|
Quote:
I let mine go after 153k miles of commuting. One of the best cars I've ever owned. V-6 model EX-L 4-dr. Ran great, didn't burn oil at all, but the trans gaskets decided they'd had enough so it left oil all over the driveway. Trans still shifted like new too. |
Quote:
Got mine done too. 2 sheets of polyester resin board instead of the plywood. :p |
Quote:
Ours is a 4cyl EX. It uses about a quart every oil change. It's been that way since we got it at 165K for $200. If I put a real heavy weight oil in, it burns less. 280K, it hasn't caught up with the 2000 Camry v6 that has been parked for nearly 2 years. It has 360K. I am, very slowly, changing the transmission. Shifted fine, but the differential gears were toasted. It would bang going from P to R and R to D sometimes. Once I had it lifted off the ground, I could spin one wheel freely and the other didn't move if the internal diff gears were in a certain orientation. No bueno. |
I have a backlog of bikes to fix.
Young friend (the one who’s shopping for a Forestor) crashed her bike for the second time on the Portland Streetcar tracks. I can’t understand crashing on tracks once, much less twice. They are plainly visible and not moving, after all. I gave her this bike, a 1970s lugged Nishiki touring bike with triple crank and cantilever brakes, that I picked up for $45 at a garage sale, because it is good quality and was in fine condition, then stashed in my garage until someone needed it. She was embarassed and took it to a bike shop to fix after the first crash. When I heard about the second crash, I told her to bring it to me. The damage was trivial - stem misaligned and front fender rubbing. So I fixed those things and gave it a once over, tomorrow I’ll pick up some lights for it and return it to her. My son’s college bike needed fixing. This was his high school bike too. It is a 1986 Peugeot PX with SLX tubes and full Mavic group, quite the racebike in its day. I bought it for $150 from a guy who was happy it was going to someone who would appreciate it, laced NOS MA-40 rimes to the original Mavic hubs and butted spokes, lectured my son about proper locking technique, and it survived four years locked up outside a high school with no theft. Now it is nicely camouflaged by its chipped decals and flaking chrome, but still rides like a performance machine. Adjusted fenders, shifters, lubricated, rims are still true. Later this week I’ll replace the cabling and housing, install new lights, and he’ll come up from college and load it in his station wagon. My daughter’s bike has a flat tire. This was her high school bike, and she never rode it, then her college bike, and she rode it only occasionally. It got a flat tire A YEAR AGO and she never got that fixed. Sigh. She claims to want to ride it now, uh huh. I won’t need to do any tune up - it probably has 10 miles since the last tune, four years ago. And my own bikes have various things that need attention. It never ends. I like working on bikes. Unlike cars and water heaters, I know what I’m doing, have all the tools and supplies, can work standing up in a garage with jazz playing, and nothing takes more than an evening or two. |
Quote:
I also found your post inspiring and can tell you I need to (and intend to) step up my bicycle maintenance endeavours. Thank you and look forward to more of your writings! SmileWavy |
Well for anyone who shakes their head at all the free scores I bring home - today I am making use of two plastic patio-style tables to treat some plywood with preservative. I have some of those portable fold-up saw horses but to be honest - these tables work a whole lot better for this particular application.
One of the tables is rectangular and the other is round. Both have removable legs so can be easily stored when not in use. This plywood is called "Utility" and is very lightweight but perfect for certain applications I have here where strength is not the priority but a barrier is. They should be dry enough to flip over later today and give the other side a coat. This Thompson's product was also free at the local landfill where homeowners drop off household "chemicals" they no longer want/need. I have several cans of it - some from other manufacturers but it all does the same thing. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599582347.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599582347.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599582347.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599582347.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1599582347.JPG |
Some d*ckhead tore off the wife’s driver’s side mirror this weekend. No note, of course. She was upset. Ordered a non-OEM replacement for $30 and will install it. When her audio system failed the shop sent her to a car audio place who said repair required opening up the dash and would cost $1K. Ordered a used amplifier from eBay for $50 and replaced it in 15 minutes, and the amp is under the passenger seat not in the dash. DIY’ing is a PITA but does save money and, more importantly, deprives ripoff artists of opportunity.
