The past week in Car repair

[Calimus]

Replaced the engine speed sensor on the A6 today. This is to try and fix a "I won't start at random times" issue that I've been plagued with for a few weeks. It's basically a Crank position sensor. However, when it doesn't read right, you get no spark making it a bit hard to get the ole internal combustion thing going.

An they have to put it in a horrid place of course. One the drivers side of the back of the engine right next to the damn turbo. No wonder these sensors seem to go...a lot. Nothing like being bolted to cast iron with a massive heater right next to it.

[Briano1234]

Just when I think it is a easy week, move the green one from behind my car, and there is no fuel gauge. Smack the dash once or twice, No I have fuel..... Ask the daughter "how long has this been going on?" her reply, "Bout 2 weeks." ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So now you know why I wrote the how-to.....

[Calimus]

I hear ya Brian. At least Cristine has pretty much always let me know anytime there are strange going's on with any of the cars. My daughter on the other hands, well, at least she's now in Chicago with no car. Which means I have no worries outside of my own problems.

Think I might tackle the valve cover gaskets in the A6 today. I have everything I need so if the storms hold off (getting my mother out of the house for lunch, first time since she got home from the hospital) I'll prollie get to work this after noon.

I might take pics (if I remember) just so you all can go "why the hell did you buy that complicated mess".

[Briano1234]

So far, I get called at 12:30am. "Dad, the ignition key won't come out of the door." "And you are trying to lock it?" "Yes".... I will be there in 10 minutes.

I decided to take her spare set of Keys, and let her have my car and drive hers home to work on it today.

Pulling the Door apart, the Lock slides were corroded to beat the band. Gotta Love that PB-Blaster and a 30 minute wait.

After the Through Douching with blaster I followed it up with a good blasting of WD-40.

[Briano1234]

My wipers/washers been acting weird, that when I spray them it makes the windshield turn white.

Cleaned the windshield with ACETONE, and re-rainexed it. Same thing.

Cleaned it with Acetone again, and "invisible glass" cleaner.

So today I decided to drain the "PEAK" washer fluid out and clean the bejeezers out of the tank, and when I looked in to the tank there was black mold growing all over.

So I washed it out, bleached it, rinsed.

Filled it up with one squirt of "Totally Awesome" cleaner, and 1/4 cup of white vinegar.

Plain clear windows now.

Don't know if "peak" solution was the issue or OLD as in 3 years old bottle of Rainex.

But all better now.

[gull]

I gotta do this to the Mercedes. Reservoir is full of black gunk, and it's clogged the washer check valve and nozzles.

[Briano1234]

The saga of the Honder door continues. Daughter called said I can't get out of the door.... I said crawl over to the passenger side.

I now think that if I was 5'2" 120 pounds with hands half the size of my own I could work on a honder/toyota/nissan with minimal issues. I swear that the clearances in the door allowed me to only use 2 fingers.

The clip that hold the inner door release rod broke and allowed the rod to "pop" out.

Took me 15 minutes to get the old broken clip out, and about the same to get the newer one in.
I had to use 12in hemostats and a 18 inch flat blade to get it back together. I really really hate the tiny folk that engineer/design/assemble them. No wonder I see a lot of small women working at the toyota/honda plants in the U.S..

[Calimus]

Been there done that. Toyota/honda really should include a 4yr old along with the manual to the car. Then, repairs like this would be a breeze.

[Briano1234]

Well this week I get to replace a ignition module in a honder that was towed to my house....
And my Van is throwing codes that indicate the front o2 sensor is bad. Now if I can crawl under and over the cars, as last week my back decided to go out.....

[Briano1234]

To top that off, the Daughter called and said my car started to smell funny,,and then the battery light cam on.

She got it home, and thankfully the alternator belt shredded and it is gone gone gone..........

[Briano1234]

Ok, got he honda running, Ignition control unit, and coil.
Got the rabbit fixed the Alternator belt broke, and it was still in the car, so I got a new one for free.
Got to the Oldsmobile, and the frigging o2 sensor is where I can't get it out, I got the o2 socket on it, and my low profile ratchet, but no room to swing it or to get a breaker bar on it.

Brianos rule number one, 40 dollars and a trip to the Muffler shop, I now have a o2 bung that is before the cat, and where I can get to it in the future. I just have to extend the wires about a foot.

So tomorrow I should be in better stead with all projects completed, and that includes the laptop keyboard that I melted trying to get coffee out of it.

[Calimus]

Brian, you've been busy as always. Not much here. The Cabby still slumbers, the rocco's may go on the "for sale" block in the future, we haven't decided. The Beetle is running fine as always. The Audi it starting to let me know that 9 years and 161k miles is about time to replace the control arms & assorted bushings that give it that fantastically smooth ride.

Other then that, things have just been a bit busy around here. My mother is still sidelined from her bike accident, she had to have a second surgery on her ankle because she slipped in the bathroom and tore the tendon again. This time the doc slapped her in a cast to prevent that happening again and added a second screw to help hold things together.

My sister came in from Cali for a week just in time to baby sit my mother after her surgery. So was good to see her. Cristine is going to Chicago on Tuesday to visit our daughter. I wanted to go, but I have some work related things that I have to get done this week before fall semester starts. So, I'll be staying behind and maybe seeing if I can get some normal Maint done to the beetle as it's due for an oil change and a cabin filter. BTW, the cabin filter is inside the damn car and I have to take the dash apart to get to it. That should be loads of fun.

[Briano1234]

Finally fingered out how to fix the hole I burned in to the cat.....
Drilled it out, used a bolt from the inside, then coated it with that 2700 degree ceramic dope, and then washer, lock washer, and nut. Tighten the hell out of it, and then buggered the threads. Down side, the threads stick out about an inch.

I will put it on the car and then take it for emissions.

So, I got the o2 sensor on the Van, holy crap engineers never have to work on what they design... Reset the codes and after 10 miles no check engine light, wont feel safe till it emissions but have good feeling on it.

[Briano1234]

Got the cat mounted, didn't have to buy anything bot one muffler clamp, Tack Welded the pipes together, and it don't sound like it is leaking.

Then I looked at her power steering belt, and it was more like a o-ring than a belt, it was slipping on the pulleys, that is why she had more or less a manual rack. Replaced the belt.

Daughter number one calls (life or Death...Her car can't be driven).. Ok run out to the mall of Georgia hot asphalt........low riding car... She either scrapped the air dam on a curb or parking stop it dropped when she turned her wheel it caught the plastic and shewed it up a bit, but the plastic belt guard broke the plastic rivets, and fell down a wee bit.

Gotta love bailing wire. Wired it up drove it home, drilled 2 holes in the plastic and using fender washers and nuts got that re-hung. The for the belt guard I had some plastic push pins. Problem solved......

Now I am going to call all my kids and say I am done for the day, can I take a shower now?.. Oh and one the ride home Terri and I were locked out of the house, she forgot to remove the garage door opener, and I only had a spare honda key, no house key....

[Calimus]

Damn Brian. Have you ever thought about leasing out your daughters to some of the car makers as torture testers? Seems that have a knack for finding the weak points