Author Topic: My journey to maintaining my own vehicles (Read 154478 times)

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #270 on:** July 07, 2014, 09:22:57 AM »

This guy: http://www.harborfreight.com/20-gallon-parts-washer-with-pump-60769.html ?

Do you put your solvent in it and then drain the solvent back into a container? They have a smaller 6.5 gal model that might fit better in my garage, it looks like the same system but smaller.

ncjeeper · « **Reply #271 on:** July 07, 2014, 01:08:11 PM »

Yep that's it. I have had mine for 10 years now and still going strong. I keep the solvent in the washer. Every year I will drain the solvent into buckets and clean the dirt and gunk out of the bottom of the washer and then pour the solvent back in. Get a set of scrub brushes and old tooth brushes work good for the small hard to clean spaces.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #272 on:** July 07, 2014, 03:27:48 PM »

Good to know, I'll have to check out that next time I'm around. I think that might be a bit big for as often as I would use it, but the 6.5 Gal one might be perfect.

So that, and some 'I hate the environment solvent' and I'll be good to go!

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #273 on:** August 03, 2014, 02:51:52 PM »

My buddy has an 06 Malibu and needed to replace his rotors and pads. He asked me to help since I'd told him I started working on my car. I didn't do a photo opp of the repair since we were in a hurry, but it was identical to my second repair post in this thread which is here: http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=45154.msg506092#msg506092

Saved him some money and had a good visit in the process, was a great morning.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #274 on:** November 19, 2014, 09:14:50 AM »

Just ordered some ramps (finally) and am going to get under the car to look at the oil pan leak. What would be the best sealer to potentially put on that? Jeeper, you had mentioned grey silicone, is there a specific brand that is best for this type of application? My dad had mentioned JB weld... My biggest concern right now is that there may not be enough room to get to the leak and properly seal it.

Zef_66 · « **Reply #275 on:** November 19, 2014, 10:08:11 AM »

Quote from: thewarriorhunter on November 19, 2014, 09:14:50 AM

Just ordered some ramps (finally) and am going to get under the car to look at the oil pan leak. What would be the best sealer to potentially put on that? Jeeper, you had mentioned grey silicone, is there a specific brand that is best for this type of application? My dad had mentioned JB weld... My biggest concern right now is that there may not be enough room to get to the leak and properly seal it.

I highly doubt you are going to be able to put any kind of sealer on the outside of the pan and get it to seal up any better. I would think that if you are going to have any luck, you are going to need to remove the oil pan and put in a new gasket.

If you do want to try something, I would suggest a high temp silicone RTV gasket maker like this.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #276 on:** November 19, 2014, 10:22:10 AM »

Yeah, I'm skeptical, but given Jeeper's response in another thread I wanted to consider it. The oil pan removal is ridiculous. I have to disconnect the transmission from the engine to get the pan out (according to alldata and the shop I go to) so I'm looking at $700 for them to replace this and another seal all from labor. There's actually three places that are leaking, one seal they did and they'll replace for free, the other I could/may do but I'll have to basically do an oil change and I just had one done (They'll also have to drain the oil for the seal they are covering).

I really really really want to be able to replace the pan seal but given all that's involved and my time/shop limitations I may not be able to do this one, hence the outside seal job was something I would consider. The gasket is only $10, labor to get too the gasket is where the shop bill is coming from. At the least, I think the shop will let me supply my own parts for the filter seal and pan seal, and that will save me some money if I have to go that route.

ncjeeper · « **Reply #277 on:** November 19, 2014, 02:44:48 PM »

I used the gray RTV that would set up in oil, grease etc. Once I cleaned the front lip of the pan real good I put on a helping of RTV and it slowed the leak down to just a little sipage. It ended up being a good temporary fix until I could drop the pan and replace the gasket.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #278 on:** November 22, 2014, 09:42:21 AM »

OK, so I think I can do this whole job after looking at the repair data a little more and getting under the car. My biggest concern right now is that I need an engine support fixture... will this one from Harbor Freight do the trick? Engine Support Fixture It's specced at 1,000lbs for the load... I can't imagine my engine is weighing more than that. Another question I have is where do I hook this thing up? I'll look at the engine more closely but how do you use it to support the engine?

