Amskeptic visits Justgimmecoffee
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 8:04 pm
I love this time of year. It's just like getting a new bus. Colin arrived and we began with the preliminaries. I didn't know how much work I"d be able to do with a banged up knee, but we discussed it over coffee and some kind of donuts (mine was purple inside.) My main concern was to determine if Sweet Pea could be trusted for a long distance trip. At the end of the day, we had our answer.
First thing we did was drain the fluids- differential, auto-trans and motor oil. Motor oil was pretty black but the diff wasn't too bad. Transmission oil was in nice shape- no burned smell and a nice reddish color.
Moving on, we fitted a new oil filter and reinstalled all the fluids. Plugs were replaced some 200 miles ago, along with Bosch plug wires.
Next step was to check the brakes. The right rear brake pads look great thru the inspection window, but the left ones were questionable. Removal showed quite a bit of wear. Hmm. Colin quickly deduced the problem- a skewed emergency-brake-cable tube. At some point, someone put the jack underneath the tube, distorting it, causing the cable to tug on the brake & cause premature wear. Fixed the tube but I"ll need new rear brakes later this summer.
Colin demonstrated proper removal & replacement technique which probably saved me two days of fumbling around. We then checked the front brakes, which look fine. New moly grease in the front end and then AFM tune. We're some 2000 ft higher in elevation than Portland, OR. and so a little adjustment was in order, something I had forgotten about. Colin, I just looked it up- we're at 2200 ft, not 5000 as I told you when you were here. (it just feels like it 'cause its so frikken cold allla time.) Oh, and what distributor should I really have in there? I have forgotten. Just look for one with a vacuum diaphragm on the side?
A very short test drive and already Colin has found yet another problem and fixed it- the brake booster vacuum valve was on backwards! that sucks.. err, not! Switched it around and now I have brakes. Forget that hand assisted thread I started awhile back, now I can tippy-toe on them and we can all taste the windshield.
Finally, a compression check: 120, 130, 120 & 140. With all the major systems checked & looking good we have a verdict- she's been neglected but not abused. Looks like we have a few road trips in our future.
At the end of a long day I was starting to fade but Colin was his usual Diet Coke self. How he does it, I don't know. Sweet Pea runs terrific and I couldn't be happier. Thank you again, Colin!
First thing we did was drain the fluids- differential, auto-trans and motor oil. Motor oil was pretty black but the diff wasn't too bad. Transmission oil was in nice shape- no burned smell and a nice reddish color.
Moving on, we fitted a new oil filter and reinstalled all the fluids. Plugs were replaced some 200 miles ago, along with Bosch plug wires.
Next step was to check the brakes. The right rear brake pads look great thru the inspection window, but the left ones were questionable. Removal showed quite a bit of wear. Hmm. Colin quickly deduced the problem- a skewed emergency-brake-cable tube. At some point, someone put the jack underneath the tube, distorting it, causing the cable to tug on the brake & cause premature wear. Fixed the tube but I"ll need new rear brakes later this summer.
Colin demonstrated proper removal & replacement technique which probably saved me two days of fumbling around. We then checked the front brakes, which look fine. New moly grease in the front end and then AFM tune. We're some 2000 ft higher in elevation than Portland, OR. and so a little adjustment was in order, something I had forgotten about. Colin, I just looked it up- we're at 2200 ft, not 5000 as I told you when you were here. (it just feels like it 'cause its so frikken cold allla time.) Oh, and what distributor should I really have in there? I have forgotten. Just look for one with a vacuum diaphragm on the side?
A very short test drive and already Colin has found yet another problem and fixed it- the brake booster vacuum valve was on backwards! that sucks.. err, not! Switched it around and now I have brakes. Forget that hand assisted thread I started awhile back, now I can tippy-toe on them and we can all taste the windshield.
Finally, a compression check: 120, 130, 120 & 140. With all the major systems checked & looking good we have a verdict- she's been neglected but not abused. Looks like we have a few road trips in our future.
At the end of a long day I was starting to fade but Colin was his usual Diet Coke self. How he does it, I don't know. Sweet Pea runs terrific and I couldn't be happier. Thank you again, Colin!