The "I'm pretending to be a Mechanic" thread?

[skraeling]

Ill start this stupid thing off. I seem to work on my own cars a lot with a friend of mine lately. Usually because its 1. Cheaper and 2. its cheaper.

I cant **** several hundred dollars on a car repair on a car thats worth less than the price to have someone fix it.

So that leaves me and my friend attempting stuff. Typically a lot of what we do isn't that difficult. Brake jobs, endlinks, junk like that. Nothing too invasive or crazy, but stuff that would cost significantly more to have someone else do it.

Welp... enter my previous car. A cavalier. Im convinced this car was a hate child spawned by some engineer that was just mad at the world and wanted vehicles to punish humanity. Its a pain in the dick to work on and its overall reliability for things sucks a fat one. The only saving grace of this car is it has a timing chain.

Needless to say it blew its power steering rack completely out. Looked up the video on what the replacement procedure is and when a professional mechanic has to do two 30min edited videos... yeah.. thats not good. It involved dropping the subframe to actually slide it out. FFFFFF that. paying someone to do it was about 500.00 more than the car was worth (500 dollars meaning a north of 1000 repair). Nope. Sold the car to my neighbor bad rack and all who wanted it as a parts car for his girlfriend.

Enter.... Das Buick.

I like Mrs. Buick for what she is. Not my ideal car, but a good stopgap till I can afford to get an actual new one. Comfy, decent mileage, good enough for its era power (2000). Lots of power features. Decent. Now... remember how the cavalier was going to cost north of a grand for the rack? Well I bought this car for.. a grand and it had almost 100k miles LESS than the cavalier. Was too tempting to pass up. Was a friends mothers car.

Wait... why are you running a little hot and... why are there oil droplets in my coolant overflow.

To the googles! Oh **** you GM... plastic gaskets IN an engine? Great, thanks. Im really digging the confirmed 100% failure rate on this gasket. Sigh. Ok ordered the gaskets and was maybe 30 bucks in parts give or take. Its not super critical that I do it immediately so I put it off maybe two weeks. No big deal. Car running hottish, but isnt over heating and the leak isnt getting any worse.

Well we finally tackled this job on sunday. This is the farthest ive ever taken apart a car with my buddy. Also the farthest hes ever taken a car apart. He was excited...

This picture taken from the conversation when I told him what we needed to do to this car.

yikes.

I mean we were up to our elbows here. stress level was pretty high for me as... I need this thing to work so I can actually get to work on monday. We started at 930ish in the morning. Finished at 630ish at night. Took breaks for dinner (and lots of googling). This was quoted as a 3hr job for a professional and I could see that maybe being true especially for someone familiar with this engine.

This is the 3100 3.1L v6 that GM put in eeeeverryyyything for many years. So insanely common engine. Just not to us.

Fun notes from this deal. The gasket was actually the aftermarket felpro replacement... so metal. The rubber part had managed to fail and we are pretty sure it wasnt damaged when we were taking things off. It was a very tiny tear on the back left port of the intake manifold.

So got those replaced plus the upper intake gasket and valve cover gaskets just because we were in there already. Actually managed to put everything back together and the damn thing starts and runs just fine much to our surprise and relief.

This was in hindsight kind of fun, but I felt like I had done a marathon the next day. To you actual mechanics out there. I salute you gentlemen.

Only bad news is im sure there are other gaskets lower (looks like my headgasket is leaking) or my timing cover gasket that need to be done, but im not planning to keep the car long enough for those to matter with any luck. this we knew for sure was leaking so got those done.

To give you an idea... this 3hr quoted job (took us 10). The timing cover was quoted as 6. Yeah. No thanks. Ill just dump this thing before that is even an issue if it even is.

Cheers to reading this rambling. Im sure ill post the next time I do some stupid work on a car.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Had a 2001 Volvo V40 that, after 150K miles and 2 wrecks, numerous things were beginning to fail. Most frustrating DIY repair was for a failing wheel hub bearing. Seemed simple enough. Pop the axle out, take to shop to press old bearing off and new bearing on, pop the axle back in, ...

Took me and a goodwrench 8 hours of mallets, pry bars, and even a lift to finally give in and get the stupid $40 rented fork tool ($250 to own from Volvo) that popped the axle out in 10 minutes (5 of those to jack the car up and remove the wheel).

I vowed I'd never DIY a repair on that car again. Fixed it permanently ~6 months later by parking it underneath the tail end of a Cherolet Step side pickup.

