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thesameguy
January 8th, 2014, 02:24 PM
First post:

Audi's heat still works, and it passed smog three hours ago. Gonna try and sell it as-is, of course letting the buyer know about the catalytic converter issue. I'm hoping maybe someone would like to buy it at a reduced price knowing it has deferred maintenance. If not, no worries, I've got 90 days to put a new cat on it and sell it turnkey. Dope!

Next up, transmission mount and smog check on the 9-3, then it's up for sale too.

Speaking of smog, while at the smog shop today one of the techs had his family in for lunch. He introduced me to his young son as "daddy's friend." I have a relationship with a guy most people see once every two years, at most. I rule.

CudaMan
January 8th, 2014, 04:07 PM
Hah, that's funny. And yes, you do.

thesameguy
January 8th, 2014, 10:45 PM
At some point in the last 24 hours or so, tickets were finally announced for Burning Man. Usually that happens back in December, but I was told there was some major internal restructuring so I guess this is the new thing. It looks like they are limiting vehicles this year - "only" 38,000 vehicle passes will be issued, and you need one to drive in. They are selling ~60,000 tickets again this year, so unless every a bazillion people come alone there shouldn't be a vehicle pass crunch. I'm still going to hold off until I have a pass in my hand before buying a mobile shitter. This goes down on February 26th. Time to sock away $760. That hurts a little, but I think it's going to be totally worth it. The last time I was this excited & nervous at the same time was Lap 1 at the inaugural 24 Hours of Lemons. Hopefully Burning Man involves a lot less unscheduled roll cage testing and sheetmetal damage.

Random
January 9th, 2014, 10:31 AM
Gonna try and sell it as-is.

"There's a lot of glitter in this car." :lol: :toast:

Random
January 9th, 2014, 10:33 AM
Speaking of smog, while at the smog shop today one of the techs had his family in for lunch. He introduced me to his young son as "daddy's friend." I have a relationship with a guy most people see once every two years, at most. I rule.

My smog guy recognizes me, too, and I bring, at most, two cars per year to him (the Miata and BMW are on the same cycle).

thesameguy
January 9th, 2014, 11:13 AM
"There's a lot of glitter in this car." :lol: :toast:

My shop vac was no match for it. It's like the glitter is taunting me.

Random
January 9th, 2014, 11:25 AM
No vacuum is a match for it--that was the one absolute prohibition when we rented our wedding/reception site at UCDavis: NO GLITTER.

thesameguy
January 9th, 2014, 04:05 PM
Audi is gone, glitter and all.

Did the transmission mount and smog on the 9-3 this morning, it goes up for sale shortly.

h4rdc0r3: Get home from work at 4:30am. Fix a car, smog a car, sell a car all before dinner time. :up: THERE'S TIME FOR SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD.

thesameguy
January 9th, 2014, 07:07 PM
I thought the slew of "Wanna trade something you don't want for the Celica" emails were the pinnacle of dumb CL users, but I just got the best one.

email: Is your GT-S still available?
Yes, it is.
email: Is there a number where I can reach you?
Sure, it's xxx-xxx-xxxx
Text: Is your GT-S still available?

Call me crazy, but I don't need to sell the car bad enough to deal with this person.

CudaMan
January 9th, 2014, 08:07 PM
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

thesameguy
January 9th, 2014, 10:00 PM
OMG, it gets worse.

text: Is is smogged?
Yes
text: Is is registered?
Yes
text: Does it leak?
Ok, listen. I don't want to play 20 questions with you via text, just email me all your questions and I will answer them.
email: Is it smogged?
Yes
email: Is it registered?
*Please* save up all your questions and just email them to me all at once, or just come see the car and we can talk in person.
*radio silence*

I seriously hope this guy doesn't email me again. I just do not have the patience to deal with this level of idiocy. Plus, frankly, I don't want this type of person owning this car.

thesameguy
January 10th, 2014, 12:52 PM
He didn't.

Instead, cute girl came to look at the car, and is ostensibly picking it up tomorrow. Two down (hopefully), one to go.

Random
January 10th, 2014, 03:20 PM
Searching on "Lotus" in Sacto pulls up your ad--and several others, none of which are Lotii. :smh:

thesameguy
January 10th, 2014, 03:40 PM
CL set the default search to search the entire ad, rather than the title... in the ad, I mention the Celica's engine "went on to power the Lotus Elise and Exige," so that's why CL is returning it in a search for Lotus. It's taken me a while, but I've finally gotten into the habit of selecting "title" before hitting search. I wish the default was title only, but at least we now have the option - it saves a lot of hunting through keyword spam.

thesameguy
January 11th, 2014, 08:58 AM
Celica is gone. Down to ten cars, including the Fiat and the POS Volvo whose time is drawing to a close. I really need to get rid of two, the Volvo and something else. That something else is going to be a tough decision..

thesameguy
January 12th, 2014, 07:20 PM
Replaced the fuel pump on the Cadillac today. Since a good (Carter) mechanical pump was only $30, I figured that was the path of least resistance right now. I guess the old pump must have been dying for a LONG time. Even in 2010, when I picked up the car, it took a good 30-40 seconds of cranking (15-20 seconds, twice) to get fuel into the glass bowl filter when the car had been sitting. After replacing the pump, the totally empty filter was filled in less than 20 seconds of cranking.

At this exact moment, I am not sure what else needs to be done other than plug in spark plug wires. Maybe nothing. Assuming the weather is nice next weekend, the Fleetwood comes out of the garage and gets a go at starting! Nervous, excited, etc. ;)

KillerB
January 12th, 2014, 07:35 PM
I forget, do you still have the Alfa?

thesameguy
January 12th, 2014, 08:34 PM
Nope, sold it to a comic book artist in like May or June. I bought the XJR as my new fast 4-door.

KillerB
January 12th, 2014, 08:55 PM
Good. Saves me the temptation. :P

thesameguy
January 13th, 2014, 09:29 AM
;)

It found a good home, so I'm satisfied.

I need to poke my head under the XR4Ti one more time and be sure there is nothing else I need, but I think it's just an oil cooler and some AN -10 hose... hopefully put that order in today. I want to finish the XR by the end of February so I can dismantle POS Volvo and get it gone. Then, find an RV before spring kicks in - I expect prices on them will start to climb as the weather gets warmer. Although, I am wondering what happens to them around tax time... sometimes that helps create a buyer's market. ;)

thesameguy
January 14th, 2014, 09:23 AM
I'm sure ya'll recall the PT Cruiser fiasco over Thanksgiving... there was more fallout over the weekend.

December of '12 she took the car to that same shop for a power steering repair. This was before I completely distrusted them. They did the repair, and while I was talking to Neil the Douchebag I asked how bad it was. "Well, we had to take the power steering pump out the bottom, which was tough." Wait, what? The pump comes right out the top, remove the upper manifold (10 minutes) and three bolts and you're done. That was my first inkling Neil was a tool.

About a month later, I get a call that the PT Cruiser is overheating. I do a little thinking and we run a couple tests over the phone and I become convinced the problem is in the wiring. She takes it back into the shop, and the explanation comes back "Looks like the fan connector is damaged." Odd, because I had replaced the cooling fan just two months prior and it wasn't damaged then. It occurs to me that wrangling the power steering pump out the bottom of the car would have taken that pump right by the connector. Hmmmm.... They "fix" it and everything is cool

When I was down there over Thanksgiving, I inspected their work. I would have expected them to replace the damaged connector, but they zip tied it together. Am disappoint, but not surprised. The repair looks solid if not jenky, so I don't mess with it. I should have, because over the weekend I got a call that the car was overheating again. DAMMIT.

We did more phone diagnostics, determined it was the wiring. She took it to a new shop, and they told me yesterday the jenky connection had fried - looks like the plastic inside the connector was damaged - popped a fuse, and fried the fan motor. The new shop fixed it up to the tune of $500 ($300 part, $200 labor, ish).

a) I should have FUCKING replaced that connector when I saw it, and I'm $500 poorer for it
b) Hopefully the legacy of Brake Pros of Rancho Cucamonga, CA is at an end
c) I have never been so torn in my life as to whether this car should be kept ($1k in the last two months) or replaced. Are its problems all addressed now, or are they just starting?

novicius
January 14th, 2014, 10:20 AM
There's probably money in a business proposal that has a shop where the mechanics wear GoPro Hero 3's daily.

thesameguy
January 14th, 2014, 12:05 PM
There are a couple shops here that do that! Well, not GoPros, but cameras in the bays that you can watch on their website to see how your car is doing. I think that's a pretty neat idea.

I am convincing myself that I am going to find her a Benz or a Volvo. I think both of these brands have the advantage of a rabid following and that nets single brand specialty repair shops. Finding a place that genuinely knows what they're doing with a car would be helpful here, and maybe keep here out of the suspect "all makes" shops. I spent the last hour emailing Volvo and MB shops in her area to get a sense of how those places run. Although she doesn't live in the most uppity place in the world, there is a fair selection of them both! I wish she lived closer to Orange County - there are three positively fantastic Saab repair shops out that way, and I'd set her up with a 9-3 or 9-5 in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, a 50 mile round trip for car repair would be untenable.

In any case the PT is back together. Hopefully I have the luxury of finding Mr Right Car instead of Mr Right Now Car. :D

Random
January 14th, 2014, 10:14 PM
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/4280597928.html

Caveat: a 22' Class A seems like all the access hassles of working on a Class A without the square footage benefits, but it's pretty cute, regardless. ;) Might be a handful in a sidewind, too.

thesameguy
January 15th, 2014, 01:13 PM
I keep looking at that truck! I am attracted to its goofy wallpaper, and even moreso to the drop-down over-cab bed. That's a feature you usually don't get on a class A! You're right about the size, though - I think its too small to justify all the things that come with being a commercial chassis. What seems to be true is that Class A means "good for living" and Class C means "good for driving and sleeping." So, even though that thing is short, it's probably a lot more comfortable to live in than a van cutaway. It just so happens that such an attribute isn't very meaningful in my application. ;)

I am becoming slightly worried that I may have missed the RV window. Seems like there are lot fewer RVs for sale today than last month. I hope that doesn't mean pickings are going to continue to get slimmer.

thesameguy
January 17th, 2014, 08:54 PM
Car++

1994 Mercedes Benz E320.

CudaMan
January 17th, 2014, 10:07 PM
Baller.

JoshInKC
January 18th, 2014, 05:58 AM
Related to your Benzo purchase- About every other year for the past decade I get a wild hair that makes me check prices on V12 W140s even though I know that it would be beyond irresponsible to actually purchase one. They just seem so fast and neat, with their double-paned windows and sonar parking. I bet if I picked one up I'd be finding all sorts of excuses to drive cross country at absurd speeds. God, now I'm looking at ebay, I have to stop immediately.

thesameguy
January 18th, 2014, 05:27 PM
I feel like the window to own a V12 is closing, so I say do it. They are getting downright cheap, too! :D

On the subject of irresponsible car purchases, I am about ready to burn down the Fleetwood. I can't make it run. I don't know what else to do. I've tried everything I know to try, and it's not even close to thinking about maybe consiering running. I am so fed up I would tow it somewhere tomorrow and have someone else deal with it, except for I have about zero confidence that the general automotive repair population is actually any more talented than I am. The situation is ridiculous. If I wasn't so manly, now would be a very appropriate time to cry.

GB
January 18th, 2014, 05:57 PM
http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/big-block-zz-572-720-r.html

thesameguy
January 19th, 2014, 09:54 AM
I'll just add that to the list of things I don't possibly have the bandwidth to tackle. :lol:

It has been almost 20 years since a car has beaten me. I don't want to let a 47 year old dinosaur add to that list. It shouldn't be this hard, but I just don't know what else to do. I feels line a timing issue (plug firing while the valve is open) but I don't know how better to check the timing. Somewhere there is a grizzled old mechanic who could fix this in his sleep - I just really doubt he happens to live in California. :(

speedpimp
January 19th, 2014, 02:36 PM
Sounds about as bad as the shop that my dad took his '03 Taurus to to have the sway bar end links replaced and to have an under hood squeal(either tensioner or belt, probably both) looked at. The "mechanic" popped the hood, totally ignored the belt/tensioner and said the motor needed to be rebuilt and that he'd do it for $1500. My dad said he turned around and ran away as fast as he could.

CudaMan
January 19th, 2014, 04:37 PM
Justin, is there an internet forum for mechanics where they can help each other diagnose impossible problems? There's gotta be.

thesameguy
January 19th, 2014, 07:05 PM
There might be, but the only ones I am aware of are "sponsored" by companies like Mitchell and are in one way or another pay-for. There are also sites where consumers can pay mechanics for advice, but I don't have a great deal of faith in what I might get from that.

Tomorrow I am going to go downtown to Paul Ellis & Co., which is where a friend of mine takes his '72 (IIRC) Grand Prix. Paul Ellis has been in business forever, so if there's a chance of anyone in town knowing old cars, it's them. I'll see if they want to take it on. I am seriously ready to start writing checks to make this go away. I believe either a) it's something stupid I have continually overlooked, r b) something in a total state of failure that has escape my diagnosis. I don't want to throw in the towel, but I am tired of beating my head against this.

CudaMan
January 19th, 2014, 08:08 PM
http://autoforums.carjunky.com/ ?

Kchrpm
January 20th, 2014, 10:17 AM
That 572 crate motor just seems like silly, complex overkill.

On the other hand, a Connect & Cruise E-Rod small block would be PERFECT

http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/connect-cruise-lc9.html

Has everything you need, and will pass California emissions testing.

thesameguy
January 20th, 2014, 11:12 AM
$12k! I'd go buy a GTO or early CTS-V and just move everything over for that money. $12k is. Unfortunately, way more than the Fleetwood is worth to me.

The biggest issue for an engine swap is my work area. Small motors and cars are no problem, but big V8s and 5500 lb Cadillacs are simply too big & heavy for me to feel comfortable working with... At least together.

I think I am going to have it towed downtown in the next month or so. I will be sad when I get a thousand dollar labor bill, but it's better than crying myself to sleep every night over this ongoing fail festival.

thesameguy
January 20th, 2014, 09:20 PM
Posted this on the Cadillac forum... thought I'd share it here:

Well, this is new...

http://youtu.be/Ra5TssGpLfc

Last night I stopped playing with the distributor when the battery ran down. I charged it over night. Today, it started right up - in fact, a little too eagerly. I let it run thinking it would die, but it didn't. Then I tried to shut it off and it wouldn't. I ran to the engine bay to pull the ignition fuse thinking maybe I had somehow messed up that wiring. Well, I didn't mess up that wiring. With the key off, there is no power to the relay, fuse, coil, or Pertronix. I don't understand how pulling the fuse is different from turning the key off. WTF?

That aside, it is VERY loud in the garage, in no small part due to a 3" exhaust that dumps right before the rear axle. There is a LOT of echo as it bounces off the pavement and the garage walls. But it sounds very "blatty," like it's missing. I thought perhaps the run-on scenario is the engine literally dieseling on, but if that were true pulling the ignition fuse wouldn't do anything either. Chalk that whole thing up to more mystery.

After running for that time, all eight exhaust ports on the manifold are warm/hot, so I think it is firing on all cylinders.

