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who is wrenching today?

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Koni has 20% off their struts until the end of the month so I just picked up a set of their sport struts for the Cayman. Just an FYI in case anyone was looking at new struts.
 
Brakes in my aging Impreza failed inspection last month so I've been upgrading them to 4-pot front and 2-pot rears--basically the WRX brakes for the late GD sedans.

Ended up having to cut into one of the old rear discs and cracking it in two because it was grabbing the PB and wouldn't come free, despite being super loose. Other than that, and some crusty bits, it's going well. Rears are done now just gotta re-bleed both sides and then I can do the fronts. The new discs are all over-sized so I've just been breaking the back plates off--since they've basically disintegrated anyway. Flex hoses are being replaced with braided lines as well.
 
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We installed powerstop brakes on the truck yesterday, bled the brakes, greased the front end, serviced the front bearings and half shaft u-joints. One of the caliper brackets had a bad tapped hole, about half the threads came out with the caliper bolt. I used the old bracket for now. So far the vendor has not been too responsive.
Tomorrow we are welding in the 4" inline pacbrake exhaust brake.
 
Might be helping a buddy with his MK3 Supra project this weekend... 1J is running rich and seems to be slightly misfiring so we're going to try to diagnose. He's got new injectors, coils, and a fresh ECU but still not right. He's got a bead on a spare MAF sensor that we're gonna try but I can't think of anything else. Plugs are good, fuel pressure is good, turbo spools nicely, but still doesn't run smooth at idle. He's already emptied the tank and used fresh gas too...
 
EXCellR8 said:
Might be helping a buddy with his MK3 Supra project this weekend... 1J is running rich and seems to be slightly misfiring so we're going to try to diagnose. He's got new injectors, coils, and a fresh ECU but still not right. He's got a bead on a spare MAF sensor that we're gonna try but I can't think of anything else. Plugs are good, fuel pressure is good, turbo spools nicely, but still doesn't run smooth at idle. He's already emptied the tank and used fresh gas too...
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Vacuum leak or O2 sensor maybe?

Replaced front suspension bushings and end links, and timing belt / pulleys / water pump on my 09 WRX over the last few weeks. Had to burn out the control arm bushings. Then broke off the last water pump bolt on the second round of torquing. Luckily didn't have any trouble extracting. Shouldn't need anything significant for a while now. Back to 818 planning and donor searching.
 
we did get the brake welded in, but I struck out getting a new 3 way solenoid valve before the weekend trip. I ordered up a new compressor, pressure switches, and valve. Will get it going before the holiday weekend. I an going right back up the same pass and could really use an exhaust brake.
 
I did get the exhaust brake system cobbled in so I could use it this weekend. I still need to clean up the wiring and tank mount a bit, but it served me well. I was able to control the speed without using brakes at all.
 
Changed the RV batteries and installed a battery disconnect switch. I had a 4 year run on the pair of GC2 golf cart batteries, not too good. Hoping the disconnect will help that out.
 
Not really "wrenching," but I installed a set of Huskyliners wheel well liners and a set of their splash guards (mud flaps) this past week.

I've managed to fck up my knee AGAIN, so those weren't fun tasks...but something I wanted to do since I spend so much time driving on the beach. SHOULD help to keep things a bit cleaner.
 
Worked on transmission earlier today to fix an issue with a shift solenoid. I had to drop the transmission oil pan to get to the solenoid.. sounds simple, right? Well, except for the one bolt of 19 bolts just happen to be located under the bracket that holds the exhaust pipe in place. To get the bracket out of the way, I needed to remove a bolt that attaches the exhaust pipe to the exhaust manifold. That bolt is so seized up that it would not budge no matter how much force I used. I ended up using a pry bar to bend the bracket out of the way enough (almost 90 degrees) to fit a wrench in there. 5 hours later, the what should've been an 1 hour job was completed.
 
