The past week in Car repair

Have you done so much to the car today that it just doesn't fit into one section, or are you too damn lazy to split it all up? Either way, this is the section for you.

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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
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Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

A whole week gone by, with out me being under or over a car,,,
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
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Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Spoke too soon.... The Green one lost either the fan run relay, or the Radiator Fan switch, replaced both...
The blue one started the flashy oil idle light. Related to the a/c being on and the idle dropping.

Noticed that the oil pressure was low on start only went to about 4 bar...stead of 5.
So Ordered new Switch. Changed the oil and filter.... Cleaned the battery connections, added some acid.

Still wonky pressure at start so I am thinking the 23 year old sender is crapping out...
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Well the Great Cabriolet Catalytic Converter Swap... Got both cars passed emissions,,,,, hurrah....
2 years on the Green and 3 on the Blue to go.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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Calimus
Grand High PooBah
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Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2002 11:40 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Cartersville, Ga

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Calimus »

Very good sir
16' Challenger ScatPack
05' Yamaha FJR1300
02' Honda VTX 1800C
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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
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Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Yesterday started off nice, working on a top for a 78 Super beetle, then son's pissan nathfinder had issues found that he had the air filter installed at an oil change, they didn't loosen the clamps on the air tube so when they went to replace it they tore the air tube in 2 places.
Found one in the second yard I went to, then on the way home from the yard, I had to run by and tighten the wiper arm on the Green Rabbit. I had just finished the Pissan, Number 1 daughter went to go to the mall and said the Blue one wouldn't stay running.... OK, time it and adjust it as I had it out of tune for the emissions.... I no sooner came in and Daughter number 2 locked her keys in her car down in midtown. On the way back home the exhaust pipe decided to come off on the Blue, so Jack that car in the air and fix it, when Daughter number 1 came back with the Van... got cleaned up and over to Daughter number 3's house where I lost the disk drive on my Mac.... so at number 3 daughters my son called accused me of leaving the lights on on the Green Car, as he had to have it jumped,,, No, I didn't have a set of keys and only a 10mm socket and a small screw-driver... (he left the lights on.)

Today I am not doing one blessed thing but have to say MAC clone is a wonderful thing only 1 hour to repair replace, and reimage the system.
I thought Sundays were a day of rest.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
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Location: Duluth, Ga
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Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Oh you thought the Cabriolet was a PITa to change the top and all 3 layers.
On the Super Beetle that I am doing I am over 550 staples in, and I haven't started the outer skin yet.
The rear window is hung by 2 straps that are glued to the frame. I upgraded that by using 4 sheet metal screws to hold the frame to the strap from the rear.

On the Install instructions, they refer to a 70's model as "They have rear and front metal bows instead of wood, so we mention that now back to the 60's install." WTF?

Image

Today or tomorrow the outer skin
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Had to replace the drivers side water flange o-ring....Dang thing only lasted 10 years....
Just glad that I replaced the outlet flange with metal 10 years ago....
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Dang Rabbit died......


Yesterday, I went to run somewhere in my blue bunny, and dam, it wouldn't start, and I flooded it.
So I knew I had fuel delivery.
The Battery cranked the engine, but that was about it. No Spark Fairies showing themselves.... Having the Heat soak relay is really a remote start blessing.
Not wanting to dink with it, I threw on a charger closed the hood, figured that I needed to dry the engine electrics tomorrow.

Today
Validated that it still wouldn't start, but didn't flood it.
When I opened the hood, the engine was covered in condensation, I hadn't started it in about a month and a half, and it is under the carport.
Crazy wet weather, 38 one night 78 degrees the next....

Verified that I had spark by pulling a plug.
Removed the spark wires, cap, rotor. Cleaned the CTS sensor connector with wire-dry.
Took the Black cap cover off cleaned and sanded the dist cap including the stand offs.
Cleaned, dried, and sanded the wires, sprayed both ends with wire-dry.
Cleaned the Cap, and used a Dremel wire wheel to polish the electrodes, and "sand" the inside of the cap.
Cleaned the rotor, sanded it.
Cleaned the Distributor innards, and sprayed with wire-dry.
Rotated the engine by the Cam verify that the belt hadn't snapped or chewed teeth, and set the engine to 0tdc and verified that the timing was spot on.
Replaced the dust shield.
Replaced the Rotor.
Replaced the Cap.
Consulted Cabby-info.com for firing order... (shamelessly plugging, as it is quicker than opening my Electronic Bentley.)
Replaced the wires in the correct order as I had marked them but removing the outer Plastic did move my marks.
Sprayed the Hall Generator and ECM with wire-dry.
Sprayed the Digi Controller with Wire-Dry.

