The battle continues
Jun. 30th, 2018 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psipsyBack in 2005, I replaced part of Ai's exhaust, and opted to replace the catalytic converter back then because paying $100 for an aftermarket part was a much easier and faster option than trying to fight rust-welded bolts without the proper tools and environment. Instead of tossing the old one, I kept it in my shed, thinking I'd either sell it for scrap (and get a few bucks) or be able to eventually free it up for re-use. A couple months ago, I finally got around to freeing it from the last chunk of rusted pipe, which turned out to be just as much of a battle as I thought it would be.
For one thing, I had to saw at some of the rusted areas to expose a bit of gap to let some penetrating oil in, then let that stuff work overnight, add some more, let that sit, and so on for almost a whole week. Then as the nuts were too rusted for normal sockets, I had to use a big pipe wrench with the whole assembly clamped in a bench vise. Eventually the nuts came off, but I was still only 1/3 done at that point. The pipe remnant needed chiseled off. That took another couple days. And once that was off, cleaning up what I was trying to save required drilling and picking out what was left of the gasket and polishing the mating surface with a wire wheel attachment on a drill.
Just as well, I ended up using it. The one I put on in 2005 lasted 8 years before rusting into two pieces (complete separation), the one that was put on after lasted only 5 before turning into rusty cheese. Funny thing is, the OEM one that was in use for 250k miles/10 years then spent another 13 years sitting in my shed waiting for its return to glory was in much better shape than the aftermarket one I just pulled off. If I had to buy another catalytic converter, I'd be stuck with aftermarket ones as new OEM ones are officially unobtanium now.
Other things I've done lately:
-Replaced tie-rod boots that were torn. This is a small problem that could have turned into a very big problem. Those rubber boots are there to keep grease in and dirt out. If grease gets washed out and dirt gets in, it wears the joint down and makes it loose, which will result in shaky steering, and the whole tie-rod end will need replaced. If it's not addressed at that point, the joint can fail completely and come apart while driving, and all hell breaks loose.
-Replaced sway bar links. Not as critical as the tie rod end boots, also much easier. I've replaced them with the wheels still on and the car on the ground. It's easier when the car is up and the wheels are off, of course.
-Replaced the battery and a bunch of ignition parts in the distributor. The battery was starting to leak and was almost dead (got over 8 years out of it when I normally get 7). The ignition parts have been known to fail.
-Fixed a parade of broken bolts by drilling them out and re-tapping. Yay cobalt drill bits.
-Filled a few rusted out holes with body putty. I didn't think I'd use a whole (small) can of Bondo in this task, and I'm certainly not happy that I needed to, but here we are. It's going to be a losing battle in the long run; there's only so much that I can do on my own.
-Replaced the oil pan and gasket. Oil was oozing out all over. Originally I went in for just the gasket, but on closer examination of the pan, that had some issues as well. The rusty spots and dents I could have lived with, but the sealing surface had some gouges on it. The fasteners themselves needed three different sized sockets to take off what were supposed to be all the same size (10mm), that told me they needed changed too.
At least the flywheel was dry. That's a relief because if that was coated in oil, then it would mean I'd have to replace the rear main seal, which involves removing the clutch, which involves removing the transmission, which is a mighty big can of worms that I'm not quite ready to open. The front main seal can be just as bad, because that involves taking off the timing belt (or chain, as applicable), an equally ardous task. Changing both? Might as well take the engine out and go Full Monty; it'll be easier that way.
For the mechanically dis-inclined, a main seal can be an ownership-ending event, because when that fails, the car itself is old enough that the cost of the work exceeds its value. Meanwhile, the mechanically gifted have no problem with doing that kind of work. Youtube is full of videos made by people who are experienced and/or confident enough that they film their work as they go. And that confidence can be contagious.
There was a lot of work on my part. It remains to be seen how long the fruits of my labor will last. I don't regret it, because there was a lot of learning, the confidence-building kind where effort is turned into tangible results. My brain thrives on that.
The important thing here is that yes, she passed annual inspection. With all that I've done, it was a bit expensive even on the DIY route. At least I was able to farm the costs out over the course of half a year. That means if I had a mechanic do all that work at once (exhaust, brakes, suspension, electrical, engine), that would have been a lot of money. A despair-inducing amount of money.
For perspective: In 2012, I had a mechanic replace the oil pan gasket and they charged $90 for the part, plus labor. When I bought the gasket myself, directly from an Acura dealership that sells parts online, I paid $35. It's well known that mechanics buy their parts at wholesale prices and then inflate the charges on the bill, so you can see how the costs can escalate quickly. The flip side of that is they're the ones buying the parts, and they're also able to get the parts much faster than the rest of us.
In the meantime, there's more to be done but at least she's legal and running enough that Nozomi can get some rest and some much-needed brake work.