 

[skraeling]

I vowed I'd never DIY a repair on that car again. Fixed it permanently ~6 months later by parking it underneath the tail end of a Cherolet Step side pickup.

Im hoping this one gets parked by a tornado... into a tree. Preferably while im not in it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Im hoping this one gets parked by a tornado... into a tree. Preferably while im not in it.

I was thrilled to be rid of that car, despite it being my fault.

Learned a valuable lesson that night too. Airbags hurt. Badly.

 

[skraeling]

I was thrilled to be rid of that car, despite it being my fault.



Learned a valuable lesson that night too. Airbags hurt. Badly.

Yes they do.
View attachment IMG_3783.jpg

 

[Homercidal]

I did an intake (and other) gasket replacement on a 3800. Fairly similar. Took about 3 hours. Cost a LOT less than having a mechanic do it.

Replaced the intake and any other gasket that I encountered while digging in there.

Having a VERY organized table for placing parts on, taking LOTS of pictures, watching videos online, and having a nice set of tools goes a LONG way to doing a good job in a reasonable amount of time. I'd have no qualms about doing that again. The saving grace is that the Felpro aftermarket gaskets are pretty much a permanent fix if you install them properly.

The 3100, 3400, and 3800 engines are very reliable, but some of the different generations had their common issues. I frankly do not like the coolant routing they did in some of these engines. Sometimes it's where they went, and sometimes it's how they sealed. Too many chances for leaks and failures IMO.

But otherwise they seem to be dependable motors. Hopefully you don't have one where the coolant lines (don't) seal with some O-rings and extension tubes.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Yes they do.
View attachment 416819

Oof!

I, fortunately, kept the Volvos wheels on the ground. Not so much the trucks tho'. Managed to snag his spare tire with my engine, after the hood peeled up, and kept it there like an old school air cleaner.

 

[skraeling]

The saving grace is that the Felpro aftermarket gaskets are pretty much a permanent fix if you install them properly.

it was an aftermarket felpro we had to replace believe it or not. could have been done poorly to begin with or just failed because sometimes stuff fails. I regret not taking pictures as we went, especially being the first time. our organization could have been better too, but poor friends daughter kept needing things so we got sidetracked a few times.

 

[BikerMatt]

Totally feel you guys... Even though I build motorbikes and am very familiar with every tool in the garage, even got a MIG rig and a ten ton floor press but never ever had to dig into the valvetrain of any engine until recently when I did a valve job to my friend's Hayabusa. A few were out of spec so the cams had to come off, but what's this one of the valves are at zero gap even if I remove the shim disc altogether! Turns out the valve keeps that lock the stem to the spring retainer had, for reasons unkown, weared out so bad the retainer was carrying into the shim bucket thus resulting in the valve not closing properly. Had I not caught that it would most probly dropped the valve into the cylinder shortly. Not wanting to lift the head (Haybusa frame is SUPER CRAMPED and the motor pretty heavy) I had to ghetto rig a valve keeper thingumabob out of a spark plug and a pressure hose fitting so I could drive compressed air into the cylinder (it leaked like a leaky thing but managed to do it nevertheless) The whole thing took several weeks since I had to work whenever I had an hour to spare and wait for parts in between. Eventually when my friend came to pick up the bike and started her trip back home the starter clutch idler gear gasket gave out and the bike was spewing oil the entire way, so she had to order that too and wait another two weeks for that pretty much ruining the riding season but at least it'll be ready come next spring... Oh and another thing I found was that the fuel hoses between the tank and the fuel pump was cracked so bad I actually broke one of them when lifting the tank up so the bike could have gone up in a fireball in more than one way any day!

 

[VApatriot]

The gasket was actually the aftermarket felpro replacement... so metal.

Small world, kind of. I actually worked at the Felpro plant in Skokie that made those before I got my current gig. The huge press literally shook the floor when stamping out the big head gaskets. They also made rubber gaskets there as well, the calendar mills for making rubber are really scary and nasty. Not a bad place to work but I don't miss it.

 

[Sailingeric]

I hate when people justify not fixing a car due to the value of the vehicle to the repair cost because you end up having to buy another car that will cost more than the repair would have been and some times you dont know what you are getting into with the newer to you car.

But that being said, it is nice to work on a car and save some money. My wife's Mazda 3 had the alternator go out a year or so ago and the dealer wanted almost $500 to replace it. A quick Youtube video search showed it was only 4 bolts, one plug, and putting the belt back on. So I got a new alternator and spent about an hour and half and saved nearly $400. If I had to do it again I could probably do it in about half the time.

