Shade tree mechanics
Do you know how to change the oil in your car? Can you replace a headlight or taillight? Most of my friends can do these things but don't, for whatever reason, opting to have the work done by someone else. Rotating tires, replacing brakes, flushing cooling systems, this kind of maintenance is beyond the skill and beyond the interest of almost everybody I know. Am I the last of the shade tree mechanics?
I was waiting at the light on my way to work the other day, and the truck ahead of my was putting out a lot of steam in his exhaust, enough that I noticed his brake lights illuminated the whole cloud while we were stopped. Only when I backed into my parking place at work a couple of minutes later did I realize that the steam was coming from me. :smack: I popped the hood and sure enough, I was leaking coolant pretty freely. Damn. I traced the highest point of the greenish wetness and could clearly see the cracks in the side of the radiator. Time to replace the radiator.
I had never replaced a radiator, but it looked pretty straightforward. A couple of hoses and a couple of retaining bolts, reconnect and refill, and away we go! So I got a quote from my local auto parts supplier (Action Auto Parts, not Sch***k's) and for $276 they would have one there in the morning. I stopped by after work the next day and picked up the radiator and a case of coolant. I decided that Saturday I would start my project.
Have fun. Today I have lawn mower on wheel ramps to remove blades, sharpen. Then change oil in Honda and 78 F-150 PU. And no I won't get it done today. The getting down is ok, but the getting up is hell. :smack:
BigV, aren't you the one who was griping on here a few days ago about left v. right on a car radiator and vague instructions?
I'll do headlights, air filters, etc. myself. But anything more complex, I let somebody else handle. Experience teaches me I'm highly likely to klutz it up.
I do every thing up to and including overhauling engines and transmissions.
Oil? You mean, it needs oil? :confused: :lol:
I wouldn't mind paying someone to do the work if there was someone I could trust to do it right. But alas, people in business just can't take the time to do it the way I'd do it. It might take me two hours to change the oil because while I'm under there, I have to look at, and check out, everything else. Over the years it has saved my ass many times, by spotting trouble in the making. But it's just not reasonable to expect a garage to give it more than a lick and a promise, on an oil change. They might point out things that need immediate attention, in hopes of drumming up some business, but they are certainly not going to evaluate things that don't.
Then there was the time I had to put a timing chain on my V-8 Dodge van. The only practical way was to pull the front bumper, grille, radiator, fan, alternator, power steering pump and water pump, first. Change the timing chain and 4pm on Sunday afternoon start putting it back together.
Hmmm, think, 105k miles... I really ought to replace the water pump while it's all apart. Naw it's late, it's Sunday, I need this to get to work in the morning.
Two weeks, two fucking weeks. Well at least all the bolts were easy to break free.
I've done various car stuff in the past: Change oil, belts, headlights, air filters etc.
I don't like paying mechanics and then not being satisfied with the work. Got the clutch replaced on our manual transmission car a few years ago. It hasn't shifted right since then. There's too much travel in the clutch, and it's real hard to downshift into first gear now. If I had the time and equipment and desire to study how to do it, I'm sure I could have done a better job, but I don't and I don't and I don't. So I either go back and bitch and moan that it doesn't feel "right" or I just live with it. It's easier to just live with it, so that's what I do.
Yes.
It turns out that the instructions for the drain plug were wrong. Oh well. The end of the story is that the radiator installation ended well, after some frustrating detours, the first of which was the misdirection in my manual.
After that, I was surprised to learn that there are seven (!!) hoses connecting to the radiator. I expected no more than three, one large top coolant hose (out), one large bottom coolant hose (in) and a small hose to the overflow tank. They were there, as well as a pair of hard lines on each side of the radiator, making four more, one in each corner. I soon found out that one pair was in/out for ATF and the other pair was in/out for crankcase oil.
I found this strange since each of these important fluids already had it's own dedicated radiator in front of the large coolant radiator. Well, getting then unhitched wasn't hard, but it was messy. I admit I was a little spooked to see bloody oily smears in my puddle of coolant. Ok, I was freaked out thinking I had some kind of serious internal hemorrhage spilling crankcase oil into the coolant system. Eventually I figured out what was happening though.
Once the hoses were off, a few bolts holding down the top cover and a couple holding the fan in place and the radiator lifted right out. It is not actually bolted in anywhere. The bottom has a couple of locating pins which rest in generous rubber sockets and the top is covered with a sort of plate which is held down with a couple of bolts. That, plus the front top engine mount and she's free.
Once I got it out I could easily see where the coolant was coming from. This is one of them new fangled radiators, with plastic (!) tanks on the sides with horizontal metal circulation tubes and vertical cooling fins. Plastic? Well, the pound that it saved eventually cracked. A fair tradeoff? Who knows.
So now in with the new. It slips into the recently vacated radiator slot nice enough, and I start to reconnect all those dang lines. Coolant, ok. Oil, ok. ATF, not ok. The lines are hard (really hard lines, half inch aluminum, like brake lines) and they don't want to line up with the connection points. I manage to catch what I hope/think/pray is the first thread and snug them up with a couple of largish (19 mm and 16 mm) wrenches. I'm very cautious since stripping either side might make me say a bad word or two... safe. I guess.
All the hoses on, the top plate on, the engine remounted to the front top crossmember, fan in, filled with coolant, fire it up! And I did. And the ATF was drip drip dripping. Shit. What do they use to seal oil? Rubber, right? But these compression fittings didn't have any rubber at all. Just brute force with aluminum on brass on steel. I wasn't eager to win a contest of strength with these fittings... so a day later I went back to Action Auto Parts and plead my case.
Matt (some young whippersnapper) suggested some RTV silicone since it's good for other gaskets. We talked back and forth for some time and eventually settled on a pack of o rings and a spool of PTFE tape (pipe tape).
Two weeks, two fucking weeks. Well at least all the bolts were easy to break free.
I *completely* understand this, because
because while I'm under there, I have to look at, and check out, everything else.
is the way I operate too.
I've never paid for a brake job in my life. And have rebuilt a few, but time moves on. The new ones w/all the crap on I have not a clue.
My old Ford PU, When younger I could get under hood and stand on ground to change plugs.
Beware of info from auto-parts kids. Around here, 20 miles, I've been buying from O'Rellys? Same brand. Big bucks in savings. So worth the ride. IMHO.