For one thing, I had to saw at some of the rusted areas to expose a bit of gap to let some penetrating oil in, then let that stuff work overnight, add some more, let that sit, and so on for almost a whole week. Then as the nuts were too rusted for normal sockets, I had to use a big pipe wrench with the whole assembly clamped in a bench vise. Eventually the nuts came off, but I was still only 1/3 done at that point. The pipe remnant needed chiseled off. That took another couple days. And once that was off, cleaning up what I was trying to save required drilling and picking out what was left of the gasket and polishing the mating surface with a wire wheel attachment on a drill.
Just as well, I ended up using it. The one I put on in 2005 lasted 8 years before rusting into two pieces (complete separation), the one that was put on after lasted only 5 before turning into rusty cheese. Funny thing is, the OEM one that was in use for 250k miles/10 years then spent another 13 years sitting in my shed waiting for its return to glory was in much better shape than the aftermarket one I just pulled off. If I had to buy another catalytic converter, I'd be stuck with aftermarket ones as new OEM ones are officially unobtanium now.
Other things I've done lately:
-Replaced tie-rod boots that were torn. This is a small problem that could have turned into a very big problem. Those rubber boots are there to keep grease in and dirt out. If grease gets washed out and dirt gets in, it wears the joint down and makes it loose, which will result in shaky steering, and the whole tie-rod end will need replaced. If it's not addressed at that point, the joint can fail completely and come apart while driving, and all hell breaks loose.
-Replaced sway bar links. Not as critical as the tie rod end boots, also much easier. I've replaced them with the wheels still on and the car on the ground. It's easier when the car is up and the wheels are off, of course.
-Replaced the battery and a bunch of ignition parts in the distributor. The battery was starting to leak and was almost dead (got over 8 years out of it when I normally get 7). The ignition parts have been known to fail.
-Fixed a parade of broken bolts by drilling them out and re-tapping. Yay cobalt drill bits.
-Filled a few rusted out holes with body putty. I didn't think I'd use a whole (small) can of Bondo in this task, and I'm certainly not happy that I needed to, but here we are. It's going to be a losing battle in the long run; there's only so much that I can do on my own.
-Replaced the oil pan and gasket. Oil was oozing out all over. Originally I went in for just the gasket, but on closer examination of the pan, that had some issues as well. The rusty spots and dents I could have lived with, but the sealing surface had some gouges on it. The fasteners themselves needed three different sized sockets to take off what were supposed to be all the same size (10mm), that told me they needed changed too.
At least the flywheel was dry. That's a relief because if that was coated in oil, then it would mean I'd have to replace the rear main seal, which involves removing the clutch, which involves removing the transmission, which is a mighty big can of worms that I'm not quite ready to open. The front main seal can be just as bad, because that involves taking off the timing belt (or chain, as applicable), an equally ardous task. Changing both? Might as well take the engine out and go Full Monty; it'll be easier that way.
For the mechanically dis-inclined, a main seal can be an ownership-ending event, because when that fails, the car itself is old enough that the cost of the work exceeds its value. Meanwhile, the mechanically gifted have no problem with doing that kind of work. Youtube is full of videos made by people who are experienced and/or confident enough that they film their work as they go. And that confidence can be contagious.
There was a lot of work on my part. It remains to be seen how long the fruits of my labor will last. I don't regret it, because there was a lot of learning, the confidence-building kind where effort is turned into tangible results. My brain thrives on that.
The important thing here is that yes, she passed annual inspection. With all that I've done, it was a bit expensive even on the DIY route. At least I was able to farm the costs out over the course of half a year. That means if I had a mechanic do all that work at once (exhaust, brakes, suspension, electrical, engine), that would have been a lot of money. A despair-inducing amount of money.
For perspective: In 2012, I had a mechanic replace the oil pan gasket and they charged $90 for the part, plus labor. When I bought the gasket myself, directly from an Acura dealership that sells parts online, I paid $35. It's well known that mechanics buy their parts at wholesale prices and then inflate the charges on the bill, so you can see how the costs can escalate quickly. The flip side of that is they're the ones buying the parts, and they're also able to get the parts much faster than the rest of us.
In the meantime, there's more to be done but at least she's legal and running enough that Nozomi can get some rest and some much-needed brake work.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-01 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-01 10:54 pm (UTC)Things like brakes, steering/suspension, and air conditioning will still be around. There's an upscale mall that has a Tesla showroom, and for a while they had just the chassis on display. The display chassis still had systems that used brake fluid and freon. Steering is electrically assisted, but more and more cars in general are doing away with fluid-based power steering. Those are still moving parts that are subject to wear.
As for the industry going all electric, that will eventually happen, but not any time soon.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-02 10:07 am (UTC)Once the costs of emissions and complex moving parts (engine, transmission) are factored in, the battery pack doesn't really cost that much more.