) exist.
  • This speech is more commonly known by the title “Discipleship and Scholarship,” under which it was published in condensed and polished form by BYU Studies in 1992.
  • That he would speak at the FARMS annual banquet in the Wilkinson Student Center at BYU is reported in the Sep 1991 FARMS newsletter, INSIGHTS, page 5.

1991 – Oct. – Repentance – LDS General Conference

1992 – Apr. – “My Servant Joseph” – LDS General Conference

1992 – Aug. 18 – The Inexhaustible Gospel – BYU/CES

1992 – Oct. – “Settle This in Your Hearts” – LDS General Conference

1993 – Apr. – “Behold, the Enemy Is Combined” (D&C 38:12) – LDS General Conference

1993 – Jul. 4 – Provo 1993 Freedom Festival Fireside – BYU/CES

1993 – Aug. 25 – Wisdom and Order – BYU/CES

1993 – Aug. 26 – Out of the Best Faculty – BYU/CES

1993 – Oct. – “From the Beginning” – LDS General Conference

1994 – Mar. 27 – “Called to Serve” – BYU/CES

1994 – Apr. – “Take Especial Care of Your Family” – LDS General Conference

1994 – Oct. – “Brightness of Hope” – LDS General Conference

1995 – Apr. – “Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness” – LDS General Conference

1995 – Oct. – “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father” – LDS General Conference

1996 – Jan. 23 – “Brim with Joy” – BYU/CES

1996 – Apr. – “Becometh As a Child” – LDS General Conference

1996 – Oct. – “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts” – LDS General Conference

1997 – Apr. – “From Whom All Blessings Flow” – LDS General Conference

1997 – Oct. – “Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ” – LDS General Conference

1998 – Jan. 4 – The Pathway of Discipleship – BYU/CES

1998 – Apr. – “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel” – LDS General Conference

1998 – Oct. – Hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ – LDS General Conference

1999 – Jan. 12 – Sharing Insights from My Life – BYU/CES

1999 – Apr. – “Repent of [Our] Selfishness” (D&C 56:8) – LDS General Conference

1999 – Oct. – Lessons from Laman and Lemuel – LDS General Conference

2000 – Feb. – Jesus, the Perfect Mentor – BYU/CES

2000 – Apr. – Content with the Things Allotted unto Us – LDS General Conference

2000 – Oct. – The Tugs and Pulls of the World – LDS General Conference

2001 – Apr. – “Plow in Hope” – LDS General Conference

2001 – Oct. – The Seventh Commandment:A Shield – LDS General Conference

2002 – Apr. – Consecrate Thy Performance – LDS General Conference

2002 – Oct. – Encircled in the Arms of His Love – LDS General Conference

2003 – Apr. – Care for the Life of the Soul – LDS General Conference

2003 – Oct. – How Choice a Seer! – LDS General Conference

2004 – Mar. 16 – “Free to Choose” – BYU/CES

2004 – Mar 19 – Blending Research and Revelation – adaptation of remarks made at BYU President’s Leadership Council Meetings

2004 – Apr. – Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been – LDS General Conference

d. July 21, 2004

Neal A Maxwell: A Man with Perspective

Sources:

BYU Speeches by Neal A Maxwell

LDS General Conference Archive of Neal A Maxwell

More Interesting Neal A Maxwell Resources:

Maxwell Bibliography. An on-going project by Tyler Snow. Elder Maxwell’s lifetime cited works, grouped into Books, JD, HC and CHC, and then sorted by frequency of citations.

From “A” to “Z”: A is for Alliteration, Z is for Zion. By Don Duncan. 1997. (Working on converting this to a spreadsheet format.)

By |2024-03-05T16:10:29-07:00June 29th, 2017|Faith|75 Comments

“What should I do in New York City?” All Of This.

Since I lived in Manhattan for 5 years (New York 101: Manhattan is an entire island, and it’s 1 of 5 ‘boroughs’ that make up New York City), people often ask what they should do when they visit.

