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Do you service your own car or take it to a Garage?


Butch

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13 hours ago, Butch said:

Wasn't the one under the seat marked "Pull to eject" was it?.🤣🤣🤣

Last BAC1-11 I was close to was the one at Duxford last summer. Lovely Aircraft IMO.

Far too noisy the last two flying were test beds for Grumman Aerospace.

Dee Howard in San Antonio had plans to put new quieter engines(RR tay instead of the RR Spey) in them & actually had one flying but BAe pulled the plug on the programme.They thought newly engined 1-11's would rival their BAe 146.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just did an oil/filter change on the old Merc, easy enough job except that the filter is a cartridge type and after removing the cartridge and dumping the old filter out - wearing gloves or using a thick rag - it's good to let the damned thing cool for a while before getting it ready to re-install with new cartridge and o-ring. Now I find that my passenger window doesn't want to work although I can hear it  trying to - I'll check the console switch first, that's easy to remove and I'll pray that this will be the problem as the last thing I want to do is have to  remove the door card and start buggering with the mechanism itself:

Webp.net-resizeimage.jpg

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On 6/12/2022 at 9:29 PM, boydeste said:

I used to do all the jobs on my cars no matter what was needed. Access to a lift and tools made the job easier. These days I hardly do anything, I have an electrical problem to sort when I get home from Canada,  but fairly confident it may be my alternator at fault. If it is I will get the local garage to swop it out. If it's the battery,  then I will fit it myself. 

 

Turned out to be my alternator at fault, so I had a new one fitted yesterday by my local garage. Just as well because it needed to be put on a lift and an engine mount removed to allow it to be taken out below. Not much room in the engine bay these days with a 2.2L unit in there.

20220621_123746.jpg

Edited by boydeste
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I have only read the title so far, so I will weigh in a little from that perspective.

As a young man I used to do my own car work. As I became a little more professionally successful and also all the electronic monitoring stuff was added to cars, I just did not have the time for it.

Here in Thailand, we have a newish car (maybe 3 years old) that is still under some degree of warranty, so we let the manufacturer's outlet (Mazda) do the maintenance work. No complaints. Given what Labor costs are in Thailand, it makes sense to me. I guess I have left behind my old gear head roots.

I remember spending time at the old drag strip routes in the Southwestern Chicago Suburbs. These were not sanctioned. We would also race alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway adjacent to some dicey housing projects. I was not somebody with a high end car, but I enjoyed being part of the action. Some of the more memorable vehicles were ramped up versions of 442s, 409s, GTOs, and Vets. 

Lol - one night a guy decided to run his Goat on nitro. Did not end well.

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Postscript to previous post - I was able to solve my passenger window problem by replacing the console switch with the identical unit from my parts car after testing it first and now it works perfectly - what a relief, I hate having to remove inner door panels from old vehicles, so difficult to do without breaking something...

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About two weeks ago, I got a message on my dash that the timing belt needed to be changed. The car had just passed 100,000 miles, which set off the alert. It’s a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze with a Diesel engine. The local garage wanted $1,700, so I ordered the parts off Amazon for about $200 and watched how-to videos on YouTube while waiting for them to arrive.

I was nervous about doing it myself because all the videos warned there could be catastrophic damage if I screwed it up. As long as I didn’t move the pulleys off their marks everything would be fine. 
Also, I replaced the water pump since most of the work for the timing belt would have to be redone if I needed to do the pump later.

I got it done in a full day, and the moment of truth arrived. With the car back together but still on the jack stands, I cranked it and it started fine. Except for a new rattle, a higher pitched clang, not the typical diesel noise. My heart sank. I turned it off and went to look at it. I was thinking that by trying to save a buck, I lost the motor. Then I remembered the floor jack was still against the oil pan, where I put it to support the engine when the mount was removed to replace the belts. The vibration from the car was rattling the jack handle. I removed the jack and it sounds and runs great.

130ACD37-43E3-4F61-A3D7-78477A16D632.jpeg

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42 minutes ago, forqalso said:

About two weeks ago, I got a message on my dash that the timing belt needed to be changed. The car had just passed 100,000 miles, which set off the alert. It’s a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze with a Diesel engine. The local garage wanted $1,700, so I ordered the parts off Amazon for about $200 and watched how-to videos on YouTube while waiting for them to arrive.

