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My dream motorcycle is an Ariel Square Four and I don't know why.
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May 4, 2018 14:02
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MC Hawking posted:Well I'm a big dummy because not only did I not consider doing that, but I hadn't even thought about the hub being sold as as an assembly. https://www.amazon.com/20pc-Black-Spline-Drive-Nuts/dp/B00ED765FK https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=splined+open+lug+nuts Verman posted:The day I changed the oil for the first time after installing a fumoto valve. I kept checking the oil level periodically for several weeks after thinking there was no way it was that easy. Threaded inserts, AKA "riv-nuts" are a thing. If you only need to do a few, the Harbor Freight tool works fine. ThirstyBuck posted:
Ah, that's the one that scared the poo poo out of Bill Cosby back in the day. edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/200_M.P.H. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-JQksYxgM0
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May 4, 2018 23:47
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 Original clutch has had a lovely pilot and throwout bearing for a very, very long time and I figured I should throw in the clutch and flywheel I bought ~2 years ago. Original made it 189k, which is pretty goddamned impressive. Friction material was sort of cracked, but it was otherwise fine. Pressure plate was toasty looking but otherwise fine.
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May 6, 2018 03:47
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Spent way too much having the ranger towed home after the fuel pump (or something, but I can't hear the fuel pump priming and it's not the inertia switch) died. I was just thinking about an AAA membership the other day, but decided against it. 
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May 6, 2018 05:55
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dropped the fuel tank in my aw11 for the second time and pulled the pump mechanism. as expected, the ground wire had broken again, so i'm gonna replace both it and the positive just to be safe before re-installing the tank this time. on the one hand i'm frustrated at myself for not just doing this the first time around, since i really felt i should but was so set on re-mounting the tank and trying to start the car that i rushed to put it back together instead of just taking my drat time. on the other hand, the main reason i bought a non-running aw11 that had been sitting for 5 years was to teach myself how to work on cars in a way that didn't endanger the one i drive every day, so eh. live and learn i guess.
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May 7, 2018 01:48
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Bought a new clutch and flywheel for the thing. Factory clutch lasted 340K kms, which is pretty stunning for a big heavy 4wd that tows shitloads and goes offroad heaps (offroad is hard on clutches cos your constantly slipping them to get up over obstacles slowly. It turned up in a box today. A 37kg box.  Its an NPC organic clutch. Uses and exeedy friction plate and the pressure plate off a camaro or something, hence the new flywheel, but the thing is rated to 1300nm of torque (958ft.lb!) And its loving HUGE   Billet flywheel. Billet STEEL Flywheel. Weight in your rotational assembly is a good thing on a diesel. 
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May 7, 2018 14:40
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 I wanna thank ford for installing this crash bracket that protects the fuel rail, with one bolt (visible here) that you can't get a ratchet on without removing the cowl, which process adds a cool 45 minutes when you don't know what you're doing. Couldn't have oriented it vertically and given it an access panel, nope.
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May 7, 2018 20:31
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Lots of mfgs do that. On Subarus they're known as the "green brackets of death."
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May 7, 2018 21:09
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My favorite is when the little plastic wiring harness clips have been heat cycled too much and break away as soon as you try to unclip them. Hello zip ties.
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May 7, 2018 22:36
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I put new* wheels on it.  Factory BBS 17x8 and 17x8.5 wrapped in RE71r's. Known in the Rx-7 world as Spirit-R wheels from one of the 1,500 produced. Repainted in a dark hyper-black. Really like how it changed the look of the car, despite having similar wheels before. Next up is installing the factory carbon-kevlar Recaro seats.