If you’re an American, you ought to know at least this much about NYC. “The City” comprises 5 boroughs. Manhattan is an island. Staten Island is one too, and a joke. The Bronx is up north, Queens clockwise from there, and then wrapped inside Queens between there are Staten Island is Brooklyn. Queens and Brooklyn are the far western end of Long Island (also an island, pronounced “Lawn GY-land”). That said, Manhattan is where everything you’ve ever associated with New York City is. And heads up, if you forget this is what NYC really looks like, you’ll get all whacked looking at the MTA Subway map which is completely out of proportion.

When in New York, do these things

Live Jazz: VJO Monday nights at Village Vanguard

Pizza: Juliana’s on Old Fulton under the Brooklyn Bridge, Motorino in the East Village, Don Antonio’s on 50th in the Theater District. If you want to venture beyond Manhattan for good pizza: Roberta’s and Di Fara are excellent. Di Fara’s is a legend. (btw, if you go to one of these places OUTSIDE New York you’re nuts if you expect the same experience)

Note on Juliana’s: Some people might tell you to go to Grimaldi’s on Old Fulton. Up until a few years ago, that was the advice you wanted. You see Patsy Grimaldi is one of New York City’s Pizza Godfathers. And, true enough, he opened a shop on Old Fulton. Then in 1998, someone convinced him to sell the business, including the rights to his name. The lure of retirement was sweet, so Patsy sold his name.

That person ran Grimaldi’s into the 2000s until 2011 when a little dispute with the landlord arose. By 2012 he was out, but not for good. He simply opened shop on the corner of the same block. He bought an old bank and, still owning the name, slapped “Grimaldi’s,” above the front door. To this day every tourist from Torrence to Tokyo doesn’t know any better, so what happens on Saturdays? A 2-hour line forms at Grimaldi’s doors and snakes down to the water.

HOWEVER . . . those who know, know that when O.G. Grimaldi got wind of the dispute between the landland and the owner of his namesake, Patsy started making moves. No one who loves food enough to open a restaurant ever truly retires. I mean really. Here in Utah the family behind Gloria’s Little Italy spent a couple years off the map and Florida and where are they now? Back in Bountiful with a pizza shop.

Patsy was restless. You bet he was making pizza from 1998 to 2012. And with the tenant of his shop on the way out, it was time. No way would he hold back … the original location, AVAILABLE! So move he did! Right.Into.His.Original.Shop. Patsy rebuilt the oven, refreshed the dining area and set up a bar so guests can watch him and his proteges do their finest work. And just before opening, he christened his comeback with a new sign, emblazoned with the name of his mother: JULIANA’s.

Burgers: Shake Shack (handful of locations; there’s even one in JFK and Las Vegas and other places, so don’t go out of your way for this, but say you go to the Museum of Natural History, well, it’s across the street). If you have time and want to try a +$20 burger, start with the Black Label at Minetta Tavern. If you don’t have time, try your luck watching the bar like a hawk and snag 2 stools as soon as they open. Full menu service there.

Cookies: skip Levain, go to City Cakes on 18th and 8th

Pastries: Pretzel croissant (City Bakery, on 18th and 5th. If it’s cold, they have killer hot chocolate too), a REAL cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery (arrive an hour+ before the store opens to get a spot in line. The cronuts sell out once the store opens)

Cheesecake: IMHO it was Carnegie Deli, but they are now closed and only ship. Juniors is fine (it’s convenient). Looks like 2 Little Red Hens in the UES is worth checking out. Eileen’s is also good.

Asian: Oh my, how did I leave this out for months? Xi’an Famous Foods (original in Chinatown, convenient locations on 45th near GCT, in the UWS on Broadway and 102nd and elsewhere). There’s only one thing to get your first time: the N1, spicy cumin lamb with hand-pulled noodles. Never seen another noodle like this anywhere. Yum. This is NOT a sit-down restaurant. You MIGHT find a spot at the counter to put your plate and eat while you stand or sit on a stool. Make plans to eat it hot and fresh. It’s better that way.