Finally, I believe (but am not sure) the puffs of smoke seen in the video are the result of greasy fingerprints and such from me removing the intake manifold, valve covers, etc. It could be an exhaust leak - the #1 runner has a small crack, and I can't tell if it's all the way through or not. I had *planned* on the car firing right up and going out to buy some Sandersen headers, but it appears that dream is squashed for the moment. ;)

Edit: Watching that video again, it's probably an exhaust leak.

I need to wait for my hearing to return. Maybe next weekend I'll mess with the carb, try to bring the idle down, and check/set the ignition timing. *Maybe*, Dog willing, I will be able to take it to the shop for tuning instead of wholesale bailing me out.

JoshInKC
January 21st, 2014, 04:18 AM
Yeah, sounds a bit exhaust leak-y, but it's super hard to tell what sounds normal when you've got a v8 in a small garage with the hood open. Even fairly low performance small blocks can sound like the end of the world in the right circumstances like that. The exhaust noise on the video didn't sound terribly like dieseling, usually that ends up sounding kind of uneven (varying slightly in speed, etc.)
Okay, you've got some weird symptoms, time for a weird guess... Maybe there's something loose, old, or dirty in the ignition switch mechanism? I just don't know.

Edited to add: What's your timing like? Chevy small blocks will run (though a bit weirdly) with the distributor 180* out of time. I've no idea if a cadillac will do the same thing, but it might be worth looking at.

thesameguy
January 21st, 2014, 10:45 AM
I'm told the engine will not run 180 degrees out. I was concerned about it, though, so I hooked up the leak down tester. As-is, #1 holds pressure. Out 180 degrees, there's a breeze in the exhaust.

The ignition timing could be quite a bit off - not sure how much "quite a bit" really is, but 10 degrees for certain and maybe more. The distributor is placed at best guess. ;) As for the run-on, I have no explanation. It really does not "feel" like dieseling - the engine shows no sign of slowing down. I triple-checked the wiring - which is exactly the same as the Falcon was wired - and there is 0v at the Pertronix, coil, and the relay powering them both with the ignition switch off. My *only* thought is that it's somehow related to the noise suppressor on the coil - maybe there is a trickle of voltage backfeeding through it, enough to keep the coil & Pertronix alive. I disconnected it - don't need it anyway.

It'll have to wait til next weekend, but my plan is to enlist a helper to man the ignition switch while I quickly read a tach and back off the idle screw a little, then get a timing reading. Idle speed on the motor is ~550rpm (480 in D) - and I don't think I'm anywhere near it. ;)

If I can get it there - fingers crossed - I am going to order some pretty Sandersen headers to replace the manifolds and take the whole thing to the shop for fine tuning and exhaust modification. I am really not interested in doing exhaust work under this car. At least I "know" the engine isn't totally frelled. I can sleep ok knowing I paid someone for improvements rather than knowing I paid someone to tell me everything is borked.

thesameguy
January 21st, 2014, 08:17 PM
Might as well focus on the positive... one 1994 E320!

~3700lb or so, 220hp, 229 lb ft. Stupid heavy for its size with slightly underwhelming output for a 3.2l DOHC six cylinder with 10:1 compression and variable valve timing. The area under the curve seems quite thick, though, as the car is quite a rocket in the midrange. Seems very Mercedes like. I'd not driven a car with the M104 before, my W124 experience limited to a couple old SOHC motors and a couple V8s. I'm not disappointed, it seems a fine motor and since moving to DOHC means getting sequential EFI and not CIS, I'm all for it.

Without further adieu...

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_1.JPG

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_2.JPG

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_3.JPG

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_4.JPG

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_5.JPG

The car runs and drives great, and it seems its actual needs are limited to a pair of rear tires and a new power antenna. Sadly, I somehow managed to miss one thing during my inspection:

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_headliner.JPG

That will have to be dealt with.

Godson
January 21st, 2014, 10:01 PM
So can you give me a list on what all has happened to the fleetwood? I am trying to wrap my head around what all is going on.

thesameguy
January 22nd, 2014, 09:34 AM
A summary:

Late '11 I drove it somewhere, brought it home, put it in the garage.
Dec '11 I went to take it somewhere and it wouldn't start - crank, no start. I dicked around with some vacuum hoses and the fuel filter, nothing.
Jan or Feb '12 it still didn't start. I got serious. I resealed the carb, no change. I checked the timing, no change.
Around Apr '12 I got back to it. Still wouldn't actually run. I'd get it started & running like total shit if it would run at all. Nothing seemed to be working right - it would only run at >1000rpm and any attempt to bring down the idle (through timing or idle screws) would kill the motor. Thinking it was a vacuum leak, I pulled off the carb and the distributor and set about updates/replacements.
-Dec '12 I installed a new, out of the box Edelbrock 1406, a Pertronix III in the distributor, resealed the intake manifold and pushrod cover, redid the fuel lines, replaced the fuel lines, new dizzy cap/rotor/spark plugs. Checked compression, did a leakdown test.

Last weekend I tried to start it, no change from a year ago. I dicked with the distributor for about a half a day. Monday, it magically started. I took the video posted above.

My current challenges are:

1. Why doesn't it turn off with the key? It's been suggested to me that the GENERATOR light is backfeeding the system with enough voltage to hold down the relay that powers the ignition system, and that seems reasonable. Everything would test okay with the car not running, but once the alternator is spinning and feeding voltage to the GENERATOR light, you can't exactly stop that. A diode in wire to the GENERATOR light blocking that backfeed should address that concern. It's easy enough to test.

2. I can't tell if it's running right or not, because it's so fucking loud. It's just noise. I need to get the idle down to sane levels. I am concerned I'll be right back where I was - unable to get the idle down. Only one way to find out. If I can, then at least I can check timing and get the idle mixture set right.

Godson
January 22nd, 2014, 12:22 PM
First thing I would do is disconnect the generator light. That'll eliminate that idea. It won't address the start and idle problem.

You said you checked compression, am I safe to assume it check'd ok?
You have replaced the fuel pump, so that eliminates fuel delivery to the carb.
Carb is new, so that shouldn't be the issue either.
Spark is strong and constant on all cylinders?
Is distributor good and not trying to take a shit? Load advance on distributor not fubar'd?

This is going to sound crazy, and is kinda a hail mary. But is the cam ok? Sounds like it might not be firing on a few cylinders. Which could be flattened lobes, or any other number of issues. I am guessing it is a timing chain, hopefully that didn't skip a tooth and put everything way out of time.

Do the spark plugs look ok?

thesameguy
January 22nd, 2014, 03:09 PM
Since the engine was stone-cold, it's tough to say whether it was ok or not, but as far as I'm concerned 120psi on an engine that hasn't run in a year is fair.
Fuel pump is good - I also installed a pressure gauge inline and it's good
Carb is new, but potentially horrifically adjusted ;)
Spark is excellent. The Pertronix III is badass. The wires are shit, though. They're new and they work great, but I have serious doubts about their longevity. Not a problem for now.
Distributor is great - nice and tight. The vacuum advance could be wonky, I suppose. I'll check its action out.
Cam is *probably* fine - I mean, it drove great right into the garage. Highly unlikely it flattened from sitting. I have been told that sometimes on worn timing the cam can jump on shutdown or startup, so I could absolutely be facing that. However, compression is consistent across all eight cylinders, so it seems unlikely that if the cam jumped, it jumped much. Still on the table, though.
Spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor are all brand new.

neanderthal
January 22nd, 2014, 04:35 PM
Nice Benz. Be careful; they sneak up on you.

;)

Godson
January 22nd, 2014, 04:44 PM
Don't you have a nifty little camera with a light on it? Will it fit down a sparkplug hole?

Going by what you have said thus far, I am guessing you don't own a timing light. I'd try to find one to borrow.

You might be able to see if the can jumped time by pulling off the timing cover, but I don't know how accessible that is.


Ultimately I'd probably check the vacuum advance on the distributor first (least intrusive diagnosis), check timing with a light 2nd, 3rd would be to scope all cylinders and look for visible blow by as it has sat for a year, then make sure the cam to crank timing is correct.

This is my path based on we can say we have all three needed primary components for a run environment. We need to chase out the secondary components.

thesameguy
January 22nd, 2014, 06:45 PM
I have a badass timing light! But you can't time a car unless it's idling, and that's what I've been unable to achieve thus far... the only thing I've been able to achieve is shaky running at way-too-high RPM.

Pulling the timing cover is total front-end disassembly... all accessories, etc. Piles of work that, if it comes down to, isn't going to happen for a good long while.

I'm not sure what scoping the cylinders will tell me... 120psi is plenty of compression to start a motor, so I'm not worried about that. I think, at this point, I am either down to adjustments (carb, timing) or major engine work (valve timing). I'm aiming for low-hanging fruit at this exact moment. ;)

Godson
January 22nd, 2014, 09:52 PM
:toast:

Random
January 24th, 2014, 09:23 AM
Re: the W124. When you've got some spare time, have a read through this thread (http://www.roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?35615-Daily-Driver-thread-v-eleventy-The-Shultz-Edition), wherein Karl decides to buy a very similar car to yours. He's got a few good resources ilinked in there, IIRC, or you could join up at rrax and talk to him directly about the sound system question.

thesameguy
January 24th, 2014, 10:14 AM
I think I have it resolved. One thing that is always tough about cars that had long runs is figuring out when changes were made, and it seems there is a lot of confusion about the last couple years of these cars. Everything through about '92 is fairly well documented, but after that it's a bit murky. After finding the wiring diagram for the head unit (directly from Becker) and doing a little testing I've determined that while unusual, the setup is hardly complex. The head unit is standalone and drives two amplifiers via four outputs. One amp powers the left hand speakers, the other amp the right hand speakers. There are six speakers in the car - dash, deck, and front doors - so the amps must have crossovers in them. I think what's caused confusion is that the head unit only has speaker-level output and there are three pairs of speakers and nobody can figure out what's going on. Looking at the wiring diagrams doesn't help much as the diagrams talk about discrete components ("radio" and "bass amp") rather than the boxes people see ("head unit" and "left side amp"). After I saw it, it made reasonable sense.

Like Karl, apparently, I am surprised at how much I like this car. Also like Karl, it may be a sign I'm getting old. :lol: (I walked outside this morning to drive to work and saw the Jag, Benz, and Saab all sitting in the driveway, all with automatics - I need to get the manuals out of the back ;) ) The E320 is a super solid drive, and while everything about it reminds you that it isn't new, nothing feels or works old. Seeing it in the driveway or street I feel no shame about having a cheap-ass old luxury car. The W124 still looks good. Considering the price paid - $2300 - it's a ton of car, and a testament to the engineering and build that 20 years later so little money buys all sorts of systems that still work. Mind blown.

The seller of the car said he was getting 20mpg no matter how he drove, but Karl over there says he's doing mid 20s. Fuel economy has been one of two concerns about this car, but if I can win mileage like he's getting that concern would be wiped out. The PT Cruiser is only good for 24mpg (combined), so mid 20s from the Benz would be superb. I'll start doing some real fuel economy tracking soon to see what I can do. One thing that should help is that the future driver of this car is *quite* conservative - she naturally drives in a fuel saving sort of manner. ;)

The second concern is oil changes. The car has a nearly two gallon sump and with synthetic oil should be good for 7500+ mile oil changes. It'd be *great* if once a year I could just change the oil for her while I'm down there. It will save her money, and give me peace of mind knowing it's done right and with quality stuff. My concern is that if the car were to develop an oil leak or consume some unreasonable amount of oil that it'd get run dry... if there isn't a sticker on the windshield telling her to take it to a shop every 3-4 months everything under the hood will be neglected. I can absolutely see the car disappearing a gallon of oil and her doing nothing about it. I'm not sure how to resolve that yet. Maybe monthly reminder calls or emails for her to check fluids & tire pressures? Maybe schedule annual checkups at the Mercedes shop, creating an alternating six month them/me/them/me?

I've got some tuneup parts coming Monday (plug wires, plugs, filters, etc.) just to get this car to a baseline state of repair. I will probably change the transmission fluid, too, and of course find new tires. So far, no other squeaky wheels, so to speak. I plan to drive it for 2-3 months to get a real sense of what to expect... unless of course she does something else to the PT and we need to get it down there quickfast. :| Hopefully with that shady ass shop out of the picture that won't be a problem.

neanderthal
January 24th, 2014, 09:04 PM
The oild change interval IS 7500 miles. It IS a pretty much two gallon oil capacity. I've gone 10000 or more sometimes without changing the oil (i drive gentle. Except when i'm not)

There is an oil level light on the dash. I think it's the one that looks like an oil can.

I get mid low twenties fuel economy (currently23.8mpg.) That's driving 90% or more on the freeway, hypermiling a hell of a lot, and fucking off when the need arises.

They are essentially the last of the over engineered Benzes. Only the W140 (big body S Class) and the R129 (SL sports car) were spared beean counting in their development after the W124 came out. But those are mega complicated super heavy beasts.

And you're right. Being that they were styled before computers and all the necessary hoopla for achieving mega fuel economy, they look damn good. I don't need to buy a new car. My shit is contemporary.

thesameguy
January 25th, 2014, 11:04 AM
It's not there yet, but ...

http://youtu.be/5mRnlzrzmPI

VERY CLOSE.

It runs, runs pretty darned well, and in a predictable manner!!!

I set the idle (using only the idle screw) down to 650rpm, figuring that would be close to 500rpm in Drive. Ignition timing it at 5 degrees. It starts and idles super solid, and after a couple minutes of warming up the exhaust leak sealed itself back up so I could poke around without going deaf.

As you can see in the video, turning the key off does not shut the car down, but it does light up the GENERATOR light. I've read this is common on relay-switched electronic ignitions in this era GM, but a diode in the generator light circuit is supposed to cure it. I'll work on that next. I was planning on some other electrical work - replacing a couple old wires, including the battery cables (which are from a c900! :lol:) - so I'll just add that to the list.

I still need to adjust the mixture - it's where Edelbrock set it - and I've been told a slightly larger jetting is useful on this motor. I'm sure re-adjust the timing. But this is huge progress.

It starts readily, sets into a nice idle, and sounds like I'd expect a 429 with a 3" exhaust to sound... rather than a contraption about to explode. ;)

thesameguy
January 25th, 2014, 11:06 AM
I get mid low twenties fuel economy (currently23.8mpg.) That's driving 90% or more on the freeway, hypermiling a hell of a lot, and fucking off when the need arises.

What year is your car again? It's also DOHC? What speed are you normally going on the freeway?

Godson
January 25th, 2014, 11:57 AM
Glad to see you got it sorted down to the ignition timining.

And that is a badass timing light.

thesameguy
January 25th, 2014, 12:21 PM
I love that timing light. I can't believe I lived for years with one of the old-style dialbacks. Using buttons to set advance is a little more cumbersome than the dial, but there is no guessing and no worries about bumping the dial by accident and setting all sorts of screwy timing. Plus, it's all plastic so it's nice to hold and doesn't weigh a ton. I saw a smog tech using the next model up (I don't remember what the diff is) and thought that is exactly what I need.

I will also point out the car hasn't run that smoothly since I got it. It's been a long journey, but I feel like I'm getting towards the end and it was very much worth it.

JoshInKC
January 25th, 2014, 05:40 PM
I'm really glad you got it going again- you seemed so (understandably) frustrated with it that I was half expecting to see a "So the cadillac is gone" post in the near future.
What'd you do to make it live again, and was the timing previously way out?

