MY RANT Working on my truck today

jaywapti

Developed a clicking sound at low speed turned out it was the front drive shaft CV joint, no big deal when you have a lift and transmission jack which I didnt have, so i jack it up on the driveway, well its a bear and a half lying on your back when you cant jack up the trans and remove the skid plate, anyhow got it out and will replace the CV and both U joints, just hope the center stud isn't worn or I'll need to replace the 1/2 shaft, I really cant complain to much as its the original with 210,000+ miles.

JAY

earlyagain

At some future time, it may be in your best interest to hire out the more physically demanding repairs. As a middle aged man with parents your age, I can imagine problems perhaps best avoided. 

You did get it fixed though. More than Im capable of. I can only handle minor stuff, and often mess even that up.

jbp-ohio

Laying on a creeper for a couple hours with my arms in the air working on a car gives me a raging headache anymore........ I try to avoid it.

Jermanator

I can make $X/hour working as a contractor. An "auto tech" shop rate is less than that, and they have the lifts and tools (that I don't) to do the job quickly and efficiently. Unless it is something silly, I won't mess with auto repair.

I own 11 vehicles.

JerryBobCo

I don't know about others, but here's how it works for me.

I have a problem with a vehicle, and get the notion that I know how to fix it.  So I spend an inordinate amount of time and money to do so.  Then, I come to the realization that I'm in over my head and spend even more money paying someone else to fix my screw ups and make the necessary repairs.

Or at least I used to.  Now I just cut to the chase and pay someone else to start with.

On the plus side, I do end up with tools I might not otherwise have, or ever use again.

And, as a side note, I did successfully replace batteries in my truck last year.

jaywapti

So being completely honest here, having been a mechanic for most of my life and having all the knowledge and tools needed to do the job, and being on a fixed income, if I can save the labor rate of $100. an hour I still do it myself, granted I old and slow but I can still get the job done.

JAY

GunNut

jaywapti said:

So being completely honest here, having been a mechanic for most of my life and having all the knowledge and tools needed to do the job, and being on a fixed income, if I can save the labor rate of $100. an hour I still do it myself, granted I old and slow but I can still get the job done.

JAY

Actually you are a bit of an inspiration to me.  I hope I can still do half the stuff you do when I hit your age!

zorba

Its just too damn hot here in Florida for me to do much serious vehicle work!

Gila

zorba said:

Its just too damn hot here in Florida for me to do much serious vehicle work!

Then you need A/C in your garage... 

zorba

That would help - but the garage is so tight that once the car is in it, there isn't enough room for much else - I can't even open the hood on the Mercedes in the Garage. Wife's Fiat is a lot easier to deal with, but I pretty much have to back the MBZ out onto the driveway when I need to do *anything* to it.

Nobody here in Florida parks cars in their garages - except us! I think we're the only house on the block that keeps their cars in the garage. I had somebody making a delivery a couple of years back - they called me to ask when I'd be home. I told them that I was "home now". "Well, then we have the wrong house, because nobody's home" - I looked outside and saw a strange vehicle in my driveway, "Are you in a..." - "Yep" "You have the right house, try coming to the door..." Because there were no cars in the driveway, the Florididiot thought nobody was home!

I don't get it - if there's a climate on the planet where you want to keep your cars sheltered as much as possible, it would be here!

Diver43

When it comes to mechanical stuff I doubt there is much Jay cant do.
He is a better man than I. I was home this afternoon having work done on the house. Put up a couple new outdoor lights and almost died with the heat

Gene L

I admire those who have mechanical ability and can do their own repairs, since I have none.  I grew up without anyone teaching me, and essentially without a car to work on.  I have zero knowledge about engines.  I watch Jay Leno's Garage, and am really impressed by his knowledge of motorcars...he worked for a Mercedes dealership in highschool and other dealerships where he developed a lust and a taste for fine autos.  And he has a WHOLE lot of them.  Interesting series.

rberglof

I do 95 % of my own mechanical work, have a new fuel pump coming in tomorrow for the Explorer.

Old Ron

I too try to do most of my fixing myself . What ever I don't know about ..... I learn about . The idea of saving $100 an hour is really nice to me . No idea how old Jay is but I am 68 &still at it . I don't work as fast as a young guy but still get it done . A friend just had work done on his truck & it cost him $600 ..... he could have don the job in about an hour & cost about $20 . They put a lot on that he didn't need  . There are a lot of crooks in the trades now days .

jaywapti

Old Ron said: No idea how old Jay is but I am 68 &still at it . I don't work as fast as a young guy but still get it done . A friend just had work done on his truck & it cost him $600 ..... he could have don the job in about an hour & cost about $20 . They put a lot on that he didn't need  . There are a lot of crooks in the trades now days .