|
Quote:
I must have pissed off the lords of luck, or karma. I will never ever brag about a simple repair going just as is is supposed to. Last Friday in the middle of the day the koi pond pump stopped pumping. Usually that is the GFI circuit popping. I looked at the circuit for the sprinkler and koi pond and it was tripped. OK, simple fix, turn it on, and in two seconds it popped. Insert long string of profanity here. :( So I started looking into what happened. Since I put all the stuff in 21 years ago, I have had no below ground issues at all, just the occasional dirty head or mower strike. Bottom line I discovered a nest of ants had gone done the conduit into the ground to munch on the wires. It did not work out for them or me. Of course, finding the exact spot of the issue meant digging carefully in what is now a garden full of flowers and decorative plants. Our "soil" is clay. The top layer is good soil since my master garner wife likes to fill any area that is not yard with flowering plants. Of course the main area I had to dig up was right next to a Russian Sage and the honeybees were all over it. It sure is fun having bees buzzing around as I try t dig. It took me most of yesterday and until 1:00 PM today to get the system back up and running. I installed the sprinkler system 21 years ago, and the back yard was just grass to mow. I had to adapt the system to work with the koi pond, and the wife planted stuff right on top of the system. |
|
My old ('02) Silverado got a leak in one of the transmission cooler lines. I got 2 new lines delivered but in the meantime put a splice in the line where the hole was.
Took a while to determine where the leak was - when that fluid comes out it ends up everywhere underneath! I let the truck sit for a day so everything could dry up, which helped me locate the leak. It was right where one of the plastic holder clips was - which allows moisture to eat away at the metal. Temporary fix....... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600120757.JPG These are the two lines where they attach to the radiator. You can see corrosion on the lines..... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600120757.JPG The new lines came in these huge boxes! :eek: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600120757.JPG |
|
Quote:
|
My son, and I changed the wheel bearings, and brake shoes on our 1988 Kawasaki Mule 1000. It is a 454 twin cylinder UTV with 2WD, but has differential lock, and a tilting bed. We also applied high heat JB Weld to the exhaust pin holes near the flange...much quieter now.
|
|
The plastic line making up the seat in our old patio chairs was deteriorating. I had wondered at my ability to recreate the seats in chord, knowing my skills did not lie in that direction.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600169825.jpg Then I remembered seeing some outdoor furniture which used aluminum strips to support wooden slats. Having just installed steel roofing on the barn, I had lots of steel scraps. Ditto for pine boards lying around in the shop. A few hours later, I have these. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600170137.jpg Three coats of sealer later we should be good to go. Best Les |
|
The toothpaste trick had previously no effect so I went mechanical. This is about halfway through.
I used a virgin Harbor Fright wheel (wet with water first) and some ancient white polishing compound. The stick had dried out and become like chalk, so I scribbled a zigzag area, and spit on it a lot for good luck until it all blended. The red polishing compound is more gritty. Medium speed on the drill because the plastic did heat up fast but I used slow movements. The cotton disk also expanded four times it's width. Maybe I should have soaked the disk. IDK. This method took 4-15 applications to get closer to crystal clear. It was "safe' to use. (read: slow going and ineffective) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600299789.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600299800.jpg I did use 1000 grit 3M wet on the left side to cut the film first, which was faster but that was not magic. (1500 would have been better.) Followed it up with Megiurs "ceramic wax' in the blue bottle....which is not magic either and will leave very obvious lines if not polished off instantly. It does seem to last longer than Carnuba though. The trees rain sap and dust constantly here. The "before" side for comparison. The right side was much worse and had deep splotches of oxidation. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600299817.jpg |
Some temporary rustproofing.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600304141.jpg I originally wanted to spray with Eastwood frame paint or undercoating, but chose the lazy solution while the weather is still warm. I used two cans of Fluid Film (lanolin spray wax probably similar to Waxoyl) from Menards on the important bits and surfaces. -The outside of this tiny car probably needed at least 5 cans. -The company also sells a 180deg 24" spray tube which will feed into frame rails when attached to a wire. I got a bit on the critical exhaust points/bolts. Oops. That was done on purpose. First ran it a few blocks and let it evaporate off while cooling. No fire but I had an extinguisher in the front seat just in case. The Honda Fit is made of tin metal. Lots of crevasses and connections.. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600304162.jpg |
Quote:
|
^^^^^ This. Companies that make car wax, treatments, etc. sell a clear spray for lenses that lasts longer and is UV resistant.
|
Clear coat would definitely last longer.
I just wanted to get done for today and put on something for the interim. (should have bought a lift already) I'm starting to think the Fluid Film could be a better substitute than ArmourAll for plastic engine covers and hoses. Time will tell. It's better than nothing for inside frame rails. Another Pelican mentioned using the product here recently. Asphaltgambler maybe. Apologies for not remembering. |
Trans fluid, varsol, and wax. Heat it up enough to melt the wax, then spray it with a Schutz gun.
