What are you working on today?

PXL_20220814_201426962.jpg

Tell the RMA where they can shove it
I'm a menace to society 😎
I give lawyer's panic attacks 😱

And yes I know it's not proper, it's only gotta get me another week or two till I can bring the new tires to the shop for install
 
Last edited:
Working on my old ‘99 Seadoo SPX I sold my brother, he took it in due to no start and had the carbs rebuilt, fuel filter changed and new plugs put in. Found the wrong plugs installed, they put BR9ES in it, calls for BR8ES in the manual and specification sticker near the oil tank. No biggie but, the 9’s always fouled out on me typically. He said he couldn’t get it started after he picked it up from the shop. Found after all the work they had done they never even started it and the fuel lines were not primed. Also put it on the battery charger because it was weak after he kept trying to start it for awhile. Got it started finally and rode it about twenty minutes without issue.
 
View attachment 112535
Tell the RMA where they can shove it
I'm a menace to society 😎
I give lawyer's panic attacks 😱

And yes I know it's not proper, it's only gotta get me another week or two till I can bring the new tires to the shop for install

You one bad, bad boy.

I've done similar where the shop didn't want to patch a hole close to the sidewall. Told them to unmount and separate the tire from the rim, take it home and patch it myself with those patches you pull through the puncture and patch from the inside. Then take it back to the same shop and have them remount and balance it. Takes the liability off the shop and had no problems until I needed new tires.
 
Replaced the one-year-old Clarios factory battery in my bro's 2021 Toyota Tundra w/ tow pkg. Changed it out with an Autozone Platinum EFB battery which is the better ones they have in stock. Unfortunately, the EFB battery was 8 months old and it took the whole night on a 4A Battery Tender to fully charge it up.

Acid has begun to spew out of the caps and wanted to change it out before it begins to wreak havoc on the battery terminals and battery area (even did preventative action by installing post felt protectors.) I've sprayed NOCO Battery Cleaner + Acid Detector around the battery tray area and it's picked up traces of acid already. And given my past experience dealing with crusty Toyota terminals I rather prevent this problem then to let it get bad.
5428D8D9-5DD4-499C-A175-73C426F67D9E.jpeg
 
A simple task today. My Son-in-law and I changed out the lug bolts on his 2018 Jeep Compass.
Only 5 of the 20 were not swollen and we could actually slip the 19mm on all the way. 14 of the 20 were swollen to the point that the socket would only just slip onto the end of it. 1 of them was so bad that a 20 was a little too big and a 19 was too small, so the 19mm got hammered onto the lug bolt enough to bust it loose and then placed in a vice to punch it out with a punch.
They have all been replaced with solid lug bolts from KSP performance.
Anyone with lug nuts or bolts with these stupid caps would be wise to change them out for solid units before having to deal with these on the roadside. In reality, you wouldn’t be able to do it on the roadside with the lug wrench supplied by the manufacturer.
All of my vehicles have solid nuts/bolts. I took care of that quickly before it could even become an issue.

The 5 decent ones.
View attachment 112517

The 14 bad ones.
View attachment 112516

The one real bad one
View attachment 112518

The replacements, a thing of beauty.
View attachment 112519
I noticed this is becoming a problem on my parents' '18 Cherokee, too. I haven't heard of KSP Performance, but all I could find on their website was lug bolts for wheel spacers?
 
I noticed this is becoming a problem on my parents' '18 Cherokee, too. I haven't heard of KSP Performance, but all I could find on their website was lug bolts for wheel spacers?
Well the lug bolts are just a little longer, but just barely, they will work with the stock aluminum wheel but not steel wheels according to them.
We had no clearance issue of any type. I got them off of Amazon.

KSP M12x1.25 OE Wheel Lug Bolts Fit for Jeep Renegade Cherokee Compass, 20pcs 12mmx1.25 ET Bolts/Studs with 28mm Shank Length 19mm Hex Replacement Stock/OEM 53182366,6511051AA,Also on Aftermarket Rims​

Longer than the stock bolt, CAN be adapted to after-market hub. (This is in this description below.)

  • Universal Fitment: 2015-2022 Jeep Renegade|2014-2022 Jeep Cherokee|2018-2022 Jeep Compass|2015-2017 Chrysler 200(Only fit Aluminum wheels. Don't fit Iron wheels)| 2013-2016 Dodge Dart(Only fit Aluminum wheels. Don't fit Iron wheels)|Replacement OEM Number is 53182366,6511051AA,Dorman 611-005
  • Specification: M12x1.25 Thread Pitch|19mm Hex|28mm Shank|60 Conical Seat|62mm Length|Use Hand Wrench
  • Improved design: These lug bolts change the original two-piece design to one-piece, more durable and less prone to expansion or cracking than factory bolts. Longer than the stock bolt, can be adapted to after-market hub. Chrome design and removal of cap, have a good protection against rust
  • Features: These wheel studs follow the factory bolt shape. These wheel bolts have passed proof load, salt spray, hardness and thread testing and meet the strict standards. High temperature resistance, can be repeatedly disassembled, not easy to damage
  • Warranty: We offer a "30-day refund, 24-momth free replacement" service. If you have any questions, please feel free contact us,we will provide you with the most satisfactory solution
 
  • Like
Reactions: D60
Nothing terribly exciting today... Thankfully. My master tech and I attended the Joan Jett/Poison/Motley Crue/Def Lep concert at U.S. Bank Stadium last night; let's just say neither of us hit the ground running this morning. Not hungover, just exhausted. He doesn't drink and I splurged on ONE $18 double vodka 7 the entire 4.5 hours we were there.