My old Ford PU, When younger I could get under hood and stand on ground to change plugs.
Ahh, those were the days. I'll post a picture of my engine compartment from this most recent job. You'll see a *big* change.
Well someone still could, just not me. I'd be stuck there till help came along to get my old butt out.
Don't go to the dealers, find an independent mechanic. Most independent shops I've seen would take a wrench out to your car and adjust the clutch in the lot. Maybe I've been lucky.
I've enjoyed doing the basic stuff before: oil, plugs/tuneup, simple tire repair (where you can patch it without taking the tire off). Now I'm leasing and they demand they have to do all the work. It's a mixed blessing.
Oh and for a while I had a tradition that I had to install any new car stereo equipment in the parking lot where you bought it. I realized later that this was probably not the best tradition, and abandoned it.
Now stinkin' Nissan makes it almost totally impossible even to change out a speaker. They mount it nine different ways, partly so it can never rattle, and partly so you have to get the $850 Rockford-Fosgate package which is only an option on the model everyone wants with the sunroof and step rails for an additional $1000.
I've never changed my oil; I do know how to, in theory...I've swapped my all-weather tires and snow tires; replaced lights and fuses; and changed my antenna. Nothing big.
It's pathetic. I know. Next time I need an oil change I plan to do it myself.
:blush:
After market is best, IF ya can find a good tech. Shine just bought a Ford ranger. Wanted cruise control, but big bucks for package. I'd buy a new pu, if I could get one that you could wash out w/hose, no ac nothing, but PU. :2cents:
How to find a good dealer and a good local mechanic. Hang around. Watch how they treat women. If lying to a woman - and I have seen it happen - then that is not an honest shop.
A second factor is found in the frank honesty of the parts department guy.
I owned the shop manual to every car I have owned. Sometimes it is better to take it to the dealer. Sometimes, the local shop is better to do that job. Most jobs are performed by me (but only on my cars).
Some people get their exercise by running around tracks. I get exercise by doing some useful work - even if it is only a headlight.
Can't remember the last time I ever had to replace a brake light. But then I don't drive GM products. Why? I did the work so often as to know not only what failed - but why it failed. And yes, I even bought defective parts as new parts from a GM dealer. Just another reason why I do first diagnosis and the work myself whenever possible.
Finding a good mechanic is especially important in February.
I suppose you never got defective parts from anyone else but GM dealers, tw.
I remembered why I hadn't changed oil in Honda. My drive slopes down to car port. So when I set ramps where I want them, front end of car hangs and moves towards wall of carport. No problem w/Pu. But on car I really need to get under front end.2 ft maybe from wall and crawl over old shingles, tile, god knows what. Damn I hope I remember this shit.
Can't remember the last time I ever had to replace a brake light. But then I don't drive GM products.
Humm GM makes light bulbs now. Hey I've got water pumps that sucked from Ford, after market you name it.
The only parts I don't buy are Napa. but that's because of the baptist SOB who owns it.
I suppose you never got defective parts from anyone else but GM dealers, tw.
Only other time - four defective spark plugs from Pep Boys.
Reminds me, I briefly tried to help Jackie's lad with his spark plug a while back, but the threads were shot.
He started it anyway.
The plug shot right out, at least three houses away. We never did find it.
(I did have the good sense to stand away from the line of fire, and made sure it wasn't going to hit any live people or animals.)
My dad is a master mechanic, owns his own shop in WC, used to build his own race cars... I got my hands dirty more than a few times as a kid, but there's no way in hell I'd even change my own oil at this point... and not jut because I have no idea where to take the old shit.
Changing oil is so cheap for the corner place to do it, there is no way I'll do that any more. Why would I spend an hour or so doing a very messy job in my uncomfortable gravel driveway to save about 15 bucks in labor?
My dad taught me basic mechanics as a child so that now, given the right tools I can do most basic jobs such as change oil, tyres, belts etc. I can also tune an engine if I've got the manual to tell me the right firing order to set the tappets etc. I can change spark plugs and leads and set the gap to get the best spark. I could also redo the brakes if I had to although this is a job I haven't ever done by myself mainly because if I fuck it up I might kill someone.
I used to change my oil and plugs and even changed the radiator once in my old '86 LeBaron but these days I barely check the oil anymore - I just run it by Jiffy Lube every so often.
Cars used to be like a guy's brother. Not anymore.:sniff:
I will add one thing, though: anybody who drives a car, and does not know how to change a tire, should learn. Yes, you can depend on calling a tow truck. But if you've ever done it, you know you're in for a wait--sometimes a long one. Mrs. Dallas always knew how (thanks to her older brother, who decided she ought to know when she got her first car), and it really came in handy when she had a pothole-induced blowout on the way back from a concert at 11PM one night. All things considered, I'm glad she was able to change the tire (in her black concert dress!!) immediately and continue on, rather than hang out and wait for AAA to send somebody.
My wife knew how to change a tire, if all the tools were laid out for her in advance.
She found out the hard way that she didn't know how to change a tire if she is alone and has to get the tools out. The jack is in a bracket in the trunk, and expanded so it doesn't rattle around. It took her a while to figure out she had to collapse the jack to get it out.
Then she couldn't find the handle to go into the jack. It was held in some clips on the underside of the hardboard cover to the mini-spare tire. She lifted that cover several time to get the spare out and to get the lug wrench out, but she never saw the jack handle. Had to wait in the rain for a kind soul to stop and help her out.
After that incident, she now knows how to do everything from start to finish.
I've never changed my oil; I do know how to, in theory...I've swapped my all-weather tires and snow tires; replaced lights and fuses; and changed my antenna. Nothing big.
It's pathetic. I know. Next time I need an oil change I plan to do it myself.
:blush:
Be sure to let you're engine cool first (over night is best). You want as much of the old oil to settle into the oil pan first. And when you're replacing the plug, don't romp down on it too hard or you'll strip the threads.
Welcome to the world of pride and bloody knuckles.
My wife knew how to change a tire, if all the tools were laid out for her in advance. ...
After that incident, she now knows how to do everything from start to finish.
Some 'discount' mechanics create so many problems as to even crank those tire lug nuts on too tight. Everything has a torque number (ie foot-pounds). Lug nuts are typically 80 foot-pounds (which can be confirmed for each car). Sometimes, after a vehicle inspection that requires removing wheels, I must go back with a torque wrench to break and properly torque each bolts. Otherwise a flat tire is almost impossible to replace.