Korean BBQ: KOKO Wings opened around the corner from my front door and man alive I was a frequent customer. Small combo for 1, medium for 2 or large if you’re starving. Sauces: half and half every time. Sides: 2 words . . . kimchee coleslaw. You can also jaunt over from Herald Square a block and zigzag your way from 35th to 31st (btwn 5th and 6th) poking your head into just about any storefront there and find yourself some delicious Korean BBQ.

Broadway: Try your hand at a lottery (that link or Google ‘playbill student rush’) OR if they offer a “rush” option in the morning, show up 2.5-3 hours before that ticket window opens with a cushion and a good book. You’ll be first in line to get, typically, a front-row ticket.

Dinners: Buvette (West Village), Westville (couple locations)

Fancy-A Dinners: Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Minetta Tavern, The Modern at MoMA, Per Se, Blue Hill, ABC Kitchen, L’Artusi (or any of these)

Don’t miss: the grilled corn-on-the-cob at Num Pang Sandwich Shop

Comedy: EastVille Comedy Club or Comedy Cellar on MacDougal. You never know who’s gonna show up that’s not on the bill.

Experiences: sauna/steam/spa at the Russian-Turkish Bath House in the East Village. Walk The Mall in Central Park and finish at Bethesda Fountain/Terrace. Top of the Rock. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the Staten Island Ferry (once it lands in Staten Island, don’t get off … just get right back on and go back to Manhattan. Ain’t nothing to see in Staten Island). The Highline. World Trade Center plaza, 9/11 Memorial. Take the N/Q or F/D to Coney Island. If you go when it’s warm, take the LIRR from Penn Station to Long Beach.

As you can see it’s ludicrously easy to entertain yourself in The City of New York.

New York City - Nat Harward - Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall – 6th (Avenue of the Americas) & 50th – a few minutes before Bon Iver in concert

In part, that’s why I left.

But while you’re there . . . have fun 🙂

Questions? Looking for something else? Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

By |2021-05-06T16:58:44-06:00May 7th, 2017|General Life|0 Comments

Busted out the old drum pad

15+ years ago, James Sparling wrote the front end of this ditty for Nick Fields and Ross Patterson. Who then taught it to Chris Demuth and, later, me.

Then Nick and I blew it up for the high school variety show.

This week, my ward had a talent show and I figured I’d pull my quad pad of out storage to play something.

Here you go:

Smooth Jazz (on Argyle with a Banana Split on the Side)

Performed Solo, by the weaker half of Nick Nat Diddle Tap

Video Cred: www.andybeutler.com

By |2021-01-15T15:37:23-07:00April 11th, 2017|Music|0 Comments

Sang in General Conference

My stake and a neighboring YSA stake were asked to staff the choir for the Priesthood Session of April 2017 General Conference.

I sang T1. About 40 guys I go to church with each week spread themselves out across T1/T2/B1/B2.

#ThisIsWinmill

We sang . . .

Rise Up, O Men of God

Jesus, Once of Humble Birth

(Made the camera on this one, around 0:48)

Redeemer of Israel

and

Hope of Israel

Great times. Hats off to our conductor Brett Taylor, music boss over at Mountain View High School.

Takeaways:

  • There are 364 seats in the Conference Center choir loft.
  • Brett embraced his choir-geek music-nerdiness so much that it worked in his favor and won over the cooperation and trust of 364 mostly-amateur-singer dudes to sing with form and sound like a choir.
  • A teacher who loves what they do, cares, finds simple ways to convey and teach building blocks of technique, who provides lots of “this way, not this way” demos, and who provides lots of “see, you’re improving” feedback makes a world of difference in short time.
  • “The more in-tune that 5th is, the more truth there is in it. And thereby, the more the Spirit can testify of the truth of what we’re singing.”
  • “If you come to the performance unshaven and with unkempt hair, heaven awaits you . . . but the choir does not.”
By |2023-11-05T21:02:18-07:00April 3rd, 2017|Faith, Music|0 Comments

Export ROTOR FIT Files: How to get data off the app and into Training Peaks, Strava

As per my new whip write up, I upgraded to a ROTOR 2INpower MAS (pictured below) and it took some time to figure out how to export ROTOR FIT files from the app and get them into Training Peaks and Strava. I thought I could do it from the app on my phone, turns out (at this point in time), you can’t. A little wonky, but whatever. Here is the solution.