Also, timing lights with built in tachs? :up:
One of the greatest inventions of all time. Not requiring either a separate piece of equipment or running to and from the driver's seat while setting idle alone is Uh-mahzing.

thesameguy
January 25th, 2014, 06:21 PM
I honestly don't know why 1/25/2014 was any different from any point in the last, say, three months. I'm willing to accept - and of course it makes sense - that something with the old carb/intake/ignition/fuel pump was screwy, but I can rationalize how after replacing all that stuff it still wouldn't run. I am confident the lingering problem was ignition related as since replacing the fuel carb/intake/fuel pump I didn't mess with them any further, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. I took the ignition system apart and put it back together probably eight times in the last few months I really couldn't put my finger on any thing I did differently at any point. Between the 19th and today I changed nothing significant, but on the 19th it was pretty unhappy, the 20th it was slightly less unhappy, and today it didn't seem unhappy at all. Maybe magic?

When I started it today it stumbled for couple seconds, then caught itself, then began increasing its speed until it was thundering along at about 1600rpm. I was using the timing light as a tach and had the distributor vacuum advance pinched off and the clamp slightly loosened. I backed off the idle screw until it slowed down to about 800rpm, then checked the timing - it was probably at 20 degrees ATDC or so. I alternated idle screw -> distributor until I was at 650rpm and 5 degrees BTDC. By then, the crack in the exhaust manifold had sealed itself back up and the garage was totally livable again. ;)

As a comparison, last year when I was doing the same thing on the old carb/intake/ignition/fuel pump it would just die at anything less than 1200rpm - and 1200rpm didn't sound terribly healthy. Today when backing off the idle screw I was ready with Kleenex for any crying, but it behaved 100% properly.

I need to read up on how to set the mixture on this carb and how the alternator is wired up so I can install that diode, but that stuff doesn't seem too difficult. It should actually be fairly drivable right now (even if I can't turn it off with the key :lol:) so I might take it around the block just to heat cycle the paint & valve cover gaskets (which call for a re-torque). Or I might not and just be happy it runs at all and that I am not staring down massive engine work. ;)

I am going to wire the car up for a second battery as the air compressor in the trunk can kill the battery if it's recovering from more than a few days of rest, and although it fixes itself the big exhaust leak doesn't make me happy so I'm going to invest in some headers too. That's several hundred bucks of stuff that isn't in the budget for the next couple months, but I have no intent to really drive it before spring, so I've got time.

thesameguy
January 25th, 2014, 06:24 PM
Whoops, Sanderson headers...

http://www.sandersonheaders.com/images/D/cad390_600.jpg

Godson
January 25th, 2014, 08:47 PM
V6?



Fiero?

JoshInKC
January 25th, 2014, 08:53 PM
Well, magic is a good enough answer for me. I was thinking I'd missed an update or something.

thesameguy
January 25th, 2014, 08:53 PM
429 V8 - Cadillac!

thesameguy
January 27th, 2014, 12:12 PM
I did a lot of reading, and as it turns out GM, much like Ford, used roughly the same alternator configuration for about thirty years. The alternator in the Fleetwood is a "10DN" and somewhere between 40 and 60 amps max when new. Highly unlikely the one in the Fleetwood is putting out that sort of amperage. There have been four iterations of alternators since then, culminating with the CS130 released in the late '80s. A 105a, internally regulated, CS130 is $60 and bolts right in. That *should* cure the run-on and will provide plenty of amps for running the incoming dual battery setup. I am worried slightly about belt tension, as driving such a big alternator with the spindly belts on the Fleetwood is not ideal, but hopefully with a big heavy motor (ie slow to rev) that spends most of its time under 3krpms it won't be a problem. We'll see - Amazon will be delivering that new alternator (from a 1992 Century) on Wednesday, and I should be able to make some good enuf wiring quickly. I don't want to do fancy rewiring and then find out I still have the problem... :)

I got so excited about the Fleetwood's alternator I went looking to see if one could be adapted to the SPG. It's pathetic 75a alternator really gets me down. Nope, no luck. Closest thing is a $150 alternator from a much newer Saab. Woulda been nice to have a $65 solution like the domestics have... especially since, as it turns out, the GM and Ford ~1990 alternators are much more reliable than the Bosch parts. :(

Mercedes parts just showed up, so I'll tackle that over the next couple days... tuneup parts & stereo. I kinda enjoy brainless remove & replace operations. My brain is fried from actually thinking about the Cadillac. And virtualizing physical servers.

neanderthal
January 27th, 2014, 08:07 PM
I get mid low twenties fuel economy (currently23.8mpg.) That's driving 90% or more on the freeway, hypermiling a hell of a lot, and fucking off when the need arises.What year is your car again? It's also DOHC? What speed are you normally going on the freeway?

Mine's a 95, so mechanically it's exactly the same as yours. I drive moderately. I try to keep it at 60- 70. i slow down going up hill and back off the gas as much as possible going down hill. I almost never use the AC, my windows are rolled up pretty much permanently.

I normally come home with the last of the traffic, so i'm usually doing about 50, but that's the speed of traffic. When the traffic clears up (as I transition from the 5N to the 118W) I have to immediately move left as I only have about a mile to catch the 405S. There's usually traffic also trying to merge right from the 118W to stay on the 118 so it's pretty slow moving too. Once i'm on the 405S, my exit is the very first one, it's pretty much all downhill and I can coast/ keep the speed down to my hearts content.

I've done 30mpg exactly once. Lubbock TX to Dallas TX I think. I basically parked myself 2 car lengths behind a series of RVs and semi trucks and did 60- 65mph with them. Lost them a bit on uphills (I refuse to accelerate uphill) but I'd give her a little on the downhill and resume my drafting. You can't really draft them from that far, but there is a slight tow effect and I took advantage of it.

I have slightly larger tires (205/65R15 vs the standard 195/65R15) and that reduces the "milage" calculated since a bigger tire rolls fewer times, making it seem like you've gone a shorter distance. But my speedo is dead on accurate. And my actual economy goes up, since the tire rolls a few times less per mile.

thesameguy
January 27th, 2014, 08:32 PM
Thanks! This car also has 205/65s on it, and I think I will keep that size when I replace them. A little spongier ride, a little more impact absorbance. ;) I am probably going to go with LRR tires too - eek every foot I can out of a gallon. :)

I replaced the plugs and wires this evening. Old wires were mighty floppy and the plugs were nicely worn, but worn - .040". A new oil cap should hopefully keep the oil in the engine, and a new fuel filter to go on in the next few days. Got the new stereo wired up and half installed - I just couldn't immediately see how to escape the center console (for the USB connector and Bluetooth mic) so I stopped. Works perfectly, though.

I'm gonna change the transmission fluid but then pause and drive it around a bunch. That's a solid performance baseline from which to prioritize the next steps.

thesameguy
January 28th, 2014, 08:01 PM
Back one cold December night I made the mistake of turning on the Jag's windshield defogger before the cabin had warmed up. That turned a small chip in the glass into an enormous crack stretching the entire width of the windshield. Oops. I took it in last week to have the windshield replaced and decided to have them do a light tint at the same time. It's a 70% (70% of light passes through), one of the lightest tints they offer. Glad I didn't go darker - I think it looks superb. Hopefully it help reduce sun damage to the interior & keep it cooler this summer.

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/03xjr_tint.jpg

Almost finished installing the stereo in the Benz - I just need to figure out exactly where the USB port is going to go. I really want to put it in the center storage cubby, but man removing that console seems like a lot of work. Right now, it's hanging out between the seat and the console. Bluetooth mic is installed and works great - and this just happens to be one of the cars I have whose interior is quiet enough I can actually plan on using it. ;) I still haven't installed the one in the SPG, because there's about zero expectation it'll pick up anything but engine noise. Meh. Anyway, for being a brand new stereo, I think the Pioneer looks reasonable in the dash, and cheap-looking or no, the display is super legible.

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_pioneer.jpg

novicius
January 29th, 2014, 06:16 AM
Nice work on both fronts!

The MINI's windshield is a cracktacular mess right now but I'm not going to replace it until I either receive a ticket or we hit Spring.

CudaMan
January 29th, 2014, 09:11 AM
Tint looks great. :up:

thesameguy
January 29th, 2014, 09:16 AM
I just couldn't take having a cracked windshield. I can deal with chips, but when they turn into giant cracks I have to take action. There are just too many beater luxury cars in Sacramento owned by people who can't afford to keep them in good nick, and they all run around with terribly cracked windshields. I just don't like falling into that stereotype. I'd rather have a nicely kept luxury car than a Sam's Q-Lity Motors Special of the Week luxury car. :lol:

Unrelated, it started raining a little bit here this morning (praise Jesus), so I started the Cadillac and drove it into the garage. Amazeballs.

Random
January 29th, 2014, 09:23 AM
I just couldn't take having a cracked windshield. I can deal with chips, but when they turn into giant cracks I have to take action. There are just too many beater luxury cars in Sacramento owned by people who can't afford to keep them in good nick, and they all run around with terribly cracked windshields. I just don't like falling into that stereotype. I'd rather have a nicely kept luxury car than a Sam's Q-Lity Motors Special of the Week luxury car. :lol:

Oi! :(

thesameguy
January 29th, 2014, 02:15 PM
Have no doubts, I bought a Sam's Q-Lity Motors Special of the Week luxury car. I just don't want anyone to know it. :p

neanderthal
January 29th, 2014, 09:49 PM
I just couldn't take having a cracked windshield. I can deal with chips, but when they turn into giant cracks I have to take action. There are just too many beater luxury cars in Sacramento owned by people who can't afford to keep them in good nick, and they all run around with terribly cracked windshields. I just don't like falling into that stereotype. I'd rather have a nicely kept luxury car than a Sam's Q-Lity Motors Special of the Week luxury car. Oi! :(

Oi! :( X2

neanderthal
January 29th, 2014, 10:00 PM
Thanks! This car also has 205/65s on it, and I think I will keep that size when I replace them. A little spongier ride, a little more impact absorbance. ;) I am probably going to go with LRR tires too - eek every foot I can out of a gallon. :)

I replaced the plugs and wires this evening. Old wires were mighty floppy and the plugs were nicely worn, but worn - .040". A new oil cap should hopefully keep the oil in the engine, and a new fuel filter to go on in the next few days. Got the new stereo wired up and half installed - I just couldn't immediately see how to escape the center console (for the USB connector and Bluetooth mic) so I stopped. Works perfectly, though.

I'm gonna change the transmission fluid but then pause and drive it around a bunch. That's a solid performance baseline from which to prioritize the next steps.

They came prewired for a cellphone in the armrest console. There should be some wiring tucked in there. You're good enough with wiring to figure out the power and ground and just stick the phone and the USB in the armrest console vs the center console.
Now, to be fair, I don't know if removing the OE radio removed its power- on signal or not. Just throwing it out there as an alternative.

Also, the wood can be had with myriad openings. Maybe you find an earlier car with good enough (matching) wood, which also had the center console fader switch between the window switches, and there's your built usb location.

thesameguy
January 29th, 2014, 10:27 PM
Good to know! Now I just need to figure out how to get in there... that wood in the center console looks like one big sweeping piece, which makes console removal a tad bit daunting.

Godson
January 30th, 2014, 08:21 AM
Correct me if I am wrong, but are you using a tire mobility kit in a vehicle in place of the spare? I seem to remember you doing that, and I was wanting to follow suit on a buddies car for a stereo install for space purposes.

thesameguy
January 30th, 2014, 11:29 AM
Yup, bought one from some Chevy off ebay for the Fiero, since its spare won't even almost fit over the front brakes. I'm actually going to buy another one for the Falcon pretty darned shortly.

FaultyMario
January 30th, 2014, 12:54 PM
I don't know if removing the OE radio removed its power- on signal or not. Just throwing it out there as an alternative.

What was your screen name when you were a Refugee?

Godson
January 30th, 2014, 01:12 PM
If you don't mind me asking, how much did it end up costing? How did you mount it? Just curious as this is for a friends S2000 and he is going to dump the spare and cover plate for more flexibility.

thesameguy
January 30th, 2014, 01:15 PM
What was your screen name when you were a Refugee?

Village Idiot.


If you don't mind me asking, how much did it end up costing? How did you mount it? Just curious as this is for a friends S2000 and he is going to dump the spare and cover plate for more flexibility.

It was $25, including shipping. I just tucked it behind the passenger seat, but it does have a bolt hole that could be used to secure it in place of a spare tire. I want to reclaim the front compartment of the Fiero as a trunk, so I was trying to keep stuff out of there. :)

Godson
January 30th, 2014, 01:18 PM
interesting. I am finding them all in the 50$-200$ range right now. Anything that is in the 25$ range is just the recharge kit. I just want the cheap pump and jelly in one unit.

thesameguy
January 30th, 2014, 01:27 PM
Holy crap did they get expensive! My God - when I got mine I was choosing between the $25 "expires in '15" and $40 ("expires in '17" units. They are all $75+ now! Insane. I'd wait a few weeks and try again... none of the ones listed are selling. People will come to their senses again.

thesameguy
January 30th, 2014, 01:30 PM
If you're in a hurry, I'd try "best offering" this one for something sensible:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-NEW-OEM-TIRE-COMPRESSOR-HOLDER-22871805-SAVE-HERE-7821-/301030503124?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4616d0f2d4&vxp=mtr

FaultyMario
January 30th, 2014, 01:32 PM
Village Idiot.

I wasn't 100% sure. BTW, BRC @ BM looks the tits.

Godson
January 30th, 2014, 01:44 PM
If you're in a hurry, I'd try "best offering" this one for something sensible:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-NEW-OEM-TIRE-COMPRESSOR-HOLDER-22871805-SAVE-HERE-7821-/301030503124?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4616d0f2d4&vxp=mtr

Thanks for the info. I'll pass on this one. There is one for a mustang being sold locally I told the friend to pick up for $20. I'm currently in no rush, but when I get back into auto-xing I will have one for ease of removal of weight, etc.

thesameguy
January 30th, 2014, 03:10 PM
Got the fuel filter changed in the Benzo. Old one was thoughtfully stamped 10/2011, which is much newer than I expected. Also stamped "Baldwin," which is about what I expected. I'm perpetually blown away that people save single digit dollars and skimp on filters. Over a 2-5 year lifespan, is the $8 spread between bargain basement and name brand *really* that much? Rants aside, I really enjoy that this 1995 Mercedes is built with 1985 sensibility. Lots of nods to "this will be easier to service" and much less concern shown for "this will save one penny on each car we make." I guess those decisions are easy when you're building a price-no-object car, but I still appreciate it. It took maybe 15 minutes to change the fuel filter. Reminds me a lot of working on a c900 - probably because they are two cars largely designed and built by hand. How nice. :D

neanderthal
January 30th, 2014, 09:51 PM
Got the fuel filter changed in the Benzo. Old one was thoughtfully stamped 10/2011, which is much newer than I expected. Also stamped "Baldwin," which is about what I expected. I'm perpetually blown away that people save single digit dollars and skimp on filters. Over a 2-5 year lifespan, is the $8 spread between bargain basement and name brand *really* that much? Rants aside, I really enjoy that this 1995 Mercedes is built with 1985 sensibility. Lots of nods to "this will be easier to service" and much less concern shown for "this will save one penny on each car we make." I guess those decisions are easy when you're building a price-no-object car, but I still appreciate it. It took maybe 15 minutes to change the fuel filter. Reminds me a lot of working on a c900 - probably because they are two cars largely designed and built by hand. How nice. :D


You're getting sucked towards the dark side!!!!!!!! No wait, you've already got a W124, so I think you're deep in the dark side.
You can tell that a mechanic had input at the design stage.
You'll get a huge kick out of it when you realise your windshield washer fluid is heated. That your visor extends. That the ignition key turns off everything but the headlights. And when you go on a long trip you'll marvel at the size of the trunk and the cars mile munching ability. Brilliantly thought out cars.


