It's that time of year again
Jun. 30th, 2019 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psipsy...When I put Ai up on the lift for an extended period of time while I fix a bunch of things to get her to pass annual inspection. What's on the menu this time around? Oil pan gasket (again), drive axles, shifter assembly, plus whatever other things jump out, which there will be.
The oil pan gasket is something I knew how to handle, and having to redo this is my fault (forgot to use some RTV in certain places). The main complications were the new gasket was a teensy bit thicker than the OEM one which didn't sound like a big deal until I put a cover plate on and found it wouldn't fit because the aftermarket oil pan was now in the way because of the extra couple millimeters. I ended up slightly modifiying the oil pan itself. Plus, I'm finding the threaded holes can only take a screw getting torqued down only so many times, as they're M6x1 in aluminum. I got them torqued enough, but I know if I have to do this again, I'll probably need to do some thread inserts. Status: Done, I guess. Time will tell.
The shift rod assembly was getting sloppy and was long overdue for getting replaced. It's not necessary to pass inspection, it's just a quality thing. Or at least until it wears out enough that I can't put it into gear anymore. Oddly enough, that gave me the least amount of trouble. Maybe because I bought a whole assembly and new hardware, and it's all held in by 3 bolts, a spring-pin, and the shift knob itself. Now that the old one is out, perhaps I could take that apart, but I honestly don't think there's much I can salvage from it. Status: Done, should've done this sooner.
Spark plugs had come due, as expected. There are clips to keep the wires where they should be, and those clips are held down by another M6 screw, one of which was loose enough to pull straight out. That needed a thread insert to fix. It's not vital, but I don't like the idea of a screw that can pop out and go wherever. Status: Done.
The axles are more involved. Impact tools made quick work of the main axle nut. I was able to get the left one out then the new one didn't seem to want to seat right. I put the old axle back on, which clicked right into place. Given that I spent only $40 for each axle, I'm not too mad about it. Also, to replace the right side axle means draining the gearbox fluid. That by itself isn't a problem, except when the fill port feels like it was put on by a 300lb gorilla with a breaker bar. Status: Tactical retreat, gonna do some research and try again later.
The same car that unlocked the world for me so long ago now needs this kind of work? What Ai-chan giveth, Ai-chan taketh away. But I'm not giving up on her, not while I have the ability to do something.
Some perspective:
When I sold the Nissan 300ZX after less than 3 years of ownership, I was a little sad about it, in that "it's just not working out for us" kind of way. When I had to get rid of the Subaru after 6 years because the engine literally exploded (chunks came off), I was bummed about it but at the same time I knew I couldn't do anything. (It was also ominous that multiple mechanics were recommending against putting a new engine in.) When I lost Yamiko to a wreck, that hurt. I had her also for 6 years but a lot more miles, and I bought her new. On Nozomi, I'm up to 10 years and even more mileage. If something happens to her, I'll be a sad panda.
And then there's Ai. If, all the way back in 2002 after 4 years of ownership, I opted to trade her in when buying Yamiko, I wouldn't have given much thought about it and I would have moved on in life just fine, aside from an occasional "I should have kept her" pang of regret. And yet here we are, 21 years and half a million miles in, and I genuinely can't imagine life without this car. I do not want to think about losing her at this point, even though that decision may be made for me someday. I can say I won't be a danger to myself over it when that time comes, and I will get through, but I will appreciate it if I'm not physically alone for a day or two.
For how much I drive, having 2 cars is almost a necessity. Switching between cars on a regular basis helps their survivability. Putting 40k miles a year on one car takes a lot out of it; putting on 20k/yr is a lot more manageable. Things can get fixed properly and in a timely manner. If one car is down for a couple days or a week, then I can still get to work. Also, it keeps the overall mileage from going too high in a short period of time. If I never had either Yamiko or Nozomi, Ai would be up past 900k miles, and she would have been on track to hit 1 million in the near future.
One option that will become viable in 2021, is to get "Antique" plates for her, something available for cars over 25 years of age. And with that, she'd be exempt from any annual inspection. It's a Faustian bargain: I'd then be severely limited with how often I could drive her. After all, cars exist to be driven.
