Sub par mechanical skills

Dave In Indy · 09-05-2009, 05:30 PM

I can't believe the idiot that owned my car last. I started having a thumping noise every time I slowed down driving to work the other day. I could tell it was in the left rear. Well when I took the wheel off it was not the driveshaft like I thought. No, it was the brake. It seems the idiot that did the brakes lost or broke the bolt that holds on the caliper on. He also removed the metal tube the bolt goes through that allows the caliper to slide. It only gets better from there. He replace the tube with a piece of a pop can that he rolled into a tube. Then he still had some space of course left over. His fix was to wrap the bolt in electrical tape until it fit in the tube. Thank God for having a parts car on hand. I did some stupid stuff too when I was young so I thought I'd share a couple tricks of the trade that everyone should know.

1. Impact wrenches are not for novices. Nothing strips a bolt head off faster.
2. 12 point sockets are for 12 point bolt heads. Yes 12 point bolt heads exist. You can find them under a fox body Mustang holding the driveshaft to the rear diff if you want to see them.
Always use six point sockets on 6 point bolts.
3. A benzomatic torch is far superior to WD40 to loosen a stuck bolt. You only need to heat the bolt for a few minutes and it'll usually loosen up.
4. Ball joint come out easier with a puller then they do using a hammer. LOL
5. The amount of lug nuts that came on the car go back on the car.
6. Wire nuts are for houses, use butt splices and heat shrink wrap instead.
7. Never reuse a gasket unless you enjoy leaks.

toyotaspeed90 · 09-05-2009, 08:54 PM

one of my 87 mr2's..... came as (and was sold as "driving"):

smallport 4agze with n/a manifolds running on a bigport ecu & electronics
right (passenger side) motor mount was broken
one of the broken bolts got into the timing belt section, timing belt was sliced in two
brake booster was bad
one shift cable was broken and held together with wire ties
reverse in the trans was somehow non existant
indiglo gauge faces installed that didn't glow
upper timing gear cover had a hole cut in it to "view" the "aftermarket" timing gears
"aftermarket" timing gears were 2 pieces of metal cut into circles and painted red, then bolted on with the cam gear
stereo wires taped together with duct tape
air filter was duct taped on (too big to fit the pipe)
a/c compressor installed, but the lines at the body end were cut and taped off with masking tape
The engine bay was painted like this:

I managed to drive it home about 10 miles.... no idea how I didn't die.....

I also once bought an 86 4 runner for $250 because the previous owner couldn't figure out why it wouldn't run.... he "rebuilt" the efi by using RTV to seal the injectors....

Dave In Indy · 09-05-2009, 09:50 PM

I hear you. LOL The first MR2 I bought the guy told me the sway bar mounts had rusted out. I asked him if he meant the frame. He said not the straps. Got under the car and found he had bolted the sway bar back up by drilling holes in the remaining solid part of the car. I couldn't get under the car when i bought it since I was having medical problems at the time. So I took the engine out of that one and put it in a non running MR2, the one with the brake. The none runner had the brake, wire nuts, radio harness hacked out of it, and a slew of other electrical problems all involving wire nuts or loose wire touching the ground. Then I find out the engine from the first car had the pulley break or something so they welded it back together. So now the only way tp time it is by ear. I'm replacing the timing belt and seals this week so I'm going to try to fix that. In fact, my avatar is a pretty much accurate picture of who I bought the car off. LOL

toyotaspeed90 · 09-06-2009, 02:10 PM

lol.

to time it, if you have a FWD lower timing cover, it should have the timing marks on it.... remove the crank pulley bolt to see where the keyway used to be on the crank, and set it straight up with the engine..... then use some white out (or a flourescent grease pen, etc) to mark the crank pulley where the lower plastic gear shows "0"... then put some paint on the plastic cover where it shows 10*... get the marks to line up and you should be good to go.

Dave In Indy · 09-06-2009, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyotaspeed90

lol.

to time it, if you have a FWD lower timing cover, it should have the timing marks on it.... remove the crank pulley bolt to see where the keyway used to be on the crank, and set it straight up with the engine..... then use some white out (or a flourescent grease pen, etc) to mark the crank pulley where the lower plastic gear shows "0"... then put some paint on the plastic cover where it shows 10*... get the marks to line up and you should be good to go.

Brilliant! Thanks, that is awesome. Guess I'll be going to the scrap yard.