Cycled the fuel pumps twice, the car fired right up.
Moral of the story, this time of year in the south SUCKS, and since I don't drive my Cabby daily much, it decided to pitch a tiny fit.

If your car was running, these are the steps that you need to follow on a DIGI, to verify that it isn't a DAMpness issue.
Started the car, drove it around the block and got it up to temp to burn the dampness out of it.

Even old timers can get the I can't start my blue car blues......
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Replaced the oil pump on the Blue Car today, also the oil pressure sensor for OEM...
Had a blinky low pressure at below .5 bar at idle when the oil was at 110.
Started out of the blue.....
The Spare Sender I had was just as flaky.... the new Cheapie I ordered was showing 3Bar at start when cold and 0bar when hot....

So a new 2.0 36mm pump installed (had to swap the pickup tube as the one with the 2.0 was not allowing the pan to bolt up it was too long, and bottomed out in the pan.).
I got 5bar cold, and when 110 I have 1.2bar..... whoopie. I imagine it was the sender, but thought I would err on the side of caution.
There were no noticible filings in the pan or filter... (another good sign.)......

Tomorrow, the Green Car gets its new control arm.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Had to change the CV's on my VAN, Olds Silhouette. Let me tell you what the Haynes or on line forums/videos fail to mention.
Use your Jack to Jack the Strut up, use your compressors to bind the spring... Taking the Spindle off is easier, and re-assembling is more better...
1st side 2.5 hours, fussing cussing smacked my thumb, second side 1.0.. What I should of done was to do it yesterday when it was 60 degrees, no I wait till Saturday, and it is 36...
I feel like I did when in my youth we would go sledding all day... Coming in and getting a hot bath...... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
CalAltaDubber
Frozen Guy in the Northern Country
Posts: 2012
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:10 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1987
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by CalAltaDubber »

We've had such a mild winter here this year. Makes me want to get the Cabbys out of storage and go for a cruise.
But instead I'm working on a charging panel in Posh Bunny so I can charge my cell and us an FM transmitter for the stereo and not have a gazillion cables hanging off the dash at the same time.

I'll post it when I'm done.
Phil

'87 Cabriolet, "Topless Bunny"
'88 Cabriolet, "Posh Bunny"
'04 Golf
'12 Golf Wagon TDI
'69 Manx type Dune Buggy (New Toy)

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User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Found an issue that I wasn't expecting. When doing the water pump on the green cabby, as I removed the alternator I found that the
Main attachment of the Battery cable was corroded like a MOFO on the AMP connector and Stud.

Cleaned the Bejeezers out of it to get it shiny again, and when I started my car looking for any leaks in the repair I had 14V on the console gauge.
I was amazed that a little bit of corrosion would lead to a 1V drop....or gain :)
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

First time for everything....
Soak the engine with WD-40.
Soak the engine with totally aswesome, drive to the 1.75 car wash, and spray engine down with cleaner and soap, and rinse well.
Spray the connectors with wire dry.
Car won't run for spit....

Ok, pop off the dizzy spray the inside, out side Hi-volt wire, pull plug wires spray them, then the digi controller......
Wow Car runs....... First time ever that water snaked me at the quarter? car wash.

But the Green one has a bright white top, and a cleaned engine. The interior and headliner then a coat of WAX....is all that is left.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
Calimus
Grand High PooBah
Posts: 2892
Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2002 11:40 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Cartersville, Ga

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Calimus »

I'll have to take a vid of all the dust and crap that comes off Crabby when I start prepping her.
16' Challenger ScatPack
05' Yamaha FJR1300
02' Honda VTX 1800C
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: The past week in Car repair

Post by Briano1234 »

Frigging POLLEN.... Clean the car, Waxed it, and it now is yellow.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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