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May 8, 2018 17:31
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Those look loving awesome. So not my ride, but a friend's ride. Her car wouldn't start last night in a retail parking lot. She called me, told me what it was doing. Sounded like the starter. She told me she hit what she thought was the starter with a hammer a few times, but no go. Picked her up today, we went up to the car. Of course, it fires right up when I try to start it. (2007 HHR with the 2.4 VVT) So I shut it off and try starting it several times. Finally get a no-crank, with no codes or CEL. Ask her to show me what she'd been banging on.. it was the oil filter housing. Got my hammer, gave the starter a good whack, it started (though the starter sounds weak). Managed to get it to repeat this several times, always fixed by whacking the starter. Battery voltage is a solid 12.6 when it's sitting, and doesn't drop a whole lot while cranking - the lights don't dim at all when it won't crank, plus the battery is only a few months old.Reman starter is barely doable for her right now, assuming she doesn't eat for a week or need gas. So instead of replacing a (loving filthy, covered in several inches of grime) starter in a Trader Joe's parking lot, I taught her the art of percussive maintenance and gave her a hammer. Starter will get revisted next week when she gets paid, if she doesn't torch the car before then (it's starting to tell knock knock jokes thanks to not checking the oil... surprised it didn't jump timing, the Ecotecs are known to jump time if they lose oil pressure).
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May 10, 2018 07:26
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Hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I got a $47 "maybe reman who knows really" starter from this ebay seller: https://www.ebay.com/usr/widautoparts1993?ul_noapp=true My shitbox Corolla also has a $68 Alternator from them too. I have to admit this is the second one, I put the first one on in 2014 and had to change it earlier this year, that one was $66 and some change. Still cheaper than the parts store poo poo. Edit: Here's a starter for an HHR: $53.00 https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-STARTE...Box!38053!US!-1 Vanagoon fucked around with this message at 08:48 on May 10, 2018 |
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May 10, 2018 08:45
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I found a TYC starter on Rockauto for $53 for her car (new, not reman). That's a lot easier to swallow than the ~$140 AutoZone wanted (and I'll trust TYC a lot more than AutoZone remans). The same starter is $60 on Amazon with shipping, so she's probably going to go that route. Gonna need a serious bath after I do it though - I think it's safe to say she has an oil leak or two. She lives nearby, and there's a self service car wash with an "engine degreaser" setting right up the road, so I'm going to try and get her to meet me there before we actually change the starter.  I've been burned by Joe Bob's House of Taxidermy and No-Name Car Parts on eBay before, so I'm a little hesitant to go with anything except OEM stuff from there. Also, there's a slight difference between the 2.2 and 2.4 starters (what it is, I'm not sure, but they don't normally cross), and that one is listed for 08+ only (but shown for 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4). GM did a lot of changes on the Ecotec line for 07, and apparently even more for 08. e: I'm wondering if it's the solenoid - there's no "clunk" or anything when it refuses to start, you get the barely audible click of a relay engaging. Doesn't look like the solenoid is easily available by itself, though. I may try swapping the relays around first, but a bad relay in the fuse/relay center probably wouldn't be responding to a hammer on the starter.. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:05 on May 10, 2018 |
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May 10, 2018 08:49
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On the topic of eBay, why in the hell are Lucas, known purveyors of only the finest electrical system smoke, selling auto parts on ebay? https://www.ebay.com/usr/lucasnorthamerica?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.c10 Want to buy auto parts from the prince of darkness himself? Lucas is there for you, now on eBay!
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May 10, 2018 09:04
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I drove the Civic to a client yesterday. Since it was raining and I was early, I waited in the car for about fifteen minutes. However, I forgot to turn the headlights off, so when I came back to it, the battery was dead. Luckily, the client is next to a super-sketchy auto shipper, so I was able to borrow their jumper cables and an incredibly haggard V8 Explorer SportTrac to jump it with. That poor truck had rod knock and rocker noise at the same time. Alternator smelled and sounded terrible for the first few minutes of the drive as it was doing its best impression of an F1 car to get the battery revived, which was a new experience for me, but it eventually went back to normal after a bit of driving around my neighbourhood  . I guess at some point I should replace this decade old NAPA battery now that I've had to jump it twice.