I was nervous about doing it myself because all the videos warned there could be catastrophic damage if I screwed it up. As long as I didn’t move the pulleys off their marks everything would be fine. 
Also, I replaced the water pump since most of the work for the timing belt would have to be redone if I needed to do the pump later.

I got it done in a full day, and the moment of truth arrived. With the car back together but still on the jack stands, I cranked it and it started fine. Except for a new rattle, a higher pitched clang, not the typical diesel noise. My heart sank. I turned it off and went to look at it. I was thinking that by trying to save a buck, I lost the motor. Then I remembered the floor jack was still against the oil pan, where I put it to support the engine when the mount was removed to replace the belts. The vibration from the car was rattling the jack handle. I removed the jack and it sounds and runs great.

130ACD37-43E3-4F61-A3D7-78477A16D632.jpeg

tipex is your friend when doing that.  mark al the cogs so that if anything slips its not an issue.  also seriously DOO replace all the bearings, you can by a cambelt KIT which includes those.  well done on the DIY, this is the toughest job in car service

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On 6/30/2022 at 2:55 AM, forqalso said:

About two weeks ago, I got a message on my dash that the timing belt needed to be changed. The car had just passed 100,000 miles, which set off the alert. It’s a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze with a Diesel engine. The local garage wanted $1,700, so I ordered the parts off Amazon for about $200 and watched how-to videos on YouTube while waiting for them to arrive.

I was nervous about doing it myself because all the videos warned there could be catastrophic damage if I screwed it up. As long as I didn’t move the pulleys off their marks everything would be fine. 
Also, I replaced the water pump since most of the work for the timing belt would have to be redone if I needed to do the pump later.

I got it done in a full day, and the moment of truth arrived. With the car back together but still on the jack stands, I cranked it and it started fine. Except for a new rattle, a higher pitched clang, not the typical diesel noise. My heart sank. I turned it off and went to look at it. I was thinking that by trying to save a buck, I lost the motor. Then I remembered the floor jack was still against the oil pan, where I put it to support the engine when the mount was removed to replace the belts. The vibration from the car was rattling the jack handle. I removed the jack and it sounds and runs great.

130ACD37-43E3-4F61-A3D7-78477A16D632.jpeg

Awesome job! saved yourself $1500 !!.

always a good idea to swap out the Water pump when doing a cambelt change.

That's an unusually high interval but I think it's US legislation that demands it. In the UK for a majority of Belt driven engines, it's around the 5 years or 48k miles mark.

Good advice from @tommy dee as well, when doing a belt always do the tensioner, roller pulleys and replace the bolts as well. some modern tensioners have plastic components and they get brittle with age and the heat cycles of and engine (some older Vauxhall models for example).

Again, tippex the upper and lower pulleys and take a before / after pic to ensure you've routed the belt the correct way!, oh and before you remove the old belt, always match the new one against it!.

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On 6/30/2022 at 1:03 AM, maipenrai said:

Postscript to previous post - I was able to solve my passenger window problem by replacing the console switch with the identical unit from my parts car after testing it first and now it works perfectly - what a relief, I hate having to remove inner door panels from old vehicles, so difficult to do without breaking something...

You need one of these for the Pop in clips that hold most inner door panel's on. Otherwise you'll end up breaking them.

nos-snap-trim-door-panel-tool-model_1_97c5fd101b50955e88113671fc4121a9.jpg

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6 hours ago, Butch said:

Awesome job! saved yourself $1500 !!.

always a good idea to swap out the Water pump when doing a cambelt change.

That's an unusually high interval but I think it's US legislation that demands it. In the UK for a majority of Belt driven engines, it's around the 5 years or 48k miles mark.

Good advice from @tommy dee as well, when doing a belt always do the tensioner, roller pulleys and replace the bolts as well. some modern tensioners have plastic components and they get brittle with age and the heat cycles of and engine (some older Vauxhall models for example).

Again, tippex the upper and lower pulleys and take a before / after pic to ensure you've routed the belt the correct way!, oh and before you remove the old belt, always match the new one against it!.

We used to rotate the engine to TDC where all of the timing marks should line up. No idea if that's still the case.

