Shade tree mechanics

[xoxoxoBruce]

There is a new tire and wheel store opened up near me. Yawn.
They list 31 tire brands and 95 wheel brands. Yawn.
You can rent your wheels, tires or both. What!
Check the small print... rent n roll. Says rent?
Check the fine print... oh, rent to own.
Pay small weekly payments while enjoying killer shoes on your ride.
Translation, make a shitload of payments that add up to a ton of money, while hoping they don't wear out before they are paid for. With the likely scenario you'll be paying them a small weekly payment for the rest of your life.

Why do people fall into this crap? Hell in a handbasket, but on 24s, baby.
And every contract comes with a $10,000 life insurance policy. Wonder if they are the beneficiary or they just want to find out who your nearest & dearest is, in case they have to find you.

[tw]

Originally Posted by BigV

Next week, finding a way to stop the oil leak at the filter on the top of the engine. I'm open to suggestions. I have a new filter, whose seal was lubricated with oil at installation. I have verified I don't have an old seal stuck in place so I'm not trying to use two seals where only one goes. I have used my strap wrench to crank it down as tight as I dare.

Overtorque a filter and it will leak. There are specific directions on how much to tighten a filter. For example, some say five-eights turn after the seal touches the block - no more.

Nothing in a car is tightened as tight as dared. Everything is torques only to a specific number - no more and no less. That includes a previous reference to auto mechanics who overtighten wheel lugs.

[Hagar]

When I change the oil filter on my Toyota, I only ever tighten it by hand. It doesn't leak, but I too oil the seal first then clean and oil around the mounting.

Some of these new cartridge types are so flimsy that they will warp if you tighten them up with a filter wrench.

[BigV]

wrt oil filter:

My first attempts to correct this involved all of the above except I only tightened the filter by hand to snug then another... half turn by hand only. Still didn't work. So I applied the old if some is good more is better and broke out the wrench, which obviously didn't work either. :sigh:

CORRECTION:
It appears that my previous post contained an error. I said I would be tackling the oil leak problem next. I should have said power steering pump. Silly me.

I drove home last night, parked, went in the house, dinner, etc. Came back out to the car to go to the movies (300!), and when I started the car it was fine. But as I backed up and turned the wheel to commence my three point exit maneuver, the car growled and shook like I had a piston hanging out of the block. I shut it down immediately (crossways in the middle of the street), popped the hood and looked for the herniated metal. Nothing. Started the car again, fine, then as I turned the wheel it sounded like it was going to shake itself apart. In Park. wtf?

I reparked it and got out my stethoscope and had MrsV turn the wheel while I poked around with my ears. Sure enough, the power steering pump sounds like it swallowed a handful of marbles. Fluid level ok, wheels still firmly attached to the car, but the pump's a goner. I'll be calling the parts store here in another 18 minutes.

I looked up the job in the book. It looks like I'll need a J83904230 and a J367234874 or whatever tool to remove then replace the pulley. Normally I like getting new tools, it's one of the perks of doing my own work, but this one doesn't thrill me somehow.

I drove it into work today and it's fine running straight, but on the curves, where continuous pressure/work is needed from the pump it gets real chattery and growly. If it bails on me completely, I will have to find the straightest route home cause I've tried to turn the wheels on that beast with the key off--I thought I was gonna pop a vessel. Maybe I'll get lucky and there'll be black ice for the return commute to lubricate the wheel / road interface. On second thought...

[BigV]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

You have to remove the brake line to move the caliper?

No, I initially mistook it for the parking brake cable bracket bolt.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Whatever the oil filter screws on to is attached to the engine in turn. Be sure where the leak is.

I don't have a good picture for you unfortunately. On top of that, I don't have a good view of it either. But the filter's right at the top of the engine, and it looks like it's connecting to a casting of some kind, like part of the block. Naturally, the inside is a threaded hollow shaft for the return from the filter that it literally screws onto, but I don't think that was what you were getting at. Clearly the oil's leaking past the outermost seal at the rim/edge of the filter. Can't see it without a mirror or a laproscopic camera or something.

[BigV]

Power steering pump is $130 including $50 core (in the original box, if you please). I forgot to ask about the pulley pusher pullers. Pick it up on the way home.

[xoxoxoBruce]

If the pump fails, the faster you drive the easier it is to steer. You know the rest.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

If the pump fails, the faster you drive the easier it is to steer. You know the rest.

True words Obi Wan.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, I had a Pontiac with 14:1 manual steering, when then normal manual was 20:1 and power was 12:1. Parking that sucker, with wide tires, was a real exercise, but once it was rolling, no sweat.

[BigV]

Today, we'll install a new starter. It's Saturday, I have the starter and the tools. The means, motive and opportunity. Let's get busy.

Pic 01 -- This is my trusty steed. She's a beauty, isn't she?

[BigV]

Here is my cast and crew on the parking strip. I know the thread title says shade tree, but I'm really much more of a curbside mechanic. To have shade you need a tree, and some... um... sunlight.

Pic 01 -- Starter and camera bag.

Pic 02 -- This is the sky to the south at 11 am. This qualifies as "sunlight" around here this time of year.

[BigV]

This is where the action is. That's a big V8 crammed sideways into the engine compartment. Plus the transmission for the FWD. Great in the snow, LOTS of traction with all that mass over the drive wheels. But it's very crowded as you can see.

Pic 01 -- Detroit iron.

Pic 02 -- The black can in the center of the frame is the solenoid, the part of the starter assembly that engages the pinion gear on the starter with the ring gear on the flywheel of the engine.

[BigV]

Just casing the joint...

Pic 01 -- Let's give the battery a little break, shall we? Have you ever heard the expression "when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"? Well, when you work with a live battery in the car, every wrench looks like a continutity tester. There will be no welding today.

Pic 02 -- Up on jackstands, Safety first!

[BigV]

Pic 01 -- Oh. My. God. Can you see where the instructions say to REMOVE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD! Just to get at the starter?!?! Some idiot put the starter in the V between the cylinder banks? You're kidding, right? Please?

Pic 02 -- Oh thank goodness, that was for an earlier model year! I only have to remove the front and rear exhaust pipes. As. If.

[BigV]

Pic 01 -- Um, mighta spoke too soon. That looks pretty tight. This is the main body of the starter where it is bolted to the engine. Up there ABOVE AND BEHIND that brown *exhaust pipe*.


Pic 02 -- Rear of starter/solenoid. I can barely get this laproscopic shot with my eyeballs, how am I gonna get a wrench on those connections?