I also have a friend who has successfully killed 3 cars by doing a "tune up." His folks gave him and his wife their old Camry and his father told him if even so much as raised the hood he would break his hands.

 

[skraeling]

I hate when people justify not fixing a car due to the value of the vehicle to the repair cost because you end up having to buy another car

There was more to it than just eh it’s too expensive. I hated that cavalier. It was the car my ex wife stuck me with in my divorce. So it was like driving around a constant reminder of the potential f-ing in court she tried to give me (she tried to make me sell the house). Keyword tried. It also burned over 2qt every 3000 miles. This car was a lost cause to begin with.

I bought a new car for less than the cost of repairs to my old one that had less issues, more features and 100k less miles.

It was an easy decision to make. I also am close friends with the previous owners husband. It’s his dead wife’s car and had bad memories for him too.

So we both dumped cars that we didn’t want.

 

[applescrap]

Need to slap new caliper on 99 camry. I hate working on cars, I throw wrenches and have cussing tantrums. I think the work you have done is awesome. I want a new car and this camry wont die!

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

one of the crappiest jobs i think I've ever done was replacing the rear main seal on my Jeep CJ7 engine several years ago. you have to jack the motor up a little to get the entire oil pan off, and then the engine proceeds to drip oil on you the entire time you're under there ... if that motor ever needs another seal, I'll replace the entire motor rather than do that job again .

 

[JohnSand]

I drive a 1979 Cordoba/300, and I am the mechanic (not professionally)
I have recently changed to bushings and eccentric in the windshield wiper drive (twice, fun) and put in a new alternator, voltage regulator and battery. I can't justify spending more time waiting for a mechanic than it takes me to do the job twice. The most complex job I have done is the timing chain, this car will need one too. It helps that I have owned at least a dozen cars, and every one of the has been a Chrysler small block 8 built between 1973-1987. I started doing my own repairs on my first car in '82 with a Chilton Manual and a Craftsman tool set. Also the belief that with study and practice I can do anything that an average man can do. I apply the same theory to homebrewing.
This is not to say that I don't screw up or get frustrated, I do. I am not a naturally gifted mechanic. But I'm glad I can do it, and happy when it works well.
As if the Chrysler weren't enough, my wood boat has a 1968 Perkins Diesel in it. Guess who repairs it?

 

[BikerMatt]

I'm actually currently in the process of going through different car options to find the ideal (and cheapest) car for a homebrewed EV conversion. Most probly will end up with an Opel Agila.

 

[Homercidal]

one of the crappiest jobs i think I've ever done was replacing the rear main seal on my Jeep CJ7 engine several years ago. you have to jack the motor up a little to get the entire oil pan off, and then the engine proceeds to drip oil on you the entire time you're under there ... if that motor ever needs another seal, I'll replace the entire motor rather than do that job again .

You know as long as you are pulling that motor for a replacement, you could easily pull it out, change the seal, and put it back in, saving a bunch of money in the process, and not having to swap a bunch of accessories too.

I fix all of our cars. Last thing I didn't do was replace the exhaust manifolds on our old Durango. Reason being some of the bolts were broke off and it was not the season to be hanging out under the hood for hours trying to get them out. That thing is still running. Kid has it at college. It's got almost 300,000 on it.

Actually, the last thing I didn't fix was my wife's AC compressor. A local place replaced that with a lifetime warranty refurbished unit. I just had it swapped out due to making a lot of noise. Only cost me the labor to refill the system.

Up on the list is a new muffler for the 99 cherokee, and I think I will be pulling the dash and swapping out the Heater Core. It's not as hot as it used to be and I'm sensing a small amount of coolant odor when I first fire up the defrost. Not bad enough to film over the windshield, but judging by the amount of severe crud that came out when I swapped the radiator, I think the heater core is plugged and leaking.

This is after I finish replacing the rocker panel on the driver side and finish patching the holes in the rear drop down. That's done, just need to caulk and finish the paint.

I love this POS too much to get rid of it.

 

[skraeling]

I still need to do my possibly left front CV joint. I get quite the shimmy at 45-50mph when accelerating. Least it’s my best guess so far

 

[triethylborane]

I still need to do my possibly left front CV joint. I get quite the shimmy at 45-50mph when accelerating. Least it’s my best guess so far

Id check

motor/trans mounts - easy to check

suspension - could be a strut/control arms/depends on suspension design, probably control arms though

alignment - toe can cause this

wheel balance - maybe

CV joint is generally not the common culprit for front end shimmy, and would be one of the last things to check. Best bet is to check the control arms.

