Your spannering success stories
Discussion
The keeping going thread gave me all the feels. Lots of us up against it with basic tools, hoping for a breakthrough. Rusty fixngs, inaccessible parts, last minute runs to ECP, it's all there. How about those sweet moments when you work something out, and get your banger purring again? That little bit of insight or knowledge that took you right to the heart of a tricky problem?
Anyone for a sudden high idle on my daughter's ancient Toyota? Yaris Hilton went from 700 to 1100. Checked all the vacuum hoses, all good there. Next stop the throttle body, nothing obvious, so I took off the idle control valve, split it apart & found it just gunked up enough to stop it from opening & closing smoothly. A quick clean up with Isopropyl & it's back to normal. 30 minutes on the tools & no new parts. My favourite kind of job.
Anyone for a sudden high idle on my daughter's ancient Toyota? Yaris Hilton went from 700 to 1100. Checked all the vacuum hoses, all good there. Next stop the throttle body, nothing obvious, so I took off the idle control valve, split it apart & found it just gunked up enough to stop it from opening & closing smoothly. A quick clean up with Isopropyl & it's back to normal. 30 minutes on the tools & no new parts. My favourite kind of job.
I spent 2 years keeping an eye on ebay for a replacement for the gradually corroding tailgate on our elderly Lexus Sportcross. I finally found one not only in the right colour, but with zero corrosion ( which is unheard of on these ), with all ancillaries still attached for £60. The rear wiper motor alone is £400 new. And I'd already rebuilt the original one ( which was another win, as I thought it was mullered ). The seller had even gone to the trouble of dropping the headlining and disconnecting the plugs for the wiring instead of just cutting them.
A mate with a car transporter picked it up for me the next day on his way back through Sheffield from the south on his way back to Newcastle and I gave him £20 for that. I put half a day aside to swap the tailgate over, in the event it took 40 minutes and everything attached to the new one worked. Absolute result, given that I saw another tailgate on ebay last week for £475.
A mate with a car transporter picked it up for me the next day on his way back through Sheffield from the south on his way back to Newcastle and I gave him £20 for that. I put half a day aside to swap the tailgate over, in the event it took 40 minutes and everything attached to the new one worked. Absolute result, given that I saw another tailgate on ebay last week for £475.
Had an increasingly rough cold start idle on the 640d, ran fine the rest of the time. Found a cylinder 1 glow plug error code, replaced the plug, no difference, new battery sorted out a few of the random codes, still rough, still getting worse. Figured that nearly 100k might be enough to make the engine mounts do odd things that settled down when it warmed up. Changed the mounts, still getting worse.
Everything online is now pointing to fuel injectors, so booked it in for near 500 quid's worth of getting them tested. Finally got a rough running code on cylinder 1, so I went and actually looked at the fuel injectors. Weird that while all the others I can see are clean, number 1 is surrounded by gunk and what looks a bit like liquid. Five quid washer from BMW, 15 minute swap, everything comes out easy because of all the lubrication from the leaking diesel. Sorted. Saved 495 quid by actually looking at things instead of relying on error codes and Google.
Few things better than figuring out a problem and making a broken car into a working one again. Eventually.
Everything online is now pointing to fuel injectors, so booked it in for near 500 quid's worth of getting them tested. Finally got a rough running code on cylinder 1, so I went and actually looked at the fuel injectors. Weird that while all the others I can see are clean, number 1 is surrounded by gunk and what looks a bit like liquid. Five quid washer from BMW, 15 minute swap, everything comes out easy because of all the lubrication from the leaking diesel. Sorted. Saved 495 quid by actually looking at things instead of relying on error codes and Google.
Few things better than figuring out a problem and making a broken car into a working one again. Eventually.
Years ago the suspension on my Audi A6 needed replacing. I decided to do a full arm kit replacement.