I'm sure I have a 20% off coupon somewhere, and even with the purchase of that and the gaskets I need and taking an extra day off work (most of it paid) I'd still be ahead in terms of cost vs having the shop do it. I can have them do the seal they will cover and I can do the others.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #279 on:** November 22, 2014, 07:56:42 PM »

I need to replace my oil pan seal and oil filter adapter gasket. The gasket is simple but the oil pan not so much. The shop wants ~$600 for the oil pan, most of that being labor. I think the book quotes 5 hours of labor for this job.

I need an engine support brace (of the 'T' variety) to do this myself since the engine has to be separated from transaxle in order to remove the oil pan. The engine brackets that the brace will hook onto don't seem to line up well with any solid parts of the car frame. If you can help me figure out the best place to put the brace that would be great.

Here's the album of my engine and the left and right side of the compartment: http://imgur.com/a/lHVgY

If I were to put the straight section right across the compartment then the feet would be on the body side panel where the frame dips down (red underline). That doesn't seem like a great place to put a brace.

My other thought is to put the straight section closer to the front of the car and hope the third section could run across the engine and rest on the passenger strut mount.

Last thing: is a brace a brace? I was looking at these two on Amazon:

Astro Pneumatic 5820

and

ATD Tools 7477

Shouldn't either of those work? Should I look at something else? Those dips that I mentioned earlier are just shy of 60 inches wide, so I think I'm going to be maxing out most of these braces, I think they extend to 64 inches at their greatest.

If you need more pictures or details to help me let me know. Thanks!

JakeG · « **Reply #280 on:** November 22, 2014, 10:29:56 PM »

My answer would vary depending on how many times you'll need the engine brace.

Monthly or every other month, I'd buy an actual engine brace like what you've linked to.

Once a year or less... How bout a few 4x4's bolted together? They would stand upright on either side of your fenders and maybe one in front of your vehicle to tie it all together. You would simply take the design of the metal engine brace, grow it outwards and make it out of wood which could be repurposed. A few long sections of 3/8"-1/2" all thread, large drill bit, fender washers and matching nuts and you'd be in business.

You could even make it out of wood on the same size scale as the real engine braces. 1x6's standing upright on the inner fender's rail with a 4x4 across the top. It would be notched out to accept the 1x6's.

Just a thought!

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #281 on:** November 23, 2014, 08:55:58 AM »

Yeah, I saw people build their own out of wood... Just a preference of mine, I'd rather buy the right tool than try to fabricate one. It's one more thing I can keep in the garage/shop in case I ever need it.

JakeG · « **Reply #282 on:** November 23, 2014, 11:57:26 AM »

I have the Blue-Point brand engine support but I do have MANY atd tools. I will continue to use them. Never heard of the Astro tools but they both have great reviews.

Zef_66 · « **Reply #283 on:** November 26, 2014, 10:24:07 AM »

I had the need for an engine support brace several years ago. I was (and still am) cheap, so I built one using 2 4x4s. Very easy.

From looking at your pictures, you would need a support going left to right across the strut towers. Then two coming forward and resting on your radiator support. One running over top of each of the lift brackets you have circled in red. You may be able to get one of the purchased ones you linked to work by angling the leg coming forward. But it is hard to know if they will line up exact.

And you definitely do not want to put the support where you have indicated on the fenders. They will not hold the weight and will buckle your fenders.

I would estimate the weight of the engine and transmission to weigh 400-500 lbs. Not heavy, but definitely not light.

If it were me, I would build one. I've used mine several times and it works great. Exactly what I need, holes in the right place, more than sturdy enough, and was free.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #284 on:** November 26, 2014, 12:47:21 PM »

Here is the OEM recommended tool for the job: J 28467-b & J 63462 Adapter

Seeing as how that would make a 'T' and looking at the feet on that I was hoping one of the others would work since it didn't seem like this one rested on the struts.

