What are you working on today?

[joekingcorvette]

I am installing 3 window door weatherstripping pieces on my Honda Civic. Two on the passenger side were getting weathered and literally falling to pieces. I installed one yesterday and have 3 left. Those little clips are a little tricky to get right until you figure it out. You have to push down really hard before they lock.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I am changing the oil in my Civic too as long as it's in the garage anyway for window weatherstripping.

 

[Delta]

First order of business was moving the cars around. Now that winter is right around the corner I want to do some more things to the beater Talon. Moved the Camry to the other side of the garage and set the beater in the other. This is where it will spend the winter getting a good bit of work.

Earlier in the week I ordered some lift struts for the rear hatch. I've owned the car since April and haven't done it. Finally got it done!

They were a little spent...

Surprisingly all the bolts and studs came out like they were supposed to. Now I don't have to use vice grips to hold up the hatch anymore!

Also got to pick up a couple odds and ends for the car that the previous owner found. There's still more stuff to get along with a couple extra engine wiring harnesses that they have. Not sure if they're any good, but it never hurts to have extra wiring/connectors! Kinda nice that the previous owner is a friend, and heck the husband is a co-worker. Also finally found a new coolant bottle to replace the old cracked one, so that might get thrown in there this weekend. Not that it really matters for a while as it won't really get run for a while. Hooked my battery tender to it as well while I was doing stuff today.

 

[53' Stude]

First order of business was moving the cars around. Now that winter is right around the corner I want to do some more things to the beater Talon. Moved the Camry to the other side of the garage and set the beater in the other. This is where it will spend the winter getting a good bit of work.

Earlier in the week I ordered some lift struts for the rear hatch. I've owned the car since April and haven't done it. Finally got it done!

They were a little spent...

Surprisingly all the bolts and studs came out like they were supposed to. Now I don't have to use vice grips to hold up the hatch anymore!

Also got to pick up a couple odds and ends for the car that the previous owner found. There's still more stuff to get along with a couple extra engine wiring harnesses that they have. Not sure if they're any good, but it never hurts to have extra wiring/connectors! Kinda nice that the previous owner is a friend, and heck the husband is a co-worker. Also finally found a new coolant bottle to replace the old cracked one, so that might get thrown in there this weekend. Not that it really matters for a while as it won't really get run for a while. Hooked my battery tender to it as well while I was doing stuff today.

Nice work! I like the license plate collection too

 

[AutoMechanic]

Planned on changing the oil in my truck but it’s just too cold for me. Went and looked at cars instead. And worked on putting my tools from the pawn shop inside the house lol . Man I have so much stuff and no room. Maybe I can clean up the basement for the hundredth time and actually make progress this time. Oh yeah and I also had a fit because my dad had set some stuff in my toolbox and messed up my wrenches I went off and went off again when I found my mechanics screwdriver being used for a house repair time to start locking the toolbox again my OCD can’t handle that.

 

[53' Stude]

Planned on changing the oil in my truck but it’s just too cold for me. Went and looked at cars instead. And worked on putting my tools from the pawn shop inside the house lol . Man I have so much stuff and no room. Maybe I can clean up the basement for the hundredth time and actually make progress this time. Oh yeah and I also had a fit because my dad had set some stuff in my toolbox and messed up my wrenches I went off and went off again when I found my mechanics screwdriver being used for a house repair time to start locking the toolbox again my OCD can’t handle that.

 

[Delta]

Well I guess it was no time better than now to start some metal work!

Started grinding off the rust to revile what we had to work with.

Hmm, ok, lets just go for it!

Somewhat cleaned up and ready to patch the inner.

(Yes I know the wheel arch is gonna need cut out and a panel made, but one step at a time)

Made a patch for the inner part, but it appears my old Craftsman flux welder is not up to the task of sheet metal repair. So it looks like this project got alot more expensive. Gonna see what decent sub $500 MIG welder I can find (before the gas bottle). So, looks to be on hold for just a little bit!

 

[michaelluscher]

I wrapped up a service on a '05 RAV4
Needed a new SiriusXM antenna, cabin filter, charge battery (my battery charger has since unalived itself), air up all 4 tires (again), find out the spare is dead flat (again) and that the coolant needed topping off (again)
...now he can pay his bill

Project Milan got the rear half of the Thinkware Q800 pro dashcam installed, which was a minor chore because I had to run the wire along the floor to avoid interacting with the side curtain airbags

Also new Continental TrueContact Tours have been ordered for the new 16" wheels, they should be in sometime next week, which is good because the inspection runs out end of November

I'm prepping my DD Camry for $600+ worth of engine mounts, front control arms, front ball joints, rear sway bar bushings, and anything else I feel I can squeeze in before it gets cold

 

[The Critic]

Front pads and rotors for the Camry I have been working on. Akebono Street Performance Pads with Raybestos Element 3 rotors.

 

[Supersonic]

2005 Camry 2.4L timing chain tensioner, likely it was leaking and a short grumble of the chain at start-up. Had a 1999 Prism 1.8 (Corolla) that had a long chain grumble at start-up cured by a new tensioner, and this seems to have cured the Camry as well, though time will tell on the oil leak. Tensioner was a Bapmic, says Germany on the box, but this site says probably now been owned by a China Auto Parts company, bought 2 off eBay for a frugal (cheap) price, Toyota Part #13540-28010. Gasket is #13552-0H010, $4.97 at the dealership. So far the Camry started and sounds good, but I would probably source the tensioner locally or Rock Auto if I were purchasing again, might have got lucky on this one, time will tell...