Export ROTOR FIT Files - 2INpower

Not really useful to have the data unless it gets to TP. And if it isn’t on Strava, it didn’t happen!

Ha.

While I can sync the ROTOR to my Suunto Spartan Ultra via Bluetooth (which would then send watts to TP), only the total power number gets sent. The ROTOR app captures L/R power, OCA, OCP, torque effectiveness, pedal smoothness . . . a bunch of custom stuff that no watch is set up for (yet).

How to Export ROTOR FIT Files from the ROTOR App (iPhone + iTunes) [3:03]

If the video doesn’t display, view it here.

No idea what the Android corollaries are, but probably similar.

If this changes or you find some better way … leave a comment. Will update.

Power on.

#

More info on the additional data captured by the ROTOR Power app

Why I say use the ROTOR app then export ROTOR FIT files to another program

Left/Right balance

Different leg lengths, hip disequilibrium or simply stronger/weaker muscles in one of your legs lead to left/right irregularities. Here you have the chance to optimize your pedal stroke to the extent that both legs deliver 50% of pedaling performance.

Pedal smoothness

This function demonstrates the fluidity of your legs’ movement. It’s the relation between average and maximal force during a pedal stroke, measured in percentages. Pedal Smoothness is simply average power versus maximum power.

Torque effectiveness

The ratio of total torque versus positive torque. During a complete pedal rotation, data gets sampled to measure force and crank velocity. Resulting values will determine your torque effectiveness.

Torque 360º

Represents your distribution of force throughout a pedal rotation. This metric reveals how your force is applied to the pedal during 360º of pedaling and yields your Optimum Chainring Angle.

Optimum Chainring Angle

Your OCA value indicates the angular position where the work from pedaling is concentrated. This will help you understand how you pedal and will enable you to optimize the position of your Q-Rings.

By |2023-11-05T20:59:39-07:00March 16th, 2017|Triathlon|9 Comments

Suunto Names U.S. Endurance Community Manager

OGDEN, Utah (Feb. 15, 2017) — Suunto, a global leader in sports watches, dive computers and precision instruments, has appointed Nat Harward as endurance community manager in the U.S. In his new role, Harward will be responsible for working with coaches, clubs, athletes and online communities to forge deep relationships in the multisport community.

Suunto Endurance Community Manager - Nat Harward

In addition to his role at Suunto, Harward will continue to work as a marketing strategist, consulting with organizations to produce content, websites, courses and events. Immersed in the Salt Lake City triathlon community, Harward is also a dedicated multisport athlete, finishing Ironman Maryland in 2014 and competing at the USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance Age-Group National Championships in 2015.

“Growing and nurturing communities has always been a big part of the projects I’ve worked on,” says Harward, who has also been an integral part in the growing triathlon community in Salt Lake City. “I’m excited to take that energy into my role at Suunto.”

As Endurance Community Manager, Harward’s primary role will be to identify and connect with influential coaches, local triathlon and run clubs, and athletes in key markets in order to establish Suunto in the endurance community.

“We’re thrilled to have Nat on board,” says Bryson White, Suunto’s brand marketing manager for the Americas. “He brings a lot to the table, both in his marketing expertise and his involvement in the triathlon community.”

Suunto Endurance Community Manager - Nat Harward

About Suunto

Suunto was born in 1936 when Finnish orienteer and engineer Tuomas Vohlonen invented the mass production method for the liquid-filled compass. Since then, Suunto has been at the forefront of design and innovation for sports watches, dive computers and sports instruments used by adventurers all over the globe. From the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, Suunto physically and mentally equips outdoor adventurers to conquer new territory.