The more I look at this though it may just be simpler to build one out of 4x4s, drill some holes and drop some hooked lag bolts in there for support. I do need to be able to lift the engine slightly so some type of a lag bolt with a hook on it will be needed. I can put some washers and a nut on it and screw that to raise the engine when I need too. I only need to raise it 1/2 inch so not too much.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #285 on:** November 29, 2014, 08:15:56 PM »

OK, enough whining about my car and the leaking oil pan. Today I finally replaced the fuel filter on my truck. I’ve had it sitting on my workbench for a while now and figured I could use the real estate…

This is a pretty simple job. First thing is to locate the filter, which happens to be in the frame right under the driver side door:

I removed the two nuts and the whole bracket was movable. Filter was turned on its side so I could loosed the clamp and get it off of the bracket:

Once that is done there were two plastic retention clips that popped off and the lines slid right off. My catch pan missed some of the fuel that came out… guess it’s a good thing it evaporates!

Out with the old, in with the new:

Here’s the new one installed, you can see the white retention clip on the line towards the filter.

I broke one while removing them. I was able to semi install in and used a zip tie to hold it in place. As I was looking online to buy a replacement I realized/remembered that my filter came with two new ones… so I’ll get getting back under there to install the new ones, but for now all is well.

Bonus pictures!:

I’m trying to figure out what this part is and what it is called. I’ll look into further but you can save me some work! This is in my brake system. The yellow part has brake fluid dripping out of it, and the line that is really dirty and covered in crud is the brake line that goes to my rear brakes. The clean/gray line that is the same type of line that you see is running into the yellow block from my master cylinder. I noticed the leak when I was underneath working on the fuel line. I guess this will be the next job on the list.

ncjeeper · « **Reply #286 on:** November 30, 2014, 08:37:15 AM »

Off the top of my head I would guess that is your proportioning valve.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #287 on:** November 30, 2014, 11:24:20 AM »

Found out it is my ABS control module. It doesn't seem to be a cheap part...

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #288 on:** December 09, 2014, 02:13:15 PM »

I figured I'd add my own vehicle repair to the thread. There was a sheet of paper laying in the road. The person in front of me ran over it and it lifted off the road. I had vehicles beside me so couldn't avoid it. It ended up being a large thin sheet of fiberglass. It broke my grill pretty well. I found the part online for about $100, a little steep for something that is cosmetic in my car. It would probably be at least that much for labor. I found an aftermarket grill on Amazon for $30. It took me about 45 minutes to do the repair and that included digging through my screw bin for a washer. Piece of cake and an extra ~$150+ in my pocket.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #289 on:** December 12, 2014, 08:30:37 PM »

Nicely done!

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #290 on:** April 16, 2015, 10:55:23 AM »

I'm going to put this here because I think one of you guys can probably give some guidance. Had a guy offer $150 for the tank from my bike. It's got a big dent though. He said if one prep the dent area he'll take it. Can I sand this down and then bondo/putty to fill it in or is it too big? And ideas on how to pop the dent out? I thought about getting a dent puller tool but I'm not sure if it's worth it.

d3nni5 · « **Reply #291 on:** April 16, 2015, 11:08:31 AM »

Quote from: theBINKYhunter on April 16, 2015, 10:55:23 AM

I'm going to put this here because I think one of you guys can probably give some guidance. Had a guy offer $150 for the tank from my bike. It's got a big dent though. He said if one prep the dent area he'll take it. Can I sand this down and then bondo/putty to fill it in or is it too big? And ideas on how to pop the dent out? I thought about getting a dent puller tool but I'm not sure if it's worth it.

And ideas on how to pop the dent out?

