The past week in Car repair

[gull]

Last weekend I went to the junkyard and got a "new" donut spare for the Cabriolet. My old one wasn't holding air anymore, and it was cheaper to buy one from a junkyard than to get it fixed. I think the rim rust from 20 years in the back of a convertible is keeping the tire bead from sealing.

[Briano1234]

Nothing netter than to get confusedeld and think you put air in it, only to find out at 10:30 at night that it was the other cabby that needed air.

[gull]

Did a tune-up this weekend (emissions test coming up this month) plus injector O-rings and a new idle speed adjust screw. When I was done with that and had the idle more-or-less dialed in I grabbed the timing light on a whim. I'd never checked the timing because this car has a Hall effect ignition and they usually don't drift much. Found out, though, that someone had mistimed it; apparently they mistook that big, obvious flywheel lug for the 6° BTDC mark. I re-timed it, then touched up the other adjustments again and idle quality is much improved. I drove it around for three years like that, not knowing why it never seemed to run quite right. Just goes to show...something, I guess.

[sixsracing]

This probably isn't fair but I just have to go there, let's see....
Monday- 95 Taurus/diagnose engine skip led to plugs and wires
87 Cabriolet/cold drivability compromised led to FI power supply relay
Tuesday-85 Camry/lower ball joint and rear shoes with wheel cylinders
02 Kia check brake pulsation after Midas screwed up and dealer wanted to fix it for $800.00. Needs front rotors and rear rotors with pads, coming back
Wednesday-02 Explorer V8/spark plug and grille replacement
00 PT Cruiser/remove cylinder head send to machine shop for plaining
Thursday-95 Cabrio/oil change and repair flange on front pipe
97 Golf/complete converter back exhaust, oil change, repair reverse lights
Friday-02 New Beetle/stereo installation with antenna amplifier, MP3 cord and new antenna in roof, exhaust sleeve replacement
93 Nissan P/U/output shaft seal in transmission
98 Rav4/replace air/fuel ratio sensor and reset ECM, test EGR vacuum modulator

That's just what I can remember, there was more.

[gull]

Wow, quite a variety there. Wanna change the front wheel bearings on my Saab project?

[Bugly]

sixsracing - Glad to hear buisness is good. You do it for a living, most of us just do it

[sixsracing]

Gull, if you can get it here or me there your on.

Bugly, that's what this is..... a living. All this time I thought it was just an existence.

[Calimus]

I actually did something today!

Spent a few hours tinkering with the power top system on my sisters 02' cabrio and got it working. It had been drained of hydrolic fluid at some point so most of those two hours were spent filling and bleeding the air outta the damn system.

Then I tacked the brake light on the 99' Beetle. Whoever designed that needs something really bad to happen to them. I won't digress at this point, but if you ever come acrossed one some day, you will understand.

Then I figured it was time. I charged the battery and woke the Crabby Cabby up from a very long slumber. I was amazed that it only took 2 tries to get her fired up and she purred like a kitten. I really owe some thanks to Orin from the vortex for that as he did some fine tuning on her a BAP last year. Now I just need to finish fixing a hole in the pass rear tire and get some air in it and see how she goes down the road for a bit tomorrow.

Going to have to use some Alabama Chrome on the top to fix a few holes till we can get the new top ordered and Brian has time to deal with it. But hearing her run really gave me a boost in wanting to get a full steam going for my rocco. I'm hoping to have it running in time for BAP, but I'm not counting on it.

Now to relax for a bit.

[Briano1234]

Well I honked as i drove through the berg of Carters today @ 1:00pm, I said to the Wife we ought to call and meet for coffee....

And about that time a Beetle was passing us and I thought it was Cristine.

(We were in a van.)

[Calimus]

Brian, you should have called. We were both at home and you know Cristine is down for coffee at any time. I can say though that the beetle wasn't Cristine. Next time Ur passing through, toss a hollar at us. Been too long since we've had a visit.

[Briano1234]

Had to make a flying trip to Illinois, Terri and I flew out Wed, and we drove back yesterday, and today. I was worried about the WSW (winter Storm Watch) and MontEagle... but shoot it was 50....

[sixsracing]

So I'll keep it to just cars I own from now on. I put a steering rack boot on my cabby and then went to adjust the power steering belt since it was starting to get embarassing . The upper bolt in the pump was broken off in the housing and the lower tab on the bracket was broken off. Simple adjustment has just flown the coop. Took the pump completely off, drilled and tapped the upper bolt, couldn't find the right bracket in inventory, Mark3 brackets are set too far back and I think I have given all my Mark2 brackets away. So I repaired my busted bracket as well as I could and put it all back. Works fine. My daughters Golf has needed exhaust since I got it last year and I replaced that next. Then I put the lights and fiber optic panel back in her heater controls. She still needs ball joints (minimal play) and the outer boot on her right axle is ripped. Maybe soon, maybe not.

[gull]

Amazing how bunged up the accessory brackets can get on these cars, isn't it? A while back I tracked a nasty rattle on mine to the fact that both AC compressor pivot bolts were missing. It had been that way so long that the mounting ears had grooves worn in them from rubbing against the engine block.

[kamzcab86]

"Alabama Chrome"? I like that!

I had a steering wheel lock/ignition key issue (wheel locked immediately, key wouldn't turn)... both, oddly enough, solved with a generous squirt of Tri-Flow.

[Briano1234]

Well, I suffered the pangs and anguish of the "DREADED PASSENGER SIDE MOTOR MOUNT"

I had noticed that when I backed up there was a terrible clunk, the car while having "Good Vibrations" was more than I needed and to top that off
When driving in reverse the Throttle cable would pinch on the Strut Bar.... Not a good thing.....

Well getting the old one off was ok, but then when I was looking at it.. it wasn't circular any more, it was elliptical.

"PLUG INSERTED HERE" I called Autobahn and they didn't have any brackets in stock, but he clued me in to VWCITY. Wayyyyy over in Marietta.
(He had a bracket with a good mount) price 15.00..... SWEEEEET.

Well the driver side mount was good, and so was the front mount, the rear tranny mount was sliced in half.

Upon reassembly I noticed that there was 0 clearance between the strut bar and the throttle cable..

Nothing too great for a Tired Irishman with a BFH.....

Actually by compressing the tube, the dam thing fits better I didn't have to tweak it at all.


So all done and no time to enjoy the sunshine topless.

Ps... Kudos to Ron, replacing that rear upper allen with a regular Bolt will be nice in a few years....