What are you working on today?

[hardcore302]

Two weeks ago I changed the oil, plug, air filter, and carb on my Yard Machines Briggs and Stratton 163 cc mower. Ran beautifully but was slow to start when hot. Today I swapped the plug from an E3 to a Champion. No more hot start problem. I also put a new blade. Those dandelions didn't stand a chance!

 

[michaelluscher]

Quick strut on a '04 Highlander
Not a fan of Monroe, but it was the least worst available to get it through inspection at the end of the month
After 21 years and 118k, the factory mount let go, and the strut was bouncing around
Oddly, it would only clunk under braking

I put a pair of Delphi sway bar links on it last week, what a chore

It throws an intermittent P0442
I found a slightly cracked vacuum line under the hood, and a broken VSV for the active front engine mount
Also the factory gas cap is a little tired
We'll proceed with my usual process of smallest/cheapest parts first

Other neighbor wanted a eBay chinesium air horn installed in his clown spec '17 Spark
I said no, lemme dream up something better
I ordered a horn for a '17 Full size Chevy truck, and it's got the same connector
No more meep meep here
A little adjusting on the bracket thru the bumper hole where the fog light would go if it wasn't a poverty spec LS would go, and it's mint

 

[BrianF]

So, in a turn of events, i had knocked out that new bearing and had plans to return it. I wrongly assumed the inner race was one peice, not two. That's why I messed up the installation. Ok, fine.

Looking it all over, I figured what harm will it do, it's a press fit and the inner races are held together by the CV shaft bolted up. So I cleaned all the races, bearings, used some fresh grease and installed it. I pressed in the outer and then pressed in both inners. Seemed smooth enough but makes some noise on test drive. I'll give it a few miles and if it doesn't smooth out (doubtful) then I'll return it.

But I need the vehicle for short trips to work over the next two weeks....

 

[D60]

2015 Forester:
-oil change
-tire rotation
-replaced air filter
-the wonderful GSP Revolution CV axle is NOW FOR THE SECOND TIME flinging grease, so replaced the boot (inner) for now @slacktide_bitog
-replaced front LCA bushings
-serviced CVT w Castrol Transmax
-front pads at 3mm but rotors were great so for the first time in years I pad slapped it (plus the young lady is on a budget)

I've tired of Subaru's obsession with all things fine thread. After fighting M12x1.25 sway bar links I got to fight M8x1.00 caliper pin bolts. Who the **** uses M8x1.00?? Fortunately I had one tap but oH My GAWD yoU sHOuLD Use A ChASeR!!!!!!!

I should have ordered new pins but didn't expect to need them (only needed one)

 

[slacktide_bitog]

2015 Forester:
-oil change
-tire rotation
-replaced air filter
-the wonderful GSP Revolution CV axle is NOW FOR THE SECOND TIME flinging grease, so replaced the boot (inner) for now @slacktide_bitog
-replaced front LCA bushings
-serviced CVT w Castrol Transmax
-front pads at 3mm but rotors were great so for the first time in years I pad slapped it (plus the young lady is on a budget)
View attachment 278834
I've tired of Subaru's obsession with all things fine thread. After fighting M12x1.25 sway bar links I got to fight M8x1.00 caliper pin bolts. Who the **** uses M8x1.00?? Fortunately I had one tap but oH My GAWD yoU sHOuLD Use A ChASeR!!!!!!! View attachment 278835
I should have ordered new pins but didn't expect to need them (only needed one)

sorry to hear the trouble with those axles

Trakmotive seems to make those extended travel XTT axles for the SJ now. Part number SB-8103XTT. They feature thermoplastic inner and outer boots, and the inner joint is a different design. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere yet, so it might be a new part number that just came out. However, you have to replace them in pairs.

Rock Auto also has those same kind of extended axles from APWI, though APWI uses neoprene boots

Is the transmission mount in good shape? A worn one could accelerate inner joint failure, as there will be more movement. If you need to replace it, the transmission mount actually has to be OEM.

 

[D60]

We shuffled some vehicles around today and the wife drove my beater F150 for ~30 miles. She got home and told me the truck had a shimmy over 65 and a heavy shimmy when braking, neither of which are normal for the vehicle. She also told me to come check out the smell, which was unmistakably brakes.

I found the right front as high as 415F shooting the rotor through the wheel, while the left was 150.

