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What have you done with your other vehicles today.

236K views 3K replies 180 participants last post by  sixsix 
#1 ·
Since we all have other vehicles.
And we all basically work on our own stuff.
And we talk about it on the forum.
I modeled this thread after the infamous . "What have you done to your van today" Thread for just such emergencies and what not.

Well since my van is mothballed right now till warm weather. I been driving the truck. I having the same as the van did before. When it is this cold, 6-16 degrees the truck just don't get warm long. Heater suffering. I going to put a piece of cardboard in the radiator today. When you stop driving the temp gauge drops and the heater is Poo-Poo. And it is loading up from being cold and idling so much warming up. One good throttle application and it fine, but after a few days of kid glove idling around it just dont run the same.

Cutting and placing the cardboard all it getting for now. As my baby is hogging up the heat in the garage and she is not coming out. And I sure am not standing outside looking for and modifying a heater control valve in 15 degree weather. So I will deal with it when it gets to 40 degrees or above. For for now we are good.

If anyone feels I was wrong starting this thread. In my back yard I have a large supply of pitchforks and torches. Some rocks in a pile. Feel free to come by and run me out of town on a rail. We will be serving beverage of your choice and snacks before the stoning commences. Please RSVP promptly so I know to get additional pitchforks and torches. We have a unexhaustable supply of rocks. I hope everyone enjoys the event.

Thank You.
The soon to be stoned.
:whack:
 
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#1,652 ·
Well over the last few days I did van check up. Today it was the trucks turn see what she needs. I noticed it been getting louder and I knew it needed a muffler AGAIN. Being a winter vehicle and only driven in the nasty salt and snow is hard on it.

Anywho I just crawled under it and just man handled the old muffler and pulled it off. Cleaned the pipe up for the new one. Ordered the new parts they shoud be here tomorrow or the next day. Fired her up without a muffler. Muffler wasn't muffling much LOL.

Anyway a pic of the carnage. :angry-tappingfoot: It wasn't that open on the end untill I pulled on it. But once I smacked on it with a hammer and the loose rust fell off I couldnt resist pulling it open and seeing inside.

Truck is a beater I get full use of parts on it. Unlike the van which I tend to replace things way way before they are finished.

P_20160818_105253.jpg
 
#1,653 ·
Took the Sebring to emissions, PASSED! Yay! That fuel injector swap cured the misfire. Now I need to fix the clutch fork, maybe I'll get some time during Labor Day weekend to do that. Then it'll be a smooth riding car.

-Andrew
 
#1,655 ·
Picked up some Empi turn signals for the front of the buggy the other day, got them mounted. I'd have kept going but lightning in the area made me put it away for the night.
 
#1,656 ·
My brother in law bought a new Honda CR-V so he gave me his old one. It is 04 AWD with 174,000 + miles. Interesting thing is that the interior is almost like new. Only a hole worn in the driver's side floor mat. The carpet is like new the seats are firm and the vehicle suspension and steering rides like new. No rattles, no wandering and no play in the steering. I am very impressed. The only thing wrong with it is the speedometer quits working from time to time. Seems to be a common problem with Hondas. I did some searching on the internet and found that it is sometimes related to cold solder joints on the Instrument cluster printed circuit board .

So I pulled the cluster and resoldered the connections on the PCB, reinstalled it, but still having the issue. Check the JYs and there are little to none CR-Vs in the yards. There are a lot of these on the road, they just don't get junked. Unlike our beloved AstroSafaris that seemed to get junked by uninformed owners that give up on them too soon.
Also took to clearing the headlight lenses with a combination of softscrub and rubbing compound I also took touch up paint to all the rock chipped spots on the hood and the little dings and scuffs on the door. . Virtually no rust since it is a California car I may just become a CR-V Fan
 
#1,658 ·
chevymaher said:
Well the muffler is on and it is pointed right at the rear end and e brake cable...
Sounds like my Astro when I bought it. The ad said "Custom exhaust". Yeah, custom alright. A hollow converter, one end of a pipe laying inside it, the other end laying in a chrome plated ricer muffler with a downspout dumping on the axle tube from an inch above it, all held up by a single coat hanger. I suppose by definition, it was custom. I guarantee there wasn't another one like it.
 
