More fun with car repairs.

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Prages

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So a week or so back, after driving the Impala on a hot, rainy day, I get a message on the dash that says "Service Traction Control System" and the ABS light came on.

I did some internet searches and came to the conclusion that it was probably a speed sensor. I had a friend use his fancy scan tool to tell me that that the speed sensor on the right front wheel wasn't working properly.

I had put new brake pads on the car a month or so back and found that the right front pads were worn unevenly (the inside pad was barely worn, the outside pad was almost completely shot. I figured the caliper was stuck, but I didn't replace it at the time.

Since the speed sensor is built into the hub assembly, I figured I'd kill a few birds at once and replace the hub, caliper and rotor, along with new pads up front.

Jeff (who is still at home recovering from quadruple bypass) has been going stir crazy and said for me to bring it over to his place to make use of his tools.

So, Mrs. P and I had already scheduled a vacation day for yesterday. Rather than relaxing, I figured I'd work on the car.

Got over to Jeff's with the parts at around 9:embarrassed:0 yesterday morning. Jacked the car up, took off the wheel, took off the caliper and caliper bracket, removed the big bolt holding the hub on the front and the three bolts on the back.

That sucker WOULD NOT COME OFF! I tried tapping it with a 3 lb hammer. I tried using a wheel puller. It would not budge. We were just about to pull the out the torch and heat it up to break it loose, but as a last resort, I put the big nut back on and thumped it with an 8 lb sledge hammer. It moved! A few more hits got it out to the point that the nut was flush with the surface of the hub, but it still wouldn't come off of the splines. The wheel puller went back on, and finally the hub came off. It took over an hour of manipulating the stupid thing to get it off the car.

I then re-assembled and we bled the brakes. And we bled the brakes. And we bled the brakes. They just would not bleed. Finally I realized that the bleed nipple was on the bottom of the caliper. Advance Auto had given me the left side caliper, not the right side caliper.

So, we called all of the usual parts stores in the area. Nobody had the right side caliper in stock. Then I remembered that an Autozone had just opened in town. They had the part! Drove back into town, got lunch and the correct caliper, went back to Jeff's and ate, then took the wrong caliper back off, put the correct one on, bled the brakes, and it worked like a charm.

Then I had to drive back into town to return the incorrect part.

So, this job that should have taken 2 hours tops kept me busy until 4:embarrassed:0 yesterday afternoon. I ended up spending about $300 in parts, and I wrenched my back and my neck pretty badly as well.

But, my efforts seem to have worked. I'm going to be really upset when Mrs. P calls today and says the warning lights came back on. :embarrassed:
 
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Good for you, tackling your own repair. I miss wrenching on a car, but not the grease stained hands and busted knuckles. Not too many things hurt worse than Comet cleanser in torn flesh.
Best wishes to Jeff.
 
That kind of shit ALWAYS happens to me.
ALWAYS.

I had to replace a coil recently on my Jaguar (one plug wasn't firing and the car was running like shit, obviously).
No one had the part locally (not surprising). So they ordered me one.

I limped down to the auto store, got the part, limped home. Took all the accessories apart to get to the coil (about an hour's work), only to find out the part was wrong.
Seriously?

So I called back and they said it was the only one they had in their computer. I gave them the OEM part #, and they couldn't cross reference it.
(It's a standard part, not a Jaguar fancy anything. Think OEM part was a Bosch, if memory serves....).

Anyway, I ordered a part from a different store. They said it would be there by 10am the next morning.
So, I limped further away and was there at 10am the next day.
Yep......no part.
Limped home. It was getting dangerous now, as the car had no power.
Well, that was Saturday. No deliveries on Sunday. Great.....Monday morning it would be there for sure, I was told.

Monday morning, 10am. No part was delivered. I started to get irate at this point.
The manager called me at about noon and said he got one for me.

I drove BACK down to the store (it's probably 20 miles from me), and changed it in the parking lot.