Enter the Audi pinch bolt stage left, closely followed by the tappered ball joints. Much plus gas, blow torches, effing and jeffing, plus using an angle grinder to modify a ball joint separator because the Audi one cost a fortune and I got there in the end.
Also using spring compressors and releasing the top nut of the shock was some proper squeaky bum time.
Got there in the end though.
Enter the Audi pinch bolt stage left, closely followed by the tappered ball joints. Much plus gas, blow torches, effing and jeffing, plus using an angle grinder to modify a ball joint separator because the Audi one cost a fortune and I got there in the end.
Also using spring compressors and releasing the top nut of the shock was some proper squeaky bum time.
Got there in the end though.
Not an amazing success, but my biggest achievement is changing the clutch on the Mrs's Astra.
Once I had the driveshafts out and diff drained I felt a bit out of my depth, and the low point was trying to bench press the gearbox back into position (I did need an assistant to help manoeuvre it home while I took the weigh from underneath).
It's given me confidence to take in bigger jobs and I love being elbow deep in oily bits.
Once I had the driveshafts out and diff drained I felt a bit out of my depth, and the low point was trying to bench press the gearbox back into position (I did need an assistant to help manoeuvre it home while I took the weigh from underneath).
It's given me confidence to take in bigger jobs and I love being elbow deep in oily bits.
E63eeeeee... said:
Everything online is now pointing to fuel injectors, so booked it in for near 500 quid's worth of getting them tested. Finally got a rough running code on cylinder 1, so I went and actually looked at the fuel injectors. Weird that while all the others I can see are clean, number 1 is surrounded by gunk and what looks a bit like liquid. Five quid washer from BMW, 15 minute swap, everything comes out easy because of all the lubrication from the leaking diesel. Sorted..
See I love that. Taking the time to stop & think, actually have a look & kick on from there. That's how it should be done.julianm said:
Managed to remove both lateral link bolts from rear suspension on my Forester. Lots of cutting, air hammering & a little bit of cussing!
Brother, I'm traumatised by that picture.I need to replace the bushings in the lateral arms (F+R both sides) on my Impreza. As such, both of those long bolts need removing along with the arms themselves, bushes burned out and replaced with either Poly or factory. I can't seem to find any OEM / standard lateral arms with bushes for newage Imprezas, only for models 92-00.
I'm going to buy a complete new bolt kit anyway. I expect soaking in WD40 / Plusgas / antiseptic cream will only serve as a placebo for me and not really help removal?. It's an 04 WRX.
Any tips would be most appreciated.
Not the most technically complicated or mechanical job I've done but the most rewarding was rectifying the damage from when Mrs D was minding her own business and a bollard ran into the side of my car...
She took it straight to the local bodywork specialist of renown, who wanted £3k, plus new parts from Lexus, and a 2 month lead time.
I went on eBay, found that a car breaker had the door and cill protector for my car, in the right colour. Bought it that afternoon, picked it up that evening, fixed the car the following weekend including heating and reforming a piece of trim that I couldn't source.
Total cost approx £400. By luck, a totter was coming by and took the old door off my hands thus saving me disposal.
The colour match is 95%. However Mrs D will be using the saved cash to take us on holiday.
She took it straight to the local bodywork specialist of renown, who wanted £3k, plus new parts from Lexus, and a 2 month lead time.
I went on eBay, found that a car breaker had the door and cill protector for my car, in the right colour. Bought it that afternoon, picked it up that evening, fixed the car the following weekend including heating and reforming a piece of trim that I couldn't source.
Total cost approx £400. By luck, a totter was coming by and took the old door off my hands thus saving me disposal.
The colour match is 95%. However Mrs D will be using the saved cash to take us on holiday.
Hello Texaxile - well I hope you do OK - I'm no expert but a 72 yr old `on my back in the dirt ` mechanic & it took me most of a day but managed.
Here are a couple of videos to help - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7rYxh0XWuA&t=... - actually manges to shift the bolt!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUgjxEMxmL8&t=... - cuts it which was my method. Shove a bit of wood up near the ABS sensor to protect it.