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4 minutes ago, boydeste said:

We used to rotate the engine to TDC where all of the timing marks should line up. No idea if that's still the case.

I've also seen it done where you cut the belt in half width-wise, so you end up with a much narrower belt on the inner edge of the pulleys.... slide the new belt on, cut the remaining old belt to completely remove it, and slide the new belt completely into place. 

Not done it myself.... I always used the tdc market and lots of tipex....

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Just been asked by my niece if I'd change the pads and discs on her micra. Easy job, especially on a set of ramps. 

However, it would have to be done at floor level, and my old bones really don't feel like doing it....

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6 hours ago, Butch said:

Awesome job! saved yourself $1500 !!.

always a good idea to swap out the Water pump when doing a cambelt change.

That's an unusually high interval but I think it's US legislation that demands it. In the UK for a majority of Belt driven engines, it's around the 5 years or 48k miles mark.

Good advice from @tommy dee as well, when doing a belt always do the tensioner, roller pulleys and replace the bolts as well. some modern tensioners have plastic components and they get brittle with age and the heat cycles of and engine (some older Vauxhall models for example).

Again, tippex the upper and lower pulleys and take a before / after pic to ensure you've routed the belt the correct way!, oh and before you remove the old belt, always match the new one against it!.

Seems to me that back in the '90s before you had engine warning lights for everything, most manufacturers were recommending timing belt changes at 100K intervals; I had a '92 Toyota 4Runner with the 3.0l V6 - not one of Toyota's best motors - that had over 270K on it from the previous owner before I had the belt changed but those were mostly highway miles - I farmed this one out and the mechanic told me that it probably wouldn't have lasted another winter. 

6 hours ago, galenkia said:

You need one of these for the Pop in clips that hold most inner door panel's on. Otherwise you'll end up breaking them.

nos-snap-trim-door-panel-tool-model_1_97c5fd101b50955e88113671fc4121a9.jpg

Right you are and I have a complete kit of these - however,  the clips do get brittle when they get old and you'll usually break a couple no matter how careful you are; it pays to have some new ones on hand before you start. My old Mercedes doesn't have clips, it has downward pointing plastic hooks cast right into the door card so you have to lift the card up and out after removing all of the bolts - if you break these hooks you are really screwed; it's nice to have an old parts car to practise on.😁

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1 hour ago, maipenrai said:

Seems to me that back in the '90s before you had engine warning lights for everything, most manufacturers were recommending timing belt changes at 100K intervals; I had a '92 Toyota 4Runner with the 3.0l V6 - not one of Toyota's best motors - that had over 270K on it from the previous owner before I had the belt changed but those were mostly highway miles - I farmed this one out and the mechanic told me that it probably wouldn't have lasted another winter. 

Right you are and I have a complete kit of these - however,  the clips do get brittle when they get old and you'll usually break a couple no matter how careful you are; it pays to have some new ones on hand before you start. My old Mercedes doesn't have clips, it has downward pointing plastic hooks cast right into the door card so you have to lift the card up and out after removing all of the bolts - if you break these hooks you are really screwed; it's nice to have an old parts car to practise on.😁

Yup, hated removing those door panels, as you say, there will always be one clip that won't pop off as it should.

Edited by boydeste
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As an update to having my alternator replaced, my cruise control didn't work and the spanner light came on on my dash.

Been back to the garage and they plugged in their IPAD thingy into my plug and cleared down loads of fault codes including one from my auto gearbox control unit. Looks like it was the regulator on my alternator playing up because there were low and high voltage alarms in the ECU. 

Another good reason to of had the garage do the job. No charge for the follow up code resets.

All seems to be working now OK.

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3 hours ago, boydeste said:

As an update to having my alternator replaced, my cruise control didn't work and the spanner light came on on my dash.

Been back to the garage and they plugged in their IPAD thingy into my plug and cleared down loads of fault codes including one from my auto gearbox control unit. Looks like it was the regulator on my alternator playing up because there were low and high voltage alarms in the ECU. 

Another good reason to of had the garage do the job. No charge for the follow up code resets.