I elevated it and could barely spin the wheel. Cracked the bleeder to no improvement whatsoever. Ironically a reman caliper through my O'Reilly account at $59 is as cheap or cheaper than RA after shipping and core return shipping.

 

[wander2039]

Stopped by the water company for pricing and the assessors office to get a address for the new place. The deed is messed up After finishes mowing and sprayed 10 acres. Probably won’t get the thistles but hoping anything posinous will die off. Next weekend it’ll get another liquid and flames. Now I’m soaking a bleach bath ugh.. I’m used to fighting ivy but not oak or sumac.. think all 3 live at the new place.

 

[ripcord]

Got some parts in the mail for my brother's Winnebago Rialta. Here's some pics of the amazingly worn out plugs. Only 3 because I didn't feel like digging through the trash for the others. They are supposed to be gapped at 28 thousands.

 

[cptbarkey]

Picked up a Go Kart at auction. Gas tank was a little rusty but not bad. Pretty sure 3 of the 4 wheels are on backwards. Cleaned the carb and it fired right up. The belt is missing several teeth. New belt and a few spares on order. The kids are excited, me too.

View attachment 278484

New belt, oil change w/ Quicksilver 5w40, NGK spark plug, sprayed some chain lube, rear driveshaft thing greased, hour meter installed. The brake cylinder is blown out, new one on order.

Picked up this quart on clearance at AAP about 5 months ago. My company does business with Mercury Marine. Neato.

Old plug

 

[ripcord]

New belt, oil change w/ Quicksilver 5w40, NGK spark plug, sprayed some chain lube, rear driveshaft thing greased, hour meter installed. The brake cylinder is blown out, new one on order.

View attachment 278959

Picked up this quart on clearance at AAP about 5 months ago. My company does business with Mercury Marine. Neato.

View attachment 278960

View attachment 278961

View attachment 278958

Old plug
View attachment 278962

View attachment 278963

How do you fit in one of those things?

 

[cptbarkey]

How do you fit in line of those things?

Not easy, being 6 foot, 280lbs, basically both feet in first while hanging on the roll cage, then bend the knees to drop in. Going to cut and raise the cage sometime so me and the wife can get in easier. My kids are 15-16 and should be able to get in but with a little less difficulty.

 

[BrianF]

No pics yet but snagged a 1991 Daihatsu Hijet, 4x4 and manual transmission. She's going to be a little chore wagon to bomb around the property. This week I hope to get all the fluids changed out but overall runs really good.

 

[Accent Abuser]

Going to be doing an entire intake manifold replacement tomorrow. Accent started acting very strange last Tuesday, low on power, very loud induction sound like I was driving a V8 with a short ram intake, stalling on deceleration. Threw a CEL for the intake manifold runner control being stuck open. Tested the solenoid using a bidirectional scan tool, the actuator moves externally but there's no change in engine idle with it open or closed.

I suspect the plastic runner inside is broken, and the engine has been quite noisy ever since the code popped up (ticking, especially when cold or under high vacuum like deceleration).

Did a compression test when it first started acting up just to cross my i's and dot my t's, all 4 cylinders making 185psi (standard is 177) and the engine still doesn't consume any oil between oil changes so I don't feel uneasy about throwing a $500 manifold at a 247,000 mile engine. Gonna try and clean up the intake valves with some throttle body cleaner and zip ties while it's off as well.

 

[BrianF]

Got little Shelly home. Needs a clean up, some basic maintenance but overall a neat little addition to our funny farm of vehicles. Oh and on the way home we snagged another little rocket. Got a dirt cheap 2002 Pontiac Sunfire, auto, 4 door. Needs a bit of maintenance but a wicked little commuter. Now we got vehicles for the kids and I for daily bombing around.

My wife and I hope to keep the 3500 for many years to come and will look at a half ton pickup for a nice replacement for our Trailblazer in the coming years. In the mean time, I love little beaters...

 

[D60]

Nothing horrendously exciting, but apparently 'tis the season of 2015 model years. The other day when I did front brakes on a 2015 Forester I thought that's weird, where's the rest of the pin bushing?

Ah, remove the accordian boot and there she is Note this is why you should just order the boot kit with every brake job -- and remember one kit services one axle but inexplicably two slider pin kits would be needed to service one axle

Then oil change and rear brakes on a 2015 CRV. It was throwing a code P-ajarito (I'm sooo funny)

Then the truck brought me steel.