The Bosch blades for a recip saw from Screwfix were very good & lasted for 3 of the cuts!
I do have an ancient air hammer which finally shifted the long bolt when it had been cut. You might manage with a fairly heavy DIY drill set to hammer, but a 3lb lump hammer & big punch wouldn't shift it. I used a hot air gun on max with the nose touching the bolt housings to get it hot which maybe helped - heat until it's smoking a lot!
I tried loads of ATF/thinners mix to penetrate prior to starting but to be honest it only did any good when things were shifting a bit.
I got the rubber bushes out with a hole saw - 30mm I think used without the pilot drill in place. Big bolt & washers & fairy liquid to pull the new bushes in!
I've since had it all apart after a few months due to a wheel bearing & it was a doddle as I put about 1/2lb of `Alumslip` on all the bush centres, the bolts & filled that cavity on the knuckle with it!
Very best of luck with it!
Here are a couple of videos to help - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7rYxh0XWuA&t=... - actually manges to shift the bolt!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUgjxEMxmL8&t=... - cuts it which was my method. Shove a bit of wood up near the ABS sensor to protect it.
The Bosch blades for a recip saw from Screwfix were very good & lasted for 3 of the cuts!
I do have an ancient air hammer which finally shifted the long bolt when it had been cut. You might manage with a fairly heavy DIY drill set to hammer, but a 3lb lump hammer & big punch wouldn't shift it. I used a hot air gun on max with the nose touching the bolt housings to get it hot which maybe helped - heat until it's smoking a lot!
I tried loads of ATF/thinners mix to penetrate prior to starting but to be honest it only did any good when things were shifting a bit.
I got the rubber bushes out with a hole saw - 30mm I think used without the pilot drill in place. Big bolt & washers & fairy liquid to pull the new bushes in!
I've since had it all apart after a few months due to a wheel bearing & it was a doddle as I put about 1/2lb of `Alumslip` on all the bush centres, the bolts & filled that cavity on the knuckle with it!
Very best of luck with it!
Edited by julianm on Sunday 29th October 15:49
Nice thread, I have a few, but perhaps my favourite is this one:
I was in between cars, and was borrowing my Mum's Peugeot 306, a nice little car, basic but I liked it.
In that time, I took it for an MOT, it failed on emissions due to HG failure (oil in coolant), and one tyre. I checked online, bought a HG kit for ~ £60, and did the work myself. It passed with perfect emissions, and kept me otr until I bought a new car.
It was a nice car to work on.
I was in between cars, and was borrowing my Mum's Peugeot 306, a nice little car, basic but I liked it.
In that time, I took it for an MOT, it failed on emissions due to HG failure (oil in coolant), and one tyre. I checked online, bought a HG kit for ~ £60, and did the work myself. It passed with perfect emissions, and kept me otr until I bought a new car.
It was a nice car to work on.
texaxile said:
julianm said:
Managed to remove both lateral link bolts from rear suspension on my Forester. Lots of cutting, air hammering & a little bit of cussing!
Brother, I'm traumatised by that picture.I need to replace the bushings in the lateral arms (F+R both sides) on my Impreza. As such, both of those long bolts need removing along with the arms themselves, bushes burned out and replaced with either Poly or factory. I can't seem to find any OEM / standard lateral arms with bushes for newage Imprezas, only for models 92-00.
I'm going to buy a complete new bolt kit anyway. I expect soaking in WD40 / Plusgas / antiseptic cream will only serve as a placebo for me and not really help removal?. It's an 04 WRX.
Any tips would be most appreciated.
Sorted the notorious VAG pinch bolts with the cheapest vortex one (amazon have them) and a can of mapp gas.
Having a large, heavy weight to hold on the opposite side of where you’re hitting to add inertia to the upright will make your effort way more efficient. It helps stop the rubber bushes from absorbing the impact.
