What are you working on today?

Very busy day....

2015 F150 3.5L/6R80, 218,xxx miles....P2111 which was caused by the Throttle Body. Has pretty bad converter shudder....Ran 20 quarts of Maxlife ATF through it, Then changed the fluid & filter. Changed the engine oil.

Got the pistons knocked in the Hemi...No pics.

My 2nd year apprentice got the engine out of a 2014 Nissan Juke 1.6L Turbo.....What a epic mess!!!!
Came in for a check engine light, P0011 (Intake Cam phase issue).
The owner had the Timing Chain replaced, Both VVT Solenoids, Crank Sensor & Intake Cam Sensor between 3 different shops.

Intake Cam was 19-20° advanced....Recommended pulling the engine & verifying the chain installation, She didn't like the labor quote & took it back to the shop that did the timing chain, She brought it back this past Monday saying the shop thinks it's a "computer issue" & the chain was installed correctly.

I demanded half of the labor up front because I've "Been there, Done that" with new customers abandoning throw away cars after agreeing to repairs, Glad I did because it's going to cost a lot more than quoted!!

12 stripped out bolt holes, Belt Tensioner got trashed, Intake Cam Phaser full of RTV, Timing cover has a hole worn through it, Guessing by the original timing chain & was patched with JB Weld.
I can only imagine how much RTV is in the oil pan?
*Intake Cam is 1 tooth out of time.

Priced out installing a used engine with her new timing set & fixing the existing mess, I'll call her Monday as I feel this will get interesting

4VcqtUJ.jpeg

jQ7sQKs.jpeg
Some people need to weld their toolbox closed
 
I managed to get the swaybar bushings and end links done on the Escape. Was tedious but not hard. Actually the concrete was hard so my knees and back are quite sore.

I managed to not have to cut the links out. Used some heat and a lot of elbow grease but everything came out. Oh, I used a lot of swearing as well, which actually signals to everyone that I'm still alive and the **** car never fell on me.

To quote @AutoMechanic , which I am sure he would use the exact same verbiage, some aggressive finger pointing and clenching a screwdriver by his waist with the other hand, "don't be a cheap prick, use some **** antiseize or I'll hit you in the knee cap!! Mmmmmkayyyy???"

So, I used lots of antiseize and bolted her all back up. So, the bushings were soft but not wallowed out. The end links were at varying degrees of dying. The end links are whatever middle of the pack Napa had that were greasable. They look like the same boits and finish as the pretend Acdelco's I used on my Trailblazer many years back. On the test drive, no more sharp clunk up front, so now I just hear the other clunks. It runs pretty good now.

20250322_132741.webp


20250322_121058.webp


20250322_122845.webp
 
Well, this is why we don't throw parts at things
But it's not my fault, the owner doesn't have time 🙄
'17 Optima with a P0456, and an inspection coming up soon
New OE Kia purge valve, canister close valve (vent valve) and gas cap have all conspired to cost $50, but not make a difference
In my defence, the new gas cap clicks firmly, and has a more robust seal than the worn original, and the new CCV clicks much more strongly than the original, but alas it continues to fall the EVAP system test they built into their diagnostic software

Next time it comes by with some hours, I'll break out the smoke machine
1000004090.webp
1000004089.webp

Trying to finish the details on the flip Civic, still not conclusive on the PSF leak, so I'll try the standard Honda o-rings before I spend any more money
I always like to put my touch on a car
The brightness of LED plate lights on the ground always looks sharp 😎
1000004104.webp
 
I managed to get the swaybar bushings and end links done on the Escape. Was tedious but not hard. Actually the concrete was hard so my knees and back are quite sore.

I managed to not have to cut the links out. Used some heat and a lot of elbow grease but everything came out. Oh, I used a lot of swearing as well, which actually signals to everyone that I'm still alive and the **** car never fell on me.

To quote @AutoMechanic , which I am sure he would use the exact same verbiage, some aggressive finger pointing and clenching a screwdriver by his waist with the other hand, "don't be a cheap prick, use some **** antiseize or I'll hit you in the knee cap!! Mmmmmkayyyy???"

So, I used lots of antiseize and bolted her all back up. So, the bushings were soft but not wallowed out. The end links were at varying degrees of dying. The end links are whatever middle of the pack Napa had that were greasable. They look like the same boits and finish as the pretend Acdelco's I used on my Trailblazer many years back. On the test drive, no more sharp clunk up front, so now I just hear the other clunks. It runs pretty good now.

View attachment 269437

View attachment 269438

View attachment 269439
If you ever look up sway bar link applications it can be surprising where they cross over. For example, links for an '04 Escape also fit an '11-14 Mazda 2, a Mazda CX-3 from '16-19 and a Mazda Protoge from '95-98

Sway bar link bushings are even more universal, for obvious reasons I suppose. And yeah, it's the aftermarket trying to consolidate, but who can blame them?
 
