Car D.I.Y.

[DaveReading]

I can see why my father (who was a really good car/bus/truck fitter) stopped doing his car's in his 50's (and my car) and went building planes for British Aerospace - it's not fun getting out from under a car (with my back).

Haha.

Trust me, some of maintenance tasks that aircraft designers leave for the poor airline mechanic fall into the same category: "WTF were they thinking?"

I can still remember several tasks from my time in the industry that only selected individuals would ever be asked to do, because they were flexible enough/had long arms/small hands/etc.

 

[fossyant]

Crack the nut before compressing the spring, so not remove it completely of course until the spring is compressed.

He'd removed stuff before cracking it Anyway the impact gun sorted it.

 

[fossyant]

All this talk of MoTs reminds me of a tip I heard years ago.

MoT an older car in June, even if it means losing a few months of the previous one.

If you need to get out and get under, you can at least do it in the better weather.

Mine has been January since new ! Brrrrr.
Now MrsF's is November (covid extension) Grrrr

 

[Pale Rider]

Mine has been January since new ! Brrrrr.
Now MrsF's is November (covid extension) Grrrr

In a fine example of 'do as I say, not as I do', mine is due next month.

However, the only person who will be getting cold, wet, and miserable, is the mechanic I will pay to fix it.

 

[gbb]

Haha.

Trust me, some of maintenance tasks that aircraft designers leave for the poor airline mechanic fall into the same category: "WTF were they thinking?"

I can still remember several tasks from my time in the industry that only selected individuals would ever be asked to do, because they were flexible enough/had long arms/small hands/etc.

When i talked to my dad, former airframe fitter in the RAF, i asked if he ever worked on fighters etc (he joined up when there were still a good few Spits, Mosqitoes etc around, but i suppose the same applies to modern aircraft)...noooooo he replied, give me Bomber Command any day, bloody fighters were so difficult to work on, even getting your hands in inspection plates was near impossible, you had to do everything by feel.

 

[fossyant]

When i talked to my dad, former airframe fitter in the RAF, i asked if he ever worked on fighters etc (he joined up when there were still a good few Spits, Mosqitoes etc around, but i suppose the same applies to modern aircraft)...noooooo he replied, give me Bomber Command any day, bloody fighters were so difficult to work on, even getting your hands in inspection plates was near impossible, you had to do everything by feel.

There is something to be said for old landrovers ! Space to work.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I need to fit some front shock adsorbers to my Mazda 2 as they are shot. I'm tempted to replace the springs too, as it's 9 years old. There's such an array of cheap shock adsorbers that I have never heard of that I have a feeling that they're maybe sh1te. The only cheap brand I've heard of are QH. I can't find any information on them really, just they were taken over and probably cheap tat. I think common sense probably dictates spending almost double for KYB or Sachs. It doesn't look like that hard a job if the fasteners come off. It has pinch bolts on the lower part so the hub or whatever doesn't need to come off, like I've done on older cars years ago. I don't enjoy working on cars as much as I did when I was young, so I think spending more on better components is probably a wise choice.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

If you have time Plusgas everything for a few days before

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

If you have time Plusgas everything for a few days before

Yes I agree thanks I'll do that. It needs a CV joint replaced. I tried the other day, but could not shift the 32mm hub nut. I used to have a bit of scaffolding tube, but it's been lost in a house move. The breaker bar just would not budge it. I've toyed with the idea of getting a Dewalt Impact Driver/Wrench as I have batteries for my drill. The body of a decent one is £160, plus impact sockets. I'm tempted to just pay somebody as I'll hardy use it. Handy tool to have for suspension, but I'm getting too old and I really don't know what I'd use it for. I can't see replacing the dampers needing one hopefully..

 

[Deleted member 26715]

It was a good day on the kitcar, I'd started the wiring got the sidelights, brake, fog & headlights working but was struggling with the indicators/hazards & the reverse. So with daylight & not working under a handheld floodlight started checking the fuses, all good but not getting power to the switch, so followed the harness only to find it went nowhere, but in daylight it was obvious where it needed to go, connected them together & now they worked. Similarly I'd missed a connector on the reverse, a bloody great big one that has 25 pins with only 12 being used, only to find that the reverse doesn't go through it.

Next was to see if it would start, after a few attempts of nothing, brake cleaner down the throttle body had it starting but not running. Checked the fuel pipes to find I'd got them the wrong way around but still wouldn't run, didn't realise that unless the MAF was actually having air drawn over it it wouldn't work & would stop the engine running, connected the pipe & it runs lovely.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Yes I agree thanks I'll do that. It needs a CV joint replaced. I tried the other day, but could not shift the 32mm hub nut. I used to have a bit of scaffolding tube, but it's been lost in a house move. The breaker bar just would not budge it. I've toyed with the idea of getting a Dewalt Impact Driver/Wrench as I have batteries for my drill. The body of a decent one is £160, plus impact sockets. I'm tempted to just pay somebody as I'll hardy use it. Handy tool to have for suspension, but I'm getting too old and I really don't know what I'd use it for. I can't see replacing the dampers needing one hopefully..

If it's the 18V one they are very good we have one, one you have it you'll be surprised how often you use it.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

If it's the 18V one they are very good we have one, one you have it you'll be surprised how often you use it.

Yes it's 18V. I think I'll bite the bullet. Thanks for the advice

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Yes it's 18V. I think I'll bite the bullet. Thanks for the advice

I think this is the one we have, https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d...r-brushless-cordless-impact-wrench-bare/4660j will do most stuff, unless my lads mate has used his Milwaukee before on it, but that was £400+ I think.

 

[fossyant]

We got this:-

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/kielder-kwt-002-12-drive-18v-brushless-impact-/

 

[fossyant]

Son's car passed MOT yesterday. Took it to the garage that does the MOT's for the company he's just started working for. Had to wait a bit as they squeezed him in. Didn't do a full test as they just inspected our work. Must have done a proper job as it was all fine. Can't believe someone bodged it to get through the MOT before we bought it.