You're welcome.

thesameguy
February 1st, 2014, 11:18 AM
Well, I really do enjoy it, that's for sure. It will probably make it even harder when she destroys this car. The Protege, SL1, and PTC I didn't feel so bad about, but I might tear up when this car gets killed. Or, maybe everything will go according to plan and she'll take pride in having a classic Mercedes looked after by a reputable shop. That would be really nice. :)

Turns out the center console takes two screws to remove, easily accessible from inside the bin. So I did that, pulled the USB cable up though the structure (easily cut a USB connector sized hole with a utility knife) and then through the front of the bin (another USB connector sized hole, not visible from the top). The cable from the Pioneer is long enough to reach to the console with a solid 9" of length to spare, so plugging stuff into it will be easy. I was going to mount the connector to the bin, but if she ends up using physically small flash drives like I do that could be a liability. For now, I'll leave it flopping around. :)

Next up, transmission fluid change. I need to do a little research on what's involved - I think ye olde 124 is a pretty conventional automatic (that is, with a real pan), but I'm not sure yet.

thesameguy
February 1st, 2014, 06:04 PM
Sold the 9-3 today - back down to, um, nope, still lots of cars. Whatevs.

thesameguy
February 4th, 2014, 11:59 AM
Benzo developed a totally failed blower motor. After some digging, it turns out 1994 still wasn't a good year for designing stupid blower motor resistors or figuring out where to put them. I can't decide whether right next to a hot motor under the cowl is slightly more or less retarded than, say, in the plenum where they get baked by the heater. I'll reflect on that more, later. On the upside, changing the resistor really isn't a big deal, and alterted me to the fact that the cabin air filter is SHOT and needs to be replaced. In addition to pondering the thought process behind the placement of these devices, I'm also pondering what the $300 Mercedes unit does that the $50 VW unit or $8 Ford unit doesn't and, to a lesser degree, what the $60 cheap Chinese knockoff of the Mercedes part doesn't. Because that's what I bought to replace it. It's 2014 people, black plastic cases full of resistors should not cost more than an iPhone. Anywho.... that project is in process, and I'm glad it failed now, because I'm *sure* this would be a $500 operation at a shop. Bring on the cheap failures NOW.

I also received my Delco 334-2369 from Amazon.com and picked up an EC101 from NAPA - an alternator and 4-pin harness pigtail both destined to go in the Cadillac. I'm hoping to cure the run-on issue as well as the defiant generator light, which tends to stay on until I goose the throttle. The two problems very well could be related (weak diodes?) so I figured a new alternator was a good move. Plus, I am going to dual batteries (to run the compressor better) and more amperage can't hurt. Much like the alternator swap in the Falcon, installing a four generation newer part in the Cadillac was pretty much brain dead. Remove old alternator, swap pulley, install new alterantor, connect two ring terminals, splice sense wire. Derp. Difficulty level = zero. Clearly, alternators are an area were domestic cost cutting really pays off... since Ford & GM milked shitty old motors for so long it was cheaper to make new alternators fit the old holes that to waste engineering dollars making new holes. I'm not mad at that! I have not yet started the Cadillac to test as it was getting dark & cold, but I plan to wrap this up tonight or tomorrow.

I've got a strong feeling that I am going to have all projects wrapped up by the end of this month, leaving me wide open for RV time.

Speaking of, I have ruled in the possibility of putting the RV budget into a Banks Sidewinder for the Suburban and just towing a trailer. I think that is a piss-poor use of money, but I just can't rid myself of sentimenatality for the old beast. I could spend five grand on it and end up with a truck almost as nice as a GMT8xx Suburban for the same money. I'm just having a really hard time making that decision. So much history tied up in that truck!

Random
February 4th, 2014, 02:41 PM
What's the make/model of your timing light, btw?

novicius
February 4th, 2014, 03:29 PM
I'm pro-travel trailer. :up: :up:

thesameguy
February 5th, 2014, 08:26 AM
What's the make/model of your timing light, btw?


It's an Equus 5568:

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-5568-Pro-Timing-Light-Tool/dp/B000EVU8J8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391621179&sr=8-1&keywords=equus+timing+light

The next model down is also quite nice, but this one does DIS, which is useful every once in a while... like verifying your hacked-in EDIS system is properly adjusting ignition timing. ;)

thesameguy
February 5th, 2014, 08:33 AM
I'm pro-travel trailer. :up: :up:

It does simplify a lot of things, including insurance. I could go buy this:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/4316224187.html

and some decent $2k-$3k trailer and be barely out of my budget and end up with a much newer truck to replace the 'burban when I'm done. I really need to do some soul-searching. Obviously, I could use the current truck to tow, but it would need a grand or two in work for me to feel comfortable towing that much weight into such a remote place... work that I just haven't felt is necessary for what I use it for. I'm not sure i can justify that investment no matter how much I like it.

Edit: +/- I could potentially keep such a trailer - I've got room to store it - and maybe use it again in the future. OTOH, not selling the Burning Man equipment means I'm not getting that money back. Buying and selling an RV, even at the loss of a few hundred dollars, was the plan - there is no way I'd be tempted to keep an RV around.

Random
February 5th, 2014, 08:33 AM
I ASSuME it will be able to deal with the Miata's wasted spark system?

thesameguy
February 5th, 2014, 08:37 AM
Yep. DIS is actually for 2-stroke engines, but because they have the same double-time ignition system as a wasted spark one the DIS setting works there too. :) EDIS is also wasted spark, FWIW.

thesameguy
February 7th, 2014, 03:32 PM
I opened Pandora's box.

I have been living in blissful ignorance of the Cadillac's underpinnings for nearly four years, but the running problem invited me down the rabbit hole and I could not resist. I tried swapping on a CS130 alternator. That should be a *really* basic swap. Change one pulley, change one SAE bolt for one metric bolt, and lengthen one wire. Of course, that didn't work. Why would it? Why would anything on this car be simple? I got nearly three years of problem-free driving. The Fleetwood is owed some serious time.

New alternator in, HORRIBLE belt squeal, and a charge light that would not turn off. Oddly, it appears to be charging - 12.51v at the battery with the key off is 14.5v at the battery with the engine running. No explanation, save fucked up wiring or possibly a defective alternator. That is not how it was supposed to go, not even remotely.

I ended up tearing the dash board apart, unwrapping wires that haven't seen the light of day in damn near 50 years, and sticking multimeter probes all over the place. Frankly, I still haven't gotten to the bottom of anything. I've made zero progress. The only thing I know is that with the "Light" wire disconnected from the alternator, there is continuity to the chassis. That really shouldn't be that way... the only thing I can guess is that the continuity is happening via lightbulbs... From the connector at the alternator to the GEN light to the switched ignition circuit to various lightbulbs to their ground points. That seems reasonable. I just don't like it.

In this process I think I have discovered that the belts on the car are completely messed up, installed in a totally non-sensical, non-stock way. While reading the service manual a spied an illustration that led me to this conclusion - the picture doesn't jive with my memory. Sure wish I had a picture of the belt layout as-is right now. It wouldn't explain the light, but it might explain the squealing. Hell, maybe it would explain the light - maybe the alternator can't get up to speed because the belt is slipping. These alts can put out big amperage even at low speed, plenty to run an old Cadillac. Maybe it's enough to charge the battery in the old beast, but sub-optimal anyway. Hmmm.

Also, I have become very familiar with the service manual while pouring over diagrams and schematics and gotten to know the car a lot better. I've been of the mind to leave well enough alone and not play with things I don't need, but now I know how a lot of the gadgets work or at least how they're supposed to. Maybe once it's behaving generally properly again, I'll tackle some of them. From crawling around under the dash it sure seems like most everything is 100% original back there and in very good shape. Makes me think that things that might not work have simple explanations rather than being the result of decades of people mucking with stuff. Near as I can tell, I'm the only one doing the mucking on this ride!

JoshInKC
February 7th, 2014, 05:20 PM
My first move would be to pull the alternator and take it a parts store with a testing bench. That should let you know immediately if it's a problem, then proceed to warranty-return or start f*cking with wiring as appropriate.
God, belts can be a horror-show. A friend of my uncle bought a (formerly diesel) eighties suburban that had had some sort of LS series engine swapped in cheap, because the previous owner couldn't get it to run right after the swap due to overheating and undercharging. We messed with it for hours before we figured out that the water pump was rotating backwards and the alternator pulley was about half-again as big as it should have been. Turns out the entire accessory system had been kludged together out of about 4 different vehicles and no actual planning.

novicius
February 7th, 2014, 05:28 PM
Reading the struggles in this thread is like reading Love in the Time of Cholera for car folks. :lol: :up:

thesameguy
February 7th, 2014, 05:29 PM
Funny thing about having the alternator testing is that I found numerous posts from folks on many boards telling the same story as I have, that the alternator tested good, and that swapping it cured the problem! I would have yanked it already for a test if I was certain the test would accurately reveal something. Since it suddenly started pouring rain and plans to for a week (thus Fleetwood work is out), I might just have it exchanged anyway and see where that gets me. Or, I might just keeping digging my hole deeper and see where it leads me. ;)

Unrelated, the Sumitomo HTRZIIIs are wonderful in the rain. I have been driving the Fiero through all of this, and it seems the car's weakness in this weather is me. It has given me zero reason to doubt its traction, but I am not going to push it any harder on public roads. I am very happy with this rubber!

Godson
February 8th, 2014, 01:06 PM
Sounds like Bertha troubles. Something that sounds complicated but should be simple.


Check grounds for the whole car. Might add a few to be safe.


HTRZIII are a good tire, but have shit life.

thesameguy
February 8th, 2014, 01:16 PM
I'm not too worried about life. With 225s and 245s on a 2700lb car, they aren't doing that much work. Plus, at ~3000 miles per year if I get 18,000 miles out of them I will be approaching the time I need to change them from age anyway. To some degree, I hope they have shit life... it would be nice to change a tire from wear rather than age. The Nokian NRZs on the XR have probably 1/3rd of their tread left but they're 10 years old and visibly not safe to drive on anymore. Maybe I'll be able to wear out the Sumitomos like a normal person.

Godson
February 8th, 2014, 03:02 PM
I'll be surprised if they make it 18000 miles. Keep me updated on that front. As they are damned good tires.

thesameguy
February 8th, 2014, 04:10 PM
Sure thing. We'll touch base in 2020. :p

thesameguy
February 10th, 2014, 09:30 AM
New blower motor regulator installed in the Mercedes. I could have bought a $300 part or a $150 part, but I bought a $50 part. Strong feeling it's going to come back and bite me. But no one could comment on what the actual difference between the parts was, and I gotta believe a magic box full of resistors is going to be made in China no matter what the brand is, so I took a risk. Worst case it fails again - it's an hour's worth of work, and no blower doesn't make the car not run so it's not to big of a deal. I also replaced the cabin air filter which was a mess, so that's all positive.

It looks like this weekend's weather forecast has been revised from more rain to mostly sun, so I think I shall go order some transmission fluid changing supplies!

George
February 11th, 2014, 02:47 PM
Quotes from TSG that I think I remember, at least approximately...

I want an RV.


Throwing away years of work and tens of thousands of dollars on bizarre old cars turns me on.


I like to haul large numbers of scantily-clad ladies to nefarious establishments of questionable morality.


I dig roadtrips to obscure places in Colorado to pick up large luxury vehicles.


Five grand isn't out of the question.

http://cosprings.craigslist.org/cto/4269426580.html]1976 mercedes bus o303 - $5000 (http://cosprings.craigslist.org/cto/4269426580.html)

"no phone service here, just email, or come by. you will see the bus behind the saloon."

http://images.craigslist.org/00909_lvDHimPXjJ6_600x450.jpg

thesameguy
February 11th, 2014, 03:06 PM
That would look great next to the E320!!!!

Godson
February 11th, 2014, 03:19 PM
Dude. Rolling in style.

FaultyMario
February 12th, 2014, 07:58 AM
http://youtu.be/S0Sp500ZVI0?t=1m1s

thesameguy
February 12th, 2014, 08:43 AM
:lol:

thesameguy
February 13th, 2014, 09:08 PM
I just ordered myself a Setrab 50-619-7612 oil cooler for the XR. I ordered it from carshopinc.com as they had it for 25% less than anyone else on the planet, which I gotta admit is *really* suspect. I figure I've got my credit card company on my side, so we'll see what happens. If positive things, then maybe I've found a new place to order car parts from. If not, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

thesameguy
February 14th, 2014, 08:21 AM
carshopinc.com emailed saying the stuff was in stock and would ship today. How nice!

thesameguy
February 19th, 2014, 01:47 PM
... and now it's on a truck for delivery!

In other news, about a month ago I inquired about a '95 E320 with 235,000 miles that was registered out of state and barely running. Couldn't tell much from the photo, and being 40 miles away I wasn't going to go take a look and hope. I rudely sent the seller a text message offering less than half of the asking price. It was a fair price, but offering someone a couple hundred bucks on a car they think it worth $1200 is pretty rude. Not surprising, I didn't hear back. Two weeks went by and I saw the ad again, now with a new lower price. I send the same text, apologizing if I'd sent it twice. No response. I kept my eye on the ad, waiting for it to expire and then get reposted - that was supposed to happen Monday. The ad went down, but never went back up. I figured some sucker had forked over cash.

Nope, got a text yesterday afternoon agreeing to my price if I could come get it immediately. No worries! I got half a tank of diesel in the Suburban and there's a UHaul on the way to BFE! Let's look at what $467 (the cost of the car + the UHaul rental) buys in 2014:

It buys a 1995 Mercedes E320 with no hood ornament nor headlight wipers.
http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_1.jpg

It buys a car with extra-jenky stereo wiring. Notice the surface mount wiring trailing away on the left.
http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_2.jpg

It buys a car with a missing armrest cover, and a center storage bin explicably totally missing.
http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_3.jpg

It buys a car with a physically broken door hinge (or two).
http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_5.jpg

It buys a car with SWEET Cerwin-Vega bookshelf speakers crammed on the rear deck, connected to the head unit with previously illustrated surface wiring.
http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_4.jpg

As far as I'm concerned, the inclusion of bookshelf speakers in ANY car means it's a no fucks given POS beater. I'm so embarrassed by this configuration immediately after taking this picture I removed the speakers and threw them away. I don't even want bookshelf speakers in a parts car.

neanderthal
February 19th, 2014, 01:51 PM
Near $50000 when new.

The sad thing is this; that car, with a facsimile of preventative maintenance, would have kept on running for years. I reckon you could resuscitate it.

Random
February 19th, 2014, 01:52 PM
Not even good enough to be garage speakers?