I did tear the intake off a '14 Jetta GLI 2.0. Intake valves are carboned up so bad it quit running (at least that's what I hope).

Sold a clutch on an '06 Mini Cooper base, so now that's on deck along with the C4 WP/Opti/Plugs/Wires job I still need to get around to!
 
Among other things was trying to do front CV's on a 2000 Taco.

Opened the boxes and one had clearly been previously opened. There was grease (outer) and gear oil (inner) on the splines so it sure made me think it had been installed.

Who knows what happened but I'm assuming worst case that it was causing vibes as aftermarket CV's can and was returned. So, I did one CV r&r today. The other was borderline anyway because the boots are cracking but aren't split so it'll just wait.

The moral: open and inspect parts in the store!
20220815_182240.jpg
 
The Lexus got an oil change. I noticed the new M1 cartridge filter was about 4mm shorter than the STP XL that came out. thats short enough to cause lack of sealing surface inside the cartridge. After about 10 minutes of looking at all of it, I used an o-ring on both sides of the filter to take up the slack: O-cart-O, all stacked on the inner tube that runs up the middle. It would have probably worked without it, but the stp provided rubber to metal sealing, whereas the shorter mobile element would have not provided a seal, and the inner metal support tube would have butted directly against the metal end plate… which would have probably been fine but would likely let some by.

i had other mobil filters and stp filters and they were all consistently different in the same way. For future reference, STP for the win.

the pressure washer and ZTR also got oil changes.

walmart had a deal on M1 EP. I usually use Penzoil Platinum but all the labels have changed, I don’t know what it what, and the M1 sale was encouraging. I bought a lot, anticipating the weights for all the cars in the family I’m still taking care of.
 
Finished up the 81 C10 today. I had axle seals, front pads, drive belts and the oil change left to do. Tomorrow I'll work on the fuel pump on the 01 Jimmy.
 
Well... the Jetta is dead. I probably jumped the gun by pulling the intake before checking compression, however it only took 30 minutes. I have 0 PSI across all 4 cylinders. Apparently, the car fired up and the owner made it a block before it sputtered and died. The oil was full and not in terrible condition. I'm assuming the chain jumped, we're quoting a long block from VW as the GTI/GLI CPPA engines are impossible to find used.

Front brakes on a Civic

Battery, belt, coolant service on an Eos

Battery in a Pilot

Diagnosed a rusted out P/S pump on a bucket of an '02 Yukon. Recommended the pump, and the pressure lines from the pump to the gear and the gear to the Hydroboost unit
 
Finished up the fuel pump job on the Jimmy Tuesday. I've got a 1994 GMC Sierra that needs intake gaskets but I'm waiting for the go ahead on the repairs. Today I replaced front rotors and pads on a 2012 Dodge Durango and changed the oil. Also have a 2001 Ford Sport Trac in for rear brakes, but I won't have any of the parts until Friday.
 
Finally got the chance to replace my cracked valve cover on the X5. Not a fun task to say the least. Changed out the plugs while I was there, according to service records they had about 60k on them. Valve train and head looked pretty clean overall, a few varnish spots. According to the service records on it when I bought it the OCI's varied between 13-21k miles at the dealer. I've changed the oil more time in the last 25k I've had it than it's had in 95k before me haha.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1793.jpg
    IMG_1793.jpg
    196.9 KB · Views: 11
  • IMG_1777.jpg
    IMG_1777.jpg
    208.3 KB · Views: 13
  • IMG_1779.jpg
    IMG_1779.jpg
    187.7 KB · Views: 13
  • IMG_1786.jpg
    IMG_1786.jpg
    122.5 KB · Views: 13
While not automotive, I had to fix a mistake our one employee made. Young girl, was using the side by side for evening chores. Ran a bit, stalled and then crank no start. I try and and no pop or fire. Fuel guage says full. Hmm I say. I go to the fuel filler and see what I figured. She accidentally put diesel in.

She stuck around and I showed her, my wife and kids how to siphon the tank and then top off with gas. Cycle the key and pump and she comes back to life.

I ask what else got diesel and she said the swisher bush mower. I siphon that out and ended up draining the carb and clearing the cylinder. Took a bit but she runs fine.

I wasn't mad. The girl didn't know and I wonder if I ever told her, she said her parents never taught her. It was a great teachable moment for all. Now if she put gas in the skid steer I may have had a differing opinion.
 
Customer declined repairing the '94 Sierra due to costs. I told them just keep an eye on the coolant and let me know when/if they decide to repair. It's a spare/dump runner that doesn't see a lot of mileage and coolant is leaking externally, not into the engine. Thursday was open so I did some cleaning up in the shop. Friday I did the rear brakes on the Sport Trac.
 
Going to try and press in/out my front wheel bearings for my 98 impreza. My friend just got a 10ton press, I'm hoping it's enough. First time for us to use this tool, been watching some YouTube vids. Hopefully we don't fubar anything lol.

I'll get some loaner tools from the local auto shop.
 

Attachments

  • images (6).jpeg
    images (6).jpeg
    70 KB · Views: 7
  • download (3).jpeg
    download (3).jpeg
    6.2 KB · Views: 7
Back
Top