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May 10, 2018 14:17
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Parked my beater 1995 Corolla after running a few errands, got back in to leave again and it cranks and cranks with no start. There were no warning signs before this. Pulled plugs and tried to check for spark, but got nothin'. Got a new ignition coil per The Flowchart™. No difference. Checked the relevant fuses, they seem OK. Tested the crankshaft position sensor, it's OK. There is an external ignitor that I wasn't able to test today, but everything says that it's the last possible suspect. Tested the pickup coil in the distributor, it's OK. Or so it says... I forgot that I didn't get a new distributor entirely, just the new cap + rotor + wires. Some dudes on toyota forums say that even if the distributor is testing OK, it could still be busted. Ordered a cheap, probably lovely unit, just to see. Then I'll get an OEM one from the junkyard later (there were no Corollas like mine in their inventory this time around). New OEM prices are crazy. If this doesn't work, I'm not sure what I'll do next. Strange that it was totally fine and decided to die in my driveway, but I am grateful for that. Also, I made a bobblehead for the dashboard, inspired by the one in Mad Max.  The lower ball joint from a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis, lever from a caulk gun, copper wire and polymer clay.
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May 10, 2018 23:26
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May 11, 2018 00:56
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quarterly what the gently caress am i doing update i put a battery in the gt86 so i could move it and mow the yard - currently on daily duties so it isnt being flat out neglected someone rubbed up against the chaser and it needs a timing belt, so its off dd duty for a minute pig slut silvia is half painted, still needs a windshield and for me to put the cold side back on then it can be tracked with no remorse mr2 is on hiatus while the missile is in the garage, then i will have some space to pull the engine and rebuild the 3sgte (or just pay someone to do it)
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May 11, 2018 04:02
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Goddamn fuel pump. Surprisingly, all the bed bolts came out with a minimum of fuss.
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May 11, 2018 04:44
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Fats posted:Goddamn fuel pump. Lol. Sorry but this made me laugh because gently caress ... it's like auto makers engineer the shittiest place possible for fuel pumps.
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May 11, 2018 05:20
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I was a little disappointed because I thought you put the bed on hydraulics. We had a car wash fundraiser in 6th grade and the highlight was a mini truck that lifted the bed up and moved it around.
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May 11, 2018 05:22
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Negative Ions got a little love, as the eye of sauron had become a permanent feature. Previously it would always show a pending code for MAP sensor out of range when the light came on, then the light would go back off for awhile, come back on, go off, etc. It finally logged it as a current fault, and the light has been on since yesterday. Of course, it's under the throttle body, so...  OPEN WIDE! Also swapped the evap purge solenoid (the Saturd had a ~1 year old OEM one on it, and it's about 5 minutes to change, so why not? The one on the Saturd went around 150k, and I've been starting to smell gas under the hood of Negative after filling up). I was assuming the spark plugs had never been changed, so I was going to swap the ~5k old ones from the Saturd... pulled 2 plugs, noticed they look practically new, then noticed they have the newer AC Delco p/n (so someone cared enough to use OEM parts), so back in they went. While those 2 plugs were out, I took a gander down in there. The 2 pistons I saw looked pretty drat clean, very little carbon on them. Guessing this thing saw mostly highway use. I do know the head was off about 100k ago, but the car only had 37k at that time. Dropped my spark plug socket behind the headlight.... oh no problem, they're just held in by 2 retaining pins, I'll just pop the light out and reach down there. Wait... gently caress my life, the pins are rusted to gently caress and won't budge.  I hit the pins with some PB Blaster, I'll revisit them in a couple of days. Guess I need to hit the block drain plug with some PB Blaster too, I was planning on changing the coolant this weekend.Yanked the outside temp sensor, pigtail,, and underhood plug for the exterior temp display on the mirror (Negative wasn't optioned with the mirror; the wiring is there, but the plug has been left uncovered and is crusty as hell - I kept the outside temp + compass + autodimming mirror from the Saturd). Going to splice in the good plug in a few days, then cobble together some PO style wiring so it can mount where it's supposed to mount (I wasn't able to pull the full length of the subharness for the sensor, it was bundled in with the headlight harness). Fats posted:Goddamn fuel pump. The PO of my stepdad's F-150 had a spray in bedliner done. Badly. The tailgate only latches on one side because of how thick it is, and there's no way in hell the bed's ever coming off. Yes, the fuel pump on his went out with a full tank. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 06:01 on May 11, 2018 |
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May 11, 2018 05:55
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Why do fuel pumps always break on a full tank? I can count the number of cars dragged to the shop that had less than half a tank of gas. But the ones dragged in with a customer story of "so I got gas and then it wouldn't start." Countless, never ending, there's gotta be some science as to why that is. I don't think it's confirmation bias, I think there are actually more fuel pumps failing right after the tank was filled. Either way, it's not terrible when you have a lift and a hydraulic transmission jack. Oh also, this probably is confirmation bias, but the ones with an access hatch on the top (like subaru) never seem to fail on a full tank...