#1,659 ·
I helped a buddy pull the transmission from a truck he bought for his son. We got it out, and found the bellhousing cracked. Anybody got a spare 5 speed laying around? This truck came home under it's own power... slave cylinder mounted incorrectly, spacer jammed on the push rod and all.













 
#1,662 ·
I bought a HF tire changer a month or so ago, and took a tire off of a parts rim and put it on my spare front rim, first time I've ever installed a tire. Letting it sit in the garage for a week to see if it holds air (as in did I install it correctly) before putting it on the bike.

I also washed the Sebring, a first as I usually let the rain do my washing, but it had been sitting for a year in Alabama and a layer of grim was just not coming off. Unfortunately, I moved the car and forgot to move the bottle of simple green, oops. Couldn't finish the wheels or engine bay, will have to get another bottle. But it's looking better, but now you can see all the little nicks and scratches that were hidden. I also found a spot where it has some body damage, slight but now that I've seen it I'll always notice it. Funny how that happens.

-Andrew
 
#1,663 ·
Dropped off my wife's 05 XC70 at the dealership, it spent several months at a friends garage, first fuel problems (replaced fuel pressure sensor, then the pump computer, then the pump), it was running but had a brake failure and anti theft code. Changed out the ring around the key which is some kind of security sensor, then the car wouldn't start at all. with the old one in it took 5 or 6 tries before it would crank. Sometime between April and last night the drivers front spring broke. I think I'm drawing the line. Its going to be 250 just to do diagnostics and I'm capping spending at 750. Any more than that and I'm sending it down the road. I found a used strut for 40 so that wont be too bad (+ an alignment) It's been trouble free till last fall when the fuel issues started and overall a great car but I'm afraid it might be the end...

And I bought new license plate lights for the pop up camper, so I have that going for me..
 
#1,665 ·
Well the durango is as fixed as it going to get for a while. It has exhaust on it that isn't melting the undecarriage now. The motor isn't getting worse but sure isn't getting better. Sea foam did stop the immediate destruction. But damage is already done. She is missing and sounds Hoopty. But will be fine for a few more years of snow use. Runs dependable all that.

She only got to make it a couple more years and she getting taken completely apart and restored. Then we can start new trashing her in the snow again.
 
#1,666 ·
Well, the Sebring turned NASCAR on the way home, exhaust pipe broke in the middle at a joint. Poor design, it comes from the Y pipe, has a resonator midway, and the muffler right at the rear bumper. The only hangers are in front of and behind the muffler. So from the manifold to just after the rear wheels there is NO support, yet it has 2 separate joints with a resonator in the middle. The weight and bends just made the joint a weak spot and it broke. An adaptor from the LAPS for $3 and a welder fixed it right up again.

Then it passed 180k miles...

Odometer_180000.jpg


Going to see if I can push this one to 1/4 million miles like the Astro...

-Andrew
 
#1,667 ·
icebrrg3rd said:
Well, the Sebring turned NASCAR on the way home, exhaust pipe broke in the middle at a joint. Poor design, it comes from the Y pipe, has a resonator midway, and the muffler right at the rear bumper. The only hangers are in front of and behind the muffler. So from the manifold to just after the rear wheels there is NO support, yet it has 2 separate joints with a resonator in the middle. The weight and bends just made the joint a weak spot and it broke. An adaptor from the LAPS for $3 and a welder fixed it right up again.

Then it passed 180k miles...



Going to see if I can push this one to 1/4 million miles like the Astro...

-Andrew
I'm trying for 1/2 million on the Legend.



On the original engine, of course.
 
#1,668 ·
I had a fantastic conversation with the dealership today about my wife's XC70, "need a new CEM ($1200.00), new brake control module ($1800.00), loose tie rod + used strut + alignment and it's been sitting to brake pads and turn the rotors if not replace them so add probably another $500.00. It's been a great car and having paid $200 for it at 130K and 4 years of driving with next to no significant maintenance costs I cant complain! Even with junk yard computers I think it still needs to be programmed at the dealership and that alone is like $400.00. Might part it out or sell it as parts only or something. Bummer to see it go, it's been a great car. Real problem is it means I will be driving the truck and my wife runs the Astro. :cry: until we find a replacement.
 
