by "Deal Killer - Powered by Focus" (dealkiller-ii)
Published 08/26/2017 at 22:56
by "Deal Killer - Powered by Focus" (dealkiller-ii)
Published 08/26/2017 at 22:56
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STARS: 0
I replaced the front sway bar links on the Focus today, which I thought would be a pretty simple job, as I did it before last fall.
Apparently the ones I purchased through Rock Auto were shit, as they rattled horribly by the beginning of July. It took a little elbow grease to get the nuts off, and, as usual, I am a bit vocal when things don’t go as planned. I do try to keep my voice down as much as possible, but after a couple of hours, it’s extremely difficult, especially when things just don’t go as they should. Hell, the lug nuts were even hard to get off the front wheels. So, after a few hours, I get it all done and cleaned up, I notice my wife is pissed at me and is giving me the “Silent” treatment. Wonderful. I suppose it would get me nowhere to remind her that I’m not a mechanic and working on my car is never easy nor fun. But, we don’t have a bunch of money lying around for me to take the Focus into the shop whenever it needs some work. So, I do it and save us a few $100 bucks when I can. Next time, I’ll go shopping with the kids and she can bust a couple of knuckles under a car for a few hours. Fuck it, I need another beer, and an ice pack for my sore back.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
08/26/2017 at 23:52, STARS: 0
"Deal Killer - Powered by Focus" (dealkiller-ii)
08/27/2017 at 00:00, STARS: 1
Yeah, in hindsight I should have either cut the bolt with my dremel tool or maybe used some channel locks to keep the bolt from spinning. But, as noted above, I’m not a mechanic.
"JGrabowMSt" (jgrabowmst)
08/27/2017 at 00:15, STARS: 4
I just dropped the HEMIWagon off of jack stands that it’s been sitting on for the past couple weeks. I am not a mechanic either, but I just followed through with doing the timing cover gasket, oil cooler install, and went through the hell of “nothing fits right” and “no one told me that.”
The oil cooler took 4 days to get all the parts to arrive (new lower radiator hose, new thermostat, new thermostat housing, crank pulley bolt, water pump gasket and front crank seal, to name a few). I was ready to shit myself while torquing down the crank pulley bolt to 129ft-lbs because if it breaks, it’s game over for the motor. Extracting that bolt is damn near impossible the way it threads into the crank. You either do a full bottom end rebuild with a new crank, or replace the motor and let someone else deal with the old one.
Now I’m doing a full suspension install on my new project car, set timing, and am dealing with 26 year old parts that are breaking extremely easily. Just a day in the life.
Also, I do have scoliosis, and it’s really bad for me to be going through with all of this. It takes days for me to recover from more strenuous days, but honestly, I’m an enthusiast, and I don’t shit money, so I need to give it all a good shot. I certainly know when to throw in the towel, but you know what, my suggestion to you is to just toss on some headphones, crank some jams, and when things don’t go right, just keep working through them. Wallyworld carries pretty decent tools, and you can get your hands on some very effective breaker parts and pry bars to help get things apart, and the parts don’t break the bank. Anti-seize is also your friend. Use it anywhere that isn’t TTY (torque to yield) or one time use. It’s frustrating, yes, I don’t disagree or hide it, but at the end of the day, we’re enthusiasts, and it’s just part of the experience.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
08/27/2017 at 00:25, STARS: 1
End links can go to hell.
"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
08/27/2017 at 01:07, STARS: 1
The last time I had a issue getting a swaybar off, I grabbed a dremel. Worked fiiiiiiiiiiine.
"sony1492" (sony1492)
08/27/2017 at 02:58, STARS: 1
One valuable lesson learned, twenty one million to go (for car repair)
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
08/27/2017 at 07:04, STARS: 0
Noted, and yeah those things can be some of the most frustrating parts to replace. Something that looks so straightforward, but can be a real pain. I’ve done enough of these that of the bolts don’t come loose on the first try, info right for the cutoff tool.