 

[skraeling]

Id check



motor/trans mounts - easy to check



suspension - could be a strut/control arms/depends on suspension design, probably control arms though



alignment - toe can cause this



wheel balance - maybe



CV joint is generally not the common culprit for front end shimmy, and would be one of the last things to check. Best bet is to check the control arms.

That’s the irritating thing. I’ve ruled out wheel balance. Does it with a different wheel rotated there. All the obvious suspension components seem tight as well

Had not thought of motor or trans mount I’ll check those today.

I’ll probably get the alignment checked if the mounts check out.

 

[triethylborane]

That’s the irritating thing. I’ve ruled out wheel balance. Does it with a different wheel rotated there. All the obvious suspension components seem tight as well

Had not thought of motor or trans mount I’ll check those today.

I’ll probably get the alignment checked if the mounts check out.

On the control arms/tie rods, I should have been a bit more specific. Check the bushings here, the control arms may seem tight when you are inspecting them, but underway at speed . . . if you are getting a shimmy this is probably the culprit.

CV needs to be making a lot of noise at all speeds before Id pursue that first.


Id replace the control arms before getting the alignment . . .

 

[skraeling]

On the control arms/tie rods, I should have been a bit more specific. Check the bushings here, the control arms may seem tight when you are inspecting them, but underway at speed . . . if you are getting a shimmy this is probably the culprit.



CV needs to be making a lot of noise at all speeds before Id pursue that first.





Id replace the control arms before getting the alignment . . .

Ugh pulled up the pic of this thing. Yeah you are probably right. So many bushing to fail.

 

[DoctorMemory]

My wife's Mazda 3 had the alternator go out a year or so ago and the dealer wanted almost $500 to replace it. A quick Youtube video search showed it was only 4 bolts, one plug, and putting the belt back on. So I got a new alternator and spent about an hour and half and saved nearly $400. If I had to do it again I could probably do it in about half the time.

LOL, reminds me of my wife's old Beretta. It ate the alternator, and it took me close to four hours to replace it (no YouTube back in those days!). A few months later it did it again, so I replaced it with one that had a "lifetime warranty". Two years later, I had replaced the stupid thing four more times, and when I took the alternator back to the parts place they held me up at checkout and told me to wait. The store manager came out and told me that the alternator they just gave me was the last one, and I should take my alternator business elsewhere. Of course, I had the replacement time down to under a half hour by that point. We wound up selling the car a few months after that (fortunately!).

 

[skraeling]

LOL, reminds me of my wife's old Beretta. It ate the alternator, and it took me close to four hours to replace it (no YouTube back in those days!). A few months later it did it again, so I replaced it with one that had a "lifetime warranty". Two years later, I had replaced the stupid thing four more times, and when I took the alternator back to the parts place they held me up at checkout and told me to wait. The store manager came out and told me that the alternator they just gave me was the last one, and I should take my alternator business elsewhere. Of course, I had the replacement time down to under a half hour by that point. We wound up selling the car a few months after that (fortunately!).

Barf. Did the alternator on my cavalier and took about the same amount of time.

You couldn’t actually get a wrench into the tensioner to get the belt off (apparently there is a specific tool for this). But having a neighbor jam it with a crowbar from below worked too.

 

[triethylborane]

You couldn’t actually get a wrench into the tensioner to get the belt off (apparently there is a specific tool for this). But having a neighbor jam it with a crowbar from below worked too.

A few of my cars use v-belts, so every accessory is on a chain tensioner and getting the proper tension is maddening. The idler nut strips so easy even when using a torque wrench set to service manual specs.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Back in college, I was driving a 1985 1/2 Ford Escort that ended up having the head crack right around the end of my freshman year.

So time to replace the head. A remanufactured head was $700. Spent most of the summer working on it with a buddy and with the guy who worked for my dad, who was handy with cars. Eventually got it fixed, 1 week before the end of summer, and despite some "extra parts", i.e. vacuum hoses that we could never figure out how to put together and a few vacuum hoses plugged with golf tees, the car was running better than it ever had before.

Then I totaled it 4 days later.

Insurance company said it was worth $1100. We had a $500 deductible.

So we got a check for $600 for a car that we'd just spent $700 and all summer fixing, and I got to spend my sophomore year bumming rides from people lol...

