My favorite JRitS posts of the week, Vol. 21

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
09/10/2017 at 13:00 • Filed to: justrolledintotheshop, just rolled into the shop, reddit, wrenching

Reddit’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is a veritable cornucopia of the many !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of shop lyfe. You never know what’s gonna roll in. Here’s what caught my eye this week.

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Photo: feralsteph

Just-a-bull suspension

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Bye-bye balls.

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Photo: Loonycolion

For all you guys guessing v-tec, you’re way off. This is a volvo d16

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Photo: noavaliableusername

Genuinely just had a little rattle, ran that way almost 200 hours till the customer decided it would be best to find the source.

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Photo: Makovu

Why do I get the feeling that this is about automatic headlamps? *sigh*

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Photo: extrovertedintrover7

Have we come full circle?

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Photo: Kawazawa

Didn’t even melt the A-pillar trim. Old man was on oxygen and had a tank in the car. Could have been so much worse

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Photo: C3Garage

Replaced the alternator on my regulars Taurus and went on a small test drive. Parked it and was talking to my service manager when the customer comes in and says “I think my car is on fire.” We walk out and sure as shit. I put it out and the alternator was toast. I had a mini heart attack. I looked at all the wires and everything was right.

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Photo: Glowplugfun2018

Nope.

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Photo: jbiciestuff

“Breaker bar”? Well, kinda...

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VIdeo: Cronin1011

Play time!

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Photo: foxymomo1156

This was a ‘permanent’ repair. It’s in the shop for unrelated issues.

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Photo: MoldyMilkMan

(Kinja crop tool met its match on this one, but I prevailed anyway.)

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Photo: Jeheh

So apparently this is a thing. Good to know!

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Photo: Practical-Bacon

The timing gear had danced halfway off the crank nose, any more driving and the valves would have kissed the pistons.

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Photo: Makemusic69

Subarust

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Photo: Corolla801

The jokes just write themselves...

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Photo: mtsc831

Y’know, just in case.

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Photo: solo6411

DisTURBing

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Photo: hornyzucchini

Never worry about dirty filters again!

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Photo: Dan0Steel

Obligatory tire post

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Photo: Tritonv8guy

Obligatory brake post

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DISCUSSION (21)

sony1492 > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 14:52

I would shit myself if I changed my oil and that’s what I saw

jimz > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 16:02

$10 says those half-step mm impact sockets are for removing swollen two-piece lug nuts.

Urambo Tauro > jimz
09/10/2017 at 16:25

That’s gotta be it.

But I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if there were other half-sizes out there, too. Every once in a while I do come across a bolt that makes me use that oddball 5.5mm socket.

shop-teacher > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 19:42

I feel like I use 5.5 way more than 5 or 6.

Urambo Tauro > shop-teacher
09/10/2017 at 19:57

Come to think of it, I’m not sure if I’ve ever even used my 6mm! A few 5s here, a few 5.5s there, some 7s, mostly 8s and 10s. But I digress... I just think it’s weird that the 5.5 size even exists. Makes me wonder how that came to be. Like somewhere along the line, somebody must have consciously decided not to use fasteners with 5mm or 6mm heads, and went out of their way to invent an intermediate size without going SAE. I dunno how true that is, but I guess it had to start somewhere.

shop-teacher > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 19:58

I’m totally going to have to do the CD player thing for my father-in-law. He peseverates constantly over the fact that most new cars don’t come with CD players. Never mind that his 6-year old 50k mile Equinox could easily last him long enough to never need to buy another vehicle.

shop-teacher > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 20:04

I imagine it starting with some engineer’s inane calculations somehow.

MM54 > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 20:15

The steering shaft on my crown vic looked like that one when I got it (though the PO had some cardboard or something wedged in it so it wasn’t noticeably bad until driving it home...)

Urambo Tauro > MM54
09/10/2017 at 20:19

Card... board...
Oh geez.

MM54 > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 20:26

It was really hard to stay in the lane on the highway

BJ > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 20:46

I spent nearly 5 minutes just staring at that connecting rod. I dunno why. I’m just... flabbergasted?

Urambo Tauro > BJ
09/10/2017 at 21:01

Me too.

OP still hasn’t shared what engine this came from, but I saw some good theories in the Reddit comments about the damage. Like maybe it cracked along an oil passage, perhaps due to hydraulic lock, or a material/manufacturing defect... Who knows.

EngineerWithTools > shop-teacher
09/10/2017 at 21:22

Hey now!

Kidding. I wonder if they came about because of wrench clearance standards, started with a 6mm but on review didn’t meet a standard, and dot enough schedule to change the fastener itself, so head was shrunk juuust enough. (Ok so it’s not from Ford or Audi. Clearance standards! Ha!)

shop-teacher > EngineerWithTools
09/10/2017 at 21:24

You resemble that! ;)

That could very well be, and whatever size shank is on a 5mm was calculated to be not strong enough. Next thing you know, old Jed’s a millionaire.

EngineerWithTools > shop-teacher
09/10/2017 at 21:28

And Bob’s your uncle! Or something like that.

I’ve seen stuff more weird come from “good” engineers.

shop-teacher > EngineerWithTools
09/10/2017 at 21:29

Right!

Yeah, there’s some interesting stuff to come from your compatriots.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
09/10/2017 at 22:33

Automotive engineers operate on a level I just can’t get on. I’m an engineer and if I need to spec something in finer than 1/8" steps I usually decide I’ve made it too complicated and go back to the drawing board.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Urambo Tauro
09/10/2017 at 22:35

The comments in the CD thread that sidebar into Chevy real people ads are great. Also the burnt Taurus - customer wasn’t even mad because he hated that car -my sides!

shop-teacher > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
09/10/2017 at 22:55

That makes sense.

shop-teacher > MM54
09/10/2017 at 23:38

Wow. That’s a seriously dick move by the PO.

BJ > Urambo Tauro
09/11/2017 at 12:45

The post mentioned that the engine ran for another 200 hours , so that suggests a diesel in a tractor or commercial vehicle.

The oil passage theory makes sense, looks there is an opening there.