Wasn't much instruction on this but I found a video and can interpret what I did if the video disappears. The photo shows the torque strut - 3 bolts, and the mount - 3 bolts, ground wire, which I removed for easier access. Wire harness is mounted over the tensioner, 1 bolt and a clip below that, clip was tricky, small pick from the back and it released. I didn't disconnect any of the wire harness at the alternator/ac compressor, but removed a bracket at the front side that is attached to the mount, leaving them connected together. Wire harness can be pushed back far enough to remove/replace tensioner, which a ratcheting wrench worked for me, 2 nuts and check the orientation when removing. Couldn't get on the crank bolt but using the alternator pulley bolt was able to move motor back a little then forward until the tensioner hook released and I heard it click.

Intentionally long winded as there wasn't much out there on this task, and here's my photo where I think you should be able to see the torque strut, mount, wire harness 10mm bolt, and the corner of the new tensioner.

Here's the video, start at 2:30m for brevity, as the intro is mostly just disconnecting the battery;


And one final attached photo that I tried to get in closer, not sure how much is visible there;

 

[suburbandoom]

A lovely Marzen Lager from Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and trying to determine when I can change out a CV axle on my kids car.

 

[K20FA5]

Changed the spark plugs in the wife’s XC90. It’s hard to believe the dealer charges $350-$400 for this. Took about 20 minutes. They’re due at 60,000 and she has just over 65,000. It did smooth out the engine a bit. The gap was a little bigger on the old ones. Other than that, they look good to me. $50 for new OEM parts. (The black on the insulators in the first pic is shadows from the trouble light.)

 

[AutoMechanic]

Diagnosed this ticket ended up being a bent rear wheel and front two wheels out of balance. still can’t get over the Shakey When Brakey. And I heard it from the customer about breaking the valve stem trying to transfer from the old wheel to the new one because they didn’t want to pay for a new one in the first place. I just got a new one and billed it on the shop tab because managers told me I could. The sensor was fine I took it off when I got the tire off. Other than that nothing much else today did do some tires but I hate tires they are boring this is the only shop I’ve ever worked in without a designated tire guy. You can tell winter is here cause it’s slowing down. Got a spark plug replacement assigned to me but couldn’t get the spark plugs so customer came and got it and said they would bring it back at a later time when the plugs would be in. They would not approve aftermarket only genuine Subaru.

 

[funflyer]

Finished installing the trans in the Goat today and all's good again. Would have had it done days ago but decided to overhaul the original Hurst shifter first. What a difference some new shims and bushings make, also the welded wear points on the shifter arm. This must have been what it shifted like 50 years ago.

 

[BrianF]

Sourced a 235/75 R15 tire for my C1500. The tires are getting old and one went flat, bad enough to not patch. No local shops had a decent used one but The local tow operator, Towman, had one. Cost me ten minutes to pull it off a wreck and 17.85 for the local shop to swap it out. Same make and everything. Now she's prime to make my dump runs.

 

[53' Stude]

View attachment 76886
Diagnosed this ticket ended up being a bent rear wheel and front two wheels out of balance. still can’t get over the Shakey When Brakey. And I heard it from the customer about breaking the valve stem trying to transfer from the old wheel to the new one because they didn’t want to pay for a new one in the first place. I just got a new one and billed it on the shop tab because managers told me I could. The sensor was fine I took it off when I got the tire off. Other than that nothing much else today did do some tires but I hate tires they are boring this is the only shop I’ve ever worked in without a designated tire guy. You can tell winter is here cause it’s slowing down. Got a spark plug replacement assigned to me but couldn’t get the spark plugs so customer came and got it and said they would bring it back at a later time when the plugs would be in. They would not approve aftermarket only genuine Subaru.

If you don’t want to do tires; seriously find another line of work. I know tire guys making $24-26/hour and they ain’t complaining. Even at my large fleet; mechanics and lowly PM techs do tires. No one is special, just sayin

 

[Kira]

Just an oil change on the V70.
She spent the night on the Rhino Ramps so I'll let her drip a while.

 

[wtd]

I replaced the door lock actuator/latch assembly in the same 2008 Ford Focus that I replaced the door handle reinforcement in recently. A few days after replacing the reinforcement, the door open indicator in the dash kept coming on along with the dinging sound. It was an intermittent problem that I could replicate by pushing on the door from the inside. I tried adjusting the door latch but that didn't work.

Aftermarket is the only place that sells these anymore that I could find so that is what we bought. The door lock actuator didn't work in the old assembly so we would be fixing two issues with this one part.

I had to swap some parts from the old assembly to the new but everything went smoothly and I got everything back in and the door panel on and everything works as it should. I guess we will see how long this aftermarket part lasts.

 

[53' Stude]

Just got done with brakes front and rear; 2018 Ford Edge with 59k on it

 

[greenjp]

Did the front brakes on our 2015 Odyssey today, the originals lasted about 95k miles. Did the rears a year ago I think. Could have pushed them a bit longer, but had the trifecta today of a holiday, kids at school, and great weather so took care of it. Used "Dynamic Friction" rotors (coated and look just like the Raybestos Element3s I used on the rear) and Akebono ProACT pads. Dynamic Friction is the same company as R1 Concepts, everything's made in China now anyhow so I figure they'll be fine. Took me about 3 hours from getting the tools out to putting them away, no issues.

jeff