 

[Homercidal]

I got a wobble/shimmy on my wife's 07 fusion. Seems to be front left. According to the Carfax it's been in two deer accidents on that corner before we bought it.

There is some pedal pulsing when braking, but it also just seems to be out of round when slowly accelerating. I know one of the wheels has a ding around the edge, but it's not mounted on the front. This has persisted through replacing the tires.

I've checked the spindle/rotor for warpage and runout. It's fine, and in fact all of them are in spec. At this point this is the last thing I feel I need to do to get the car back to a very nice ride. I may take it in for a balance and see if they can measure the wheels for warpage/bent. It's not terrible, but it's definitely noticeable.

Oh yeah, and the rockers are rotting out. I want to replace them before there is nothing to weld to!

 

[DoctorMemory]

Barf. Did the alternator on my cavalier and took about the same amount of time.

You couldn’t actually get a wrench into the tensioner to get the belt off (apparently there is a specific tool for this). But having a neighbor jam it with a crowbar from below worked too.

Yeah, discovering that I could back the tensioner off with a pair of Channel-Loks was key to dropping the change time. By the end, I knew to loosen the top bolt, pull the harness connector and ground wire, then back off the tensioner with one hand and unscrew the top bolt with the other. Then I could rotate it enough to slip the accessory belt off and everything was a breeze after that.

 

[Punity]

02 F150 with the oh so fun 5.4 crammed under the wiper cowl. Ive had a miss in the back cylinder for over 2 months now. But I can replace the coil pack because I dont have an arm of a 5 yr old and the length of an NBA center. So I just let it shake and it eventually goes away.

Mind you this plug/coil pack is the newest of the bunch due to the plug being launched put of the block a couple years ago. Yay for thinking someone shot at you haha.

Oh and yes airbags hurt

View attachment 1508085989585.jpg

 

[skraeling]

02 F150 with the oh so fun 5.4 crammed under the wiper cowl. Ive had a miss in the back cylinder for over 2 months now. But I can replace the coil pack because I dont have an arm of a 5 yr old and the length of an NBA center. So I just let it shake and it eventually goes away.

Mind you this plug/coil pack is the newest of the bunch due to the plug being launched put of the block a couple years ago. Yay for thinking someone shot at you haha.

Oh and yes airbags hurt

were you quoted in the police report as saying, "excuse me, can I park here?"



could be worse at least you only thought someone shot at you.. here someone probably is

 

[Sailingeric]

02 F150 with the oh so fun 5.4 crammed under the wiper cowl. Ive had a miss in the back cylinder for over 2 months now. But I can replace the coil pack because I dont have an arm of a 5 yr old and the length of an NBA center. So I just let it shake and it eventually goes away.

Mind you this plug/coil pack is the newest of the bunch due to the plug being launched put of the block a couple years ago. Yay for thinking someone shot at you haha.

Oh and yes airbags hurt

Police: Sir, you know you are not driving a Jeep

 

[seatazzz]

I've got a 2001 Volkswagen Passat (don't judge, I didn't buy it, husband did...I wanted the 5 speed Jetta but NO, someone wants a big ass car) that I've replaced the alternator on 3 times at last count. You have to pull the front end off in order to get at anything on the front of the engine, even just the belt. I've got that down to less than 30 minutes to pull it off, could do it in my sleep now. Now it's got a dead battery from the kids setting off the alarm (it lives on the street) and what sounds like a bad CV boot on the left side. Can't drive it. In the meantime I'm driving my 1998 Honda/Isuzu/whatever Passport with the one windshield wiper (busted linkage), constant check engine light (stupid charcoal canister), bad shocks, and an engine that purrs like a kitten and will run forever. Dead easy to work on but has been a great reliable backup vehicle.

 

[beernutz]

I am jealous of those of you who do those engine repairs. My daily driver is a 175k miles 2000 Yukon Denali I bought used for next to nothing 4 years ago. I like tinkering and have done things like ball joint replacement and have replaced window motors and door lock actuators, headlight assemblies, oil changes, suspension lubrication etc.

But I left the new water pump, brake job, and a few other engine repairs to the professionals. Unfortunately my professional who is 71 told me on my last visit he's selling the place and retiring so it may eventually be time to acquire some skills.

 

[skraeling]

I am jealous of those of you who do those engine repairs. My daily driver is a 175k miles 2000 Yukon Denali I bought used for next to nothing 4 years ago. I like tinkering and have done things like ball joint replacement and have replaced window motors and door lock actuators, headlight assemblies, oil changes, suspension lubrication etc.