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May 11, 2018 13:38
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Fats posted:Goddamn fuel pump. There's no rust on your truck though.  I had two of the captive nutsert things start spinning on my rusty bucket a few years back, so I had to learn to weld (shittily, I might add). https://imgur.com/a/m8LRA Kind of reverse chronological for these ones, finished product down to practicing. https://imgur.com/a/Fmp3j And this was only the first time in 2 years I replaced that pump.  Good loving riddance, rusty truck.
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May 11, 2018 15:24
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Rusty truck is rusty.  E: I should point out that the rear springs(!), hangers, and shackles were all replaced at some point, and are in good shape. That last foot or so of the rear framerails where the bumper bolts on, however... Dagen H fucked around with this message at 16:24 on May 11, 2018 |
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May 11, 2018 16:09
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chrisgt posted:Why do fuel pumps always break on a full tank? I can count the number of cars dragged to the shop that had less than half a tank of gas. But the ones dragged in with a customer story of "so I got gas and then it wouldn't start." Countless, never ending, there's gotta be some science as to why that is. I don't think it's confirmation bias, I think there are actually more fuel pumps failing right after the tank was filled. Because when it starts to act dicky like it's running out of gas, the first thing anyone does is put more gas in it?
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May 11, 2018 16:23
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Tried to drive my Civic to work the other morning and the battery was dead, dead, dead. Jumped it after work and it was happy, went and had the battery tested at Autozone because I have no tools at my apartment. This morning it was dead all over again so I jumped it and drove it home to work on it. After spending far too long dicking with my hosed up multimeter (always test your equipment, kids), I found almost 6 amps of parasitic drain on the horn/brake fuse. The god damned little plastic cone that sits in the brake pedal and pushes the brake light switch had evaporated and was sitting on the floor in 10 pieces. The brake lights were permanently on. 
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May 11, 2018 23:21
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Because when it starts to act dicky like it's running out of gas, the first thing anyone does is put more gas in it? Fuel pump failed with my wife out of town with the horse trailer on a Friday right after she filled up (31g tank IIRC). Wasn't acting up, just died while driving. $750 for a large vehicle tow and for them to drop the tank later, it was back on the road. That being said, if it hadn't happened then, it probably would have died on the Nebraska trip getting ExplodingSims' truck...
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May 12, 2018 00:12
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MS6 started making lovely noises the other day and popped a CEL. Popped the hood to pull the MAF and clean it (this usually sorts the cel) and hey, that hose should probably be attached to the BOV right? Cleaned the filter, put it back together and, started it up and ran torque and while checking the code cleared. Nice.
