Car Maintenance Question

[cute fuzzy bunny]

My old mercedes 300 turbodiesel was good for that as well. If I got a tailgater all it took was 3-4 good pumps of the "gas" to produce an effective naval smoke screen.

I miss that car and ogle any older ones I see on the road. Getting 25 MPG in a big smooth car was a good thing. The reliability of the new ones appears to have fallen to the bottom lately, which is unfortunate.

Apparently mercedes and bmw felt their QA after all these years was "baked in" to the people and processes so they made the QA processes part of their 'cost cutting'. Appears they were incorrect...some further baking was apparently called for.

 

[johnblake]

The older I get, the slower I seem to drive. Now, at 39, I am the guy with the hat that I used to compain about 15 years ago. I'm just not in a hurry anymore. I get my "rushes" elsewhere.

 

[jazz]

Spent the weekend replacing my young niece's starter motor on her '97 Honda. I sent her to the library to check the Chilton's service manual. She was amazed that the information was readily available at the library. Here in our area, they stock a very nice collection of the Chilton's and Motor's series of repair manuals. These are in the reference section (i.e. cannot be checked out). They also have the Chilton series on-line which includes labor times for various repairs.

Hope this tip will save somebody the expense of buying a manual just to complete an occaisional repair. It's also handy to determine if you even want to attempt the repair yourself.

Jazz

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Thats a good point. I had to replace a fuel pump in my bmw some years back. Instructions started with "remove drive shaft. remove exhaust system. drain and lower fuel tank".

I removed the back seat, cut a hole in the sheet metal over the pump, removed and replaced.

Much easier

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Instructions started with "remove drive shaft. remove exhaust system. drain and lower fuel tank".

LOL, I remember those kinds of instructions: "Remove retaining bolts, if any. . ." and "If there is a shroud in the way, remove it". I got to prefering Hanes repair manuals, but they aren't perfect, either.

When working on cars it really, really helps to have alternate transportation available so you aren't in a rush to fix the car for an immediate transportation need.

 

[johnblake]

I just changed the oil/filter on my car. The entire job took about an hour (including checking all filters, brakes, belts, and hoses.) The car has 80,000 miles and I've done all the maintenance myself (aside from a few trips to the local oil change place). It's been very easy, and inexpensive. I find that the dealer charges something like $300-$400 for scheduled maintenance when it's usually a very simple job (especially the 30,000 mile 'tune-up')

After 80K all the belts and hoses are still good, and the brakes even have some life left in them (they are orig.)

Another 10K and it's timing belt time. I'll need to decide whether or not I should do it myself.

 

[BUM]

The first (and maybe the second) time I changed a serpentine belt it was a nightmare. After that it got easier. Take a wrench to the tension pulley; pull on it... the belt goes slack. Remove it . Replace new belt..


oops you said TIMING belt... fageddaboutit!


BUM

 

[panhead]

Depending on the car, timing belts can range from simple to a PITA. Give it a good day to do it though. It'll probably take you less, but start early so the auto parts stores are still open, just in case !! I've done several, even one on the side of the road. Just make sure either the motor doesn't move or you align the marks before you put the belt back on !!

-Pan-

 

[John Galt]

Having watched "real" mechanics struggle with
timing belts, I always knew they were far beyond my "poor powers". Anyway, although as a kid I would tackle about anything, I soon discovered my talents
lie elsewhere (I will cover my talents later -
not enough room here). Now, I have reached the point where I refuse to even change a tire. Doesn't really
matter where the need arises, I just get on the phone and call someone.

John Galt

 

[panhead]

Heh heh, yeah, "Real Mechanics" I've known many thru the years. I worked at an auto parts store thru high school and college. At times, I had the mechanics calling me for advice. "Hey, panhead, how do I put a distributor back in a small block chevy when the engine has been turned with it out??" No kidding, it happened. I went to the garage and did it for him. Many more of those to tell about as well, and these really were "real" mechanics, and at the time I was just a smart ass kid.... Geez, now I'm just a smart-ass older kid, some things change, some things don't !
Tying this back into the original thread, if you don't do it yourself, be careful who you get. In general, the dealership mechanics are very good, they only work on one type of car, and need some certifications, but are very expensive. That being said, I've known regular "garage" mechanics that put the dealership mechanics to shame, but they can be hard to find unless you know someone, or what you are talking about.

-pan-

 

[panhead]

TH Wrote:

"I removed the back seat, cut a hole in the sheet metal over the pump, removed and replaced. "

I meant to mention this TH, this is priceless, and I like the way you think !! I was working on a friends VW a couple of years back and we thought the fuel pump went (this one actually had 2, one in the tank and one up front). We were trying to diagnose it and were contemplating dropping the tank when we came up with the same idea. So we pulled the back the back seat out and behold ! VW had thought of putting in an access plate ! Oh yeah, and it was the fuel pump !

-pan-

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Funny but the bimmer had an outline stamped in the sheet metal where I was going to cut anyhow, as if they intended to do it or at least were giving you a hint.

Imagine me and a drill chanting "please dont puncture the tank...please dont puncture the tank..."