What are you working on today?

Made some progress on my fleet of garbage vehicles. Went to install a new wheel cylinder on the Sunfire. Its 23 years old and has a healthy amount of rust. I was surprised that The small etorx bolts holding the cylinder on actually broke free with no drama. The brake line flare fitting would loosen from the cylinder but not spin on the line. No worries, I'll remove the wheel bearing and spin the cylinder off the line and not the other way around. Nope. The torx head bolts would not budge. I have them soaking so perhaps another day.

I used the new seals in the old cylinder in the mean time. The old seals were actually not very pliable.

I rolled the Trailblazer into the shop next. Greased up the end links, u joints and tie rod ends. Adjusted the e brake shoes as well. I found the cab pressure vent is worn out. The flaps are warped and do not seal.... unable to find a part number yet.

Removed and installed the passenger side ball joints next. Nothing crazy but need some new snap ring pliers to finish it up tomorrow.
 
Finished cutting in the last couple hundred feet of driveway. Not perfect but its smooth at least. Smoother than the rest of the property. Gravel on Thursday or Friday.

Finished up removing 6 osage orange trees. Boss said their ugly, useless and blocking the view. Put them aside see if someone wants them for firewood. Over 80hrs today on the tractor and should have well 100hrs by the end of season… maybe I’m using it too much. Bought it on Father's day.
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I joined the resistance and installed a start/stop eliminator in the Highlander. It's a simple install; plug the device in series between the factory harness and the switch. At the slow pace that I work at, total time was about 10-15 minutes, including gathering up the required tools.

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Image 1 - Access to the underside of the shift plate took less than 2 minutes.

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Image 2 - Tie wraps make it worry-free; avoids pinching during re-assembly.

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Image 3 - Device install is complete.

Just a few notes:
  • I chose a 4D Tech eliminator (https://www.4dtech.com/startstop). The other device I considered (https://www.ebay.com/itm/124407498886) required a separate power wire to be routed to the under-dash fuse panel. I wanted to avoid having to route this wire from the console, up and over the steering column and the pedal mechanisms to the fuse panel. I also dislike working under dashboards. Note that there is a considerable price difference between the two devices.
  • The 4D Tech device does not store the last state (on or off) of the s/s after shut down. The vehicle will always start in the off mode. If the s/s is turned "on", the device will revert to "off" upon re-start. I'm assuming this is what the separate power wire is for on the ebay device.
  • Most will not bother to remove the shift knob, but removal makes access to the underside of the shift plate easier, IMO. It took my 15 seconds to remove it; pry and slide to boot down; open the u-clip and pull the knob off.
  • Most install videos of these devices in 2020-2022 Highlanders show people yanking in the center of the console side cushions to remove them. It takes less-to-no effort to do it "the Toyota way; disengage the cushion clips by lifting up on the rear and swinging it upwards.
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Image 4 - Side cushion removal.
 
paulo57509 said:
I joined the resistance and installed a start/stop eliminator in the Highlander. It's a simple install; plug the device in series between the factory harness and the switch. At the slow pace that I work at, total time was about 10-15 minutes, including gathering up the required tools.

View attachment 310636
Image 1 - Access to the underside of the shift plate took less than 2 minutes.

View attachment 310639
Image 2 - Tie wraps make it worry-free; avoids pinching during re-assembly.

View attachment 310640
Image 3 - Device install is complete.

Just a few notes:
  • I chose a 4D Tech eliminator (https://www.4dtech.com/startstop). The other device I considered (https://www.ebay.com/itm/124407498886) required a separate power wire to be routed to the under-dash fuse panel. I wanted to avoid having to route this wire from the console, up and over the steering column and the pedal mechanisms to the fuse panel. I also dislike working under dashboards. Note that there is a considerable price difference between the two devices.
  • The 4D Tech device does not store the last state (on or off) of the s/s after shut down. The vehicle will always start in the off mode. If the s/s is turned "on", the device will revert to "off" upon re-start. I'm assuming this is what the separate power wire is for on the ebay device.
  • Most will not bother to remove the shift knob, but removal makes access to the underside of the shift plate easier, IMO. It took my 15 seconds to remove it; pry and slide to boot down; open the u-clip and pull the knob off.
  • Most install videos of these devices in 2020-2022 Highlanders show people yanking in the center of the console side cushions to remove them. It takes less-to-no effort to do it "the Toyota way; disengage the cushion clips by lifting up on the rear and swinging it upwards.
View attachment 310643
Image 4 - Side cushion removal.
Click to expand...
We had a rental Highlander in Maui and I decided I was gonna make that starter work as much as possible. It'd shut off at a light and I'd immediately let up on the brake to make it start again.