Like the spark plug example, a neophyte mechanic must learn what the torque is. I rented a torque wrench periodically just to learn what 10 ft-#s and 80 ft-#s is suppose to be. One can even use a breaker bar and bathroom scale to learn the perspective. Reason why a spark plug almost took off UT's head? Someone before him failed to learn about proper torqueing.
Best to verify wheel lug nuts are properly torqued is long before the flat. Just another way to learn if your mechanic is good or bad.
Reason why a spark plug almost took off UT's head? Someone before him failed to learn about proper torqueing.
Most definitely. The lad bought the car in that condition. (for $500.)
I actually bought a torque wrench when I did my first plug change. I didn't want to mess around.
What surprised me is that they can now re-thread the hole. That's not something I would want to do under a shade tree though.
Too tight lug nuts? A cross wrench on the nut with the other end on a jack stand, and a two ft pipe on the arm with me bouncing on the end of the pipe. Reamed that inspector a new asshole. I don't know how he didn't break the lug, but I had to replace them because they were certainly stretched which weakens them. Grrrr
What surprised me is that they can now re-thread the hole. That's not something I would want to do under a shade tree though.
Installing a heli-coil to repair the thread isn't hard but doing it without getting any metal chips or crap inside the motor is very tricky. The best method I've heard of is snaking an air tube down the intake through an open intake valve, with the piston at top dead center, to create an air flow out the sparkplug hole. The safest is taking the head off, but that's no fun.
My father taught me a LOT about mechanics. Mostly by insisting I buy, as my first car, a 1977 Ford LTD Broughm (sp?). On the way home, the inside retaining bolt for the radiator broke free, went into the fan and was bent 90 deg and thrown back THROUGH the radiator.
I limped it into the driveway and he just shook his head and began teaching me how to replace a radiator. Not too long after, it was oil changes, belt changes, brake jobs (drum and disc), lights, water pumps, alternators, radios (I did this one on my own as he saw no need for 300 watts), tune ups, starters and universal joints.
At the time, I cursed both his name and that of his ancestry for making me buy that Ford instead of the Camaro I really wanted. Now that I'm older and wiser, I thank him. Now I'm not afraid to get dirty and fix whatever is wrong. My beloved also makes me fix all the other jalopies in the family. Sigh. But still I know my limits. Mostly these are lack of proper workspace and tools. So when these kinds of jobs arise, I take the thing to an appropriate professional.
The only kind of problem I won't tackle is anything other than a minor electrical fault. I hate trying to chase wires in odd places.
Like now for instance. My Cougar sat for six months through the winter. It ran fine when I parked it. Now it won't start.
No, it is NOT the battery. That was new last summer and it's still charged. I put a charger on it anyway and noted that the lights didn't come on. Rats. I checked all the cable connections and they are clean and tight. Double rats. Must be a fusible link or something. All the wires are bundled and wrapped. I hate that. I'm going to try a meter and see if I can find anything. If not, it's off to the mechanic.
I need this car to be operational within two weeks.
Anyone have any ideas?
Brian
Does it turn over? If it does it has to be lack of fuel, lack of spark or the timing. No matter how big, small, exotic or simple, the engine is, from a one cylinder lawnmower to a V-16 Caddy, the basic needs are the same for a gasoline engine.
Of course finding out the basic problem, is quite often way easier than finding why, especially lack of spark.
I'm assuming it's getting air, ie no Armadillos in the air cleaner.
Figured it out.
I had TWO problems. One was a dead battery, which is not surprising since it has sat outside through the winter with nary a start to refresh it.
The other took me a while. When I attached the battery charger, NOTHING happened. It was humming away but the car didn't respond. I figured it had to be a short or a blown fusible link. Took a meter to it. Chased down every connection that could remotely cause no power. Nothing. Finally the immortal words of Sherlock Holmes came to me... "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth".
Put the meter to the charger. Read .19 VDC. AHA!
So I took the charger apart, tracked down the fault and jumpered it out so that I could charge the battery. I need a new charger of course since this one has no safety features left, but at least the car runs now.
It seems so obvious in retrospect. Of course there was no response from the car...there was STILL no power. DOH!
Forehead smack moment.
Anyway, thanks for the thoughts.
Brian
Does it turn over? If it does it has to be lack of fuel, lack of spark or the timing. No matter how big, small, exotic or simple, the engine is, from a one cylinder lawnmower to a V-16 Caddy, the basic needs are the same for a gasoline engine.
Of course finding out the basic problem, is quite often way easier than finding why, especially lack of spark.
I'm assuming it's getting air, ie no Armadillos in the air cleaner.
I learned this holy trinity as fuel air and fire. And yes, it is a package deal.
BrianR: Congratulations Sherlock! I love solving the mystery as much as fixing the problem. And I have relied on Mr Holmes counter intuitive wisdom more than once myself. "It *can't* be _______." Right. Better check it. ;)
Have always done my own basic work: points, plugs, oil changes, brakes, tires, belts, hoses, and gaskets. But times change. We now have computers and no longer do tune-ups. My Corvette doesn't even have a spare tire. I once had an '84 Olds that I could change the oil in, in 10 minutes WITHOUT getting under the car! Today some of the simplest stuff is almost inaccessable. There's one model where you need to pull the engine to change the plugs. More and more goes in the shop and at very high costs.
I drive a 2001 Integra. I may know how to change the oil, and I may even know where the oil filter is, but that doesn't mean I can reach it, much less remove it.
this is a work in progress
[ATTACH]12782[/ATTACH]
not a fan of ford - chevy my fav
but it still looks good!
Such a shame to waste that paint and chrome on a Ford.
sweet bruce - what's it sittin in?
i'm partial to 66 nova - 72 chevelle
slick:cool: i haven't seen a grille & bumper like that on a '57(right)
the ford is actually what the spouse is workin on - he does that for a livin - it is in a '65 convertible mustang.
huh. I thought this thread was about putting in trees. Stupid me.
huh. I thought this thread was about putting in trees. Stupid me.
it's ok - don't be frightened:p
huh. I thought this thread was about putting in trees.
Same reason why I have so much trouble with crossword puzzles. I thought of tree surgeons who pump those medical chemicals into trees. In the case of American elms - unsuccessfully too often.
slick:cool: i haven't seen a grille & bumper like that on a '57(right)
the ford is actually what the spouse is workin on - he does that for a livin - it is in a '65 convertible mustang.