Suunto’s headquarters and manufacturing plant is in Vantaa, Finland. Employing more than 400 people worldwide, Suunto products are sold in over 100 countries. The company is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation along with its sister brands Salomon, Arc’teryx, Atomic, Wilson, Enve and Mavic. www.suunto.com

 

By |2021-01-15T15:37:23-07:00February 15th, 2017|Triathlon|0 Comments

1994 XJ Heat Not Blowing – Diagnose and Fix

XJ Heat Not Blowing? Mine wasn’t either . . .

A year ago I bought a Jeep. She’s a 1994 Cherokee Sport (XJ) and my build thread starts here.

I call her Rigby.

1994 XJ Heat Not Blowing - Rigby

A few weeks ago the heat went out. Yeah, in the middle of January. Same time I had a cold.

#perfectiming for an XJ heat not blowing problem to kick in.

I did what I do whenever something happens to her: jump on the Google and the Jeep forums to diagnose what could be the matter, watch a bunch of YouTube videos and decide whether I have the parts, tools and guts to go for it.

First choice: swap the motor that blows air through the cabin and the resistor that allows the motor to blow at different speeds.

Did that . . .

And I seemed to get a LITTLE bit of air blowing, but nothing happened when I flipped the switch on the dash.

So I kept researching all forms of “xj heat not blowing” to diagnose the problem, find tests to run and spec out possible solutions.

Lots of people in the forums say the Blower Switches on the dash — the wheel you use to select low, medium high — are prone to melt. So prone to melt, in fact, that people who check XJs in junk yards for their switches say that typically 4 out of 5 switches are toast.

Fine then. Replace the switch is up next.

After doing the motor and resistor, it seemed it would be the last step.

I removed the dash and sure enough the switch was fried. That for sure would cause the classic XJ heat not blowing problem.

Like so many XJ’s before mine, another melted switch:

Pre-97 XJ Heat Not Blowing - Fried Blower Switch

The part nearer my wrist is a plastic housing that’s supposed to have 4 female metal clips that slide nicely over the copper male posts of the Blower Switch, between my fingers.

I look closer and noticed my fried switch wasn’t the original . . . it’s at least the first replacement . . . the 4 wires coming off the switch are spliced into the wiring harness. I assume the original would have been wired right in. So not only did I have the XJ heat not blowing problem, one or more of Rigby’s previous owners had the XJ heat not blowing problem too.

When I first took the old switch out, I clipped in front of the splices, which you can see here.

1994 XJ Heat Not Blowing - Switch Already Replaced Once

Getting the new switch attached to the back of the heat/ac plate that you see on the dash was easy. Two simple screws.

The new posts look so good compared to the old ones.

XJ Heat Not Working - New Switch Clean Posts

I got the switch from my local O’Reilly’s. I didn’t think about wiring when I got it, so after getting the new one on I went back to see about a replacement for the wires + wire clips + plastic housing to fit over those posts. We didn’t fit the original setup in stock, nor did it appear in the system for order. Seems no one makes them anymore … well someone ought to make a kit given how often the switches melt.

Either way, no problem.

My O’Reilly man Ben, who also drives an XJ, says “Get wires with the right-size clips, plug them right on and seal it up with grease. The plastic would melt again anyway.”

He finds a relay plug + wires for some other application and removes the wires from the plastic housing, and that’s what I buy, along with a wire stripper and a pack of butt splice connectors (how to video) to splice my new wires into Rigby’s wiring harness.

UPDATE: There are kits. Here’s one and it comes with the resistor. The harness is for the resistor specifically, but I’m pretty sure it will work on the switch. Either way … since the plastic is prone to melt again, my suggestion is to get a relay plug, pop the wires out of the plastic housing, connect them directly to the switch terminals, and plug the connections with dieletric grease. The grease isn’t going to melt. The plastic probably will. Again. Here’s a 2-pack of the plug.

