What are you working on today?

[D60]

At some point some "upfitter" put stupid seats and running boards on this '91 Toy that was recently donated to my non-profit.

You don't need running boards on a stock height mini truck and we live in the land of turbo mud and wolf poop, so fancy seats are D.U.M.B.

I rectified some of that today, stupid skirting before:

A utility knife later:

Before:

So much better:

Cool little rig with only 140k on a '91. Would be downright fun with a hand shaker but this is an auto. Oh well, still nice as a donated work vehicle:

 

[meep]

That’s a classic truck. MANUAL HUBS!!

 

[mattd]

3.7L timing job/water pump. Don’t think this one will be salvageable. Came in oil full of coolant, mixed thoroughly and running terrible. Had cam/crank correlation codes also. Pulled it apart for evaluation and doesn’t look good. Water pump bearing exploded, dumped coolant into the crankcase. Gallons of fluid drained. Broke the impeller on the pump because of the bearing failure. Rear bank was out at least 3 teeth. The timing chain tensioner was beyond maximum travel, and popped out of its bore, but the chain guide had it wedged so it couldn’t fall out. All the guides are wiped out, including the secondary chain guides. VCT solenoids packed with metal. Also has 1 bad phaser, but this one will probably be getting an engine job.

 

[D60]

3.7L timing job/water pump. Don’t think this one will be salvageable. Came in oil full of coolant, and mixed thoroughly. Had cam/crank correlation codes also. Pulled it apart for evaluation and doesn’t look good. Water pump bearing exploded, dumped coolant into the crankcase. Gallons of fluid drained. Broke the impeller on the pump because of the bearing failure. Rear bank was out at least 3 teeth. The timing chain tensioner was beyond maximum travel, and popped out of its bore, but the chain guide had it wedged so it couldn’t fall out. All the guides are wiped out, including the secondary chain guides. VCT solenoids packed with metal. Also has 1 bad phaser, but this one will probably be getting an engine job.

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Such a great design! Team TTB at it again.

 

[Kennedy01]

2015 Chevrolet Cruze 1.4 Ecotec
Replaced ignition coil, spark plugs, air filter, wiper blades, changed oil

2014 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3 V8
Rotated tires, changed oil

 

[wavinwayne]

Not working on it myself but realized today that my 2016 535d likely needs a new driver side headlight assembly. Water is getting inside the headlight housing and I find no obvious leak, so probably a failed seal. Beyond my ability to fix. Goes to my trusted BMW indie shop on Monday. No telling how long this will take or what the $$$$ damage will be. Joy.

 

[cptbarkey]

New 2025 projects.

Two Toro Workman diesels from my local city, both hydraulic dump beds. One running, one not. I've wanted some kind of dump truck for some time, this will work.

 

[wtd]

Replaced the shift cable on my 92 Cavalier that has a manual transmission. I had replaced the previous cable about two and half years ago when the plastic ends that connect to the transmission and the shifter disintegrated and I got stranded. After that replacement, the car sat in a garage for about two years before my fiancé started driving it again. About two weeks ago she went to drive it and could not shift out of 1st because the shifter just flopped around. It's hard to believe that two years of sitting in a garage caused that plastic to come apart. The car had hardly any miles on it during that time since it was just an extra car.
I looked at it and the plastic piece that covered part of the cable had disintegrated allowing the cable to move all around and not allowing you to shift. We ordered a different brand cable from Rock Auto and that is the one I installed today. It had different attachment ends compared to the other one. I had to modify how it attaches to the shifter because the hard rubber part on the end of the cable that the post from the shifter went through was too small for the shifter post to go through. I had to take out the hard rubber part and used a rubber grommet and an O-ring to secure the cable end on to the shifter post. I'm not sure how long those pieces will last.
This is the third time I have replaced this cable since 2006 when I got the car. These aftermarket cables just don't last, and the factory ones are not available any longer. It's not too bad of a job especially since I have done it so many times but it's not that fun either.

 

[D60]

2019 Rogue with the classic HVAC door actuator failure. At least I found the smoking gun, note all the ground white plastic on the actuator and on the little shelf of the heater box

 

[LDB]

Transitioning from one vehicle to another. I bought a Honda Ridgeline today. Minor in the grand scheme of things but stuff like programming all the radio stations, ordering a new toll tag, setting up stuff where and how preferred. Have to call the insurance guy Monday.

 

[Kennedy01]

Yesterday

2003 GMC Sierra 1500
Replaced front brake pads, rotors, calipers and hoses, changed oil

2002 Buick Century
Replaced cabin air filter, rotated tires, changed oil

2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
Lubed tailgate latches, replaced air filter, changed oil

 

[Astro_Guy]

New 12 Volt battery for the 2017 Prius V. Yesterday it reported "Aux battery has insufficient charge." I put it on a smart charger overnight but she wouldn't rise above 12.4 volts. This was the original battery from 2017 so it's not as if it owed us anything. Replaced it this morning with a Duralast Platinum AGM.

