Continuing Thread: What Are You Fix-It'ing Today?

[HobieMarty]

We have a Glacier Bay kitchen faucet with the pull out sprayer and I just replaced the cartridge in it as we discovered a few weeks ago that it had been leaking under the cabinet. We put some plastic tubs in the cabinet to try and see exactly what was leaking under there, dishwasher drain, sink drain..etc. We discovered rhrough trial and error that the sprayer was leaking but only when the cold side was turned on and the water was leaking back down the lines into the cabinet. I took the handle off to access the cartridge and discovered that the cartridge had a crack in it. Went to Home Depot and got a new one for 11 bucks, installed and all good, no more leaks. Yay, that was last weekend. Lol.

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[HobieMarty]

So, we have a 2006 Nissan Quest van that has had an oil leak for several years now. I replaced the gasket in the rear valve cover about 2 years ago thinking that was where the leak was coming from but it didn't fix the leak and after messing with it then, the leak got worse. The van isn't used much so I just kept throwing oil in it when it was low until I could eventually get to it. Well, this weekend was time to "get to it". I ordered both valve covers front and rear which came with new spark plug seals and gaskets already installed, and the pcv valve already installed, came with new bolts and a new oil filler cap as well. Good thing I got the whole valve cover because I found that both the old covers had been leaking around the spark plug seals and those seals are not replaceable. They are a rubber seal that has a metal ring inside. The front cover was easy to replace but of course the rear was a bit challenging but I've done this before so it wasn't too bad. You have to remove the outer and inner cowling, windshield wipers and motor, a few other things and then remove the intake manifold and then you can access the rear valve cover. So I replaced both covers but haven't put the intake back on yet as I am waiting on a new pcv blow by hose to arrive. I also have a new "O" ring for the oil cooler as this is also a common leaky spot and I have a new serpentine belt and power steering belt to install, change the oil and filter and air filter and hope the oil leak is finally fixed.
I have to admit, I was the cause of the oil leak. Apparently when I installed the gasket in the rear cover all those years ago, it slipped to the inside and I didn't see that it wasn't seated so this thing has been leaking like a sieve!!! Well, ya live and learn.
Here are pics of my progress, pics of the gasket that slipped out, and pics of all the stuff I have yet to install!!!

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[john70t]

Probably a bad choice but I chose Form over Function.

The spout was 4.5" from center and I would have preferred 6-10" with a more solid base.
None of the single-hole faucets were designed with a very solid base...with 3-hole plate or single.

Still, this "open water feature" is very FLW/Nippon/Roman/Medieval/mountain stream feeling.

I'll try to live with it for now and see it's a problem later. Something new. Or very old in concept.



Go for parts. Again. Stupid me never checks.
It was $27 for two nice braided lines at the local hardware store. Yikes. Ho Lee transitory..

The down-pipes interfered with the top drawer closing.
Running hot water through it, and a slow push from the end, made the copper line bend without kinking or breaking.



Here is the failed Faucet that leaked but still seriously good quality.

All faucets are different...and given the huge amount of calcium build-up inside the spout...worn out o-ring for the spout...I was seriously impressed with the Grohe quality.
(I received it in a box with documentation, new cartridge, and it looked brand new to my eyes.)

I will contact the company and see if replacement hardware is still available.





My personal plumbing god is Loki The MF'er. It all seems to go so easy and then WHAM! After enough back/shoulder pain blood and tears has been shed, hardware dropped repeatedly, tools left where they shouldn't be, time wasted driving for small items needed for the job, he finally rewards me with something acceptable.

[herr_oberst]

I wasn't paying close attention to the headset on my winter bike, it loosened up a little and then the carbon fiber steerer tube developed a groove where it was rocking back and forth into the (sealed) bearing housing. S#it. This really sucks. I can't snug it up anymore and a new fork can be many multiples of what I want to spend on this bike. Maybe JB Weld to the rescue?
Blue tape applied to help contain the mess and reduce the sanding.


After the epoxy dried, I removed the tape.


I then reapplied fresh tape to either side of the patch; I'm going to sand the tape all the way down to the c/f tube and no further in an effort to keep the tube concentric with no flat spots.
I started with 180 grit self stick paper attached to a new paint stick.


I'm down to 400 grit here, and I'll final polish it with some 1000 grit.


This groove was only the thickness of a piece of paper or two, but it caused the fork to rock a little no matter how carefully I adjusted the bearings. No bueno for any bike, scary on a plastic bike.
I'm very pleased with the results. I can't feel any groove with my thumbnail and since most of the force on a headset is at the fork crown where the steerer meets the blades, I think this should work out OK. Time will tell, but the bike is back together and the headset is snug but the bars turn smoothly.

[jyl]

That’s pretty slick! CF steerers are scary to me.

[jyl]

Garbage disposal wasn’t draining. Other side of the sink was fine. Tried vinegar, salt, boiling water, plunger. Did someone put pits or eggshells or bones down it? I only put the disposal in 5 or so years ago, but ok went and bought a new one, installed it. Looked at the old one - there is shredded fabric inside. Someone put a f—king towel down the disposal!? Will mention this to the housecleaner.

By the way, the new disposals are the size of Fat Boy and promise thermonuclear levels of power. I didn’t want to hire a lift just to install a disposal, so chose a standard 1/2 HP Badger.

[herr_oberst]

Can you clean out the dishtowel and have a spare gd?

[jyl]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Can you clean out the dishtowel and have a spare gd?

I'd have to completely disassemble the GD, and then I'd just added to my pile of near-junk . . . have to suppress the hoarding instinct.

[john70t]

There should be a hex-key at the bottom in the center of motor underneath, to manually turn it when it "hummmms" instead..
Something is stopping the motor.