Jackstand Queen · 09-07-2009, 04:14 PM

Toyspeed 90:

Everyone knows that Yellow Engine parts add Horsepower! Those valve covers must add at least an extra 30 HP!

When I picked up my "running" 87 with an inplace SC swap:

It had no 02 sensor
It had no oil cooler
It had no engine bay fan
The front radiator fans ran full time
It had no bumbers or C pillar trailing trim
The brakes leaked fluid like crazy
It had no emergency brakes
It had no windshield wipers
The struts were oem original type and totally shot to hell
The horn didn't work
The T-tops leaked like there was no tomorrow
Many interior parts had been painted with white paint, which is more of a screwup that it sounds on first reading.
And also the door, ignition, and trunk keys didn't match
Both power window gears had weaker teeth than a meth addict's.

It just takes a ton of money, and a good chunk of your life. Neither of which you can ever recover, in order to, correct basket cases like these.

I for one, admit to being completely, incurable insane for taking on my 87/sc14 project.

traintech86 · 09-07-2009, 04:21 PM

i am in the same situation. i just think about all those ricers out there that buy a car and then trash it. thats my motivation. restoring life to what was once an amazing machine! now if i can figure my Ebrake out haha it sorta works lmao. like 1 wheel does and not that well... good times!

Dave In Indy · 09-07-2009, 04:41 PM

E-brake? We don't need no stinking e-brake. My cable snapped about a week ago on me. I have not repaired it yet in lew of using the "works everytime" method of throwing a piece of 2x4 behind the wheel before I let off the brake pedal.

MR-3sgte · 09-07-2009, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave In Indy

1. Impact wrenches are not for novices. Nothing strips a bolt head off faster.
2. 12 point sockets are for 12 point bolt heads. Yes 12 point bolt heads exist. You can find them under a fox body Mustang holding the driveshaft to the rear diff if you want to see them.
Always use six point sockets on 6 point bolts.
3. A benzomatic torch is far superior to WD40 to loosen a stuck bolt. You only need to heat the bolt for a few minutes and it'll usually loosen up.
4. Ball joint come out easier with a puller then they do using a hammer. LOL
5. The amount of lug nuts that came on the car go back on the car.
6. Wire nuts are for houses, use butt splices and heat shrink wrap instead.
7. Never reuse a gasket unless you enjoy leaks.

Impact guns ussualy break bolts. Know your impact gun before using it. 12 points work great DONT try to break a 6 point bolt loose on with a 12 point socket. and yes never reuse a gasket that isnt METAL! Dont listen to little gangster punk mechanics they rig **** up like no tomorrow like dave for example

MR-3sgte · 09-07-2009, 07:10 PM

I would also like to add to this about what the ****ING IDIOT did to my car before i got it. Took a bolt out of the combination cluster (gauge cluster) to incomplete the circuit board on the back resulting in a non operational rpm gauge, he stripped tranny mount bolts, let both inner tie rods have about 2 inchs of play on each side DIDNT put bolts back in place Took the headunit out along with the brackets and 3 out of 4 speakers?!?!? Let 2 calipers seize up and instead of dissembling the antenna to take it out looks like he took a hammer to it caving in the hole then putting tape over top. Im gonna stop there the ****er should never touch another car in his life time if i find him im going to beat him over the head with his bad inner tie rod

traintech86 · 09-07-2009, 07:23 PM

i don't even know where to start with my car as i am not knowlegable with automotive stuff. so far i have found duct tape on the clutch line(probly to stop the leaking clutch fluid long enough to sucker me into the car), leaves in every seem of the damn car, the accel line is freyed to hell, ill just stop there. it sucks to see cars miss treated but atleast they are being cared for now ^__^

traintech86 · 09-07-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave In Indy

E-brake? We don't need no stinking e-brake. My cable snapped about a week ago on me. I have not repaired it yet in lew of using the "works everytime" method of throwing a piece of 2x4 behind the wheel before I let off the brake pedal.

i have heard you can put the car in gear and it won't move. is this a good temp fix?

mr3 · 09-07-2009, 07:33 PM

I parked mine on a hill in reverse and it still crept forward. That was in the middle of winter when the park break would freeze up and I couldnt use it. Kinda scared me while sitting in it one night waiting and it moved. Then I learned to turn into a curb or find a hole and just stick the wheel in there and put it in gear.

Dave In Indy · 09-07-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traintech86

i have heard you can put the car in gear and it won't move. is this a good temp fix?

True, but when you want to start it up and let it defrost the window while you eat breakfast it's always nice to have a plan B....