#1,669 ·
This weekend was really a labor day for me. Fri evening I started pulling my transmission from the Sebring, finished Sat then worked on repairing the broken part, and Sun I buttoned it back up and pulled out of the garage at 11:55pm.

Here's the view in the garage Sat afternoon

TransPulled.jpg


View from the hood

EngineBay.jpg


Thru the wheel well

EngineThruWheelWell.jpg


This is the offending part. Notice the shiny part, that's what is worn.

ShifterFork.jpg


This is the hump that got worn down, it's about .150", not a lot but enough to prevent the clutch from fully disengaging.

ShifterForkWear.jpg


This is the repair, about $1 worth of parts. A stainless steel bolt with a stainless steel nyloc nut. The head replaces the missing material and since it's stainless it is harder than the cast iron, so it will wear longer. The clutch will probably need to be replaced before the screws do, and when in there you can replace them as a preventative measure.

ShifterForkRepair.jpg


Here's a little diagram of the range of motion the shifter fork goes thru, and the role that hump plays in it.

ShifterForkAction.jpg


The car now shifts easily, no fighting to get it in gear. Easier to get rolling, as before it was at the point of engagement so I had to gun it to keep from stalling out, plus when in gear at a stop the car would shake. So for a weekend worth of time (minus some other family obligations) and $25 in parts (nut/bolt, fluid, and a part that was easily accessed while apart got replaced) I now have a properly shifting vehicle. Lots of fun.

-Andrew
 
#1,670 ·
Then yesterday I went to the junkyard and got a top, what I'd consider a good 8 out of 10, and a few simple repairs it'll be a 9-9.5, only a slight wear spot keeps it from being a 10.

The donor vehicle

LKQ-06SebringRoof.jpg


Top pulled

JunkyardRoof.jpg


The best part? It was 40% off this weekend. I walked out of there $58 lighter, and that included the hydraulics too! The guys on the Sebring site have said that's the cheapest they've seen for a j/y top, so I'm quite happy with it. I need to glue the fabric to the back window in one place, and attach the defrost tab back on, and it'll be put on in a few weeks. The car is getting improved a little bit at a time.

-Andrew
 
#1,672 ·
More adventures with the durango. Exhaust manifold on the passengers side lost a stud hole. Part holding it under the pipe rusted away. Pipe fell down and it sounded like a garbage truck.

Spent the morning custom fabricating a new pipe clamp. We good for the winter again. No leaks. The Hooptymobile lives to die another day.

Just hang in there a little longer and you'll get the van/chev treatment. Be good as new.
 
#1,674 ·
Tinted the old tail lights on the Bonneville. Although they were a better set than what I got with the car, they still had delamination which is pretty prevalent in the 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonnevilles and Grand Prix. So, this takes care of that rear end blemish. Got to be careful spraying the night shades. One solid coat is sufficient if you want to be able to see through enough to have the reflector do it's job....and have bright enough tail lights during the day so you don't end up rear ended. Not to mention that I really don't like tinted tail lights that are so black that they barely do their job. To me, that's just ignorant and a lack of skill.
DSC00278.JPG
Tinted tail lights.jpg
20160827_205848.jpg

That being said, I did have to sand the left tail light down to get the tint lighter as I did it after the other two pieces due to space constraints. I got the tint right on the second application. The instrument cluster turned out pretty cool too. At first I used straight 12v LED's but they pinpointed light too much so the gauges didn't light up, only the needles. So I purchased a set of blue SMD style bulbs that did the trick! I can't really dim them, which is unfortunate, but the light they do give off is perfect to where I want it most of the time anyway. I rarely turn the lights down anyway.
 
#1,675 ·
Spent the better part of the weekend wiring the dune buggy only to find one of my new turn signals had a short. I tested them when I installed them, but something happened in the mean time. That short let all the smoke out of the turn signal switch. I'm getting closer to having this thing on the road, but there always seems to be something popping up to get in the way and delay things. Maybe this weekend it will be running again.
 
#1,676 ·
switched my driver's seat in my Astro. I actually swapped the seat frame and recliner hinges from my original seat onto the new downer. I did give up the adjustable lumbar but the new seat back seems very comfortable. I'm hanging onto the original back for a bit just in case.
 
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