Replaced heater core in 1980 gmc truck, been smelling antifreeze occasionally since Winter. Took the internal heat exchanger box off, and the engine bay heater fan box off. Found a mummified mouse, and a .300 wm cartridge left by the prior owner (must have dropped through the defrost vent). For better access I took the internal fender out and the battery tray , all the bolts came out (thanks West Coast), cleaned it, fiberglassed an area of battery corrosion, repainted it. Cleaned everything up, lots of old foam rubber, replaced it with old-style fiber weather stripping to dampen/seal the flaps, put it together. Old fan motor was still ok, but its easy to access if it needs replacing. About 3 hours of wrenching to figure things out, 5-6 hours of cleaning and painting.
 
Rebuilt my transmission last night, in my Whirlpool washer that is!. New nylon neutral drain kit, complete cleaning and removal of 27yr old gear oil then reassemble with new oil and seal. She purrs like a kitten on the Valvoline 90Wt, splurged and bought new fill hoses too!.
 
Decided to upgrade my G1 Ford alternator to a G3 version. Found out that the G1 puts out 18 amps at idle and my new electric radiator fan consumes 18 amps when on. I get to ditch my external voltage regulator and the associated wiring harness. The new alternator is in and reclocked (shell rotated so connections face the same orientation as the old one). Now I just have to sort out the wiring. A new bus bar and crimping tool are on order.
 
Subie brakes working great, but my handbrake is messed up so I think I'm just gonna have the shop guys look at it on the lift. The adjuster isn't accessible through the rotor so you gotta pop the grommet out of from behind but it's a real pain in the arse when the car isn't in the air. Popped the center console and adjusted the lever a touch but the shoes still don't engage--leaving that one to the pros.

I'll service those hydraulic systems all day but throw in some cables and shoes and I'm super over it.
 
I started a new job and all the equipment was in a state of "deferred maintenance" 😛
It's been two weeks of replacing trailer deck and rewiring trailers and lights, etc. Fixing this and that on the dump truck, getting the onboard air hose system going again ( second time with this company) 🙂
Today I will replace trailer brakes on the 16K tilt deck trailer. They are original from 2006. New hub/drums, brake plates, bearings, seals.
GMC 1 ton tool truck:
Pulling the destroyed driver's seat and getting that rebuilt professionally. Fixing the A/C.
Ordering up a modern double din receiver and backup camera. Getting something that either does mirroring or android auto, hands-free microphone, etc.
 
Finally got a sticker on the Impreza--even if I had to earn it this year. WRX brake upgrade is complete, and the handbrake got adjusted Wednesday, so might actually have the weekend off. I guess there's always tool cleaning and maintenance though.
 
Finally got around to installing the new struts I bought on the Cayman. Going to take it for another alignment tomorrow. Inspected all the control arms and the bushings/bearings all felt OK. But I'll probably spend the $1k next season and replace all of them. Should be able to replace all 10 in 1 day.
 
I finished the brakes yesterday and got the trailer back on the wheels, and finished the porch deck this morning.
IMG-20200724-123803.jpg


I had added a junction box and replaced the whip and 7 pin connector the other day, and added a fancy coiled safety switch. The safety battery was dead so I replaced that with one I had in stock. Replaced a safety chain hook.
IMG-20200724-123814.jpg


When i was doing the brakes we got lucky and I discovered a tire that was coming apart on the inside, where you never see problems. Usually they get curbed on the outside and you see those sidewall problems.

IMG-20200722-075120.jpg


I took the driver's seat to the upholstery shop today, they will work on it over the weekend and have it ready at 7 AM Monday.
The paint supply house will use a camera system to mix some custom touch-up for that trailer and the dump truck and flatbed .
 
I bolted the 2.5 gallon air tank to the truck frame and plumbed it in for the onboard air. I use it for the exhaust brake, and handy for inflating tires after dropping the pressure for offroad performance. We are going to the beach property to do some repairs, and I will get the new Pirellis on the sand with about 20 PSI.
 
My wife taught me something new about the truck today. I am backseat driving, and she was doing a legal u- turn on the highway and hitting 3500 each shift. Now I personally observe the marked 3200 redline. Apparently she didn't want to hold up traffic 😀
Some back seat research and I find out the real redline without internal modification is 4000, and the ECM defuels at, you guessed it, 3500.
The more you know.......
 
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