Ron, I'll be 82 Oct 4th.

The drive shaft is finished and installed, The Blue book time to change a CV joint is 2 1/2 hours, the shop i use charges $95. per hour so I saved $237.50 Once the shaft is out it's no big deal to change the joints, if any of you ever have to do it, be sure to index mark all the parts and the axle and TC or transmission  so it will be in balance.

JAY 

jaywapti

rberglof said:

I do 95 % of my own mechanical work, have a new fuel pump coming in tomorrow for the Explorer.

I've replaced a few fuel pumps, a lot of replacement pumps have an extra wire that if I remember right has to be connected to either the ignition switch or the pump relay, dont like to do cars as ya have to drain and drop the tank, PU are much easier just unbolt the bed and raise it up.

JAY

rberglof

Pump should have wiring harness, haven't checked the mail box yet. Pump is most likely there seeing as how it wasn't delivered to the house. I have changed a couple pumps in the past. I bought an atv jack to lower the last one so I wouldn't have to drain it, worked fine.

Old Ron

That's Great Jay !
I feel like a slacker at 68 .
I still haven't put the bolt from hell back in the big truck starter . While sorting & looking for tools to give my brother I found a flex too that may work on getting that **** started . A 9/16 socket barley fits the space I have to work in .
The ATV jack is a good idea for the tank . Last one I did I dropped it on my chest then pushed it off on a hunk of carpet to drag out .

jaywapti

Ron, something i learned long ago, if clearance is a problem, instead of using the hex/6 point bolt get a 12 point or 6 point cap bolt they give you enough clearance to get a socket on it, for instance a 5/16 hex bolt takes a 1/2 socket the 6 or 12 uses a 3/8, and a 3/8 hex takes a 9/16 while the 6 or 12 uses 7/16 socket, you can also use an internal hex/allen bolt.

JAY

zorba

I never understood why somebody thought putting a wear part INSIDE the gas tank was a good idea - like most other ideas on newer cars. Who started this nonsense? I want to blame GM, but I really don't know...

jaywapti

Zorba, when I lived in Colorado,we installed a lot of external fuel pumps on diesel PUs, most i think were Fass bypass pumps with a water separator.

JAY

zorba

Was that to replace/bypass an in-tank pump?

kansashunter

I do some of my own repairs, fixing a tire this morning, but my jeep has an issue that is sensor or wiring and I don't know how to fix it. Apparently neither does anyone else. I have had it in 2 different dealerships and neither one has fixed it . I have spent a $1000 on it and it goes into limp mode every day. I am going to try to find it myself but I don't really know where to start. This will be the last Chrysler product I will ever buy.

Gila

zorba said:

I never understood why somebody thought putting a wear part INSIDE the gas tank was a good idea - like most other ideas on newer cars. Who started this nonsense? I want to blame GM, but I really don't know...

They stick them in the tanks to cool the fuel pumps.  It's one of the reasons not to ever run out of gas, because doing so can burn up a fuel pump.

jaywapti

Kansashunter, PM sent.

JAY

jaywapti

zorba said:

Was that to replace/bypass an in-tank pump?

Yes, completely by passes the tank pump and has a water separator you can drain.

JAY

zorba

Gila said:

zorba said:

I never understood why somebody thought putting a wear part INSIDE the gas tank was a good idea - like most other ideas on newer cars. Who started this nonsense? I want to blame GM, but I really don't know...

They stick them in the tanks to cool the fuel pumps.  It's one of the reasons not to ever run out of gas, because doing so can burn up a fuel pump.

So they can save $1.50 in copper costs to make it right the first time. ASS-U-ME-ing they just can't use a mechanical pump. Sigh.... That *had* to be GM, they always seem to be the first to figure out a way to cheapen the product.

breamfisher

Electric fuel pumps are needed to supply enough pressure for electronic fuel injection. 

It also pretty well eliminates vapor lock, which I have experienced in carbureted cars. I know a few guys who installed electric pumps and a regulator for that reason. Or went with EFI.

earlyagain

I hate vapor lock.

zorba

Ok, great. I learned something today - although mechanical pumps can be made to supply any pressure needed, diesels have been doing it for a very long time. But whatever - still no excuse to cheap out and put it inside the gas tank as I see it.

Only got vapor locked once...

Old Ron

Wrenching on things can really get interesting . When you know all the wrench sizes you need to work on something ....... you have done it to many times . Most of my things are old so I always have something to mess with . If we all lived closer just think of the things we could get into . If any ran out of projects ..... I could supply something to work on . ( civic minded like that lol )