Being a Toyota starter, it probably didn't care and will still be on the original starter at 350k, but it made me feel better. I did my part.
 
Ok real quick... assembling the front end on the Trailblazer after work. The bloody top bolt on the wheel bearing will not bloody thread in. I got it started and the bloody thing began cross threading. It just wouldn't bloody work.

I finally used the tap and die set my dad bought in the late 80s or very early 90s. It sat unused, price tag still on it until now. I found the applicable size and thread and viola! I then ran that bolt in there with purpose.
 
Got a decent amount of the tree cut up yesterday, but still a lot of work to go. I'll probably end up dragging the remaining trunk to the burn pile with the truck and begin the arduous task of burning it down.

Today a neighbor needed a door knob replaced at her house, that job earned me a big bowl of homemade chili and some homemade cornbread.
 
I installed my new set of tires today. I bought the vehicle last month and it had two cheap off brand Firestone tires on it called SureDrive that’s like their house brand and they were awful especially in the rain and very loud, then the original Firestone Destination LE2 tires on the back which were pretty worn out. Got these Yokohama Geolander CV G058 to try out and so far after 30 miles of driving they are spectacular. Quietest tires I’ve had in a long while. Ride like pillows. My dad’s been criticizing me over my tire choice since I got home telling me I needed to return these and get Michelin. Michelin are great and all but I’m trying to stay around the $600 range which these were $614 with my employee discount and the Michelin would of been between $800-$850 with the discount. I am bummed no white letter tires were available but that’s ok these do really well. Yokohama has a tire plant in a neighboring town to my hometown and work town and I know a few workers there. First time trying Yokohama and they haven’t disappointed so far. I also purchased a set of Goodyear Reliant tires for it from Walmart Black Friday deals and they will be here tomorrow I’m going to save them as an extra set and use them next time I need tires or sell them to a friend or coworker maybe. If they weren’t a good deal I’d not have bought them but for $96 a piece wasn’t bad. Normally I’d never consider Goodyear because of a few reasons but they were cheap. I’ll be doing an alignment tomorrow I was just too tired today.
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I managed to pop out the quarter panel pressure flap vent on my 2006 Trailblazer. This explains why i always had dust entering the cab with windows down. GM part 15189391 which, of course shows discontinued. I'll still call the dealer tomorrow. Otherwise I'll have to find some material to replace the flaps. If anyone has any tips, I'm all ears.

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I had a weird situation on a '14 Ram with blinking defrost light and near-zero ability to control HVAC, including vent positions and temperature (no heat approaching Thanksgiving in CO = no bueno)

Anyway apparently the HVAC modules were prone to failure, particularly in the 2014 MY. Allegedly this even extended to the Charger, Caravan and others. This is internet lore so unk if accurate.

This module was reporting no HVAC codes, but clearly it knew something was wrong as evidenced by the blinking light. There was also a CONSTANT actuator running behind the dash -- unk if temp or directional actuator.

I poked around with my Otofix (Autel) and nothing was working. HVAC ECU reset did nothing. Calibrations just went on endlessly and never completed.

I had unofficially declared the module toast but went into active tests anyway. Turning on recirc did not illuminate the recirc light. Adjusting temp seemed to make actuators move.

Then for no particular reason I went into "front mode position" and just randomly chose Option 3 Mix. This cured everything. The defrost light stopped flashing, the constant actuator ceased, and everything now works exactly as it should -- including through several start cycles.
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Best guess is "ghosts in the machine" and I just got lucky and forced the one thing that made the module heed to. I have no idea if it'll happen again, and I kinda wonder if low cranking voltage can cause this -- batteries are dated June '20 and that's pretty old to crank a CTD in CO.

The owner is crying broke and it feels dumb to replace a module (~$170 retail plus shipping) when it's presently working perfectly.