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May 12, 2018 00:43
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Meanwhile Negative popped the CEL again, with the same code (MAP sensor performance/range issue), but the light went back out on its own after about 15 minutes. The code is still there, though.  I'm guessing the MAP I yanked off of the Saturd was marginal (it was grabbed from an unknown year junkyard car, the original MAP on the Saturd failed around the same mileage). Hoping it's just the sensor itself and not any wiring, I'll have to figure out what the sensor crosses with and find a couple at Pick n Pull (need to get a door check for GF's car anyway). Or just drop the $50 on a new OEM one. Fuel pump chat, the one in Negative is a bit on the noisy side - I hear a pretty audible gurgling noise from the back of the car.  Between that and how the gas gauge acts, I'm guessing someone's replaced the pump before (the gauge tends to hang at half a tank for about 100 miles, then nosedives). Discovered the windshield, of all loving things, leaks on it too (discovered while in a car wash today), so I guess I'm pulling all the trim around it and resealing it.Started the Saturd this morning to get pictures to list it on Craigslist (... took it back down pretty quick after everyone glossed over "PARTS CAR" and "WILL NOT INCLUDE PLATES OR TAGS", and kept asking if the ac worked and when the registration ran out), and.... I guess my concerns about the plugs having rust on them was valid. It was belching quite a bit of sweet, sweet coolant-laced steam from the exhaust (and some blue smoke when it first fired). I was hoping to get more for it private party, but no, gently caress dealing with Craigslist, it's going off to Pick n Pull. Especially now that my suspicions about a blown head gasket are mostly confirmed.
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May 12, 2018 08:58
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Changed the battery in the new/ old civic the missus drives. It was on it's way out for a bit but finally bit the dust yesterday in the cold. We'll see how it goes and if it fails fairly shortly thereafter then the alternator might be hosed as well but hopefully it was just a life expired battery and nothing else.
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May 12, 2018 10:18
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I've got a knock on my suspension that seems to be most common /worse when steering around a corner and there's bumps. I've replaced shocks, swaybar links, tie rods etc already, so I was hoping for it to be the idler steering arm. So I replaced that today on my bmw e34 but it didn't help. the old arm seemed fine but I was hoping that was the cause since in a pre purchase inspection the idler arm was recommended to be replaced I took it apart myself today and nothing was wrong with it! Is it normal for them to be ultra tight when torquing down? I couldn't even move the new one by hand at all after tightening it, but when connecting to the drag/centre steering rod the steering felt light/normal. The centre/drag rod to steering side arm seems ok since I couldn't detect any play in it when it was up on stands and I could move the joint alone. The loud knock didn't come back for a while when driving, but gradually gets worse as everything starts to run hot. I'm thinking it's either the spring mount rubbers stuffed (didn't replace them when doing shocks) or the strut mount bearing (ditto). I can't find anything loose and pushing down on the car makes no noise. It only happens when the car is going through a high frequency of bumps or cornering and hitting bumps. Tomorrow bmw cooling system attack! Fo3 fucked around with this message at 13:13 on May 12, 2018 |
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May 12, 2018 13:11
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What effect on handling does a high quality lower ball joint have over an economy/broken ball joint? I just took my '07 Grandpa Prix GT in to have the front driver side replaced (which I supplied with the most expensive Mevotech one I could get on Rockauto, still like 1/4 the price of anywhere else) and I've noticed the car handles SO MUCH BETTER in tight turns (i.e., the lovely one-lane traffic circles dotted all over the city) than it did before. Am I crazy or is that what good ball joints are capable of? The strut on that hub was a dud and I had them replace it at the same time (KYB AGX) so that may account for some of the improvement, but it's a pretty substantial difference.
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May 13, 2018 00:18
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FiST - Bought a used steel tubular manifold, had the turbo vband adapter welded to it by a local shop, and installed it. Swapped my dtc-60s and track rotors off, granny ceramic pads and cheap rotors on.    
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May 13, 2018 00:41
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Handen posted:What effect on handling does a high quality lower ball joint have over an economy/broken ball joint? I just took my '07 Grandpa Prix GT in to have the front driver side replaced (which I supplied with the most expensive Mevotech one I could get on Rockauto, still like 1/4 the price of anywhere else) and I've noticed the car handles SO MUCH BETTER in tight turns (i.e., the lovely one-lane traffic circles dotted all over the city) than it did before. Am I crazy or is that what good ball joints are capable of? Given that the ball joint is one of the 3 things triangulating the entire wheel in space, a busted/floppy one can be a serious drat detriment to the handling of a car. The strut may help smooth out bumps, but if it was wandering/numb-feeling before and now it feels tighter and more precise, it's almost 100% having the ball joint intact that makes the difference.