Dirt cheap, and it works. |
Pressure washed this area rug. Didn't really use any heavy cleaners - just a little soap and water and pressure. This was my first time using a power washer to clean an area rug.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600475120.JPG |
Love the bamboo!
|
Quote:
========= Corrosion is an issue for me here so I employ various products to assist in mitigation. Lately been using these flex seal aerosols and in this photo to coat the outside housings of these wall washer landscape lights. Probably no different than the 'undercoating' aerosol products - except you can get these in clear and grey colors...... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600519964.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600519964.JPG |
We painted our deck. Ripped out 150+ balusters and replaced then with hog fence. The hog fence and fasteners were less than $150 and went up in about 4 hours. It would have taken days to paint the balusters.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600539145.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600539145.jpg |
I had the great fun of fixing the master bathroom shower valve. It started dripping when it was supposed to be shut off.
It is a Delta single valve mix cartridge. It had been in place fir quite a while so some corrosion inside the body and the plastic cartridge was stuck in place HARD. I just kept wiggling, and it came out. I tried just the funny looking rubber seals with the spring inside, but no luck. So a trip to the plumbing supply for a cartridge. No more dripping. |
Rehabbing an old Kero-sun Omni 105 model kerosene heater. It's not in bad shape at all. Mostly a little surface rust here and there.
Using Ospho and then a scotch brite pad and small brass bristle brush to address the rust and then will touch up with Rustoleum paint. These scotch brite pads are fantastic for stuff like this! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600986646.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600986646.JPG |
Getting my tomatoes and peppers all mulched and ready for the experiment.... How far Into the winter will they produce?
Alpine gardening at a mile high! |
Power washed my boat this morning. It wasn't super dirty fortunately.
Pre-soaked with Purple Power and used my electric Sun Joe washer. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601054216.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601054216.JPG I have a custom boat cover the same sunbrella material as that blue bimini but needs some mending. I should get that done sometime soon as it really helps keep the boat clean. |
Inspired by Asphalt Gambler's thread about replacing his outside security lights with LED versions, I changed out two of my conventional porch lights with their LED counterpart.
Very easy swap - less than 5 minutes per light. Lights came via Amazon. Both of these porch lights, as evident in the photos, were shot anyway. They worked both neither had their glass any more so the bulbs were exposed. These lights were the very basic ones. I like to keep things basic around here. :p http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601159224.JPG |
Oh my.....I just checked out these new porch lights and gracious me - they are nice!
My entry is up a small flight of steps with one 90 degree turn. I have two porch lights at the lower section and two at the upper section. Two of the oval nautical style and two of the "ceiling" style. I only changed the two at the bottom but now that I see the results I will do the top two. Probably unrelated but Tucker, my 14 year old outside cat had "the zoomies" tonight - he was zooming all over the place! We're still muggy and hot during the day but at night things drop a bit and it's really nice out. I love fixin' stuff! :) |
Helped one neighbor put up plastic masking over bookshelves. Took most of the day. Good people.
Tack welded a custom trailer hitch for another neighbor so he can check fitment. It's going to be stronger than any market replacement. I trust his engineering skills over mine. And after a decade of living in the Sanford abode.. Finally made some space in the garage and got the garden tools on the wall. There might be room for the car at the end of it all. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601172615.jpg |
Replaced seals in an excavator hydraulic cylinder today, and did a 50% carb rebuild on an ATV. Float needle was sticking, fuel running out the overflow.
|
Made a fire management basket for the new to me offset smoker.
I saw that Lone Star Grillz made one that was favorably reviewed but they were either too big or too small for my firebox. So, I picked up some donated steel .134" #10 plate and bent and drilled and got set up to do some welding. Well, to do the welding I would need to actually hook up the old stick welder. Had all the material, just never got it done. Oh ya, probably need one of those fancy auto darkening welding helmets. It was on sale, so I am actually saving money, right? Bought some fresh welding rod, wasn't sure how the vintage stuff in my garage would be. Anyway, some photos... https://i.imgur.com/Et6gynd.jpg https://i.imgur.com/PFfX619.jpg Had my son burning up some rod on some scrap too... https://i.imgur.com/RW6kCZQ.jpg |
Repairing the dirty side of a 53 pa-22http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601350005.jpg
|
|
Finally got to the point where I was able to operate my heater. I still have some restoration work left to do but mostly cosmetics at this point.
Takes a while, like more than 24 hours, for the wick to adequately pull up the kerosene. I only put a gallon in it for now. Nice to see the blue flame and when I put the cover on it really starts cranking! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601593127.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601593127.JPG |
I have one, simple and effective!
|
Replaced a water heaterhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601644269.jpg
|
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:26 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2025 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website