What are you working on today?

clinebarger said:
You have factory service information.....No reason you can't do the job on your own, Don't wait on experience to come to you....Jump in, Take your time, And do a good/thorough job.

There's good money in major repairs as you don't have to Rack & Diagnose as many vehicles, Learn ALL you can while getting paid hourly!!
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AM,

I have the fsm for that Land Cruiser. It is a awesome manual, except well over 3,000 pages.

I spent a few hours go through that manual, super easy read, well done, lots of great information not only specific to Toyota, but to any auto mechanic.

The fsm I have is in a pdf. I am going to think about printing it out and placing the pages in sheet protectors, tab it off, etc
 
Timken rear wheel bearings on a 2010 Honda Civic w/ disk brakes. Pictured is the bad side, surprisingly the driver side was okay but did both.

Not pictured are new shocks (signs of weepage on shock body) clean & regrease rear caliper contact points/slide pins, check tire pressures including the spare, which was at 14 PSI!

The worst part of the job was removing the Honda (poss. McGard) locking lug nuts. Called my aunt to see where she kept the key since I looked everywhere in the car.
Since she was clueless about it, time to sacrifice a socket, which was a 90's era Craftsman 19mm 12pt socket. The socket survived the ordeal but I never ever wanted to do that again. I'm buying a handful of 19mm 12pt sockets since this might not be the only job removing locking lug nuts w/ lost keys.

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Brought the truck inside, added fresh offroad to the torpedo heater and fired it up, and cleaned up the truck a little bit.

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Just did a little rinseless wash to get it through. It needs a full on scrub, but this will have to do. Don't want to actually scrub with the rinseless, but it still makes it look clean to the average person.

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I sprayed the frame and undercarriage off the other day, but the body was looking pretty nasty to me. Interior also got a vacuum and quick wipe down.
 
ctechbob said:
Finally, the weather cooperated on a day off for me. Too bad it is a Friday which means I did this on 4 hours of sleep, but it is almost the only opportunity I had to do it before the wife and I set off for Charleston the first week of March for our anniversary.

Off and out are the factory suspension shackles and PLASTIC bushings. In went a Morryde CRE-3000 and upgraded wetbolt shackle kit.

Hardest thing is lifting the camper up, everything else went right in to place with some modified tools. I'm thankful to still be strong enough to manhandle things like the springs to get them back into place and line up the bolts. I can see how it would be difficult for some people and require some leverage.

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What size is the trailer?
 
Worked on the cabinets some. Got all the brackets mostly ready for the big cover piece and the end piece by the dishwasher. Now just need to do it yuck! After that counter tops. Made a small review YouTube video during a break, first time since October.
 
Putting holes in electrical cabinets for the gas patch with a tenuous setup on my table. The run is small enough it's not worth a fancier setup, although honestly repeatability has been quite good considering we're talking about about sheetmetal bent up in a brake in a Chinese factory

This "Vevor" brand is taking over the world from tools (I have their case spreader!) to electrical cabinets to auto parts to random household goods. Check out their website for a chuckle.
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Finished up an oil cooler/filter housing repair on a Sonic 1.4T. It was a nightmare from start to finish... I truly hate the 1.4T.

Following my initial leak diagnosis, I relayed to my service advisor that he should contact the dealer and request any and all seals required to properly complete the oil cooler repair. The integrated exhaust manifold/turbo assembly must be removed to allow access to the oil cooler, which requires no less than a dozen new gaskets and/or O-ring seals upon reassembly.

What did said dealer send, you ask? I'll tell you: the oil cooler assembly, and a SINGLE O-ring. That's it. Nothing for the turbo lines, no exhaust gaskets, nothing.

Beyond that, the labor guide on ProDemand was WAY off on time. It shows 2.4 hours to R&R the oil cooler, which includes cat removal. However, the FIRST STEP of the factory oil cooler removal procedure calls for removal of the turbo/manifold assembly. That alone calls for 3.4 in the labor guide... you see the issue? How can the total job pay 2.4 when the very first step calls for removal of a part that pays an hour more on it's own.

Long story short, she's good as new now. All new seals and cooler, oil change, new OEM valve cover, and an outer tie rod.
 
Dropped off the bucket of disappointment that is my grandmothers XT4, with a solid two pages of warranty issues and recalls
I waited 1.5 months for an appt with a loaner, and here she is
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So fresh and so clean 👌
2023 XT5, AWD, about 1200 miles on it
Drive it around like them influencer material girls 💅
 
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2005 Buick LeSabre
Turned front rotors, replaced rear rotors, replaced front and rear brake pads, changed oil
 
Eric Smith said:
Converted the Schwinn to a sealed cartridge.. that seems to be difference between $200 and $400 bikes. Guess they tried with a rubber o ring 😂 Those bearings were crunching, no wonder it was so hard to ride.

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Cartridge bottom brackets were a HUGE step forward in reducing maintenance. I remember in high school we were re-packing our BB's constantly. Basically a single creek crossing guaranteed water intrusion. And Phil Wood grease was "the thing" to have but it was expensive for a high school kid.
 
D60 said:
Cartridge bottom brackets were a HUGE step forward in reducing maintenance. I remember in high school we were re-packing our BB's constantly. Basically a single creek crossing guaranteed water intrusion. And Phil Wood grease was "the thing" to have but it was expensive for a high school kid.
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Back when I was a kid I never rebuilt any bottom brackets or wheel bearings.. just occasionally spray some WD40 in there and go! No wonder I was so skinny. Dad wasn't much into mechanical repairs and the days before youtube. Makes me wonder how bad some of those bearings looked.
 
D60 said:
Cartridge bottom brackets were a HUGE step forward in reducing maintenance. I remember in high school we were re-packing our BB's constantly. Basically a single creek crossing guaranteed water intrusion. And Phil Wood grease was "the thing" to have but it was expensive for a high school kid.
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Reminds me of the fleet of Amphicar's I used to service. Pop quiz: what do you get when you combine 1960's technology, West German engineering, and the desire to create an amphibious vehicle? A recipe for disaster. While the cars did come from the factory with approximately 2 dozen grease points, the sealing tech of the day was no match when faced with water intrusion.

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you all: When kept on land, the things were "decently" reliable. The second you took them for a dip and back out, all (despair) broke loose. Prop bearings took on water, wheel bearings took on water, brake linings refused to dry out.

I still wonder what could be possible should one decide to "modernize" an Amphicar. There's a surprising amount of room in the engine bay for a small 4-cylinder engine, the chassis is relatively easy to service, and should one decide to properly seal the running gear and body openings there's a real possibility of a fun toy there.

For those that don't know the vehicle in question, here's an old MotorWeek clip where they actually showcase several of the cars I used to work on:

MotorWeek Amphicar Review
 
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