Dave In Indy · 09-07-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR-3sgte

Impact guns ussualy break bolts. Know your impact gun before using it. 12 points work great DONT try to break a 6 point bolt loose on with a 12 point socket. and yes never reuse a gasket that isnt METAL! Dont listen to little gangster punk mechanics they rig **** up like no tomorrow like dave for example

You're just jealous of all my money and weapons. Don't make me break out my sick arse retarded mad skills. And besides, the biatches be loving my num chucks.

mr2tim · 09-11-2009, 06:02 PM

Holy Jesus, these are truly scary repairs by the unknowing doing the unthinkable.

I think these guys live in Miami?

espguitarist33 · 09-13-2009, 12:22 PM

i'm pretty sure their nun chucks dave

i saw that yellow thing....lets say..ok so i WAS going to eat breakfast, but i now have absolutly no apetite and kind of want to barf through my nose...such a beautiful car has been discraced...hope you will treat it better!!!

09-05-2009, 05:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dave In Indy Some Skills Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 62 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Sub par mechanical skills I can't believe the idiot that owned my car last. I started having a thumping noise every time I slowed down driving to work the other day. I could tell it was in the left rear. Well when I took the wheel off it was not the driveshaft like I thought. No, it was the brake. It seems the idiot that did the brakes lost or broke the bolt that holds on the caliper on. He also removed the metal tube the bolt goes through that allows the caliper to slide. It only gets better from there. He replace the tube with a piece of a pop can that he rolled into a tube. Then he still had some space of course left over. His fix was to wrap the bolt in electrical tape until it fit in the tube. Thank God for having a parts car on hand. I did some stupid stuff too when I was young so I thought I'd share a couple tricks of the trade that everyone should know. 1. Impact wrenches are not for novices. Nothing strips a bolt head off faster. 2. 12 point sockets are for 12 point bolt heads. Yes 12 point bolt heads exist. You can find them under a fox body Mustang holding the driveshaft to the rear diff if you want to see them. Always use six point sockets on 6 point bolts. 3. A benzomatic torch is far superior to WD40 to loosen a stuck bolt. You only need to heat the bolt for a few minutes and it'll usually loosen up. 4. Ball joint come out easier with a puller then they do using a hammer. LOL 5. The amount of lug nuts that came on the car go back on the car. 6. Wire nuts are for houses, use butt splices and heat shrink wrap instead. 7. Never reuse a gasket unless you enjoy leaks.

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09-05-2009, 08:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
toyotaspeed90 No Skills Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 422 Thanks: 0 Thanked 32 Times in 32 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	one of my 87 mr2's..... came as (and was sold as "driving"): smallport 4agze with n/a manifolds running on a bigport ecu & electronics right (passenger side) motor mount was broken one of the broken bolts got into the timing belt section, timing belt was sliced in two brake booster was bad one shift cable was broken and held together with wire ties reverse in the trans was somehow non existant indiglo gauge faces installed that didn't glow upper timing gear cover had a hole cut in it to "view" the "aftermarket" timing gears "aftermarket" timing gears were 2 pieces of metal cut into circles and painted red, then bolted on with the cam gear stereo wires taped together with duct tape air filter was duct taped on (too big to fit the pipe) a/c compressor installed, but the lines at the body end were cut and taped off with masking tape The engine bay was painted like this: I managed to drive it home about 10 miles.... no idea how I didn't die..... I also once bought an 86 4 runner for $250 because the previous owner couldn't figure out why it wouldn't run.... he "rebuilt" the efi by using RTV to seal the injectors....

09-05-2009, 09:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
Dave In Indy Some Skills Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 62 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I hear you. LOL The first MR2 I bought the guy told me the sway bar mounts had rusted out. I asked him if he meant the frame. He said not the straps. Got under the car and found he had bolted the sway bar back up by drilling holes in the remaining solid part of the car. I couldn't get under the car when i bought it since I was having medical problems at the time. So I took the engine out of that one and put it in a non running MR2, the one with the brake. The none runner had the brake, wire nuts, radio harness hacked out of it, and a slew of other electrical problems all involving wire nuts or loose wire touching the ground. Then I find out the engine from the first car had the pulley break or something so they welded it back together. So now the only way tp time it is by ear. I'm replacing the timing belt and seals this week so I'm going to try to fix that. In fact, my avatar is a pretty much accurate picture of who I bought the car off. LOL

09-06-2009, 02:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
toyotaspeed90 No Skills Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 422 Thanks: 0 Thanked 32 Times in 32 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	lol. to time it, if you have a FWD lower timing cover, it should have the timing marks on it.... remove the crank pulley bolt to see where the keyway used to be on the crank, and set it straight up with the engine..... then use some white out (or a flourescent grease pen, etc) to mark the crank pulley where the lower plastic gear shows "0"... then put some paint on the plastic cover where it shows 10*... get the marks to line up and you should be good to go.

