How did the repair go? Good? Bad? Tell us!

[euromobile900]

Oh god, that sounds horrible. You know, you can buy new Woodruff Keys at an auto parts store. They're fairly standard sizes, but if the key slot in the crank itself is bad, you're out of luck. Of course, removing a mucked up key from the crank is difficult as well.

[mt.aero]

Yah, I was worried for a little bit that it was going to turn into a massive job. Luckily it was only a few extra hours. Also, I dont live near a good auto parts store, so that makes things difficult at times. Im really looking forward to no more cleaning up of the oil on the garage floor.

[tunnanxwd]

Euro900, you have a few honorable war wounds, they should never be a source of embarrassment.

Why don't people want to share the joy? As "guys" we all like to fritter and fluff our feathers and like that Grouse in the woods, inflate our chests and sound like the drums of war after a victory. What I mean by that, is that they are probably clueless and really do not want to open their mouths especially in front of you.

Hey, you are out there trying and you have to be trying in order to screw up. Especially after a long night in the garage. You are tired and look over at that new cordless charger and the new GFCI when they first came out. And you read where it "instantly" cuts the current so in your fog you touch it to your tongue to see if what you heard was true. It wasn't as true as they made out in that class and I had a bit of a burnt circle on the tongue to prove it.

Or the night that I spent adjusting the alignment gap on the drivers door. Finally got it right so to see if there was still a whistle I would take "her" for a spin. Again, it was late and I was tired. So tired that I forgot that I also had the passenger door open too and as I backed out of the garage, well it took me longer to fix the garage jamb than it did the passenger side so.

In flying we had a saying .. there are pilots who have landed with the gear up .. and .. there are those who are about to!

I admire you younger kids who hang in there, I really do!

Cars are so much more complex today and since I was never "a natural" like some folks I don't think I would have ever got as far as I did (or you did), and thank God for two of my buddys who were real sharp and bailed me out of my major f' ups.

It used to be; set the plugs and points, the water and fuel pump was out in the open, tightening the belt was a long screw driver and a wrench. About the only thing that hasn't changed much is the pads and rotors.

And when you do get older and the eyes go and hands shake ... the indie in town won't be able to bull shizz you like he does your buddys!

[SpecialTool]

Still trying to cure the soft brake pedal, I decided to bleed the vert properly, in the order specified in Bentley (LR, RF, RR, LF). The LR/RF part of the split system bleeds fine but I can't get all the air out of either of the other two calipers (RR, LF). So it looks like there is a tiny leak in that system somewhere. On the weekend I will get a willing assistant to pump the brake while I have a good look and feel around master cylinder, calipers and connections -- hopefully the leak will reveal itself.

The leak was pretty obvious when I had good look without rushing -- both bleed screws were seeping fluid. Replaced them both and now have a nice firm pedal.

Flushed with success I decided to tackle the vert's drivers door, which has a nasty problem... it can easily open so wide that the little retainer pin goes past the detent and keeps going until it falls off its guide and jams the door wide open. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, if you were here I could demonstrate. I think it happens because the little grooved detent wheel is worn -- not much I can do about that bar buying a new hinge. (A design flaw if you ask me; there should be some sort of backup retainer/strap to ensure the door can't open so wide.)

Anywho, took the door off today and modified the hinge (a block of rubber and some cable ties!) to restrict its travel. Now the door cannot open wide enough for the aforementioned pin to jump off its guide. Not an elegant solution but will work a treat and when the door's back on will be invisible and good as new.

While the door was off, pulled out the electric window mechanism and gave it a good clean and sprayed lithium grease everywhere. Hopefully it will zip up and down a little faster now. The window itself has some strange extra bits attached -- they are there to restrict its upward movement (no door frame to stop it on a vert). Made it quite a fiddly job to get the window out and in.

Tomorrow is the hardest part -- getting the door back on and lined up properly.

[tunnanxwd]

SpecialTool, if the window is still slow I recommend trying an application of Rain-X to the window and the rubber wiper seal. The drivers side on my old Volvo started to go so slow it was painful and I was getting set to have the motor replaced. Just before that I hit it with some Rain-X and dang it worked like a charm. I have been doing that like three times a year for over 10 years now. I do the window in the normal fashion and then pit it down and use a rag to "slick" some on the rubber.

[SpecialTool]

Thanks Tunnan will give that a try.

[SpecialTool]

I don't know if you've rehung a car door but it sure is a job requiring patience ... especially when it's a heavy SAAB 900 vert door and you're doing it by yourself. But a very satisfying result, door now opens as it should (I've had a lump of foam stuffed behind the hinge for more than a year, which prevented the door from jamming open but also meant it wouldn't stay open). Electric window is also appreciably faster.

I had forgotten how much fun tinkering with cars can be; hadn't really done anything but routine maintenance for a year or two. Next weekend I might tackle the split seams in the front seats. The plan is still to sell the vert in spring (Sept) but after fixing all the niggles it might be hard to part with it.

[SpecialTool]

Put the door all back together and very pleased, but still can't drive the old girl ... Turns out the brakes weren't fixed after all ... still mucho bubbles in both calipers of the RR/LF system. Have asked the brains trust at SC for an opinion.

[tunnanxwd]

Way back, I was doing forestry work at a very remote area and for the most part was pretty much alone, this was along the Appalachian Trail. It was Friday afternoon and I had a date that evening and had to change the oil in my old 1964 Malibu wagon. As I started, a fellow with a back pack emerged from the woods and we started chatting and needless to say it was nice having company so I brought us out a few cold ones.

I was lost in thought as the fellow departed and began to pour in the oil when I suddenly found myself belly first on the ground and soaked in fresh oil my feet having come out from under me. With a bit of conversation and feeling the effects of a few brews it seems that I had neglected to put in the drain plug.

Friday evening with the park maintenance staff long gone and 15 miles down a very long hill to the nearest garage. The waste oil drum that I had dumped the old oil into was so contaminated that that option was not really an option.

So, you ask how the repair went eh? She was understanding and drove up with oil and a fresh case of beer the following day.

[euromobile900]

Wow, that's a hell of a story, Tunnan! All of those are quite something. I think of myself as fairly careful and risk-averse, but as you say, there are way more things to go wrong in a modern car. With the old Rambler I've been rehabilitating, it's pretty much as you say. A hammer, screwdriver, and a few wrenches can get you out of most problems. But the problems come thick and fast! I've gravity-bled the brakes in a parking lot prior to state vehicle inspection, saving my ass, but I've also had the engine (breaker points) suddenly quit on me in the middle of traffic. The fix for bad dash lights (Seems Delco, not SAAB, invented NightPanel) is to hit the dash above the rheostat.

Old cars make me marvel equally at you guys! I couldn't fathom driving cross-country in the Rambler, the Lotus, or any of the old cars I've been crawling under during my work here in New Hampshire.