FaultyMario
February 19th, 2014, 02:32 PM
Russ, You and I... This ][ close, mang!

thesameguy
February 19th, 2014, 02:37 PM
I reckon you could resuscitate it.

Not economically. A 235,000 mile old W124 is a $2,000 car on its best day, and this car needs WAY more than $1533 worth of work. Headliner is wrecked, front seats are wrecked, carpet is wrecked, sunroof is wrecked, tinting is failing, a couple reasonable dings, front airdam is wrecked, initial signs of rust at a couple spots. It doesn't run right, probably has a failed head gasket, might have a failed wiring harness. It's in bad shape, possibly worth less than the $400 I paid for it. I'm just banking on getting a hundred or two in scrap metal.

The reason I bought it is that finding the '94/'95 cars in junkyards is, apparently, really tough around here. Maybe all the ones that are going to die are already dead and gone, or maybe they just don't die that often. I need a few things for the '94 and want a few spares, and this car is going to donate them. If I'd been able to find that stuff in junkyards I never would have bought this - I just don't want to pay retail price on stupid things like windshield washer bottles. That stuff will add up very quickly and exceed what this partsmobile cost. ;)


Not even good enough to be garage speakers?

Maybe, but I don't need any. If you do you are welcome to them - they are sitting the trash pile, aka the trunk. :)

Random
February 19th, 2014, 02:46 PM
If you don't mind hanging onto them, yeah, I'll take them. :)

Random
February 19th, 2014, 03:04 PM
ps. when do you find out about BM tix?

thesameguy
February 19th, 2014, 03:15 PM
No worries! They were going to stay in the trunk til the car gets crushed. Weight is weight! :D I will plug them into the stereo in the garage to see if they work, though. Actually, I know they work to some degree because I did turn on the stereo in the car to see if it worked, but I will do a real test. These fancy speakers even still have their wall-mount brackets installed! :lol:

Registration for tickets is tomorrow, sale is a week from today. On that note, we were invited to join a very well-established camp on Saturday night, which would guarantee parking and access to good facilities. I think that's awesome, but I'm a little hesitant on signing up for a job on the first go... It's not the effort involved, it's the timing... do I want to be scheduled to do something at a time when I'd rather be doing something else? I dunno. OTOH, an in with a bunch of pros could be neato. Still pondering that.

Random
February 19th, 2014, 03:25 PM
Not necessarily a bad thing to have a guided-tour experience the first time, I suppose. On the flip side, maybe part of the experience is stumbling around confused and lost for the better part of a week... :D

Kchrpm
February 19th, 2014, 05:41 PM
Hippies.

thesameguy
February 19th, 2014, 06:25 PM
On the flip side, maybe part of the experience is stumbling around confused and lost for the better part of a week... :D

That is kind of my thought right now... that I might prefer being able to do anything and everything when I want to, rather than having to carve out time for, um, work. The only thing rattling around in my head is that - and I'm guessing - there are things you have access to when you're part of a major camp that you might not have access to otherwise. I'm basing this off stories friends & acquaintances have come back with - I have no idea if that's really a useful thing for a first-timer.

Related, a friend and his wife have expressed interest in coming with us. If they do, that invitation would not extend to them so things could be awkward. I will confide in the entire internet that my motivation for having folks come with us would be to offset the cost of gas. :p

thesameguy
February 19th, 2014, 06:26 PM
Hippies.

Not yet. As of right now my morning ritual is less goat milk or wheat grass and more Benz or Jag. :p

thesameguy
February 19th, 2014, 06:49 PM
Thought everyone might enjoy this little parts car show and tell! Check this out!

What you're seeing below are parts of the rubber boot from the coil pack. All that rubber down there made it very difficult to get a spark plug socket around the spark plug, and of course I didn't want any of that rubber going into the combustion chamber. A combination of compressed air and a shop vac got most of the crap out of the wells.

http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_sparkplughole.jpg

If there was any doubt as to why the coil boots failed, let's look at Exhibit B - spark plugs literally coated in oil. It's pooling quite badly around a few plugs even after being removed. I thought #1 and #2 were bad, but was downright impressed with #5! That's a lot of oil!

http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_sparkplugs.jpg

So, uh, what happens when a valve cover gasket fails and oil pools in the spark plug wells? Ignition system stops working. What happens to all that fuel that's not being ignited properly? Oh, it goes right down the exhaust where it explodes in the catalytic converter, like so:

http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_cat.jpg

AWESOME.

I am going to sawzall that cat off and then run a compression test. Maybe, just maybe the failure here is limited to spark plugs, ignition coils, and that cat and the low coolant in the motor is just coincidence. OTOH, maybe all that backpressure blew up the head gasket too. That sure would be something!

For the record, this is EXACTLY the type of car I'd expect to find bookshelf speakers in. Exactly.

CudaMan
February 19th, 2014, 07:34 PM
:popcorn:

Godson
February 19th, 2014, 09:40 PM
I have seen worse oil in sparkplug holes. But we won't get into that discussion now.

This will be fantastically entertaining.

CudaMan
February 19th, 2014, 10:33 PM
Did Russ just sneak the popcorn smiley from the sandbox? :)

thesameguy
February 20th, 2014, 10:55 AM
Did a compression test on the motor this morning, did not go well. Results were 135psi/90psi/90psi/90psi/125psi/125psi, #1-6. I ran the numbers twice, to see if spinning for a while changed anything. Nope, consistent both times. I was going to add some oil to the cylinders but the only oil I have is a sealed jug o' Lubromoly I didn't feel like unsealing, so instead I added some Pentosin ATF1. :lol: I only added it to #2 and #3, but compression shot up to 215psi in those, so it looks like the bottom end.

Still, the tests were done on a stone cold engine in the AM (it was probably 4x degrees last night) and b) this car hasn't gone much of anywhere in a year or more. It could be stuck rings, possibly as a result of a terrible ignition system carboning up the engine. Same story as the Cadillac, really, and it recovered nicely. ;) The pistons tops look *ugly* through the spark plug holes - there Is clearly a mess of carbon there, probably partly from age but mostly from an effed up ignition system.

I'm going to pour some Seafoam into the CCs and let it sit for a day or two and see if anything changes. Worst case I've wasted $8, best case I end up throw another $15 at some cheapo spark plugs and get a running motor. My money is on an abused and tired bottom end, regardless, but it's worth $8-$15 to find out for sure... not that I have any need or plans for this motor, I guess, but maybe someone else does.

novicius
February 20th, 2014, 10:58 AM
Spare running motor? What can't you do with it?! :lol:

(Reminds me of Junkyard Wars.)

thesameguy
February 20th, 2014, 11:44 AM
A big ol' 3.2l 220hp six that weighs a ton and only bolts up to Mercedes transmissions has fairly limited usefulness. I can't see choosing this motor for any project other than putting a Mercedes back on the road - and that is just not an economical undertaking. Plus, I think it's pretty rare these cars fail due to their engines... usually it's transmission or electrical problems. I guess having an E320 with a bad motor is kind of special! :lol:

thesameguy
February 20th, 2014, 12:09 PM
Oh yeah... got the box from carshopinc yesterday. They mis-shipped, sending me a smaller oil cooler than the one I'd ordered. No joke, my heart started pounding as I geared up for a protracted battle to get the situation with sketchy internet vendor resolved. I kept my cool, sent an email with "It seems there's been a mistake" and they called first thing this morning to apologize and confirm my address before sending a replacement. Nice! I'm definitely going to keep these guys in the address book for future needs. They have good prices on a pretty wide variety of mid to high-end parts. :up:

Random
February 20th, 2014, 06:32 PM
Did Russ just sneak the popcorn smiley from the sandbox? :)

Maybe....;)

thesameguy
February 21st, 2014, 09:09 AM
Did some more digging around in the Benzo last night. In the trunk were two gallons of O'Reilly brand pre-mixed coolant and a quart of O'Reilly brand synthetic oil. The oil and one of the bottles of coolant were sealed, and I found receipts for them from 7/13. At least I know someone was trying to run the car last summer. That's decent info. Also, finding 12lbs of fluids in the trunk fits nicely with the "I run bookshelf speakers in my car" mentality. Just sayin'. I found a brand new (in the bag) wheel center cap which was a nice surprise, and that led me to the full-size spare tire, which is bald, down to the cords. Seems less than ideal to have a useless emergency measure in the trunk, but whatevs. I actually didn't even realized these cars had full-size spares! Five alloy wheels to recycle is somewhere between $60 and $80, a substantial offset on a $400 car. Heh. On the subject of offsets, I found remarkably little change in the car, about $3 worth, which was a surprise. I'm used to finding quite a bit more, especially on super high mileage cars. Even more baffling, most of it was in the front ash tray, not scattered around & under the carpet.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll take one more crack at getting good compression numbers out of the engine, then write it off. I was kind of hoping to have a $400 engine to sell out of a $400 car, but whatever. At the end of the day this car is going to yield a bunch of parts, so even if that small pile of plastic bits (like engine covers) and spare electrical bits (relays and switches) ends up costing $400, it was $400 well spent. Just a couple of the things I need (want) would have cost that much at the dealer, and it would have been pointless to buy them in advance. With duplicates of everything, keeping this car running for a good long time should be quite affordable.

thesameguy
February 21st, 2014, 03:16 PM
Here's a sweet piece of electrical engineering from A Car With Bookshelf Speakers:

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_fuse.jpg

That's *supposed* to be a strip fuse. :lol:

thesameguy
February 21st, 2014, 09:23 PM
Wow, this site:

http://www.autolumination.com/

Yeti
February 22nd, 2014, 09:49 AM
Do you still have that Suburban?

thesameguy
February 22nd, 2014, 09:54 AM
The '84 diesel? Yep. Just working on thinking about coming to grips with the idea of possibly thinking about maybe selling it.

thesameguy
February 22nd, 2014, 09:59 AM
And, good news - the car has a newer wiring harness, which has real resale value. Good chance I can cover half the cost of the car with just the harness. YEAH!

But, compression numbers came back quite good after a Seafoam soaking. #3 and #5 are not as good as the others, but much improved. I'm going to do another soak with ATF and see if that can restore them all. I also hooked up the coolant system pressure tester, and found two leaks - one at the thermostat housing and one at the coolant reservoir. After fixing them, the system held pressure for over and hour perfectly. Since the spark plugs are removed (and nothing is holding pressure in the CCs), that means for near-certainty the head gasket is ok. I'm really starting to think this motor is just fine, and suffers from little more than a leaky valve cover gasket that killed the ignition system.

Yeti
February 22nd, 2014, 10:18 AM
How's it treated you?

There's an '86 454/TH400 RWD 3/4 ton from California in my future, come next weekend.

Godson
February 22nd, 2014, 12:19 PM
that....:erm: fuse is awesome.


And per the LED site. Looks like I may be going that route on some of the interior lights for the M3...

thesameguy
February 22nd, 2014, 12:58 PM
How's it treated you?

There's an '86 454/TH400 RWD 3/4 ton from California in my future, come next weekend.

Beautifully. It is quite literally falling apart at the seams, but the drivetrain is still great. I used it to tow 6000lbs back from the great northern wilds just last week and even with 330k on it I never doubt it. Mine is on it's 2nd transmission (broken flex plate killed something in the '90s) and 2nd engine (Jiffy Lube didn't tighten the oil filter in the '00s), but that's still pretty good.

I think '86 trucks were still carbed, so be wary of that. Terrible, terrible gas mileage. Not that there was some major improvement in '87 (or '96 for that matter) but I've heard 8-10 is to be expected. OTOH, talk about an inexpensive, durable truck to maintain! Can't beat it!

I am a huge Suburban fan. Wanted one since I was a kid, and now that I've had one around I can't see ever not. The only reason I am thinking about selling mine is to get a newer one. My truck is a mess - dash cracked to hell, headliner hanging down, front seats obliterated, carpets are black, paint is flaking off, weather stripping is only a suggestion, rear side window cracked, tailgate caved in. In spite of all of that, everything still works - gauges, power locks, power windows, even the damn clock. I would absolutely keep it, but after pricing out what it would cost to fix the things needed to make it habitable again, I'd be way past a 15 year newer truck. I love it so much, even that's not enough for an open & shut case!

Yeti
February 22nd, 2014, 01:06 PM
Cool :)

I'm not worried about mileage...I've got the Nissan for that.

KillerB
February 22nd, 2014, 01:38 PM
You could always find a better example from the same year range.

thesameguy
February 23rd, 2014, 05:39 PM
If you don't mind hanging onto them, yeah, I'll take them. :)

I plugged them into my garage audio source (c1998 Panasonic Home Theater system) and they sounded pretty darned good. Listened to them pretty much all day. The cabinet on one of them is a little damaged and they obviously have no grills, but they are otherwise fully functional. I'll keep them in the garage til we get together.

Random
February 23rd, 2014, 08:32 PM
Sweet. :)

thesameguy
February 24th, 2014, 10:26 AM
Wow, this site:

http://www.autolumination.com/

So the reason I was on this site is that the Suburban developed a problem - the driver's side low beam headlight doesn't work so good anymore. I thought it was the sealed beam unit, but post-replacement the problem persist. Ironically, you may recall me discontinuing a relationship with a vendor over a messed up headlight shipment; had I correctly diagnosed this issue that whole thing never would have happened. DOH! Anyway, I can say with a fair degree of certainty the problem is the socket, or possibly the last several inches of wiring to the socket. Since the passenger's side light works, I know it isn't anything deeper into the truck.

The easy solution is to zing zang on down to a junkyard or even Autozone and buy a pair of new sockets. That's like $6 or $8. What I really want to do, however, is at least replace the sockets with something sturdy (I was looking at ceramic sockets on autolumination.com) and possibly replace the sealed beam units with H4 parts and hook the whole thing up with a nice new wiring harness. I am having a tough time deciding between investing ~$150 into the truck just to have super-bright lights, or spending less than $10 and just getting it working again.

I really need to make some decisions about the future of this truck. I have never been so torn on a vehicle transaction in my life.

JoshInKC
February 24th, 2014, 10:41 AM
I've been happy with the "heavy duty headlight harness (http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/CC/full.aspx?page=80)" from lmc truck on my pickup. Really improved the brightness quite a bit and a lot cheaper than a full h4 setup.

thesameguy
February 24th, 2014, 10:57 AM
Yep, exactly that type of harness. I was specifically looking at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161135112720

I just really also want to add this type of light:

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/CC/full.aspx?Page=79

For no good reason.

Godson
February 24th, 2014, 12:27 PM
Cheap and easy.



Don't re-invent the wheel when you are selling the tire.

thesameguy
February 24th, 2014, 01:36 PM
That's the crux of it - I don't know if I am.

a) RV & keep the '84 Suburban
b) New(er) Suburban and trailer & sell the '84 Suburban.

"a" ends up costing me a couple hundred bucks at the end of the day and sometime near the end of this year it's back to status quo, "b" ends up costing me five or six grand and I net a new Suburban... that I don't really need and will still see maybe 1,000 miles a year at most. Seems like a lot of money to throw away on a whim... but the '84 is really looking ratty. Like, really.

thesameguy
March 4th, 2014, 03:39 PM
It's a rare moment when retail store incentives coincide with tire manufacturer rebates - $100 off from Discount/America's Tire and a $40 rebate from Goodyear means four new Assurance Fuel Max tires for the Mercedes. No, not the sportiest tire in the world, but the car really isn't going to need such features. ;) I'm hoping a little extra size (205 vs. 195) and low rolling resistance leads to improved fuel economy. A 560 treadwear and a 6 year/60k warranty should result in these tires grossly outlasting the car. If she can remember to keep them properly inflated and rotated. And, seriously, that's a big if. Anyway, out the door is under $400, which is a solid deal on a name-brand tire of reasonable quality.