Yesterday was apparently Subaru Saturday. '15 (Mad Max) Forester got an oil change, new NGK plugs and summer wheels & tires installed.

'02 Impreza got an oil change. Needs a hood release cable and I found OEM on Amazon for same price as Dorman (about $30 shipped). Based upon the application and seller reviews, I doubt the cable is a fake. I'll know in a week.
 
Busy weekend so far...

Woke up Saturday and hit the shower - my wife had taken laundry out of the washer and put it in the dryer, then taken the dog out for a quick walk. I get out of the shower and hear an odd series of beeps repeating every minute. I finally track it down to the smoke detector in the laundry room and open the door to find the room filled with steam - turns out the exhaust vent at the back of the house had a chunk of lint completely blocking it. A quick trip to Lowes for a vent cleaning kit and everything was up and running a couple hours later. Oddly, the reason the smoke detector was beeping was because it had reached the end of its 10-year life - a lucky break for us. We have two detectors in the house that are the same age, so I ordered two replacements.

We recently inherited an older Toyota Sienna. It runs well, but when you applied the brakes, it felt like the entire front end was going to shake itself out of the van, and the steering wheel would pulsate horribly. I removed both front wheels and did a quick inspection, but everything looked all right - all of the pads still had plenty material left. Still, I thought when a good sale came around, I would replace the front brakes. Well, a good sale came around, the pads and rotors were replaced and everything was CLA'd, and it stops smooth as silk now.

While the wheels were off for the brakes, it was time for a tire rotation and oil change (PP HM 5w-30 and a CarQuest Premium). There was also a brake light out, so I replaced it. We then jumped in for an 80-mile round trip to a small-town Dairy Freeze for dinner and the van didn't burst into flames even once - I'm putting this job into the W-column!

This morning, we had a call from our neighbor that her husband had fallen and couldn't get off the floor, so we went over and got him up and into bed - this getting old business is tough!
 
Last edited:
@D60 that doesn't surpise me at all about parts overlap. Well it doesn't in this case as the old Escape was one of those Ford/Mazda joints efforts. Well it doesn't surprise me on the Mazda end but I would be surprised as all hell if Ford used that mindset (don't ruin it for me by using factual data because I hate Ford and want to rant).
 
A retired gentleman said I could have the metal if I could disassemble his shed, of course I said. He gave me some tips over Instant message like bring a sawzall. I also surprised him a bit by showing up with a tractor. Some strategic sawzall cuts, and the tractor helped disassemble it like an insect. Might get more work later, garnered a bit of an audience from the work. It was a very fun afternoon.

1742771322500.webp


1742771381055.webp
 
We put a 205 ft2 addition on the house last year, as a result we lost a storage area above the garage for storing junk. So today I cut a nice big hole in ceiling south of the new addition area and lay down some plywood to make a 36ft2 storage area. Great place to store stuff that my wife doesn't want to get rid of, and no lying, I have some of that kind of thing myself. All that remains to do is some lighting and trim work to make it perfect.
 
Boys and I went to Comicon and lunch for good burgers this morning. It was packed, crazy event. Got home and filled some holes from the old cameras with caulking, put a patch over one. Figured out the Festiva radio, popped fuse not sure why. Did a little rewiring while I was at it. Has a Dual aka junk need to just replace it. Cleaned a couple gate hangars dad gave me.. thought they’d be froze but unscrewed them by hand. Now feeling like might be sick tomorrow 🙄
 
New carrier bearing on '05 Silverado 3500 LLY. OEM from RA:
20250324_103253.webp

Rubber was getting dry and only had two connections remaining:
20250324_103235.webp

It put up a heckuva fight in my 50T press:
20250324_110943.webp

I also could NOT find my larger bearing splitter so I'm ordering several sizes right now.

Fortunately the new one pounded on easily with a scrap of 1.5" pipe
20250324_114026.webp
 
I thought I was taking off this week....but it's not starting that way.

Neighbor's 2015 Nissan Altima 2.5
Replaced radiator and condenser, changed oil. They bought it recently and it started leaking coolant and tried to run hot on them. Pressure test confirmed a large leak where the tank is crimped to the core, due to previous impact damage. This car has been "fixed" at some point from crash damage. I don't have AC equipment at the house so they're having to take it somewhere else to be vacuumed and charged, hopefully it holds. 🤞
 
Left front inner axle seal on '05 Silverado 3500. I actually warned the owner these just pretty much leak as SOP and oftentimes guys just give up and live with it, but he wanted it replaced.

Leaking:
20250324_155746.webp

New OEM from RA:
20250324_162455.webp

I randomly found a Polaris stator puller fits the seal well enough to be a driver:
20250324_162828.webp

Installed and cleaned up
20250324_181908.webp
 
Back
Top Bottom