Yes, '57. '57 Corvette grille, fiberglass roll pan with a black powder coated chrome moly nerf/push bar, and Harley turn signals.
I recognized the Mustang, I had one. Does he do the Body/paint? Interiors/wiring? Engines/mechanicals?
Yes, '57. '57 Corvette grille, fiberglass roll pan with a black powder coated chrome moly nerf/push bar, and Harley turn signals.
I recognized the Mustang, I had one. Does he do the Body/paint? Interiors/wiring? Engines/mechanicals?
yes & no - depends on what they want - this one in particular he has done from the ground up - painting the frame, trans & engine. putting in new qtrs, front floor boards. new wiring - he sends the interior work out though
just a quick note to those on changing tires - you may or may not know this - but if you like wheels that are "custom" & wheel size "larger" than normal i.e 20's, 22's, 24's (pimp my ride) they have "keys" for the lugs and if you don't have it, a lug wrench won't take them off.
add 3" to the track width. mostly they make the commander look more like a jeep.
Increase the track. That is move the wheel about an inch (little more it looks like) farther outward, toward the fender away from the engine, along the axis of the wheel.
edit: I'm slow...gotta get better coffee in the morning...
further edit: Don't they have dirt where you live? Wow, that is the cleanest wheel removal illustration I've ever seen. Like in the manual. Wait, is that a little splash of mud on the rocker panel above the jackstand? Whew, you may be mortal after all. Very tidy, nice work.
jinx keeps a tidy ship.....on the outside, anyway.
...on the outside, anyway.
Oh no you di-ent :headshake My car is nearly as clean as yours on the inside. And I don't get a new one every 3K miles, and I have at least 2 mess makers in the back at all times.
go take a picture right now then, ms smarty pants. you have 10 minutes or it's bs.
Hmmm... must be bs. :p
So, the saga of the radiator ended happily. I chose the pipe tape, after futzing around with the o rings, dropping them, breaking them, cross crucifying them.. grrrr. I gave up. Wrapped a couple of turns on the pipe tape on the nipple on the hard line, and as I started to back out the brass coupler between the atf hard line and the radiator (the top one, right there, in broad daylight) it slipped and I dropped it. Crap.
Click, clank, nothing. I didn't hear it hit the pavement. I can *see* the pavement. No coupler. Peer under the car. Nothing. Lay down on the pavement with my cheek on the street and my eyeball an inch off the deck. Nuttin. Hmm. Dropped into here? There? I started taking parts off the car the get at places with my fingers that the coupler might have made its way into. I take parts off for TWO HOURS poking around. Nothing nowhere no way. I dropped it directly into the g-d twilight zone.
I sat down on the curb to recharge my supply of curse words. Where did it go? I couldn't proceed without it, since it changed threads from the hardline to the radiator. I was picking at the grass and I saw a toy of SonofV's--a lucky rabbit's foot. Well, what was left of it anyway. Our new dog got hold of it and ate it. Everything but the little brass knuckle that the keychain fits through. [Epiphany!] I picked up that little brass knuckle with the tiny rabbit bones poking out through the remaining tufts of hair and put it right at the connection point on the radiator. And dropped it. Clink clank nothing. But this time I was watching!
I followed it down and saw where it took a right turn into neverneverland, put my hand in there and found it! And the coupler! It had bounced horizontally and landed on top of the front crossmember. Yay!! I guess there was a little bit of luck left in that rabbit's foot after all!
This past weekend was the weekend for rear brakes on both vehicles. The fronts on the truck were fine, and the fronts on the car were really ready, so I figured the rears needed attention too. Wrong.
On both vehicles the rears were >50%, <75%, so I left them. I must say the pad removal routine on the truck is very straightforward. Only two split pins (and gravity) hold the pads in place in the caliper. No bleed nipple to negotiate (of course, since I wasn't putting in thicker new pads I had no need to retract the caliper piston; not a completely fair comparison), no parking brake cable bracket, no "be sure to support the (ten pound) caliper from the mechanics wire and not the brake line" bs. Very slick.
Once in a while you work on something that just has the feel of having been designed by somebody who knew what it was like to work on them too. This is not always the case. For example, on the car, the rears are disc brakes too and the pad removal routine involves a 10 mm wrench for the bleed nipple, 12 mm for the bolt that holds the brakeline to the caliper, and 13 mm for the bolt that holds the parking brake bracket to the caliper. I forget the size of the bolt that holds the bottom (away from the hinge pin) end of the caliper in place, but it was probably 7/16ths. Please. You could hide all these bolts with one business card, they're all so close together. Should the engineers responsible for designing these systems be permitted to hold shares of Craftsman tools? I think there's a conflict of interest here. :grump:
So, I broke the seal on the bleed nipple. I backed off the bolt that holds the brakeline to the caliper. I removed the bolt that lets the caliper swing upward on the hinge pin. I swung the caliper up--ooof. Let's try that again. Upsy--damn. Couple of love taps on that hunk-o-iron that is the caliper to wake up the rust. Froze solid. Damn, I just parked the thing, it can't be completely ossified. It can't be. Unless you forget to release the parking brake. :blush: Rats, I hate wasting good cuss words.
Of course, after that little brainstorm it was a piece of cake. Only to find they're in great shape. Oh well. Everything went back together, with no parts left over (which is always nice, doncha think?).
Next week, finding a way to stop the oil leak at the filter on the top of the engine. I'm open to suggestions. I have a new filter, whose seal was lubricated with oil at installation. I have verified I don't have an old seal stuck in place so I'm not trying to use two seals where only one goes. I have used my strap wrench to crank it down as tight as I dare. And yet, after a couple of deliberate, meticulous cleanings, I find a small puddle of oil on the top of the engine directly underneath the oil filter. It's pissing me off.
You have to remove the brake line to move the caliper?
Whatever the oil filter screws on to is attached to the engine in turn. Be sure where the leak is.
There is a new tire and wheel store opened up near me. Yawn.
They list 31 tire brands and 95 wheel brands. Yawn.
You can rent your wheels, tires or both. What!
Check the small print... rent n roll. Says rent?
Check the fine print... oh, rent to own.
Pay small weekly payments while enjoying killer shoes on your ride.