Related, I am going to start noodling on a "care kit" to send with the car. I'm thinking leather conditioner, interior protectant, a good tire gauge, and some type of tire inflator. Some basic, easy to use things so that she can hopefully keep this car up. Between those items and some sort of scheduled maintenance interval - I'm thinking every June it spends two hours at a Benz shop getting its oil changed and a general inspection - maybe this car can hang on a while without incident.

It's all sort of a fun mental activity - failure anticipation & aversion - but it's also a little draining and a little depressing. Heh.

neanderthal
March 5th, 2014, 12:47 PM
You're not going to see much of a gas milage improvement if you already had decent tires on there. But if they were cheap crappy tires it should be night and day with wet weather, quiet and smooth etc.

Either way, that's a score.

My next set are going to be 215/55R16s on the wheels in my picture. The ones on there now are 225/50-R16s in a performance tire. Loud. Rough. Hard. Shitty milage. Lousy wet weather handling. I took em off to get my moneys worth on the 205/65R15s I had purchased for the old car, the year before I bought this one. Extremely happy with them.

thesameguy
March 5th, 2014, 01:00 PM
The tires that were on the car were super shitty and mismatched to boot. I think the front tires were "Radar" and the rear tires just a number, very possibly early Nankang. All four were down to 2/32nds or less. It definitely needed new tires, so I figured I'd do what I could in the process. ;)

I've also revised my plan - I think it's every March or April it sees the shop, as I will invariably be down there over Thanksgiving weekend each year and can check in then. That means it only has to make it six months and about 4,000 miles between care intervals. That should help ensure everything gets done on time.

KillerB
March 6th, 2014, 04:22 AM
This person needs a bus pass.

FaultyMario
March 6th, 2014, 07:48 AM
This person needs a bus pass.

You lost your license? Chally Burnouts down the PCH?

KillerB
March 6th, 2014, 09:59 AM
LOL no, I meant whoever the person is that keeps destroying cars that tsg gets for them.

thesameguy
March 6th, 2014, 10:01 AM
Good driver, terrible maintainer. Of everything. There isn't a thing in her house that works properly. Not one damned thing.

FaultyMario
March 6th, 2014, 10:03 AM
TSG's GF's Mother, you mean?

I wanna see any husband try that!

thesameguy
March 6th, 2014, 10:06 AM
I came here to get the URL of that wiring harness for the Suburban. I have determined for certain I am keeping the old beast and not getting a newer truck. Still doesn't mean I am going to fix it up, but I just can't possibly justify spending hundreds much less thousands of dollars on a vehicle that sees about 500 miles annually. Thinking about it, I'm not even sure I am going to go for a $36 wiring harness. It's even a fluke it's been driven at night three times this year. One dim headlight isn't that much of a problem.

Anyway, buy RV, drive RV, sell RV for hopefully 90%+ of what I paid, done. That's the plan. Maybe I can somehow wrap up delivering the Benz in April or May with bringing a truck home from SoCal. I am putting new motor and diff mounts in this weekend, then all that's left to do is the headliner and brakes. One small project a month...

thesameguy
March 6th, 2014, 12:00 PM
On the subject of brakes for the Benz, what a disaster that situation is! They sold more W124 E-classes in the last couple years of production than Saab sold c900s ever and brake choices for the c900 are WAY better than for the W124. There are maybe five brands that make both the front and the rear rotor and out of the entire internet I can only find three vendors that happen to carry one of those brands. AutohausAZ carries only Meyle in a pair, FCP carries only ATE in a pair. For the record, I'd go with those ATEs but spending upwards of $400 on brakes for this car seems just a tad insane.

The best solution I've found thus far is the kit from Powerstop - they were recommended by another XJR owner and you may recall I found them nice on the PT Cruiser - but the only place in the universe that stocks them is rockauto, and I'm irked at them.

This is a sooner rather than later project as the rear brakes are quite worn... I didn't expect finding reasonable mid-range stuff would be this hard. Maybe I'll go try ebizzle.

thesameguy
March 6th, 2014, 12:19 PM
TSG's GF's Mother, you mean?

I wanna see any husband try that!

Fo real.

It's going to be bad enough that on this next trip I am going to push really, really hard for a major purging in the garage so she can keep the Mercedes inside. She is a borderline hoarder (and yes, she ironically ends up hoarding broken shit) and causing her to get rid of anything is very, very difficult. But I made a dent on the last trip - I got rid of two washing machines, two dryers, a dishwasher, and a refrigerator (all broken, BTW) - and now there is an in, there's a chink in the armor of the hoard. I think with a little more prodding and little more not taking no for an answer and quite a bit more disposing of stuff when her back is turned we can clean out at least one car's worth of space in the garage. I'll fucking fill up the RV I buy with shit from her garage and find a dump on the way home.

Anyway, back to being annoyed about the crap brake situation.

Godson
March 6th, 2014, 01:08 PM
:lol:


This is almost a reality TV show. "What can tsg do"

thesameguy
March 7th, 2014, 10:27 AM
Increasingly convinced that everyone is not very bright.

=====

Howdy -

I have a question about the KOE4246 kit. Your website makes no
distinction between early and late Mercedes Benz E320s, so I'm not
sure which car this kit is designed to fit. The earlier cars (through
VIN B8-something) have thinner rotors than later cars. The early
rotors are 22mm thick, the later rotors are 25mm thick. Can you tell me
which thickness the rotors in this kit are?


Hello Justin,

My name is Ishmael and I will be happy to help you. Can I have the year
of the vehicle please.

Sure, it's a 1994 Mercedes Benz E320. The chassis id is C084221, which
makes it late production. The cutoff for the early production cars is id
B862122. The nominal thickness of the early cars is 22mm, the later cars
25mm. Wear to minimum is about 3mm.

In summary, I need 25mm thick rotors. :)


Justin, visit our website Powerstop.com. Select all of your vehicle's
information and click on the SPECS tab for the information you are looking.

Unfortunately that page does not answer the question, which why I emailed.
It has specs for the rear rotors and both front and rear brake pads, but
not the front rotors. I need to know the initial thickness of the front
rotors.


Oh, ok. I show the front rotors to be 294mm.

Yep, the diameter was consistent across the years, but I need to know
the thickness. They are either 22mm or 25mm.

...

CudaMan
March 7th, 2014, 11:01 AM
What... we've got here... is....

thesameguy
March 7th, 2014, 11:19 AM
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m43g6aCcsA1qedmglo1_500.gif

FaultyMario
March 7th, 2014, 12:14 PM
Yikes! She used to be pretty!

thesameguy
March 7th, 2014, 02:13 PM
Finally, we get to it!


The Nominal thickness is 25mm....the minimum is 22.40mm

thesameguy
March 7th, 2014, 02:48 PM
Alright, one set of Powerstop brakes ordered for the E320. Hopefully they are of similar quality/capability as the brakes on the PT. Total with shipping was about $180, which is fairly middle of the road in the landscape of pricing for these parts... with like a bargain-basement Pronto+Beck/Arnley setup coming in at $120 (plus whatever is necessary to get the vomit taste out of my mouth) and an ATE/Akebono setup coming in at around $300. The advantage here being really less cost, and moreso single source... piecing the setup together would have required going to two or three different vendors, and racking up around $40 in shipping alone. Gah.

thesameguy
March 7th, 2014, 07:53 PM
After determining the motor mounts on the E320 were questionable, I ordered a new set in and decided to tackle the job tonight. It's tough to say for sure, but I think the old motor mounts were probably shot.

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_motormounts.jpg

I would shocked to find the job took more than 45 minutes. Hose top bolts down with PB Blaster, loosen top, loosen bottom, remove fan shroud, jack up motor, remove mounts, replace. If only all motor mounts were this easy! Well, the Falcon's are, but I don't think I own a single other car that would be this pleasant.

I read a bunch of posts where people had problems with the top bolt on the exhaust side, but I found no issues accessing it with one of the Gearwrench "infinite depth" socket wrench (same as Craftsman "Max Axess") we talked about elsewhere. Plenty shallow to fit easily. Proper torquing is an impossibility (no room for even a small torque wrench), so I just put a lot of arm on it and called it a day. As I was able to initially remove the bolts with a <12" Gearwrench wrench they were clearly not insanely tight to start with. ;)

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_magictools.jpg

Next to the Gearwrench is a totally customized (LOL) Harbor Freight combination wrench. The motor mounts were done so quickly I decided to do the transmission mount. I shaved down the box end of the wrench to clear the driveshaft guibo (it's quite tight in there!), then cut it in half to clear the exhaust. With some low-quality wrenches and an angle grinder, there is no fastener that can't be tackled! :D

Total job - motor mounts, transmission mounts, and tool modification - took 1.5 hours. I am excited to drive it tomorrow....

.... and then think real hard about replacing the diff mounts, one of which is also shot. :( I am not looking forward to that job at all. Hmmm... I should probably wrap a fluid change into that operation, too.

KillerB
March 8th, 2014, 12:35 AM
Good driver, terrible maintainer. Of everything. There isn't a thing in her house that works properly. Not one damned thing.

Yeah like I said, bus pass. Or a pair of shoes. I would never support this person, unless it was getting me a LOT of high quality tail.

...which is why you're doing it, of course. But still... ugh.

Godson
March 8th, 2014, 08:32 AM
:lol:


I think he also enjoys the logistics challenge. :)








But the HQ tail makes it more worthwhile.

thesameguy
March 8th, 2014, 09:33 AM
Yeah like I said, bus pass. Or a pair of shoes. I would never support this person, unless it was getting me a LOT of high quality tail.

No, that's not the motivation. This is 100% mitigation. If I don't keep her in a car she can't get to work, doesn't get paid, and then we have a real problem. This whole thing started like six year ago when her Cadavalier failed in some sort of mysterious way and the shop couldn't find the problem for like three days. That was three days she didn't get to work, three days she didn't get paid (let's not talk about her "career" choice), and three days she was closer to getting fired. That is no bueno.

It's also key for me that she is safe. My girl lost one parent at a stupid early age, she doesn't need to lose two. Putting her mom in an unsafe situation - whether that's a shitty car or on an hour long bus ride back from Corona at 9pm or walking through Rancho in the middle of the night is all the same thing. I couldn't live with myself if I knew my action or inaction was directly attributable to bad situation. I wish I wasn't wired that way, but I am.

Godson
March 8th, 2014, 02:41 PM
I wish I wasn't wired that way, but I am.


Nothing wrong with doing a good deed ;)

thesameguy
March 8th, 2014, 03:35 PM
And executing a sweet logistical maneuver! :D

Godson
March 8th, 2014, 05:55 PM
And executing a sweet logistical maneuver! :D


:shocker:

neanderthal
March 8th, 2014, 09:03 PM
God bless you.

I have a hard time helping people who can't/ won't help themselves.

Nearly 20 years ago, mums Honda Civic had a burnt lightbulb in the drivers side headlight. I asked her about it, she said, "oh, can you change it for me."
I said "mum. Go to the parts store, buy a bulb, and i'll show you how easy it is."
"Can't you just change it?"
Me. "I can, but that's not the point. I want you to see how easy it is." This goes on for a minute or two... until I ignore her.

A few weeks later I notice the headlight is working. "Hey Ma. You fixed your headlight?"
Mum. "It was due for a service so I took it in to Honda and asked them to also fix it."
Me "Oh no."
"What do you mean "oh no?" It's fixed."
Me "Can I see the bill."

They charged her $40 to "fix" it, according to her bill. Plus $5.98 for the actual bulb.

Me "Come. Time for a little show and tell."

We go to the garage, where I demonstrate how ridiculously easy it is to change a headlight bulb in a 1990 Honda Civic.

"Why didn't you do it for me? I can't believe I spent $40 for that."

Me "Mum. You spent $40 for that because you didn't want to go and BUY a light bulb. That's all I asked you to do. I was going to show you how to do it and we could have done it months ago. You could have gone and simply asked the salesperson at the parts store to give you one, but you wanted someone else to do everything for you. That's why you spent $45 changing a $2 lightbulb."

Mum "It was $5 for the bulb."

I go to my car, get a package for a set of bulbs, and the receipt from the parts, and show her. Same bulb.
"How come I paid $5 if it's only $2?"

"Because you're the only person I know who still takes her 5 year old Honda Civic to the same dealer for service. They've been gouging you ever since you bought that car from them."

neanderthal
March 8th, 2014, 09:05 PM
God bless you.

I have a hard time helping people who can't/ won't help themselves.

Nearly 20 years ago, mums Honda Civic had a burnt lightbulb in the drivers side headlight. I asked her about it, she said, "oh, can you change it for me."
I said "mum. Go to the parts store, buy a bulb, and i'll show you how easy it is."
"Can't you just change it?"
Me. "I can, but that's not the point. I want you to see how easy it is." This goes on for a minute or two... until I ignore her.

A few weeks later I notice the headlight is working. "Hey Ma. You fixed your headlight?"
Mum. "It was due for a service so I took it in to Honda and asked them to also fix it."
Me "Oh no."
"What do you mean "oh no?" It's fixed."
Me "Can I see the bill."

They charged her $40 to "fix" it, according to her bill. Plus $5.98 for the actual bulb.

Me "Come. Time for a little show and tell."

We go to the garage, where I demonstrate how ridiculously easy it is to change a headlight bulb in a 1990 Honda Civic.

"Why didn't you do it for me? I can't believe I spent $40 for that."

Me "Mum. You spent $40 for that because you didn't want to go and BUY a light bulb. That's all I asked you to do. I was going to show you how to do it and we could have done it months ago. You could have gone and simply asked the salesperson at the parts store to give you one, but you wanted someone else to do everything for you. That's why you spent $45 changing a $2 lightbulb."

Mum "It was $5 for the bulb."

I go to my car, get a package for a set of bulbs, and the receipt from the parts store, and show her. Same bulb.
"How come I paid $5 if it's only $2?"

"Because you're the only person I know who still takes her 5 year old Honda Civic to the same dealer for service. They've been gouging you ever since you bought that car from them."

neanderthal
March 8th, 2014, 09:22 PM
Addendum.
She was still using her "Pentium Power(ed)" desktop from 1999 2 years ago. I visit, and battle that old warhorse to turn off the security on the router so I can have internet on my laptop. About 15 minutes later, she shows up from wherever she was, I get up from the computer (still in the process of booting up or whatever it was doing,) say "let's go" and taker her to Costco where I bought her a brand new laptop. Because I wanted access to wi fi. I ended up leaving almost 10 minutes later, and not using her wi fi at all!!!!!!

Fast forward two years. That same laptop has been taken to South Africa/ Zimbabwe/ England on a vacation she took (and took my 25 year old lil brother!) and now it's not working. She can't even say what's wrong with it, except "I took it to a place where they fix computers when I was in Zimbabwe, and also another one when I was in South Africa, and they said it couldn't be fixed. When I took it to the Best Buy they also said it couldn't be fixed."