But I left the new water pump, brake job, and a few other engine repairs to the professionals. Unfortunately my professional who is 71 told me on my last visit he's selling the place and retiring so it may eventually be time to acquire some skills.

it took me 9-10 hours to do that gasket job (with an equally mechanically inclined friend), but the result and ensuing satisfaction was worth it. we would have done it sooner had we not had two meals in the mean time and also entertained his insanely cute daughter a few times.

would probably take half the time at this point.

find a friend and give stuff a go.

 

[triethylborane]

I've got a 2001 Volkswagen Passat (don't judge, I didn't buy it, husband did...I wanted the 5 speed Jetta but NO, someone wants a big ass car) that I've replaced the alternator on 3 times at last count. You have to pull the front end off in order to get at anything on the front of the engine, even just the belt.

Had a 2004 audi (VAG, its all the same). I replaced the entire 1.8T engine at my cost (outside of class action on that engine) and had to rebuild the transmission. Always something wrong, awful reliability.

 

[mbobhat]

Water pump can be not so bad, just find out where it is, if you can see it pretty easily it means not so much stuff to take off. Hell in my old ford truck all I had to do was remove the fan, (which involved getting some special wrenches that didn't fit originally).

I actually recently got done with my beater truck, 1994 ford f150, where the block cracked. I thought it was the head, so I took it all completely off, took it into a machine shop, spent 500 bucks to get all new valves, and installed it, only to have the truck keep spitting out white smoke. I almost drove that thing into a lake but I ended up saving up for a remanufactured block, had a buddy and some beers help me remove the old and install the new one (believe me it was a biaaatch, but we got it in).

Keep in mind this isn't a daily driver, hell it's barely a yearly driver at this point. After changing every fluid, and a new brake and rotor job, it will still be a beater truck, but it hauls now!!!

 

[jmcquesten]

Got a 2010 Tundra back in March because 1. It's a Toyota and 2. My (98 ) Tacoma had 230k + miles on it and showed no signs of stopping after 10 years of owning it, so I was feeling good about a bigger Toyota truck. However, with my proven track record of buying odd-ball problemed everything, 3 months later the power steering rack blew the seals. The truck was purchased used with no warranty, so I was on my own. First step was call local Toyota dealer. They quoted me $3500 to fix it (they said the engine has to be removed), so that quickly shut down that option. The rack assembly alone from the dealer was $1,050. Found one (new OEM)online for $700 and ordered it. It was a HUGE job, but after some YouTube videos and time reading tundratalk.net, my dad and I managed to replace it in my driveway, without taking the engine out. I lost a lot of blood that weekend.

That happened a week after I put a lift/leveling kit (shocks/springs and Coachbuilder +3 shackles) on it, but that wasn't the cause. Apparently, Toyota used a different vendor for the steering rack assembly for 2 years (2010 and 2011), which brings me back to the whole luck issue. Toyota acknowledged the problem and fixed vehicles that broke when they were still under warranty, but they never issued a recall, leaving people in my situation stuck. Fortunately I was able to fix it myself (2 weeks before a back surgery), but I don't recommend the job for typical home fixit types. I've changed engines in cars easier than that repair.

I am not a mechanic and never received any formal training (other than from my Dad over the years).

 

[mullet6577]

02 F150 with the oh so fun 5.4 crammed under the wiper cowl. Ive had a miss in the back cylinder for over 2 months now. But I can replace the coil pack because I dont have an arm of a 5 yr old and the length of an NBA center.

Years ago my very non-mechanically inclined brother had an 04 with the 5.4 throwing "random misfire" codes. After the first 3 trips to the parts store for yet another new coil pack to track down the new misfire I made him buy the rest instead of making 8 separate trips. The 2 under the cowl took laying across the engine, some contortionist skills, and lots of blood and missing skin to replace.

 

[Homercidal]

Just got a few parts in:

New Door Hinge Pins for my '99 Cherokee, driver's side.
New Inside Door Handle for the wife's '07 Fusion.
New Drivers Door Lock and Window Master Switch assembly for the Jeep.
New BG12 Burner for the BIAB Brew Rig
New 3/8" Ractchet Pulley for the Brew Rig.

Ok, the last two are not car parts, but they are a priority!

 

[skraeling]

I need to replace yet another sway bar end link... why do I always need to replace these stupid things.

Ok well it’s not totally failed yet but one of the bushings has given up completely.