Just a humorous side note here. It looked like rain so I closed the rear hatch after removing the old battery and heading off to AutoZone. The latch is electrically actuated and thus could not be opened without a battery in place. Tried reconnecting the battery charger but no joy. Luckily the doors would still open so I dropped the battery in from the back seat before opening the hatch and completing the install. Lesson learned...

 

[D60]

2019 Rogue had a gap at front fender/valance interface and the fenderwell trim was popping off. I think the last body shop didn't use the right push clips on the trim, but I think the valance went over something like a parking stop and got pulled when they reversed.

The valance gap was actually worse than this makes it look:

I've determined when these get pulled as you back up, they bend the too-thin bumper brackets. The price of building vehicles from tin foil and silly string. I actually got the idea from this guy who (comically) uses his feet to push the brackets back up into place. Seems to bring new meaning to body press?? You can skip to 13:15 for the good times:


I wasn't gonna use my feet, but I did use some high-tech custom lumber and my trans jack:

Much better:

 

[Pablo]

My 2014 WRX Had similar gaposis

 

[VeryNoisyPoet]

Noticed a slight chirping / squeaking noise coming from serpentine belt area on cold start the other day. Recently got a belt tensioner tool to make dealing with that easier....which somehow didn't fit the tensioner. Filed it down until it would engage so I could pull the belt.
Tensioner pulley was fine but idler had slight roughness and made a brrrr noise when I spun it fast. Already had a spare on hand so swapped it in. No more chirp sound!

Also cleaned up the battery terminals and main cable connections since those were looking a bit sad.

 

[Kennedy01]

New 12 Volt battery for the 2017 Prius V. Yesterday it reported "Aux battery has insufficient charge." I put it on a smart charger overnight but she wouldn't rise above 12.4 volts. This was the original battery from 2017 so it's not as if it owed us anything. Replaced it this morning with a Duralast Platinum AGM.

Just a humorous side note here. It looked like rain so I closed the rear hatch after removing the old battery and heading off to AutoZone. The latch is electrically actuated and thus could not be opened without a battery in place. Tried reconnecting the battery charger but no joy. Luckily the doors would still open so I dropped the battery in from the back seat before opening the hatch and completing the install. Lesson learned...

Really irks me all the electronic stuff that's replacing mechanical actuation on newer cars. Rear hatches/tailgates/trunk lids, parking brakes, shifters....some things need to be left mechanical. Your situation is a good example of why.

 

[Kennedy01]

2019 Rogue had a gap at front fender/valance interface and the fenderwell trim was popping off. I think the last body shop didn't use the right push clips on the trim, but I think the valance went over something like a parking stop and got pulled when they reversed.

The valance gap was actually worse than this makes it look:
View attachment 259497
I've determined when these get pulled as you back up, they bend the too-thin bumper brackets. The price of building vehicles from tin foil and silly string. I actually got the idea from this guy who (comically) uses his feet to push the brackets back up into place. Seems to bring new meaning to body press?? You can skip to 13:15 for the good times:


I wasn't gonna use my feet, but I did use some high-tech custom lumber and my trans jack:View attachment 259498View attachment 259499

Much better:View attachment 259500

Can confirm sheet metal on newer cars is like a soft drink can. Less like sheet metal and more like the idea of sheet metal

 

[D60]

Can confirm sheet metal on newer cars is like a soft drink can. Less like sheet metal and more like the idea of sheet metal

I was able to straighten pieces of the core/grille support on a '15 Forester by hand!

 

[D60]

More hardcore tech on this '19 Rogue. Somehow the rear wiper arm just went MIA. I have no idea what happened and didn't ask.

The owner told me he bought all the parts and they were inside the vehicle. I should have known better as all he bought was the wiper blade. I had to scramble last minute and pay $50 for the arm locally (they're $22 on RA, but plus shipping of course).

I got to use my favorite wiper arm puller. I HATE playing musical sockets on stuff like this and engrave the socket size on the head. No more guesswork!

I showed this to the owner to explain you're missing more than just the blade:

 

[TimeFlies]

I didn't do a lot today really.
Changed the oil in a KW T880, also its fuel filters, and checked all other fluids, topped off the windshield washer fluid.
Greased it, greased the trailer its connected to, split them apart a few feet to grease the 5th wheel.
Then I repaired the shutters on another truck, they were not closing. Greased it, and its trailer, also the 5th wheel.
Checked its fluids, and again all it needed was washer fluid.
Checked the tire pressure on the wifes Leaf, added a few psi to all 4.
Was going to check the spare tires pressure to, and discovered that It doesn't have a spare. Topped off its washer fluid, and put new wiper blades on it, that came with the car. The previous owner bought them, but couldn't figure out how to install them, so gave them to me. It also came with a 120 volt charging cord, and an adapter for 240 volt charging.