09-07-2009, 04:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jackstand Queen Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 677 Thanks: 52 Thanked 56 Times in 53 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Toyspeed 90: Everyone knows that Yellow Engine parts add Horsepower! Those valve covers must add at least an extra 30 HP! When I picked up my "running" 87 with an inplace SC swap: It had no 02 sensor It had no oil cooler It had no engine bay fan The front radiator fans ran full time It had no bumbers or C pillar trailing trim The brakes leaked fluid like crazy It had no emergency brakes It had no windshield wipers The struts were oem original type and totally shot to hell The horn didn't work The T-tops leaked like there was no tomorrow Many interior parts had been painted with white paint, which is more of a screwup that it sounds on first reading. And also the door, ignition, and trunk keys didn't match Both power window gears had weaker teeth than a meth addict's. It just takes a ton of money, and a good chunk of your life. Neither of which you can ever recover, in order to, correct basket cases like these. I for one, admit to being completely, incurable insane for taking on my 87/sc14 project.

09-07-2009, 04:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
traintech86 Traintech86 on all im's Join Date: May 2009 Location: Norfolk VA Posts: 920 Thanks: 14 Thanked 25 Times in 24 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	i am in the same situation. i just think about all those ricers out there that buy a car and then trash it. thats my motivation. restoring life to what was once an amazing machine! now if i can figure my Ebrake out haha it sorta works lmao. like 1 wheel does and not that well... good times!

09-07-2009, 04:41 PM	#8 (permalink)
Dave In Indy Some Skills Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 62 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	E-brake? We don't need no stinking e-brake. My cable snapped about a week ago on me. I have not repaired it yet in lew of using the "works everytime" method of throwing a piece of 2x4 behind the wheel before I let off the brake pedal.

09-07-2009, 07:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
MR-3sgte Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 130 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I would also like to add to this about what the **ING IDIOT did to my car before i got it. Took a bolt out of the combination cluster (gauge cluster) to incomplete the circuit board on the back resulting in a non operational rpm gauge, he stripped tranny mount bolts, let both inner tie rods have about 2 inchs of play on each side DIDNT put bolts back in place Took the headunit out along with the brackets and 3 out of 4 speakers?!?!? Let 2 calipers seize up and instead of dissembling the antenna to take it out looks like he took a hammer to it caving in the hole then putting tape over top. Im gonna stop there the **er should never touch another car in his life time if i find him im going to beat him over the head with his bad inner tie rod

09-07-2009, 07:23 PM	#11 (permalink)
traintech86 Traintech86 on all im's Join Date: May 2009 Location: Norfolk VA Posts: 920 Thanks: 14 Thanked 25 Times in 24 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	i don't even know where to start with my car as i am not knowlegable with automotive stuff. so far i have found duct tape on the clutch line(probly to stop the leaking clutch fluid long enough to sucker me into the car), leaves in every seem of the damn car, the accel line is freyed to hell, ill just stop there. it sucks to see cars miss treated but atleast they are being cared for now ^__^

09-07-2009, 07:33 PM	#13 (permalink)
mr3 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 848 Thanks: 19 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	I parked mine on a hill in reverse and it still crept forward. That was in the middle of winter when the park break would freeze up and I couldnt use it. Kinda scared me while sitting in it one night waiting and it moved. Then I learned to turn into a curb or find a hole and just stick the wheel in there and put it in gear.

09-11-2009, 06:02 PM	#16 (permalink)
mr2tim SUPERcharZed ToyZ RacZer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 690 Thanks: 2 Thanked 41 Times in 38 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	Holy Jesus, these are truly scary repairs by the unknowing doing the unthinkable. I think these guys live in Miami?

09-13-2009, 12:22 PM	#17 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 415 Thanks: 4 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	i'm pretty sure their nun chucks dave i saw that yellow thing....lets say..ok so i WAS going to eat breakfast, but i now have absolutly no apetite and kind of want to barf through my nose...such a beautiful car has been discraced...hope you will treat it better!!!