Translation, make a shitload of payments that add up to a ton of money, while hoping they don't wear out before they are paid for. With the likely scenario you'll be paying them a small weekly payment for the rest of your life.
Why do people fall into this crap? Hell in a handbasket, but on 24s, baby.
And every contract comes with a $10,000 life insurance policy. Wonder if they are the beneficiary or they just want to find out who your nearest & dearest is, in case they have to find you.
Next week, finding a way to stop the oil leak at the filter on the top of the engine. I'm open to suggestions. I have a new filter, whose seal was lubricated with oil at installation. I have verified I don't have an old seal stuck in place so I'm not trying to use two seals where only one goes. I have used my strap wrench to crank it down as tight as I dare.
Overtorque a filter and it will leak. There are specific directions on how much to tighten a filter. For example, some say five-eights turn after the seal touches the block - no more.
Nothing in a car is tightened as tight as dared. Everything is torques only to a specific number - no more and no less. That includes a previous reference to auto mechanics who overtighten wheel lugs.
When I change the oil filter on my Toyota, I only ever tighten it by hand. It doesn't leak, but I too oil the seal first then clean and oil around the mounting.
Some of these new cartridge types are so flimsy that they will warp if you tighten them up with a filter wrench.
wrt oil filter:
My first attempts to correct this involved all of the above except I only tightened the filter by hand to snug then another... half turn by hand only. Still didn't work. So I applied the old if some is good more is better and broke out the wrench, which obviously didn't work either. :sigh:
CORRECTION:
It appears that my previous post contained an error. I said I would be tackling the oil leak problem next. I should have said power steering pump. Silly me.
I drove home last night, parked, went in the house, dinner, etc. Came back out to the car to go to the movies (300!), and when I started the car it was fine. But as I backed up and turned the wheel to commence my three point exit maneuver, the car growled and shook like I had a piston hanging out of the block. I shut it down immediately (crossways in the middle of the street), popped the hood and looked for the herniated metal. Nothing. Started the car again, fine, then as I turned the wheel it sounded like it was going to shake itself apart. In Park. wtf?
I reparked it and got out my stethoscope and had MrsV turn the wheel while I poked around with my ears. Sure enough, the power steering pump sounds like it swallowed a handful of marbles. Fluid level ok, wheels still firmly attached to the car, but the pump's a goner. I'll be calling the parts store here in another 18 minutes.
I looked up the job in the book. It looks like I'll need a J83904230 and a J367234874 or whatever tool to remove then replace the pulley. Normally I like getting new tools, it's one of the perks of doing my own work, but this one doesn't thrill me somehow.
I drove it into work today and it's fine running straight, but on the curves, where continuous pressure/work is needed from the pump it gets real chattery and growly. If it bails on me completely, I will have to find the straightest route home cause I've tried to turn the wheels on that beast with the key off--I thought I was gonna pop a vessel. Maybe I'll get lucky and there'll be black ice for the return commute to lubricate the wheel / road interface. On second thought...
You have to remove the brake line to move the caliper?
No, I initially mistook it for the parking brake cable bracket bolt.
Whatever the oil filter screws on to is attached to the engine in turn. Be sure where the leak is.
I don't have a good picture for you unfortunately. On top of that, I don't have a good view of it either. But the filter's right at the top of the engine, and it looks like it's connecting to a casting of some kind, like part of the block. Naturally, the inside is a threaded hollow shaft for the return from the filter that it literally screws onto, but I don't think that was what you were getting at. Clearly the oil's leaking past the outermost seal at the rim/edge of the filter. Can't see it without a mirror or a laproscopic camera or something.
Power steering pump is $130 including $50 core (in the original box, if you please). I forgot to ask about the pulley pusher pullers. Pick it up on the way home.
If the pump fails, the faster you drive the easier it is to steer. You know the rest.
If the pump fails, the faster you drive the easier it is to steer. You know the rest.
True words Obi Wan.
Yeah, I had a Pontiac with 14:1 manual steering, when then normal manual was 20:1 and power was 12:1. Parking that sucker, with wide tires, was a real exercise, but once it was rolling, no sweat.
Today, we'll install a new starter. It's Saturday, I have the starter and the tools. The means, motive and opportunity. Let's get busy.
Pic 01 -- This is my trusty steed. She's a beauty, isn't she?
Here is my cast and crew on the parking strip. I know the thread title says shade tree, but I'm really much more of a curbside mechanic. To have shade you need a tree, and some... um... sunlight.
Pic 01 -- Starter and camera bag.
Pic 02 -- This is the sky to the south at 11 am. This qualifies as "sunlight" around here this time of year.
This is where the action is. That's a big V8 crammed sideways into the engine compartment. Plus the transmission for the FWD. Great in the snow, LOTS of traction with all that mass over the drive wheels. But it's very crowded as you can see.
Pic 01 -- Detroit iron.
Pic 02 -- The black can in the center of the frame is the solenoid, the part of the starter assembly that engages the pinion gear on the starter with the ring gear on the flywheel of the engine.
Just casing the joint...
Pic 01 -- Let's give the battery a little break, shall we? Have you ever heard the expression "when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"? Well, when you work with a live battery in the car, every wrench looks like a continutity tester. There will be no welding today.
Pic 02 -- Up on jackstands, Safety first!
Pic 01 -- Oh. My. God. Can you see where the instructions say to REMOVE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD! Just to get at the starter?!?! Some idiot put the starter in the V between the cylinder banks? You're kidding, right? Please?
Pic 02 -- Oh thank goodness, that was for an earlier model year! I only have to remove the front and rear exhaust pipes. As. If.
Pic 01 -- Um, mighta spoke too soon. That looks pretty tight. This is the main body of the starter where it is bolted to the engine. Up there ABOVE AND BEHIND that brown *exhaust pipe*.
Pic 02 -- Rear of starter/solenoid. I can barely get this laproscopic shot with my eyeballs, how am I gonna get a wrench on those connections?
Pic 01 -- The answer is from the top.
Pic 02 -- A closer view of the now "de-energized welding terminals". That's gonna be some close work.
Meanwhile, back in the basement, let's start disconnecting stuff.
Pic 0 -- Where the starter engages the engine...
Pic 01 -- Revealed! Nice to see that the sound wasn't the teeth on the flywheel being ground to dust.