Me "But what is the problem, what is it doing or not doing?"

She describes the symptoms which even my computer illiterate mind diagnoses as a hard drive.

When I visit next, I ask for more details and she again tells me. I say "it's the hard drive. You just need a new hard drive."
She says, "but the Geek Squad people can't get my pictures and all that stuff from my vacation." I explain that the computer can be saved, but the pictures might be gone forever. To her I may as well be speaking Celtic; If the computer can be saved, then surely the pictures can also be saved. I explain how "you can change an engine in a car however, it's not the same engine," but it doesn't click.

I capitulate. We go to Best Buy. I buy her another laptop, on the condition that I can have her old one. She is giddy with joy. I take the old one. One trip to Fry's and a call to Samsung for recovery disks, and i'm now using that same laptop.

thesameguy
March 9th, 2014, 09:50 AM
What you just described is my job, so it feels a little more common - though no more acceptable - to me. I also keep this lady with a current computer. I replace it every couple years, whenever it feels right. She's probably about due, I think.

I guess the good news is that my parents are pretty darned self sufficient and require little if anything from me. I keep my dad in a new computer too, but he likes computers and it's a big deal when I show up with something new, so I really don't mind it. There is a big difference between "I am replacing this perfectly functioning thing with another, newer functioning thing for fun" and "I am replacing this busted POS with a new thing which you will shortly turn into another busted POS." Sad, but true.

Also sad but true is the '95 E320 parts car. I moved it yesterday to the last place it will move under its own power, and shut it down to hear the sound of trickling liquid and the smell of gas. Underneath I found this:

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_gas.jpg

There is a plastic cover there that shields the fuel pumps and fuel filter, and gas is just streaming out of that area. I'm kinda itching to know why, and wondering if maybe its running problem isn't just a shitty fuel pump or filter or something. I don't know why I care - I have no use for and don't plan to save the engine, but still I'm curious...

Godson
March 9th, 2014, 03:23 PM
:lol:


My mom is the exact same way with shit. She wonders why i work on my own car and change things out instead of just leaving it stock and letting others do it.



Somewhat unrelated, she has had the same cell phone for I swear like 4 or 5 years. She just bought a new C-Max and thank the lord her phone has bluetooth. She began asking me about sync and what all it can do. I sync'd my phone up to the c-max and started doing a quick run-down. She immediately latched on to the idea of streaming music and asked "If I can play music through my phone, can I still use my CDs?" I politely said yes, then asked if she had all of her music on her phone/laptop, why would she need to carry around her CDs?


A blank stare was all that I received. :smh:

thesameguy
March 9th, 2014, 03:57 PM
I found a 12-disc changer in the garage yesterday if she needs it.

:smh:

In 2000 (I think) I replaced the stereo in mom's car with a Pioneer that could play MP3s on CDs. It took her a month or two to grasp the notion that 640mb of MP3s is a LOT of music, but since then there's been no going back. She uses Sync in the Fusion and the whatever it's called in the Fiat relentlessly. Quite proud of her for that. ;)

I took the Benzo out to Davis today (listening to MP3s on a flash drive ;) ) and, OMG, new motor mounts FTW. The engine can't be felt running anymore. The slight thunk of engaging reverse is gone too. All that makes me feel very good about the general health of the drive train in the car. It's nothing short of superb. There is still a slight sensation (not quite even a noise) when getting on and off the throttle, but I am pretty sure that's because one of the diff mount bushings is obliterated, so I'll see to that in the near future. I understand you have to lower the diff to replace them. Brakes, diff mount, headliner... that's all that remains to be attended to. Dope.

Random
March 9th, 2014, 04:30 PM
The CVs sound nice. :up:

thesameguy
March 9th, 2014, 07:27 PM
They're really ok, yeah? :D

Glad they have a use. I really hate making trash. I'm really proud of the fact we haven't needed to take our garbage to the curb in over three weeks. :)

thesameguy
March 12th, 2014, 12:45 PM
Also sad but true is the '95 E320 parts car. I moved it yesterday to the last place it will move under its own power, and shut it down to hear the sound of trickling liquid and the smell of gas. Underneath I found this:

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/e320_parts_gas.jpg

Since I have to replace the diff bushings on the E320 I am going to keep, I decided to do a practice run on the one I'm throwing away. Unlike, say, the XR4Ti which has a small bushing carrier that connects/supports the diff to the subframe and is removable with four bolts in about 10 minutes, Mercedes uses press-fit bushes which are inserted into the subframe from the front.... meaning you need to remove the differential from the car in order to replace them. That is an incredibly dumb design, IMHO, they totally screwed the pooch on that. Anyway, getting the diff out wasn't bad at all, but I still need to get the bushings out, and that part doesn't look fun - I have to build a press out of nuts, bolts, washers, and sockets. It is nice to have a car I can totally mess up in an experiment, though, I tell ya.

Anyway, while I was down there I decided to see where all that fuel came from. I still don't know for certain, but the high pressure hose between the fuel filter and the chassis hard line (which goes to the fuel rail) is fucked. It's crazed & cracked across it's 1.5' length. I'm going to power up the fuel pump and see where the spray is, but I'm sure it's that hose. It dumped a lot of fuel very quickly - kinda scary, actually.

neanderthal
March 12th, 2014, 02:01 PM
It's very rare for the fuel lines from the tank to go bad. I will be very surprised to see one of them failed. Where Mercedes places them means they are in a near protected environment. Could still get punctured by road debris that hits it just right, but it would be a very small probability.

The change in motor mounts makes a massive difference, innit? The inline M104 and M103 (300E) motors are superlatively balanced engines. There are times when I have to look at the tachometer to make sure the car is on. I marvel that the car was designed (engine aside) in the 70s, completely by humans, with little computer help.
The engine M104, first debuted in the 1990 300CE coupe and 300SL. So that was done in the 80s, but the M103 was a 6 cylinder version of the M102 that Mercedes was already using in the 70s. Actually, there is little difference in the shortblock of the M103 and M104. Pretty much all the difference lies in the heads, fuel injection and sundry assorted parts.

Another mum anecdote.
Her 2000 Mitsubishi Galant that she bought new was diagnosed as irrepairable. She wouldn't go into details about what the actual problem was, as is her wont. Anyway, my brother sells her his spare car, a 2005 Toyota Camry, which I know has an incorrect spare tire; 195/70R14 instead of 205/65R15. My brother, knew this was the case, but dragged his feet about going to North Hollywood Toyota to fix the error. He bought the car there, used. (sidebar. Thinking about it, my brother also is not mechanically inclined, and tends to put his head in the sand when confronted with an electrical or mechanical problem. I wonder where he gets that from, Mum.)

Anyway, when I bought my current car, it had the wrong spare for a Mercedes (not a 5X 112 bolt pattern) but a correct one for the Camry. So when I went there, 3 years ago to visit Mum, I left her the spare tire I found in my car, with instructions to remove her current spare and replace it with the one I brought for her. I was just there in October and what do I see in her garage? The wheel I brought her, still sitting where I left it.

thesameguy
March 12th, 2014, 02:32 PM
It's very rare for the fuel lines from the tank to go bad. I will be very surprised to see one of them failed. Where Mercedes places them means they are in a near protected environment. Could still get punctured by road debris that hits it just right, but it would be a very small probability.

It's actually the line out of the pump to the engine that's the problem. The line from the tank looks great. I *suspect* the pressure from the pumps contributed to its failure, but I've never seen such horribly rotten rubber fuel lines on any car, ever. Maybe proximity to the exhaust was a contributor? I don't know. It really is nuts. I'll try and snap a picture tonight.


Anyway, when I bought my current car, it had the wrong spare for a Mercedes (not a 5X 112 bolt pattern) but a correct one for the Camry. So when I went there, 3 years ago to visit Mum, I left her the spare tire I found in my car, with instructions to remove her current spare and replace it with the one I brought for her. I was just there in October and what do I see in her garage? The wheel I brought her, still sitting where I left it.

This is exactly this type of stuff I go through with the girlfriend's mom. I give her, quite literally, all the tools to deal with a problem and all she needs to do is drive somewhere - and the problem doesn't get solved. Last year she blew a fuse on the PT Cruiser, so I looked up the fuse type in the parts manual (FMX/Jcase, 30a), verified it with a wiring diagram, called the nearest parts store (1/4 mile away) and had one pulled aside for her, texted her and told her to go to the store and talk to Mario and he would not only have the fuse but help install it. Couldn't be arsed to do it. Instead, she drove the car to a shop quite a distance away and paid them $60 to install the $3.17 fuse. She wasted $56.83 AND ran a significant risk of the car overheating on the trip. FAIL. I just can't get inside the head of people who won't take steps to safeguard themselves. I don't understand what's going on upstairs.

neanderthal
March 12th, 2014, 02:53 PM
This is exactly this type of stuff I go through with the girlfriend's mom. I give her, quite literally, all the tools to deal with a problem and all she needs to do is drive somewhere - and the problem doesn't get solved. Last year she blew a fuse on the PT Cruiser, so I looked up the fuse type in the parts manual (FMX/Jcase, 30a), verified it with a wiring diagram, called the nearest parts store (1/4 mile away) and had one pulled aside for her, texted her and told her to go to the store and talk to Mario and he would not only have the fuse but help install it. Couldn't be arsed to do it. Instead, she drove the car to a shop quite a distance away and paid them $60 to install the $3.17 fuse. She wasted $56.83 AND ran a significant risk of the car overheating on the trip. FAIL. I just can't get inside the head of people who won't take steps to safeguard themselves. I don't understand what's going on upstairs.

Yep. Mum. Nutshell.

Godson
March 12th, 2014, 03:28 PM
I am lucky that my Dad would at least listen to what I say. Mom does also.




I'd punch someone if I went through the trouble of the fuse and it went down that way. Seriously. I'd get arrested for abuse.

thesameguy
March 14th, 2014, 09:23 AM
Took the Fiero to SF last night. It's the first time I've driven the Fiero that far all at once... not that I was worried about it, just a data point. It's a remarkably comfortable car for going 100 miles in. Speaking of 100, it will also go 100mph. It was the first time I've had it much over 80. It goes 100 just fine. It doesn't really have the power to go much faster in any sort of reasonable time - maybe 105 or 110 before acceleration really peters out. Cruises at 80mph just fine, so I did that a lot. Got to SF, parked on Mission in a garage and was greeted by a guy standing behind the car.

"Hey, is that a Fiero?"

Yep, it is.

"What is it?"

Um, a Fiero?

"But what's supposed to be? Like a Lamborghini or a Ferrari or what?"

Nothing, it's just a Fiero.

"But aren't they like kit cars or something?"

Some of them were built as kit cars, but this one is just how it rolled out of the factory. Well, mostly.

"That's awesome, cool car man."

Thanks!

Dude walked off and joined up with a girl and I could hear him say "I knew it was a Fiero!"

Derp.

Random
March 14th, 2014, 09:25 AM
"What is it?"
"Yet another abandoned-just-as-it-got-good car by GM...*rant rant rant*:angry:"

*guy slowly sidles away*

thesameguy
March 14th, 2014, 09:34 AM
True, true. A sad juxtaposition of "cut our losses" and "work til it's right."

It occurred to me sometime around Vacaville that at that exact moment there was a reasonable chance I had the only Fiero on the entirety of I80. I've seen exactly one (an early notchback) on the road since I got mine. There are pretty much always a couple on CL, but usually they are not running or not legal (expired tags, etc.). I80 is long, but Fieros are few. ;)

Also, after driving the mostly XJR and E320 around for the last month, the Fiero felt REALLY low. Getting in didn't feel odd, but the second we got stuck in traffic with normal-sized cars on either side the Fiero suddenly felt really, really small.

It was quite nice in SF, though, with mountains of torque and big fatty tires there was never a problem screeching away from an uphill stop, and being small and low darting around like an asshole really made me feel like much less of an asshole that it should, because I was never displacing anyone else. I was just fitting where they couldn't. Oh, and two-person/two-seater trips in the 3+ carpool lane is nice too. I think the Fiero is probably the new go-to for SF trips... at least where cargo isn't required. ;)

neanderthal
March 18th, 2014, 11:26 AM
Didn't want to start a whole new thread, but.....


I think my car got stolen.
It's not parked where I left it. My brother saw it this morning when he came in. I just called the cops and they say it wasn't impounded or anything....

thesameguy
March 18th, 2014, 11:44 AM
WHAT THE????

Did you call the city? I ask only because one time my SPG was "stolen," but it had been towed by the city and they forgot to or failed to notify the CHP that they had - and are supposed to do. Is there any broken glass or anything like that where you parked it? Any businesses or residents that might have cameras?

Godson
March 18th, 2014, 12:43 PM
That sucks.

neanderthal
March 18th, 2014, 06:04 PM
Turns out it was impounded.
Turns out they can impound your car if you don't notify the DOT (Dept of Transportation, LA) that you've already paid your tickets. Yeah. That's a thing. Even if it's been two weeks after the fact.

"Yes, I see that you paid your parking tickets, but you failed to inform us and DMV hadn't updated the system when we impounded it so there's nothing I can do."

So, what was my car impounded for?

"Your car had 7 outstanding parking tickets in the system and anything over 5 is reason enough for any vehicle to be impounded."

I'm sitting right here, right in front of you, with my two week old receipt from DMV stating that those tickets were all paid for, and you're telling me that that is reason it was impounded.

"Yes, I see that you paid the tickets, but you didn't inform us, and it says so on your receipt from DMV that you have to inform us...."


I have never been so angry...

Godson
March 18th, 2014, 07:54 PM
Lol, so much win right there.

thesameguy
March 18th, 2014, 08:12 PM
That entire system is broken. Years ago I got nailed for a very expensive ticket when I car I sold ran a toll bridge. I called and explained I'd sold the car, but they said they had no record of the sale and the car had no new registered owner, so I was on the hook for the ticket. I explained I filled out and mailed the release of liability as I was supposed to and hadn't owned the car in months. They didn't budge. I asked how I was supposed to know the DMV had not received and/or processed the release, that there is no visibility into that system and it was unfair for them to hold me responsible. They didn't care, and told me that if I didn't pay the ticket they would send me to collections. I literally had no out. I paid that asshole's ticket.

I won't bore you with how and why the SPG was towed, but it was equally fucked. In any case, I definitely feel your pain. The system s totally messed up. But, at least you get your car back...

Godson
March 18th, 2014, 08:23 PM
We have the liability release here also. And why I also do bill of sales. Which I keep indefinitely.

speedpimp
March 19th, 2014, 04:25 PM
So, Mo, did you have to pay to get your car out of impound? Also the simple fact that the state makes you notify the DOT is really fucked up. Does CA have any respect for its residents?

neanderthal
March 21st, 2014, 03:53 PM
Yes. I had to pay $281.XX in total.

Of course when I balked at having to pay they wanted me to have an administrative review the next day. I went the same fucking day and the stupid bitch did nothing but parrot the exact same things I had already been told.

Fortunately, my brother tweeted the Mayors office, and they've said I should send the information along to them.

I think I am going to appeal too. The law the woman cited does not require me to notify DOT. It suggests.

speedpimp
March 21st, 2014, 04:33 PM
Go get'em, Mo. That's bullshit.

neanderthal
March 21st, 2014, 08:41 PM
Bullshit is something just beyond the reach of the credible.