Long needle nose pliers will help pull out the offending objects.
Take your time.
Put blue tape over the switch in the meantime.

Always use a basket strainer.

In this case, you may have to drop the "P-Trap" of the drain loop and clean that local part out. Bucket underneath Two rings to unscrew. Easy.
The down pipe after that may need to be snaked as well.
You might need roto-rooter or other to inspect and carefully clear it to the street.

[GH85Carrera]

Car batteries are fun!

I opened the trunk on my 85 911 the other day and noticed the trunk light was not working. It had been three weeks since I last drove it, so I plugged in the maintainer, and drove it the next day with no issues. The battery was an Interstate MT5-49/H8 with a 30 month warranty. I installed it in May of 2016, so well past the warranty date. I will be driving in HOT weather and that is hard on batteries. So I replaced it with the new version, the MTX-49/H8 36 month warranty. The same 900 Amps of cold cranking amps, 95 amp hr capacity. It is a challenge to get it out and the new one back in place, but just simple mechanical work.

My wife has a 2017 Macan, and it still had the OEM battery. It is all computerized and a space ship compared to the 85 911. I had to plug in my Autel MaxiCheck MX808 OBD2 tool to check the battery level and it was at 11.4 volts and the computer reported it at 57% of life. OK, time to proactively replace it as well to avoid it dying at a very inopportune times.

It uses the exact same battery, but a bit more involved installation. Remove the cargo floor that just lifts out easily, remove the factory subwoofer with two Torx screws, unplug he electrical connection, the remove the space saver spare tire. Open a little compartment and there sits the battery.



Remove the 13 mm bolt, and move the strap out of the way and a 10MM wrench to loosen the terminal clamps. The new battery drops right into place.

Then the hard part, go to the Autel, and get to the "Gateway" and then the battery function and input the 95 AMP capacity, the battery type (AGM) and the hard part is the serial number and Porsche part number. I used my old serial number and changed the last digit, then for the part number, it did not like the part number from the old battery. I had to add one more digit, and then all was fine. The car was happy, and most important my wife was happy.

I called the dealership and asked what a battery cost, and just the battery, no installation was $750.00! No doubt they would charge 200 bucks or so to put it in. The Autel paid for itself again. I bought it to do oil changes on her car and reset the oil service warning.

The Autel works on most any modern car on the planet. Stuff I have never heard of. No limit on how many cars it will do. My buddy came over the other day and we cleard the codes it had popped up on his Ford Excursion.

[rsrguy]

A good friend dropped off an instrument bezel the other day for paint. It had some minor issues and I couldn't help myself so I fixed them. Here are pics of the process although I forgot to get a picture of the glazing putty step here are the steps.
Acid wash and allodine
Epoxy bond coat
Glazing putty where you see arrows in the first pic
High build primer
Buld a foam buck and 400 wet sanding
4-6 coats of ppg aerospace urethane

[herr_oberst]

rsguy, I assume the buck was so you could sand without flexing the panel; if so why did it need the extra square window?

edit, never mind. There's a bevel around the square window. Du'h.

I always like seeing your aircraft work.

[rsrguy]

You caught it. Thank you very much.

[Evans, Marv]

Changed out my 250 gal., leased propane tank for one I bought. I want to be able to shop for propane, instead of being stuick with one company. I bought a used 172 gal. tank that had a couple of leaks - the fill valve & the gauge. I removed the fill valve, cleaned the threads on it & the tank, put new sealant on the threads & reinstalled it. I had to buy a new gasket for the gauge base. Presurized it to 125 lb. to test it, & it worked out OK. Cleaned & painted it. I don't need a big tank, since I use less than a quart of propane a day.

[HobieMarty]

Well dang, can't seem to catch a break. I didn't have to work this weekend so I was taking the time to finish up putting the intake plenum back onto the engine in the Quest today. After the weather finally cleared up I got out there and cleaned the plenum with some aluminum brightener I found at NAPA. I had all the hoses and electrical all reconnected and was literally one bolt/stud away from having it all completed when I dropped a dang stud for the EGR pipe and dang it, it rolled under the intake plenum. I saw it disappear and had no idea where it went. I had a light, a mirror, and a magnet and still couldn't find it so I had to take everything back apart, reluctantly, and after searching and cussing for about 30 minutes, I found and retrieved the dang thing. It was starting to get dark out so I reinstalled the rear of the plenum and covered the intake holes, put away my tools and called it a day. I will hopefully finish up tomorrow. So, all I got accomplished was cleaning this intake plenum.

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[A930Rocket]

My mantra for automotive work is, why do it once, when you can do it twice! 😂

[HobieMarty]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

My mantra for automotive work is, why do it once, when you can do it twice!

Haha, that's a good one.

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[HobieMarty]

Got it all back together today. I also replaced the power steering belt and the serpentine belt, replaced various cooked hoses and the positive terminal for the battery.
Funny, I made such a fuss wanting that intake plenum cleaned and brightened up and you see that not much is actually visible, lol, but hey, it's clean!!!

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[Baz]

Started the tub using a little start fluid. Guilty of not running it much over the past few months. Started off with some brake work - including replacing the brake MC reservoir - and then the two hurricanes and then two freezes - plus taking care of Mom.

Trying to get caught up on stuff now.....

[peppy]

I've been chasing a clicking noise in the left rear of my 335d. It sounded like a rock in the brakes. I pulled the cv axle today and found what looks like a screw driver used to install the axle.
Looks like they beat the hell out of it getting it out and putting it back in. I had noticed grease around the outboard boot when I got the car 80k miles ago and figured the boot had torn and they had replaced it. I checked the boot several time for tears, but I never checked the metal part that was covered in grease and had the holes.