Then 2015 Tundra: oil change, lubed all 5 u-joints, lubed aftermarket upper BJs and aftermarket rear shackles.

 

[D60]

2008 GMC LMM for my non-profit:
-oil change
-lubed all zerks
-new fuel filter. I got a bunch of these for $1.80 thru RA ("Famous brand" of course):

I've always used the plastic-bodied Wix and I think for YEARS I've been double gasketing the inner shaft of the fuel filter! The Wix uses a different style inner seal which is more like a washer while most others use a grommet that can get left behind kinda like a trans filter o-ring. I think I've been cramming the Wix on top of a traditional bushing for A LONG TIME.

This would explain why they were always so difficult to get started. The metal body of the CQ simply would not reach the threads, forcing me to investigate. The point is don't be dumb like me.

The fuel filter door is still one of the best things I ever did (practically mandatory on the GMT900 but optional on the 800)

 

[Trav]

2015 Forester:
-oil change
-tire rotation
-replaced air filter
-the wonderful GSP Revolution CV axle is NOW FOR THE SECOND TIME flinging grease, so replaced the boot (inner) for now @slacktide_bitog
-replaced front LCA bushings
-serviced CVT w Castrol Transmax
-front pads at 3mm but rotors were great so for the first time in years I pad slapped it (plus the young lady is on a budget)
View attachment 278834
I've tired of Subaru's obsession with all things fine thread. After fighting M12x1.25 sway bar links I got to fight M8x1.00 caliper pin bolts. Who the **** uses M8x1.00?? Fortunately I had one tap but oH My GAWD yoU sHOuLD Use A ChASeR!!!!!!! View attachment 278835
I should have ordered new pins but didn't expect to need them (only needed one)

D60, Couple of quick questions. Did you remove the engine without removing the CV axles (I know it does not say to do that in thee service manual but it helps prevent the inner boots tearing shortly after, even OE ones) ? Is the heat shield intact on the r/side under the boot? I see most of the aftermarket pipes have no provision for it, I but them off the original and weld them on. I will say even the paint is holding up and these are the only ones that do no cause a vibration that I have used. These are 3 year oil GSP Revolution CV axle boots, they are supple and not showing any sign of failure. Sorry about the lousy pic quality but it was all I could get from under the hood.

 

[D60]

D60, Couple of quick questions. Did you remove the engine without removing the CV axles (I know it does not say to do that in thee service manual but it helps prevent the inner boots tearing shortly after, even OE ones) ? Is the heat shield intact on the r/side under the boot? I see most of the aftermarket pipes have no provision for it, I but them off the original and weld them on. I will say even the paint is holding up and these are the only ones that do no cause a vibration that I have used. These are 3 year oil GSP Revolution CV axle boots, they are supple and not showing any sign of failure. Sorry about the lousy pic quality but it was all I could get from under the hood.

View attachment 279072
View attachment 279073

Hey @Trav, it's just the driver side that's acting up. I think I rebooted the right with OEM IIRC

Anyway I don't think there's any exhaust on the left of the 2.5 NA? The motor's never been touched.

I took this shot to show it yet again spewing grease all over the steering shaft.

In this pic the stub was out of the wb, thus the apparently severe angle.

 

[Trav]

Yep no exhaust on the L/Side only the right. Strange it has has multiple boot failures, I wonder what the cause is?

 

[Accent Abuser]

Well I got the new manifold installed in the Accent. Unfortunately I broke off the metal pcv valve in the valve cover and all attempts at extraction failed. Ended up having to remove the valve cover, drill out the old valve, buy a new pcv valve, and re tap both the pcv valve and the valve cover because apparently the pcv valve threads are m10x0.9, which of course doesn't exist in any tap and die set. It's now m10x1.25

Threads aren't the most refined, but it didn't blow out on my drive home and luckily my vehicle uses a MAP sensor only, so I don't really need to worry about vacuum leaks from a poor seal. At some point I'll replace the entire valve cover, but it'll do for now.

Also managed to remove quite a lot of carbon using the drill and zip tie method (along with some throttle body cleaner). They were pretty gunked up but they're the cleanest they've ever been since the car was new now.

Sorry, no pics, was on a time crunch trying to frantically reassemble my engine before the shop closed since I had to waste 3 hours trying to remove the pcv valve.