A large sledgehammer held in place, will do; it just needs holding against the solid portions of what you’re wanting to drive the bolt through, opposite where you’re hitting the bolt.
50/50 Old brake fluid and acetone is my go to for a penetrant. Regular applications over a week or so will make you feel like you’ve given it the best chance, if nothing else.
I've read a lot about the acetone/ATF mix & was surprised as the two are only partly miscible - it separates out on standing.
I finally found a very old comment/post somewhere on an engineering forum that the `original blend` was trichloroethane & ATF.
That makes a lot more sense as they mix perfectly. Unfortunately, trichlor is pretty much unobtainable now due to nasty effects - see wiki.
I've found either straight cellulose thinners or gunwash blend perfectly with ATF & are both of a low viscosity to help with creep of the ATF into the tiniest of gaps.
Some of this in a lab type wash bottle is always to hand & makes those rusty bolts a little easier, especially if you can just crack the existing bond by just a degree of turn. Just about everything goes back with a healthy dose of antiseize.
I did think of phoning up Subaru & telling them that `antiseize` was a thing & they could pop a smear on those stupid deigns they came up with to save the world's knuckles.
I finally found a very old comment/post somewhere on an engineering forum that the `original blend` was trichloroethane & ATF.
That makes a lot more sense as they mix perfectly. Unfortunately, trichlor is pretty much unobtainable now due to nasty effects - see wiki.
I've found either straight cellulose thinners or gunwash blend perfectly with ATF & are both of a low viscosity to help with creep of the ATF into the tiniest of gaps.
Some of this in a lab type wash bottle is always to hand & makes those rusty bolts a little easier, especially if you can just crack the existing bond by just a degree of turn. Just about everything goes back with a healthy dose of antiseize.
I did think of phoning up Subaru & telling them that `antiseize` was a thing & they could pop a smear on those stupid deigns they came up with to save the world's knuckles.
julianm said:
Some of this in a lab type wash bottle is always to hand & makes those rusty bolts a little easier, especially if you can just crack the existing bond by just a degree of turn.
I bought a load of them as I assumed the penetrant would quickly destroy the syringe seal but it seems to last well enough that I throw them away before I noticed any issues and have at times had one in use for weeks. Needles go into my razor blade bank but I bet there are other easy safe ways to get rid of them.
I remember Plus Gas very well! It used to come in these cans which were tall & thin & had the spout on.
When they were inevitably knocked over exacly half the contents spilled onto the floor!
Mates used to claim it was just expensive way to buy diesel - it did seem to help a bit though.
Seems the empty can is now worth £25 ........
When they were inevitably knocked over exacly half the contents spilled onto the floor!
Mates used to claim it was just expensive way to buy diesel - it did seem to help a bit though.
Seems the empty can is now worth £25 ........
Well it appears I’ll have a challenge on my hands. I’ll take on board all the suggestions, plus will very carefully apply the blowtorch to the relevant areas when the time comes. Just for good measure I’ll grab some spare cutting discs.
I like the idea of using a mix of thinners as well, it makes sense.
I like the idea of using a mix of thinners as well, it makes sense.
I must have dozens of these stories. I'll recount them when they grace my addled memory but the most recent one would be...
I recently acquired a ropey old camper converted LWB sprinter. The interior is kitted out well with hot/cold water, a diesel heater, oven/hob full bathroom fold out and drive away awnings and it sleeps three. Unfortunately it looks like it was pulled out a lake but I can weld and bought a metric s
t tonne of white paint so it's a rolling resto.
I bought it for pennies, it goes like stink and only failed MOT of a front ball joint. Not bad for 180k miles and it has virtually no mod' con's except power steering.
The problem started when I discovered a slight leak from one of the steering rack bellows so I bought some 'stop leak' and duly added it to the reservoir. Unfortunately, the additive was thicker than normal power steering fluid and the internal ram seal expired under duress and emptied the contents of the rack on my driveway.