I trim the old splices off and splice all the new wires in. Strip about 1/8″ of wiring insulation from harness end and plug end, feed both into the butt splice connector, crimp the connector and wires together, and heat it up with a lighter until the blue material shrinks, sealing both ends.

This was my first time doing any electrical work, so we’ll see how everything holds up.

You can see the finished splices of the yellow and green wires below, along with the clip for the yellow wire without a plastic housing to sit in. Each of those clips went right onto the new switch posts.

XJ Heat Not Blowing - Direct Wire Splice New Switch

With the four new wires spliced in, I coated the clips with silicon grease and slid all 4 onto their proper posts, then gobbed a lot more grease to coat the posts and clips entirely.

The grease will help dissipate heat and will protect the connections from moisture, dust and other interferences.

I have no idea what the heat thresholds are for that grease . . . will it liquify and drip off? Maybe, I’ll check how it looks the next time I run the fan on high for awhile. I have no idea at what temp it smokes/burns, but I assume it won’t because this is the same grease that you squirt into your distributor and spark plug wire connectors. Any fire hazard there would be no bueno.

UPDATE: Nov 2017 — grease hasn’t melted away, all is good.

Did I take my XJ heat not blowing problem and turn it around?

Have a look:

If the video doesn’t load, watch it here.

NOW . . .

What I found after replacing the fan and resistor that would have helped me properly diagnose, from the beginning, that my XJ heat not blowing problem resided in my switch, had I studied it closely:

The Pre-97 XJ Heater Blower Motor Wiring Diagram

XJ Heat Not Blowing - Heat Blower Electrical Diagram

Word to the wise.

Whenever dealing with diagnosing anything electrical, FIND THE WIRING DIAGRAM.

The diagram reveals the circuit logic which you can follow to pinpoint where the circuits are breaking.

Which is smarter than replacing everything in the entire circuit.

In this case, that wasn’t costly. In other cases, why pay to replace something that’s working?

And so now I present . . .

XJ Heat Not Blowing and Other Problems: How to Diagnose in a Pre-97 XJ

Take your car to a quiet place so you can hear things turning on and off without the distraction of road noise.

[1]  When you switch the Climate Mode Selector (the top sliding bar, above temperature, on your dash) from “OFF” to ANY of the Vent/Heat/Defrost options AND the Blower Switch (the wheel) is at THE BOTTOM (low), do you hear a fan start and can you, in at least one of those options, feel any air blowing out of any of the vents?

[A] If you hear no fan and have no air blowing from any vent on any option, either your Climate Mode Selector Switch is busted, your fuse is blown, or the Blower Motor is out. Check the fuse first, that’s easy to replace. If the fuse is fine, pull the plug to your blower motor, run power to it and see if it works; if battery power doesn’t make it turn, replace the motor. If the fuse and motor are fine, it’s your Mode Selector and for that it’s probably easiest to pull an entire climate control unit from an old XJ that to fix just the one slider.

[B] If you DO hear a fan turn on and can feel air blowing from at least one vent on at least one option, go to [2]

[2] In Vent, Heat or Defrost, move your Blower Switch (the wheel on the left) from bottom to top. There are 4 modes. If you can’t feel all 4 click, your switch has at least a mechanical failure. You may also have an electrical failure. As you go through the 4 modes, listen for changes in fan speed.

[A] LOW only :: your switch is busted. Look at the diagram. There is a line that runs from the Climate Mode Selector directly to the resistor. This is “low.” So even if your switch is busted, your fan (when heat is turned on), will turn on low.

[B] HIGH only :: your resistor is busted. Look at the diagram. There is a line that runs from the Blower Switch directly to the blower motor. So even if your resistor is busted, your blower motor will work on High when you move the Blower Switch to High and complete the circuit.

[C] ALL FOUR MODES WORK :: you’re good, duh. Why are you reading this?

[D] OTHER COMBOS

NO LOW :: at least the “low” resistor coil is gone

NO M1 :: either the M1 switch wiring is out, or the M1 resistor coil is out, or both

NO M2 :: either the M2 switch wiring is out, or the M2 resistor coil is out, or both

If any of the resistor coils are or could be out, replace the resistor and retest.