Ok. Turned some wrenches, and I have the starter out. Thankfully, I didn't have to take the exhaust pipes off, but the starter scraped on both sides between the exhaust pipe and the oil pan. Who cares, it's out, and it feels good to stand up again. Let's get the new starter installed.
Pic 01 -- Here's another picture of the engine bay. You can tell I've been working in here because you can see (from left to right) my coffee cup on the battery, my keys on the air cleaner, my phone, flashlight, hammer (told you it was a tight fit) and ratchet, all under the hood. But. I don't remember any of that other stuff messing up my nice clean engine.
Pic 02 -- What is that white stuff in this close up?
Pic 01 -- Remember that southern sky a couple of hours ago?
Pic 02 -- That's where all that white stuff is coming from. Yes, I caught a particularly juicy snowflake in my (camera's) eye.
Pic 02 -- RETREAT!
Pic 01 -- This is not going to end well. You can see the old starter, my toolbox, the creeper, soon to become the sled, and the hood, acting as an ENORMOUS scoop, collecting all that northbound snow. Shit shit shit.
Pic 01 -- The camera got a chance to dry out a little, and I got a chance to get another HOT cup of coffee.
Pic 02 -- Back to work. It was just too cold/wet/miserable/handsfull to take more pictures under the car, despite the fact that it was the best cover I had. Imagine this part with lots of cussing and hammering and wishing I had a third hand to run that bolt in while I held it up and straight with the other two.
Pic 01 -- *Finally* got the wire on the terminal, and the washer (the second washer, who knows where the first one went), AND the nut. This is a major victory. Remember, for removal, I had to unbolt the starter, then take the cables off. In reverse, for installation, that means connecting the cables, like you see here, then bolting the starter fast. But what do you think is holding up the starter while I'm trying to attach these cables? Not the bolts. Friction. A piece of wood. Some paper towels (they're blue, you can see them under the hood somewhere). And plenty of luck. It's just on finger tight. You can see the tab on the cable is not in its locating slot. Yet.
Pic 02 -- By the time I got an actual wrench on this nut (and another one for the main power to the starter) you can see plenty of snow had accumulated. Just miserable. Cold and stiff and weary. But tight at last. You can see this solenoid is silver where the old one was black, and you can see the locating tab is seated deeply in the slot.
Pic 01 -- Having successfully connected the starter cables, I allowed myself the luxury of some scenic pictures. Oh, look. My blue shop towels and my safety yellow flashlight. Even my damn coffee mug is covered with snow.
Pic 02 -- Look at my tools, willya?
Pic 01 -- Time to fire her up. Crap! Where are my keys?!
Pic 02 -- Hiding in a snowbank, naturally.
Pic 01 -- BigV (photo by Tink)
Pic 02 -- BigV and Tink (photo by BigV)
Now the players have left the stage
Pic 01 -- Starter's gone.
Pic 02 -- Car's gone. Under its own power, I might add!
I'm impressed that you hung in there and finished under those conditions. Well done.
V you are a crazy person. :cool:
You could have closed the hood while you retreated... or thrown a tarp over the whole mess.
Better yet, bought a car designed by car guys, not MBAs, from a company that doesn't have a lying CEO that contributes to the Bush campaign.
A properly designed car doesn't need a starter. Biggie is clearly unpatriotic.
That is clearly traceable to top management.
You mean it's Tink's fault?
Tink is a real beauty. Oh, and good job on the beast of a carbon donator. :D
You mean it's Tink's fault?
Don't put words in my mouth brother.
You mean it's Tink's fault?
It is cuz I drive the
good car. :D
That is clearly traceable to top management.
You mean it's Tink's fault?
It is cuz I drive the good car. :D
No. it's because you are "top management", ie Da Boss.
No. it's because you are "top management", ie Da Boss.
Well that goes without saying!:queen: Women reign supreme. :eek:
I love this thread.
This past week's double feature was a new muffler for BelovedDaughter's Golf (soon to be sold) and front brakes on the Disco. All went well, but I did have to retighten the lug nuts on the Disco on the way to work this morning. Those f*ckers are huge.
What
this is.
Wow, time flies! The post just above this one indicates that the Golf belonging to the BD was to be sold. We got that car for her in high school. We bought it from one of her schoolmates, interestingly, her current roommate. Anyhow, the clutch was not wrecked, but mortally wounded when we got it. This meant that BD got to learn how to drive a car with a manual transmission in the easiest possible circumstances. You could rev the motor and just dump the clutch and the car would moan and lean forward, smooth as butter. I eventually replaced the clutch (sorry no pictures, but it wasn't that hard). She loved that car for a few years and eventually wanted to trade up.
She had her eye on a small SUV, an Isuzu Axiom. Catchy, no? Right. So, she got approved for the car loan but needed to sell the Golf. At the time, I needed a car, so I bought it from her. I gave her a fair price, and she let me pay over time. I gave her interest on her money, and I loved the whole "teachable moment" aspect. This little car is the only one I loved so much I bought it twice. As you can see (or will soon see), I drive it to this day.
The carabiner? Oh, yeah.
Well, as you can see from the first shot here, the hatch and the bumper and the rear body panels are deformed from being rear ended. Fucker. Not the car, the cell phone talking ass headed dumbfuck that drove into me. It seriously messed up the hatch. And the doors on the right hand side. And my taillight, etc, etc. For a while I was really country holding the hatch shut with ratcheting straps. I got tired of not being able to get into the hatch easily and this week undertook to reform the mechanism here so it would shut. There was considerable hammering and pounding. I used a 2x4 across the hatch opening and closed the hatch against it. The let me bend it quite close to the shape of the opening.
Pic 1
Battered (not battened) hatch.
Pic 2
The hatch opening and a bit of auto-detrius.
This was very successful, but not completely successful. I got the hatch to the point where (I believe) it contacted seal all the way around but I could not get the latch to grab the pin. This meant that I don't want to change the shape of the hatch any more, I just need it to click. I needed to change the pin now, not the hatch. It appeared to be centered, and angled correctly, but it was too low. In my enthusiasm, I'd pounded the pin down too far. As you can see in the first picture, the latch hits the pin, which is shaped like a giant nail. The head of the nail is supposed to slide across the top of the latch. But not in this picture. The head of the pin needed to be raised up less than half an inch. This proved to be hard to figure out.