This was the Sunday and I needed the van to drive to Inverness on the Thursday.
Haynes book of lies told me it was a simple job and could be done in a shift so set about finding a replacement online. New ones were the majority of the sum I bought the van for so started looking for a s/h one.
As luck would have it, a very nice chap in Essex had a reconditioned one in his shed that he'd bought but never fitted and had advertised it for sale 10 months ago. When I messaged him he said that he'd literally just put it in a pile to go to the tip so he agreed to ship it overnight for a very reasonable sum.
It arrived a little late but in the meantime I set about removing the old one.
I followed the instruction but in no way was it coming out even after seeking on-line help and had to resort to removing the track rods after borrowing a 'special' tool.
I lined the new one up as best I could and remarkably after all the trouble I had removing the old one, the new one slotted in within 5 minutes.
Took a good few hours to bolt it all up but it's worked a treat.
Didn't make it to Inverness though. Had to hire a car.
I recently acquired a ropey old camper converted LWB sprinter. The interior is kitted out well with hot/cold water, a diesel heater, oven/hob full bathroom fold out and drive away awnings and it sleeps three. Unfortunately it looks like it was pulled out a lake but I can weld and bought a metric s
t tonne of white paint so it's a rolling resto.I bought it for pennies, it goes like stink and only failed MOT of a front ball joint. Not bad for 180k miles and it has virtually no mod' con's except power steering.
The problem started when I discovered a slight leak from one of the steering rack bellows so I bought some 'stop leak' and duly added it to the reservoir. Unfortunately, the additive was thicker than normal power steering fluid and the internal ram seal expired under duress and emptied the contents of the rack on my driveway.
This was the Sunday and I needed the van to drive to Inverness on the Thursday.
Haynes book of lies told me it was a simple job and could be done in a shift so set about finding a replacement online. New ones were the majority of the sum I bought the van for so started looking for a s/h one.
As luck would have it, a very nice chap in Essex had a reconditioned one in his shed that he'd bought but never fitted and had advertised it for sale 10 months ago. When I messaged him he said that he'd literally just put it in a pile to go to the tip so he agreed to ship it overnight for a very reasonable sum.
It arrived a little late but in the meantime I set about removing the old one.
I followed the instruction but in no way was it coming out even after seeking on-line help and had to resort to removing the track rods after borrowing a 'special' tool.
I lined the new one up as best I could and remarkably after all the trouble I had removing the old one, the new one slotted in within 5 minutes.
Took a good few hours to bolt it all up but it's worked a treat.
Didn't make it to Inverness though. Had to hire a car.
President Merkin said:
The keeping going thread gave me all the feels. Lots of us up against it with basic tools, hoping for a breakthrough. Rusty fixngs, inaccessible parts, last minute runs to ECP, it's all there. How about those sweet moments when you work something out, and get your banger purring again? That little bit of insight or knowledge that took you right to the heart of a tricky problem?
Anyone for a sudden high idle on my daughter's ancient Toyota? Yaris Hilton went from 700 to 1100. Checked all the vacuum hoses, all good there. Next stop the throttle body, nothing obvious, so I took off the idle control valve, split it apart & found it just gunked up enough to stop it from opening & closing smoothly. A quick clean up with Isopropyl & it's back to normal. 30 minutes on the tools & no new parts. My favourite kind of job.
I've just done exactly the same on my daughter's recently acquired Yaris! Very satisfying to hear it start up and then the idle speed to rapidly drop to normal. Also good because i had been pricing up a replacement and it was coming in at around £400.Anyone for a sudden high idle on my daughter's ancient Toyota? Yaris Hilton went from 700 to 1100. Checked all the vacuum hoses, all good there. Next stop the throttle body, nothing obvious, so I took off the idle control valve, split it apart & found it just gunked up enough to stop it from opening & closing smoothly. A quick clean up with Isopropyl & it's back to normal. 30 minutes on the tools & no new parts. My favourite kind of job.
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