The oil pan gasket is something I knew how to handle, and having to redo this is my fault (forgot to use some RTV in certain places). The main complications were the new gasket was a teensy bit thicker than the OEM one which didn't sound like a big deal until I put a cover plate on and found it wouldn't fit because the aftermarket oil pan was now in the way because of the extra couple millimeters. I ended up slightly modifiying the oil pan itself. Plus, I'm finding the threaded holes can only take a screw getting torqued down only so many times, as they're M6x1 in aluminum. I got them torqued enough, but I know if I have to do this again, I'll probably need to do some thread inserts. Status: Done, I guess. Time will tell.
The shift rod assembly was getting sloppy and was long overdue for getting replaced. It's not necessary to pass inspection, it's just a quality thing. Or at least until it wears out enough that I can't put it into gear anymore. Oddly enough, that gave me the least amount of trouble. Maybe because I bought a whole assembly and new hardware, and it's all held in by 3 bolts, a spring-pin, and the shift knob itself. Now that the old one is out, perhaps I could take that apart, but I honestly don't think there's much I can salvage from it. Status: Done, should've done this sooner.
Spark plugs had come due, as expected. There are clips to keep the wires where they should be, and those clips are held down by another M6 screw, one of which was loose enough to pull straight out. That needed a thread insert to fix. It's not vital, but I don't like the idea of a screw that can pop out and go wherever. Status: Done.
The axles are more involved. Impact tools made quick work of the main axle nut. I was able to get the left one out then the new one didn't seem to want to seat right. I put the old axle back on, which clicked right into place. Given that I spent only $40 for each axle, I'm not too mad about it. Also, to replace the right side axle means draining the gearbox fluid. That by itself isn't a problem, except when the fill port feels like it was put on by a 300lb gorilla with a breaker bar. Status: Tactical retreat, gonna do some research and try again later.
The same car that unlocked the world for me so long ago now needs this kind of work? What Ai-chan giveth, Ai-chan taketh away. But I'm not giving up on her, not while I have the ability to do something.
Some perspective:
When I sold the Nissan 300ZX after less than 3 years of ownership, I was a little sad about it, in that "it's just not working out for us" kind of way. When I had to get rid of the Subaru after 6 years because the engine literally exploded (chunks came off), I was bummed about it but at the same time I knew I couldn't do anything. (It was also ominous that multiple mechanics were recommending against putting a new engine in.) When I lost Yamiko to a wreck, that hurt. I had her also for 6 years but a lot more miles, and I bought her new. On Nozomi, I'm up to 10 years and even more mileage. If something happens to her, I'll be a sad panda.
And then there's Ai. If, all the way back in 2002 after 4 years of ownership, I opted to trade her in when buying Yamiko, I wouldn't have given much thought about it and I would have moved on in life just fine, aside from an occasional "I should have kept her" pang of regret. And yet here we are, 21 years and half a million miles in, and I genuinely can't imagine life without this car. I do not want to think about losing her at this point, even though that decision may be made for me someday. I can say I won't be a danger to myself over it when that time comes, and I will get through, but I will appreciate it if I'm not physically alone for a day or two.
For how much I drive, having 2 cars is almost a necessity. Switching between cars on a regular basis helps their survivability. Putting 40k miles a year on one car takes a lot out of it; putting on 20k/yr is a lot more manageable. Things can get fixed properly and in a timely manner. If one car is down for a couple days or a week, then I can still get to work. Also, it keeps the overall mileage from going too high in a short period of time. If I never had either Yamiko or Nozomi, Ai would be up past 900k miles, and she would have been on track to hit 1 million in the near future.
One option that will become viable in 2021, is to get "Antique" plates for her, something available for cars over 25 years of age. And with that, she'd be exempt from any annual inspection. It's a Faustian bargain: I'd then be severely limited with how often I could drive her. After all, cars exist to be driven.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-01 12:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-05 11:40 pm (UTC)