If LOW doesn’t work after a new resistor . . . it shouldn’t be working at all. Must be a fault in the wiring that runs directly from S217 to C242 (the resistor).

If M1 doesn’t work after a new resistor . . . replace the Blower Switch. No reason to do part of it, just change the whole thing.

If M2 doesn’t work after a new resistor . . . replace the Blower Switch. No reason to do part of it, just change the whole thing.

If your blower motor works, and you change the resistor and the Blower Switch . . . and you STILL have a mode that doesn’t work:

Then your problem is a fault in the wiring for that mode. That’s over my pay grade. Good luck!

TL;DR :: the way I see it

The resistor is cheap (about $30), the Blower Switch with the copper posts that attaches to the back of the Climate Plate is cheap too (less than $30). Accessing either requires removing the dash. Since the Blower Switch is more prone to failure (melting) but the resistor is easier to replace, then I say that if all this has you suspect EITHER, just REPLACE BOTH. One trip to the auto parts store. One time to open your dash. Refresh pieces of a coordinating electrical system together for even wear. Etc. Annnnnd unless you know the age of your blower motor, do that too. It’s like $40.

Note: when you buy the Blower Switch, also buy just about any 5-wire relay plug for $10 that has the same size clips. Pop the clips out of the plastic. You only need 4. Also get a box of butt splice connectors (less than $5, get more than 4 because you’ll probably mess up at least 1) and use those to splice into your harness and connect to the Switch.

With the 5th wire from the relay plug, use that to ground your blower motor. Strip a little insulation from the open end and feed that into one of the screw that holds the blower motor against the firewall. Then drill a small hole in the clip and into an unpainted piece of metal on the body. Attach the clip to the body with a small screw.

“OK, Nat. So I’ve done all that and now my ‘XJ heat not blowing’ problem is a ‘XJ heat NOT hot’ problem . . .”

Cool. This is what I’m gonna try soon to see if my heat will get hot faster:

Backwards flush the heater core.

The heater core looks like a radiator, but it’s buried way the freak between the firewall and the dash and apparently is a beast to get to. So replacing them is a J-O-B.

But before replacing, a backwards flush may do the trick to loosen up, blow out or release whatever is slowing or stopping coolant from running back there. When the coolant doesn’t flow, then you have just cold or lukewarm coolant trying to heat up the air getting blown over the heater core and out your vents.

Here’s the coolant flow diagram for AMC’s trusty high-output (HO) 4.0L straight-6:

1994 XJ Heat Not Blowing - Heater Core Coolant Flow Diagram

How to do a backwards flush of the 4.0’s heater core:

Remove the skinny hose from the thermostat housing (flows into the heater core) and feed that into an empty container large enough to catch a bunch of coolant. Say 2+ gallons. 5 would be great.

Then remove the skinny hose from the passenger side of the water pump (flows out of the heater core), and take a garden hose with a nozzle, shove the nozzle into that outflow hose and turn the pressure up to force fresh water into the heater core in the reverse direction it normal flows. The water you spray in will then travel the reverse path through the core, out the inflow hose, and drain into your empty container.

Keep the water on until the exiting water looks clear or you fill your container.

Let the plain water drain out of the hoses.

Reattach the hoses.

Refill your radiator with coolant

Start the engine.

Get hot air faster (fingers crossed).

If there’s no change and your air stays cool even after the engine is fully warm, you’ll probably need to replace the heater core. Have fun with that.

#

This is #xjlife.

Really happy to own Rigby. Learning a lot . . . from how to fix XJ heat not blowing to cleaning my differentials to replacing a fuel pump AND perhaps most importantly: that the more I nurse something back to her best, the more endeared to her I am.

Last word: Jeeps are Legos for adults. Happy trails.

By |2021-02-12T13:54:21-07:00January 26th, 2017|Jeeping|16 Comments