@The Critic fellow aficionado of Ram's incredible quality
 
Been very busy lately. Resealed the hydraulic block for the boom on a John Deere 310SE (spool valves included, no photos of those, sorry). Quite the job that was. In the middle of a 6R140 rebuild (burnt up direct clutch, overdrive was flat wore out), and also starting a CP3 conversion on an LML duramax tomorrow. More pics to follow…

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D60 said:
I had a weird situation on a '14 Ram with blinking defrost light and near-zero ability to control HVAC, including vent positions and temperature (no heat approaching Thanksgiving in CO = no bueno)

Anyway apparently the HVAC modules were prone to failure, particularly in the 2014 MY. Allegedly this even extended to the Charger, Caravan and others. This is internet lore so unk if accurate.

This module was reporting no HVAC codes, but clearly it knew something was wrong as evidenced by the blinking light. There was also a CONSTANT actuator running behind the dash -- unk if temp or directional actuator.

I poked around with my Otofix (Autel) and nothing was working. HVAC ECU reset did nothing. Calibrations just went on endlessly and never completed.

I had unofficially declared the module toast but went into active tests anyway. Turning on recirc did not illuminate the recirc light. Adjusting temp seemed to make actuators move.

Then for no particular reason I went into "front mode position" and just randomly chose Option 3 Mix. This cured everything. The defrost light stopped flashing, the constant actuator ceased, and everything now works exactly as it should -- including through several start cycles. View attachment 310876

Best guess is "ghosts in the machine" and I just got lucky and forced the one thing that made the module heed to. I have no idea if it'll happen again, and I kinda wonder if low cranking voltage can cause this -- batteries are dated June '20 and that's pretty old to crank a CTD in CO.

The owner is crying broke and it feels dumb to replace a module (~$170 retail plus shipping) when it's presently working perfectly.

@The Critic fellow aficionado of Ram's incredible quality
Click to expand...
OK UPDATE: after sitting overnight the vehicle is once again burdened by what has been. No idea exactly why, except for a wonky module.

Again, I deliberately turned the vehicle on and off at least three times yesterday and it stayed "fixed"

I plugged it in overnight so today's start would be less laborious (if battery voltage is an issue).

So, I'm gonna order a module .....
 
@AutoMechanic thats a nice ride!! Glad you not only have the skill set but the tools at your disposal to get the work done!

After work, I tackled the quarter panel vent on my Trailblazer. Internet searches and a chat with the dealer parts department, the part is discontinued, no updated part and nothing hiding in stock. That's fine.

Channeling Brian's white trash skills and abilities, I made a repair to the vent. While thicker, the foam in an old socket set worked and appears to be the ticket. We shall see how it works. Mind you, the old flaps were so distorted, they could not seal any way you looked at them.

I was going to use some old milk jug plastic to stiffen the back but it was not needed. I was going to leave the milk label visible as an ode to @D60

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wander2039 said:
Finished cutting in the last couple hundred feet of driveway. Not perfect but its smooth at least. Smoother than the rest of the property. Gravel on Thursday or Friday.

Finished up removing 6 osage orange trees. Boss said their ugly, useless and blocking the view. Put them aside see if someone wants them for firewood. Over 80hrs today on the tractor and should have well 100hrs by the end of season… maybe I’m using it too much. Bought it on Father's day. View attachment 310641
Click to expand...
There’s no such thing as using a tractor too much! 😇😇
 
2013 GMC Sierra w LML, 300k miles:
-engine oil change
-replace fuel filter
-replace both batteries
-front left caliper was dragging excessively. They approved replacement. Someone had recently pad slapped it but the rotor had a considerable lip at the OD where the pads don't sweep (I would have turned it), the wheel studs were slathered in anti-seize (not necessary here) and the slider pins had been lubed with wheel bearing grease. I'm all for DIY but the more I see the more I think people maybe shouldn't touch their own vehicles
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Here I had actually already wiped a lot of anti-seize off the studs. I dropped from 140 to 125 when torquing -- no idea if it really matters
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Apparently around this time GM moved away from their plastic wheel covers with black plastic retention nuts and went more mainstream with exposed lug nuts. Of course, every lugnut was swollen. To be fair, if these are OEM from '13 they've been handled a lot over the course of 300,350 miles
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-repaired driver door check. This one is greaseable which honestly feels a bit like a gimmick more than anything
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