I have used a football before to pop out dents. I had a big dent in the truck, deflated a football, and stuck it inside the panel. Pumped it up and it popped out. Do your kids have an old smaller ball that can be sacrificed? Your tank should be designed on the underside to straddle the frame. I bet you could get something in there and use that inside wall of the tank for leverage. Blow it up to pop it out. It wouldn't be perfect, but would require less bondo in the end.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #292 on:** April 16, 2015, 11:57:56 AM »

Just watched a video where a guy used a blood pressure cuff in a similar fashion... my wife might kill me if I use her's but it's worth a shot. I may pick up a cheap dent puller kit from HF. They have them for $13 and I can throw a coupon at it. ~$10 for a pulled dent might be worth it. I was only going to ask $100, but if he wants to give me $150 and the extra goes towards another tool and some more experience I'm OK with that.

JerseyVince · « **Reply #293 on:** April 16, 2015, 02:34:22 PM »

An old-school way to pop some dents that you don't see much anymore is a body shop suction cup puller. they work great on a lot of larger panel dents and can help with smaller ones that you are trying to work from the inside. I still have some from snapon made from good tire rubber/silicone, wet them and you can almost hang your body weight on it. I'm sure some guys use the glass handle ones too that have the pump in the handle but the body shop ones are 10-15 bucks and work well.

You might try a bike tire tube if you can fold it right and slide it in

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #294 on:** May 13, 2015, 08:37:22 AM »

So...

Parked my car and pushed the e-brake pedal down like usual. There was a loud snap/pop and all tension on the pedal instantly disappeared. It did release and come back up. The car was parked on a slight incline and when I released the normal breaks it did roll forward slightly before the gears stopped the movement (in park) so I believe that the e-brake is not engaged at this time.

I found a small metal piece on my floor that I'm assuming is the end of the cable that was held by the pedal mechanism.

Anyone know what I'm looking at to fix this? I am hitting google and a Malibu specific forum and also wanted to post here. My biggest concern is if I can drive it right now - my fear being a loose cable wrapping itself around something and causing more damage. I did not see anything hanging or sagging underneath the car.

Zef_66 · « **Reply #295 on:** May 13, 2015, 10:14:24 AM »

Yup, end there is a little ball molded onto the end of the cable to allow the cable to be pulled when you push the pedal down. That ball pulled off. Usually the cable is in two pieces. It will run from the pedal, through the floor, and back along the underside of the vehicle about half way to the rear wheels. Then it will connect to a second cable that runs to the rear brakes. You probably need to replace the front half of the parking brake cable. Usually not too expensive and someone with your level of experience should be able to handle it.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #296 on:** May 13, 2015, 10:37:01 AM »

That's what I thought, you thin there will be any issues with driving this home with the busted cable?

Zef_66 · « **Reply #297 on:** May 14, 2015, 10:04:01 AM »

Quote from: theBINKYhunter on May 13, 2015, 10:37:01 AM

That's what I thought, you thin there will be any issues with driving this home with the busted cable?

Seeing as you posted this yesterday, I'm not sure my post will help. But no, I don't think there is any issues with driving it like that.

theBINKYhunter · « **Reply #298 on:** May 14, 2015, 01:27:56 PM »

Quote from: Zef_66 on May 14, 2015, 10:04:01 AM

Seeing as you posted this yesterday, I'm not sure my post will help. But no, I don't think there is any issues with driving it like that.

Yeah, shame on you for not getting back to me in time!

I drover home with no issues. Now I need to find time to get a cable and replace it.

machinisttx · « **Reply #299 on:** May 22, 2015, 11:12:22 PM »

Any updates on your ebrake cable?

Tomorrow I will be tearing down my '00 Cherokee. Two days ago the harmonic balancer came apart and left me stranded. While I'm in there to replace that, I'll also be replacing the timing chain, oil pan gasket, oil pump, rear main seal, and motor mounts....if it doesn't rain some more. $:-\$ Adding to the misery is that somehow my downstream oxygen sensor got unplugged and the vehicle side wiring evidently got caught by the driveshaft, so it ripped the wires off. It tore them off just above the transfer case, meaning I need to drop the t-case to have enough room to access the wiring I need to splice. I guess I'll be ordering new t-case mounts with the O2 sensor repair harness.

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Author Topic: My journey to maintaining my own vehicles (Read 154478 times)

d3nni5