All seems to be working now OK.

a DIY to do this used to be to disconnect the battery for 15 mins  which clears the power save to the ECE and often resets it.    I used to have the snap on scanner which did it properly but they were very expensive, I understand they are cheaper now.   error codes listed as hard and soft types, the soft being erased on their own if they dont continue.   often the codes would be misleading , as in your case, where one error tricks the ECU into thinking it has other issues, although the gearbox code is worrying.  you will know all is well after a few days  and driving when you still dont get the warning light back on

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15 hours ago, Butch said:

Awesome job! saved yourself $1500 !!.

always a good idea to swap out the Water pump when doing a cambelt change.

That's an unusually high interval but I think it's US legislation that demands it. In the UK for a majority of Belt driven engines, it's around the 5 years or 48k miles mark.

Good advice from @tommy dee as well, when doing a belt always do the tensioner, roller pulleys and replace the bolts as well. some modern tensioners have plastic components and they get brittle with age and the heat cycles of and engine (some older Vauxhall models for example).

Again, tippex the upper and lower pulleys and take a before / after pic to ensure you've routed the belt the correct way!, oh and before you remove the old belt, always match the new one against it!.

Yes, I did the tensioners and pulleys too. Both belts.  You can’t even change the serpentine belt without pulling the motor mount.  
It’s been a good car.  100,000 miles and besides changing the battery and regular maintenance, I haven’t had to do anything with it.
Once, I wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t notice the seal on a new jug of DEF was missing and it turned out someone had replace the Diesel exhaust fluid with water and returned it to AutoZone where I bought it.  I have driven it from almost San Francisco to Denver Colorado and had to fuel up only once on the way.  I’ve made it to Portland Oregon on one tank several times. It just a shame what they get away with at the pump for Diesel, which is so much cheaper than gasoline  to make in the refineries. 

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  • 1 year later...
23 minutes ago, boydeste said:

I used to do everything on my vehicles,  but do very little now.

Why did you replace the brake fluid? Never done that before,  obviously bled them after doing the disks and pads.

 

Brake fluid is ( I think the term is hydoscopic) it absorbs moisture and degrades after time you don't notice the pedal getting spongy 

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6 minutes ago, Nickrock said:

Brake fluid is ( I think the term is hydoscopic) it absorbs moisture and degrades after time you don't notice the pedal getting spongy 

How does it get in contact with water in a sealed system?

I have only ever bled air out when the pedal goes spongy.

Has brake fluid changed due to EU rules in recent years?

Edited by boydeste
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When young and lacking money i would always service my cars but as my income increased it was off to the dealership, i had more interesting things to do (the gals lol).

Here in Thailand the costs of servicing and repair is so cheap its difficult to justify doing it yourself unless you like the work. Also cars these days due to their complexity are not easy or in some cases impossible to do yourself unless you have the necessary equipment/tools. 

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18 hours ago, boydeste said:

How does it get in contact with water in a sealed system?

I have only ever bled air out when the pedal goes spongy.

Has brake fluid changed due to EU rules in recent years?

Water vapour molecules can gradually penetrate the rubber hoses and seals in the system (according to t'web).

The stuff that came out had been in there since 2010 and was dark brown, and the new was almost clear. To be honest I didn't notice any difference in the feel of the pedal, and in fact the biggest benefit was being able to regrease the bleed nipples so as they don't get siezed. They're a right royal PITA for get out if they break, which happens.

It's not an MOT requirement, and "modern wsdom" suggests once every 2 years, I tend only to do it as part of a major service once every 5 on my cars though.

On the subject of brake hoses, I also make a point of replacing any rubber flexi ones with HEL braided steel / PTFE wherever possible, as most brake MOT failures tend to happen with perished / corroded rubber hoses. They make the pedal slightly stiffer as well, as the pressure flex from the rubber ones are removed.

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Brake fluid may have changed over the years. I seem to remember it being red in colour.

My dad was a mechanic all his life and trained me on cars and changing the brake fluid was never done for no reason. It also used to strip paint pretty fast too if you spilt it.

Probably a modern myth brought about by the usual scare mongers.

By the way, if you filled the system with water you still wouldn't have a spongy pedal, you can compress air, but you can't compress fluid in the same way.

That's why you get hydraulics working so powerful and effective. 

Oh and the never stopping wave on the sea.

I do like the idea of giving everything a birthday though, no matter how much work it has been done.

Copper slip is your friend. 

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