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May 13, 2018 05:09
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Thermostat fitted! Like suspected the stupid PO removed it so there wasn't one there. Idiot thinks cooler is better or bye bye head gasket. The problem is car has been running cold and rich ever since the weather got cooler, barely getting to 80C and using heaps more fuel. Now I've got to work out a way to run the thermofan he fitted without relying on a capillary type mech thermostat cable tied to the engine bay with a rad hose insert bulb because it looks like junk.
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May 13, 2018 07:28
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"New" car (remember, this is 2006 Saturn vs 2006 Saturn) had a torn drivers seat, an occasional airbag warning light (which punching the passenger side seat bottom almost always got rid of), and whoever owned this thing must have been a fatass - I thought the seats in the old car were worn out, but this one is nothing but springs and fabric. Swapped seats. Now the old car is getting the airbag light, new car has much more comfortable seats. Everything that made the old car a "3" trim (vs the "2") is pretty much in the new ("2" trim) car now, except for the back seats, extra sound deadening, and automatic headlights. Also, silver face gauges vs black face gauges - I kinda prefer the black ones in the lower trim. No way to swap the clusters without swapping the (soldered) EEPROM that holds the VIN and odometer anyway. Also bought one of those terrible "AC recharge in a can" things. My gauges broke awhile back (crappy ones with non-detachable hoses, and a hose popped out of a fitting), I don't have the money for a new set, and the ac in the new car is more like "slightly cooler than outside air" on hot days. Total system capacity is 16 oz. Felt like I put about 8 oz in (can was 16 oz, feels half empty, anyway). It went from ~65F to ~42F from the vents. Good enough for now. Being a variable displacement compressor, it's kinda hard to charge going on pressures anyway; ideally it'd get a full vacuum, then filled by weight. But this is a beater that I just want to last a year, maybe two years. The compressor is no longer cycling (it's supposed to run nonstop on this car, not cycle), so it's "close nuff" to satisfy the PCM. The stuff I got also has UV dye, so I can figure out where it's leaking (spotted a wet fitting on the high side, so I'm gonna guess that's gonna light up like Dr Krieger's cock under a UV light soon). randomidiot fucked around with this message at 08:43 on May 13, 2018 |
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May 13, 2018 08:30
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Alternator's voltage regulator was going and putting out nearly 15v so I installed an amp and subwoofer to eat up the excess voltage. And replaced the broken stereo in the process. Down to 14.1v (apparently within acceptable tolerances for a capri), but the alternator bearings are starting to scream if I go over 3.5k rpm. 2k if the AC is on. The next time it isn't going to rain, it's time to hit up the pick n pull. And some rear end in a top hat tried to steal my tap handle, but somehow stripped the gently caress out of the threads on the inside of the handle instead, so now I need to find a new novelty shifter On the brightside, the subwoofer rattles the whole car and makes the trunk sound like it will fall apart
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May 14, 2018 04:27
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PaintVagrant posted:had the turbo vband adapter welded to it by a local shop  How much did you pay for that?
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May 14, 2018 04:56
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Installed a new PCV valve, air filter, and replaced an EVAP hose on my lovely $500 1996 Ford ranger. It had a funky idle (trying to shut off) and oil in the intake. After new PCV, idle was much more normal, and could kick AC on with no complaint. Didn't get a chance to get up to highway speed, but drove around the yard and let it run for 20min or so and it didn't seem to push out nearly as much oil as it did before. I replaced the valve cover breather last week, so initially none of the crankcase venting was connected. I think this poo poo-tastic vehicle has the coldest AC of anything I've ever driven. Since that experiment was successful, I ordered 8 OEM plugs and silicone wires (2 per cylinder) from Jeff Bezos for $18.
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May 14, 2018 05:04
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