I thought about getting a jack and pulling up on the pin. Sure, but how to **grab** the pin? By the head of course. I tried chains. I tried a wonder bar (really, a fucking metal bar called a wonder bar. Look it up.) I tried a claw hammer. I thought about backing it up close to a big tree and attaching a comealong and hoisting up the back of the car by this hatch pin. I secured a comealong, but I had no way to hold onto that pin.
Enter the stainless steel carabiner.
Pic 1
This first picture is taken from inside the car with the hatch shut but not latched. As you can see I'm really, really close! I just need to raise this pin a liiiiiittttttlle tiny bit more to let the latch slip under the head of the pin.
Pic 2
You can see in this shot how I've managed to catch hold of the top of the hatch pin. I ran a couple of links of steel chain through the fat part of the 'biner making a bight. Through the bight, I put the blade end of my new tool, a Collins Axe. Because I don't have another long, strong lever to lift the car with. I braced it on the inside with a large block for the fulcrum. You can also see the wrist loop of the dog leash I used to pull the hatch down from inside as I kept adjusting and checking.
Pic 1
If you look carefully in this picture taken near the end of the process, you can make out the destroyed carabiner. This arrangement worked just like I had hoped, I got to raise the pin enough to let it fit in the latch properly.
Pic 2
The second picture is a wide shot of me lifting the car. Well, I'm taking a breather between lifts. And the car did raise up, but the wheels stayed in contact with the ground at all times. But I did stress my new tool, not to mention ruin the 'biner. But now it shuts (with a firm hand) and latches and opens with the key. I'm stoked!!
Brute force applied with brains. Well done!
The only way that could have been better is if duct tape were involved somehow. Or zip ties.
Picture of the zip ties tomorrow. I'm thinking of where the duct tape is... drawing a blank. I'll figure it out though.
good job... you are the nutty neighbor always up to something, aren't you?
Fuck.
I have a new project, one I'm not going to be able to ignore. SonofV noticed smoke coming out of the dashboard vents yesterday. Hm.. what does it smell like? Turns out, not like smoke. Like coolant. When we got home to check the coolant level because the temp light was blinking, it was low. Not super hot, I have a gauge and it was in the OK range. But the reservoir was empty (this coolant is expensive, like $20 a gallon). Not only that, but I noticed it was dripping coolant on my right foot.
I've had failed heater cores before, they suck. They pump your car full of coolant steam making the insides of the glass covered with slimy fog. I depend on my heater, it does get cold enough here to justify one so bypassing it isn't really an option. I'm going to have to replace it.
Replacing the heater core is simple, but extensive. It's about the first thing installed on the car frame after the motor. Consequently, everything after that, like the dashboard, the console, the steering wheel, the fan motors, etc etc etc. all have to come off to get to it. Once that's done, it's easy. Two hoses off, two hoses on, seal the box with rtv, and then the dreaded "reverse procedure". It's not hard just tedious as fuck all. Pictures and profanity to come.
thanks man, I presume that's for the bodywork job.
I'm open to suggestions about the heater core replacement. You have the floor.
not yet, just found it tonight.
but jeeebus.. it is dripping on my foot, I think I might have to put a freakin tourniquet on it.
Today I hate this thread.
I've bitten off more than I want to chew and the stakes are high. Like, I don't have a way to work in the morning.
More detail to come later, but for now, suffice to say that I've cut the hose off the car, but now I can't get the stumps off the fittings/barbs.
I'm as frustrated with a car repair as I've ever, ever been. This is not technically difficult. Squeeze the hose clamp, pull the hose off. But that's been impossible for me. The quarters are close, the clamp's in a very awkward position. I've already been to the store twice, once for a headlamp to see what the fuck I'm doing and a second time for some specific pliers, hose clamp pliers. But they didn't fit between the ear of one of the clamps and the whateverthefuck was behind it.
Finally gave up, said, y'know, that hose is already dead, I'll just cut it out. That part went well. I think I only cut the dead hose (of course, all hoses cut become dead, but I mean I didn't cut any hoses I wanted to keep). Now I have more room. And STILL CAN'T GET THE FUCKING TOOL ON THE FUCKING CLAMP. Or, I get it on a tiny bit, after... say, fifteen minutes of cussing, and then can't find any more room to grip the remaining hose. Oh, I am so, so, so, so done with this shit. Goddamn, I'm sick of working on this fucker.
Typing this paragraph has given me time to let my hands and fingers warm up a little, I guess I'll go out and try again. JFC.
I've given up for the night.
I'll probably go at it again, but just to clean up my tools and shit for the night. I found the circlip that had sprung off and disabled my newly acquired pliers. Buoyed by this small Christmas miracle, I tried using them on the one spring hose clamp that came off with the carcass of the hose I'd cut out of the car. It's the kind with little swiveling bits at the tips of the jaws of the pliers and a locking pawl to capture your success... well, I'm not very good at using these pliers and they slipped off the hose clamp and clamp sprung open hitting my index and middle fingers and thumb of my left hand, instantly numbing them. They're like wooden fingertips. Only now, an hour later have they begun to tingle with the promise of future pain.
I tore through half the diameter of one of the hose remnants in an effort to twist/drag/pull it off the barb. The thing is, I can't get the hose clamp closed tightly enough, no, the tool like vicegrips or hoseclamp pliers or c-clamp closed tightly enough to open the hoseclamp to the maximum, permitting me to slide the affair off the fitting. The hoses themselves are a little swollen just past the clamp, like really old, weakened hoses are wont to do, and I can't enlarge the clamp enough to get over the bigger spot. And even when I have to hoseclamp opened to the greatest extent I can manage, it appears to still be tight enough to keep me from sliding the hose off the barb.
And all this is complicated by very close quarters, that's the worst part. Being cold and dark outside is by comparison merely annoying, I've worked in those conditions before. Sucks, but whatever. I've take off lots more parts than I thought I would have to when I began this ill-advised journey, a couple ends of other coolant lines, an electrical connection to my alternator, a panel in the engine compartment just above the radiator, the oil filter...
Oh, I should have said before, this is the hose that goes from the oil sending unit (or whatever the fuck that thing is called that the oil filter spins onto) to the oil cooler. It's a very weird hose, it's F shaped. A capital F modeled in noodley hose. Anyhow this molded hose will fit back in pretty easy, it's the right hose I'm sure (unless the diameter is fucked on one of the hoses, who knows until you hook it up). But I can't get these last two stubs of hose off. And I can't cut them off (not easily anyhow, they put up a pretty good fight to my sawsall and pruning shears. The parts remaining have a spring steel girdle protecting them. And I have already hurt myself with BLUNT instruments under the hood, I think switching to razor knives at this stages is a bad idea.
