What did you fix today?

"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
05/17/2014 at 20:08 • Filed to: None

I spent the afternoon adjusting the carbs on my MG. I rebuilt one last fall to stop the gas leak and it hadn't run right since. Finally found the page in the owners manual that tells you how to match the idle airflow on both carbs and then how to adjust both idle mixtures. It's funky because the intake manifold is basically a pipe with two carb adapters on it. So if one carb is off a little bit, the air flows from the other one...

Lots of trial and error and finally got them running like a top! A little bit of black sooty smoke at idle tells me it's richer than it _should_ be, but it's where it likes to run good so I'll live with a little soot.

Best part of the day - shakedown run taking my 5 y.o. around the block and listening to her yell "I LOVE the wind! Go faster!" ;)

Here it is from a show two years ago:

edit - forgot some other important things I fixed today. Took the '73 LeSabre to get an inspection sticker (expired in March, whoops). At the station the wipers won't come up. I saw them move a bit, finally figured out that the stupid new Rain-X wiper blades have that honking big stupid plastic adapter thing making them like 2 inches tall. My wipers park below the hood, and that adapter got stuck on the hood. Blew the fuse. Also, put my high beams on and the right two headlights didn't work at all... the low beam I just had to jiggle the plug, but the high beam was blown.

Last week I had been driving it in the rain for almost a whole week, using the wipers and headlights, and didn't have a single problem. As soon as I pulled into the inspection bay, shit breaks. Poo.

So I got a new fuse and put a smaller wiper on, and bought a new high beam bulb but didn't have a chance to put it in.

DISCUSSION (19)

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 20:10

I cleaned my windows.

A rubber/plastic side guard fell off too.

deekster_caddy > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder
05/17/2014 at 20:11

So you didn't fix anything, you broke something!

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 20:16

I didn't do it, it was gravity!

I wanted to clean my whole car (for the first time in 16 years), but I have no shadow or cool place to do it properly. Also I'm a bit lost on what supplies I need and what order I need to do it in.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 20:16

Replaced a good chunk of my exhaust.

jkm7680 > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 20:17

I didn't really fix much. But I did clean whatever this may be off my headliner.

Kinja'd!!!

deekster_caddy > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder
05/17/2014 at 20:22

Ah - good start, shop vac and a can of basic cleaning wipes for the inside (nothing to harsh), if you have leather get some Mother's or Maguire's leather conditioner to wipe around. Bucket and some car wash soap and a sponge for the exterior. If you want to go crazy take the wheels off and scrub them down good, inside and out. It makes a big difference in the final appearance. Pick up a bag of microfiber towels from someplace cheap (I prefer to throw them out after, if it's really grimy. They can really F up your washing machine if they get really greasy)

To get out of the sun - morning or evening is better, so you aren't in strong staight-down sunlight. Dry the car with a few of those microfiber towels when you are done so it doesn't leave crazy water spots. I never have good luck with chamois (shammy!), I think the microfiber towels do a better job drying.

deekster_caddy > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
05/17/2014 at 20:24

Which parts?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 20:25

Everything behind the cats.

deekster_caddy > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
05/17/2014 at 20:26

Just saw your post, looks sharp!

jariten1781 > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 20:30

Fixed the stripped starter on my weed eater ... Got told by the wife she was sick of watching grass grow up the fence line. I was contemplating just using round up, but was vetoed.

Also took her GTI in for warranty work for the billionth time. That's pseudo fixing.

And fiddled with the TPS on the miata to get the CEL to clear so I can get it inspected.

deekster_caddy > jariten1781
05/17/2014 at 20:50

Interesting about the GTI. Our Passat Wagon had a few warranty fixes, but nothing I'd consider alarming. They had some issues figuring out the body control module when that quit but it was well under warranty (stupid power hatch). Otherwise that car has been rock solid. It's an '08 with almost 100K miles on it and all I've had to do is tires, oil changes and rear brake pads. Just had the intake manifold replaced under a service bulletin too - didn't have to pay for it either. At 90K miles, I was fully expecting to do it myself. Called the dealer on a whim and they said 'yeah, there's a service extension on that specific problem up to 120K miles. Bring it in!'

jariten1781 > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 21:17

Ha! it's in for the intake manifold right now. Developed a serious misfire...common issue with the TSI. Also having the valve cover gasket done again since it's once again seeping.

It's around 50k and off the top of my head: driver window @ 10k, back passenger window@28k, coils @28k, valve cover seepage @18k, stripped bolt on rear seat bottom started rattling @20k, battery @19k, sunroof seal, something electrical unsealed and the car went to limp mode every time it rained (didn't get to look at it since I was on travel, but computers were replaced), injectors around 20k.

Nothing ever went boom or left her stranded, but it's certainly been annoying. Most of it I would have done at home if it had been out of warranty, but I'll probably pawn it off on someone else this fall and avoid death by 1000 German cuts.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 21:58

Didn't really fix something, but I researched what I need to do to fix the problem with the brakes on my van. Fixing shall take place tomorrow.

shop-teacher > deekster_caddy
05/17/2014 at 22:01

I put new tires and wheels on the camping trailer. I don't want any blowouts on the way to the Indy 500 next weekend.

deekster_caddy > jariten1781
05/18/2014 at 07:39

My take on VW so far is that it's either totally solid or a gremlin nightmare. We should get ours back from the body shop on Monday. (somebody pulled out of a driveway into it grrrr)

deekster_caddy > shop-teacher
05/18/2014 at 07:45

Oh man this reminds me of last week - late on a Sunday night my brother called me. He stopped to help somebody with a flat on their motorcycle trailer. The guys had been on the side of the road for 3 hours trying to rig their spare. They had those tiny trailer wheels and tires (10" maybe?) with 4 lugs, and the spare tire they had was 5 lugs. Amazingly they managed with screwdrivers to get the tire swapped over so the spare tire was now on the 4 lug rim, but they couldn't get enough air to seat the bead. They came to my house and we put it on my rim clamp and it was still a mega challenge to get the bead to seat, even with lots of soap and stretching the tire out. Finally got it seated and when I filled it up a hole popped open and started blowing air. He says "Oh, that's probably why there was a tube in it!" - ummm maybe you should have mentioned that?

Pulled the tire back off and patched the hole, filled it properly and sent him on his way (with a strong warning to go slow on that spare! There were a lot of sidewall cracks and such but it was holding)

Trailer flats are really no fun.

shop-teacher > deekster_caddy
05/18/2014 at 12:01

Nice! I posted the old wheels on Craigslist yesterday afternoon, $50 for all four nice 13" wheels and their crappy tires. Looked like I was going to have them sold within a few hours. Of course the dude showed up during dinner, and he brought his trailer to make sure they wheels would fit ... The trailer with 15" wheels! Learn how to read folks!! Let my burger get cold for nothing.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > deekster_caddy
05/19/2014 at 15:03

I replaced one of the driveshafts on our Lada Niva, only to find that the horrible clunking sound is coming from the front diff instead.

Ah well, the driveshaft needed replacing anyway :)

Oh, and is that a TC? If so, we've got one as well :) lovely, lovely car. I really must get it back on the road soon, especially as it no longer has to pass MOT inspection nor pay road tax :)

Kinja'd!!!

deekster_caddy > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
05/19/2014 at 16:31

That's a TF. Beautiful TC though, I love those tall wheels!