FIXED.

What a PITA.
 
Well at least it sounds like you had a clue going in, just recalcitrant parts.

I had a ford Aerostar that needed new brake pads on the front. I can do minor work on a car and brakes should be easy. Right? Took off the left front wheel and went to work. I was stumped on how to remove the caliper. All of my prior brake jobs were on foreign makes and I assumed...

I tried this and I tried that. I referred to my Chilton manual (back before we had the interwebz) but nothing that showed me, exactly, how to remove the caliper. I tried more of this and more of that and was becoming increasingly frustrated. Of course it did not help when my wife (who's knowledge of cars ends at: Four wheels? Check. Engine? Check. Key in my hand? Check. Drive) came out to offer advice. By that point I was at the verge of throwing a tool or my wife.

I value my tools...But the wife was not thrown. Nor were the tools.

Three hours later I saw the rubber retaining pins between the caliper and the hub. I squeezed them with some needlenose pliers and pulled. Viola! It worked!

It took me all of 20 minutes to finish the job on both sides. thwap0
 
This weekend I'm doing a laundry list of repairs on my truck for safety inspection including lf upper ball joint, lf inner tie rod , front rotors, pads calipers and some bushings. Should be a hoot
 
Greg, I hope you didn't forget to change the blinker fluid.

I had to finally take a grinder and cut the rear drum off my Ranger, last time. How's yours holding up? I'm looking at a front rotor/pad replacement on mine asap.
Whole front end's wonky too. I put new control arms and ball joints on it a couple years ago. But it's rattly and needs an alignment. Especially since the boss just bonused me with a new set of Goodyears today! I also replaced the coil pack in the dead of last winter.
Maybe it's the shocks.
 
BoomBoomBigelow said:
Greg, I hope you didn't forget to change the blinker fluid.

I had to finally take a grinder and cut the rear drum off my Ranger, last time. How's yours holding up? I'm looking at a front rotor/pad replacement on mine asap.
Whole front end's wonky too. I put new control arms and ball joints on it a couple years ago. But it's rattly and needs an alignment. Especially since the boss just bonused me with a new set of Goodyears today! I also replaced the coil pack in the dead of last winter.
Maybe it's the shocks.
Click to expand...

The Ranger is holding up okay. I had to replace the rear spring hangers and shackles a month or so back, but that's to be expected with a 15 year old truck.
 
Lerxst said:
This weekend I'm doing a laundry list of repairs on my truck for safety inspection including lf upper ball joint, lf inner tie rod , front rotors, pads calipers and some bushings. Should be a hoot
Click to expand...

Mojo.

Getting the old rusty parts off is always a blast.
 
BoomBoomBigelow said:
Greg, I hope you didn't forget to change the blinker fluid.

I had to finally take a grinder and cut the rear drum off my Ranger, last time. How's yours holding up? I'm looking at a front rotor/pad replacement on mine asap.
Whole front end's wonky too. I put new control arms and ball joints on it a couple years ago. But it's rattly and needs an alignment. Especially since the boss just bonused me with a new set of Goodyears today! I also replaced the coil pack in the dead of last winter.
Maybe it's the shocks.
Click to expand...

Check your sway bar links. I had one break on mine and it felt like the whole front end was falling apart.

$20 in parts and 1/2 hour later and it was like a brand new truck.
 
2112 said:
Three hours later I saw the rubber retaining pins between the caliper and the hub. I squeezed them with some needlenose pliers and pulled. Viola! It worked!

It took me all of 20 minutes to finish the job on both sides. thwap0
Click to expand...

Either my old 89 Ranger or my 93 Explorer, or both, had split metal tapered pins that held the calipers on. I hated those things. Bolts are so much more practical.
 
I replaced one link and a tie rod end last year and the other link 2 years ago. Yesterday was the first puddle-free day in awhile, so I looked around under there and everything looks ok.
Guess I'll have to jack it up and wiggle stuff..
 
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