Fuck. I'm tired and frustrated and I have no way to work tomorrow. I'm working on a plan to borrow Twil's car, but that's got its own complications. And the bus?!? I shit you not, the route planner sent me on the bus to the ferry from the peninsula to Seattle and from Seattle to the island. I could not dissuade it. That's ninety minutes of boat time, not counting riding the bus to and from the ferry docks at the ends of each trip. Fortunately the ferry dock in Seattle is the only one I need for both the arrival and departure. Jesus. Fucking car.
This is not a complex job. But it is proving very problematic.
I'm open to your suggestions, preferably some magic way to get these hose ends off.
BigV, I gave up working on cars. just last year, I thought I'd save a buck or two and replace the headlamp on a Durango. How hard can it be, right? I could fill up a page explaining how effing impossibly difficult it was. I finished it but there is a piece of my soul still trying to find its way out of that Satan's labyrinth of iron and plastic.
Edit: The only thing that ever worked for me to get hoses on or off anything was copious amounts of spray silicone.
The factory manual probably has you pulling the engine out to get at the things. Or disassembling half of it. I feel your pain.
Ohh.. That's a good one, "Satan's labyrinth".
When I was working for JiffyLube, there were cars we wouldn't service. Some of those cars simply require factory/car specific tools to non-destructively pry the plastic shell/housing/carapace/armor/candy shell from the area with access to the fucking bulb. Really, why in the world would that be considered a good idea? Sure, built in obsolescence, make it a dealer service item only. That's kind of evil though, coming from an old skool git-er-done guy like me. And you, xoB, and a dozen other dwellars who have extensive mechanical abilities. But those abilities don't seem to translate well to the newer vehicles, *even* if the technology is the same, it's just packaged in a way that makes it deliberately difficult to work on.
FFS, I saw cars at the shop that required a specialized tool to take out the drain plug. I'm not talking about the merely unnecessarily, pretentiously "exotic" allen bolt fitting when a tried and true hex head bolt would do,
it was like a keyhole, and fucking made of plastic! VW, I love you and you make some quality vehicles. But you do some fucked up shit.
Cut the clamp, they can't be that expensive. Either a Dremel (or equivalent), or your sawall with a fine or abrasive blade.
!!!!!!!!!!
Genius!
I'll be right back!
From his description, I wouldn't have thought a Dremel tool would fit in there.
He talked about having the pliers held with one hand and the other hand yanking the hose stub, if I read it right. So if he had one whole hand in there he should be able to reach it with a Dremel. It doesn't have to be held at the axis of the hose, it can be 90 degrees to it, especially if he has one of the Dremel cutoff wheels. Failing that, the Sawzall should do it with a fine toothed or diamond abrasive blade, approaching at the same angle. I wouldn't recommend an axe or 12 gage.
I think he was leaning toward the 12 gauge there before the Dremel suggestion.
Actually, I think he was close to using TNT.
I would have stuck a for sale sign on it. "As is."
So, so close.
Except for the whole three to four hour commute each way if you're not driving a car.
I would have suggested a slightly less destructive approach; grasp one ear of the offending clamp and drag it around the barb until you can access both ears more easily. It will be tight, but should rotate around the barb if you can get a good grip with vise grips or similar tool.
I got the impression he could only reach at one angle, no room to swing. :confused:
catching up... I promise to wrap up that story later.
IN TODAY'S NEWS:
My friend, T, has a 2001 Honda CR-V, 4wd, manual transmission, and the clutch is gone. He's a hazard to navigation. I wanted to back the car into my driveway, he had to PUSH from the front while I drove. I can't wait to see the pressure plate.
Anyhow, we started last night after work, and we have the car up on jackstands, wheels off, some cables disconnected and we stopped when it became clear that a five dollar crow's foot in 19mm would save, well, save having to cut the wires from his backup switch on the transaxle. You know how some fasteners let you get a wrench on them but then expect you to apply torque by magic? This is one of them.
Anyhow, it was a good stopping point. And this morning, we're starting at the parts store. There are some pictures (partly as breadcrumbs for the way home), and I'll share them with you too. Should be pretty straightforward.
Famous last words.
Famous last words indeed.
JFC.
We're now working weeknights to get it done by this weekend, cause I'm in the doghouse. Every weekend day and part of the nights has been spent mostly under this goddamn car.
I've just changed back into my mechanic's costume for tonight's performance.
Boy did I underestimate the complexity of this task, the tenacity of the fasteners on this vehicle. My regret level is approaching my aggravation level.
Never underestimate Jap Claptrap.
NOW you tell me....
Specific question. I got the transaxle in last night for the second time, including the bearing and fork... Oops. Anyhow, I can't get the two very large transaxle to mount bolts started. I've moved the transaxle up and down and wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah!... Nuffin. Can't start them by fingers. The bolts starting threads are slightly tapered, not just squared off, in some nod toward letting the bolt draw the hole over to it. But there is no way in hell the bolt will scootch over the transaxle to line up with the hole in the mount. No way. So I have to have the holes already aligned. Which I have done as well as I can do / see. But they're not starting.
I can only think to use my impact driver and a socket to simultaneously apply force and torque.
I'm really really fearful of fucking up the threads. Not on the one dollar steel bolt, but on the aluminum transaxle.
Any suggestions?
Please?
Can you use a longer SAME THREADED bolt on one side to get the OTHER one going? Then back out the first and replace with the correct one?
S'all I got.
No, it's a blind hole, not a through hole.
Have you tried using a drift punch to get it aligned? Once you have it aligned how are you holding it firm while you screw in the bolt? I'm assuming you've threaded the bolt into the hole with the unit free from the other pieces it aligns with. Yes I know it's the hole it came out of, but has it been back in since then?
The bolt has a lead on it (slightly tapered threads) so it will center on the hole as long as nothing else is pushing the bolt off center or making it try to enter at the wrong angle.
Oh, and a longer bolt with the same thread? Cut the head off that thing, then with it screwed in slide everything together, clamp that sumbitch so it can't move and replace it with your bolt.