This is the excrement of the spawn of a dragon and a unicorn. This is dragicorn shit!!!!!!! (I think i'll even include that in my appeal.)

thesameguy
March 26th, 2014, 12:59 PM
I'll start with: Ugh.

After significant delays I finally got the brakes for the Benz in from rockauto. For the record, this is the fifth order in a row from them that has had some sort of problem. In this case, FedEx lost a package, but after receiving the second shipment I'm not surprised. The "box" was a joke - if the original shipment was packaged like the second, I'm sure it exploded somewhere in transit. I wish this one had as well.

I am horrified by the contents of this box. After opening it, I reread my order and then retraced all my steps in deciding on this brake kit trying to figure out why I thought this was a good idea. I figured out where I made the mistake - two letters: OE. FML. This kit is the "OE" version - and it might as well say Pro Ultra Gold Turbo 2000 on it. What a pile of suck. The "OE" kits have Autospecialty (aka Kelsey Hayes aka a brand that once meant something) rotors instead of actual quality parts in them. If I'd seen the "OE" bit, I never would have ordered it.

The kit was $180, which seemed like a deal in the context of decent rotors, but these particular pieces of shit fetch $18-$25ea individually, so worst case I have $72 worth of rotors, best case $100. The pads are decent, but not $40/axle decent. I could have piecemealed this kit for less and gotten better parts. Dammit.

The only upside in this shitball arrangement is that the kit also includes the brake wear sensors, which on the Benz are discrete and disposable. There is some value there, so my financial case is slightly less bad. But, I think this kit has an incorrect number of them. I believe there are two sensors per corner, and I don't have eight. Maybe I am short a few and I can return the whole thing because it's incomplete. Here's to hoping.

I'm sure this setup is more than adequate for how this car will be used... I'm less concerned about the ability of these parts to do their job than the crap financial situation. If I end up with them it'll be just fine. But with nearly $200 on the table, I'd like more.

Godson
March 26th, 2014, 01:50 PM
That sucks. FWIW, the E36 chassis only has 2 brake pad sensors, driver front and passenger rear.

thesameguy
March 26th, 2014, 02:11 PM
Wow, that's a weirdness!

The Benz has inner + outer at all four corners. They're serious about you knowing when your brakes have had it! Well, I think they all do. I recall reading somewhere that only cars with ASR (traction control) have sensors in back, so I may only have four sensors up front. But rockauto doesn't know I don't have ASR, and frankly that's besides the point. If I paid for eight sensors I should have eight sensors. That's my position! :D

neanderthal
April 1st, 2014, 10:48 AM
I didn't want to start a whole other thread, but I so wanna do this...

Wouldn't matter how slow it is.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/660631728800967342.jpg

thesameguy
April 1st, 2014, 10:58 AM
Well, there's always an engine transplant option! I'll bet one of the 3.6l M104s would be a fairly straightforward swap and be a reasonable amount of power. Or a turbo M103.

One thing I noticed dismantling the '95 was that the fuel injection is reasonably discrete. I don't think it would be much of a big deal to put an M104 in anything.

Godson
April 1st, 2014, 03:00 PM
That's kinda neat.

neanderthal
April 1st, 2014, 10:47 PM
The W123 did come with the M110 3.0 DOHC liter inline six, so the engine bay will definitely house a six cylinder. The M104 is slanted, so even if it is taller (The M110 was NOT canted over, it was totally upright!) there will be room.

Of course, AMG did also stuff a V8 in there,......

Buy a diesel, swap whatever you want in there, and as long as you're discreet about it, you're smog exempt.
This is giving me too many ideas.

Godson
April 1st, 2014, 11:03 PM
Cummins?

thesameguy
April 2nd, 2014, 10:44 AM
I did a quick look last night for W123s in California. I am pretty convinced the only W123s still on the road are diesels. There are no 280s left on this coast! I think you'd have to convert a diesel!

The Cummins would be awesome but they are expensive to buy because they're in such high demand. I actually wondered if you could pump up a Mercedes diesel like you can a Cummins and, no, you can't. There are people doing normal diesel tuning stuff (intercoolers, more boost, etc.) and adding double digit horsepower to their cars. Like 40. Totally not worth it IMHO. I guess you just really need modern fuel delivery to do anything useful with a diesel.

I think the cheapest path to big (ish) power is probably an M103 with a turbo. A 3.0l straight six running modest boost is around 300hp backed up by a mountain of torque. The issue is probably tuning, because the M103 is CIS and that's a bitch. So, I'd probably go M104 because even if the Jetronic/Motronic/whatever is it ECU isn't readily tuneable, it's still EFI so Megasquirt is an option. ;)

Of course, we all know the real answer: SBC. A 5.3 would plop right in there (been done) and yield easy drivability and plenty of power. :D

thesameguy
April 2nd, 2014, 12:02 PM
Hmmm... this just showed up... :)

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4403347814.html

speedpimp
April 2nd, 2014, 02:37 PM
You do know that Cummins makes more engines than just the ISB, correct? How about an Isuzu mill?

thesameguy
April 2nd, 2014, 04:01 PM
Sure, but there aren't many commercial vehicles sitting around in junkyards.

speedpimp
April 2nd, 2014, 04:24 PM
As if that is a barrier.

Godson
April 2nd, 2014, 06:52 PM
Larger injector pump can yield more power....:

thesameguy
April 4th, 2014, 11:28 AM
Pick & Pull is coming for the parts E320 on Monday, and paying me $300 for the privilege. My total investment including gas and trailer is about $550 and I've sold $150 in parts from it, so my out of pocket is set to be about $100. I have not sold (nor tried to sell) the engine wiring harness and computer, and that's an easy $150, probably more. I'll have made money, and gained a good sized stockpile of otherwise expensive E320 parts plus addressed all the '94's needs (mostly plastic and trim pieces). Win! Reminds me, I think I am going to scratch "blown head gasket" and "lazy transmission" into the valve cover on the Benz, so nobody pulls the motor or trans hoping to use them. :D

Next task is to do something about the Volvo. With the $2,000 car need I had another reason to keep the Volvo around (parts, should that $2k car end up being a Volvo), but I just can't make it work. I'm going to grab some readily saleable stuff from it and then dispose of it too. I'm sure in 1-3 months I'll be lamenting chucking a perfectly good 850 transmission. Mark my words. The Volvo is worth $250 to Pick & Pull with the engine, worth nothing without. I just can't figure out whether it's worth sacrificing $250 in real money for a potential future outcome, and/or whether I'd ever actually put a powertrain with 200k on it in another car. Taking the motor out of a car I don't give a rip about is trivial, but it's a lot of work to install a motor and going through that work on an old motor is... unexciting.

George
April 4th, 2014, 01:15 PM
Dude walked off and joined up with a girl and I could hear him say "I knew it was a Fiero!"

I subscribed to Popular Science in junior high and high school and remember the fuss about GM's new "P-Car" in seemingly every issue for a couple years before the car hit the streets. One of my friends in the neighborhood and a guy I went to school with was the son of a Pontial regional something or other and always drove demos.

When a Fiero finally came home with him, every kid in the neighborhood was in his driveway pressing on the plastic body panels and oohing and aahing over it.

We did the same rigorous testing of the self-leveling suspension of a brand new Pontiac 6000 STE by seeing how many teenage boys in the trunk it could lift.

thesameguy
April 4th, 2014, 01:49 PM
Let it never be said that GM doesn't have good ideas. They just never seem to pull the whole job together like, um, everyone else in the world. The Fiero brought a lot of virtues together - including outstanding safety and fuel economy. The Iron Duke powered cars could beat 40mpg in a car that offered safety on par with a Volvo 240 and was pretty darned fun to drive.

thesameguy
April 5th, 2014, 06:29 PM
Volvo is gone. Mercedes has new brakes, I'm glad I still have the E320 parts car as I ended up needing the rear brake clips from it! The car I'm keeping is done mechanically, so I can say with a fair degree of certainty I won't need any more parts off the parts car. It's still the plan to have it hauled off Monday. Last bit of work to do on the to-be-kept car is replace the headliner, oil change, and coolant flush. Nothing big, everything important works and is in good shape. I'm feeling good about all this... I think everything is going to work out famously this summer.

neanderthal
April 7th, 2014, 10:37 AM
Nicely done.

Did you pull the ETA from the parts car? They (and their harness) can fail, and are rather pricey.

thesameguy
April 7th, 2014, 11:07 AM
I did, but I am pretty sure the ETA was the actual failure point on the car. It had all the normal symptoms. I grabbed it just to take it apart and see what's going on in there. :) I understand they usually fail from wiring just like the harness and they are repairable. I may make an attempt, but I'd have no way of verifying the success of the operation as it's for a car with ASR, and the keeper doesn't have it. Maybe there is a bench test or something for them?

thesameguy
April 9th, 2014, 02:16 PM
I didn't want to start a whole other thread, but I so wanna do this...

Wouldn't matter how slow it is.

An awesome answer to this, I'm convinced, is an OM606 from a late W124 with a late wastegate-less Holset VNT turbo from a Dodge. I understand it'll have slightly goofy throttle response but should be able to click off a couple hundred horsies and several hundred pound feets. More importantly, it'd sound nuts and probably be able to lay huge patches of rubber.

neanderthal
April 9th, 2014, 10:30 PM
An awesome answer to this, I'm convinced, is an OM606 from a late W124 with a late wastegate-less Holset VNT turbo from a Dodge. I understand it'll have slightly goofy throttle response but should be able to click off a couple hundred horsies and several hundred pound feets. More importantly, it'd sound nuts and probably be able to lay huge patches of rubber.

The W210 had a turbo OM 606 installed starting in 97 or 98 I think.

And the Scandinavians are doing crazy things with diesels.... Youtube is a treasure trove of performance diesels.

thesameguy
April 10th, 2014, 09:41 AM
I wonder if it's better to start with a factory turbocharged one or an NA one? I'm not sure what the internals look like, I guess that'd be the deciding factor.

neanderthal
April 10th, 2014, 11:05 PM
The turboed ones are definitely stronger.

thesameguy
April 14th, 2014, 04:00 PM
Today was "bust out the Falcon for commuter duty" day, which happens shortly after I notice the morning weather is nice. In cold weather, the Falcon hates starting, but in the warm weather it fires right up and purrs like a kitten. Today was the day I noticed the mornings were warm. :)

Got to work and noticed some jackass following me. That happens all the time, people get our parking lot confused with the traffic court's parking lot, and they drive around confused for about ten minutes before figuring out where they are. Obviously, no surprise they are going to traffic court. Anyway, parked the car, starting walked towards the office and the this guy pulls up to me - I'm sure to say, "Hey, where is the traffic court?"

I was totally, totally wrong. Reasonably hot retro chick driving rolls down her window to say, "Awesome ride, thanks for keeping it on the road." You are very welcome, I tell her. And then she motors off.

:up:

Godson
April 14th, 2014, 07:18 PM
That is one of the things I miss about not having my Chevy II.

GB
April 15th, 2014, 05:12 AM
:up:

thesameguy
April 16th, 2014, 05:20 PM
Fiat lowered the lease price on remaining 2013 500es to $169/mo from $199/mo. Same $999 due at signing. The $2500 California CAV rebate wipes out the first 14 months of lease payments, leaving you on the hook for the remaining 21. I seriously thought about getting another one. :lol:

thesameguy
April 30th, 2014, 01:57 PM
Crappy cell phone pic, but I had to capture the XJR in its native environment - in front of a rich person's estate. :lol:

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/jaguar_rich.jpg

*sigh*

FaultyMario
April 30th, 2014, 02:08 PM
:up:

Godson
April 30th, 2014, 07:52 PM
Great photo.



Car looks so good there.

thesameguy
April 30th, 2014, 08:07 PM
I suspect everything looks good there. I look good there.

Zillow says $1.98m.

Godson
April 30th, 2014, 08:50 PM
:lol:





write a check

thesameguy
May 2nd, 2014, 03:54 PM
Continuing the theme....

http://sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/jaguar_rich2.jpg

Only $1.4m - no view of the river.

thesameguy
May 7th, 2014, 10:40 AM
This past weekend:

1. Drove the Mercedes from Sacramento to Valencia, Valencia to Garden Grove, Garden Grove to Santee (outside of San Diego), Santee to Norco, and Norco to Rancho Cucamonga. Timing was tight, and I remained in flagrant disregard for the speed limit the entire time. Some time was spent at 70-75mph, but the vast majority of the drive was spent at 80-85mph. The car was a champ, averaging 24.5mpg across the entire trip. Certainly not Honda Civic territory, but considering my heavy foot, traffic, the Grapevine, and fair extensive AC use were all involved in the mix I feel that is very respectable for a 3700lb 220hp sedan. Not a hint of an issue - it was a completely pleasant drive. I was sad to hand over the keys on Sunday as I'll miss it, but it had to be done. (Should have taken a picture of it to remember it by. Oops.) Set the countdown timer for two years, wait for catastrophe.

2. Listed the PT Cruiser for sale on CL on Saturday using a very brief description of the car (something like, "not perfect, runs, cheap") and had a mountain of responses by Sunday afternoon. It was filthy & gross when we got there - some of which was the result of the fires, but most of which was from total neglect. I had to use a wheel brush on the paint. Got it cleaned up, scheduled some people to come see it, and the first guy that showed up bought it. I need to admit that when we started it up for the test drive and I heard the engine I near shit myself. UNGOOD. It drove great, though, but I couldn't get the sound out of my head and I raced to tell the guy, "This car has 160k, the owner sucks at maintenance, I've done my best, it's priced accordingly" to which he replied, "I get it, it's cheap, half the price of everything else, no problem." Alright, good deal. 1 was happy to have the $1800 for it - especially that quickly as it simplified my weekend - but had I known it was going to sound like that I would have sold it for less. Happy accident? I don't know. Maybe I'm going to Hell.

3. Being carless, we rented a 2014 Mustang V6 for the day on Monday to help retrieve the new RV and run some other errands. The interior is just really nice in fit and finish - not Mercedes or BMW good, but totally respectable. I found the seats horrific - I didn't like the cloth and they are clearly designed for much larger people. The V6 is downright quick, although maybe too eager to downshift. All the grunt is down low - it winds out, but nothing further really seems to happen past 5k or so. I think it should hold its gears longer, but that's personal preference. The trunk fit a microwave, so what else needs be said? Overall, I found it to be a very good Mustang, but totally unappealing. With a V8 you at least get a mountain of power, but with the V6 there are a mess of other cars I'd rather have for the money.

4. I now have two Fleetwoods, and the second is even bigger than the first. After 450 miles, it started to feel pretty normal - but then I pulled into the driveway and had a clear view over the Suburban and realized it's fuggin ginormous. So weird.

5. Just remembered, the people who redid the headliner on the Benz totally wrecked the sunroof. Unfortunately I couldn't leave it with them on Friday as it had a trip to make on Saturday. They broke the wind deflector and clearly some other parts as it does not retract correctly. It was worse by the time we dropped it on Sunday so I don't think it's going to work forever. I really don't want to go deal with that, but I have to. Fuck.

Random
May 7th, 2014, 02:28 PM
Pull the fuse. "What sunroof?"

thesameguy
May 7th, 2014, 02:43 PM
Upholstery shop guy suggested the same thing, but sunroof is about *the* key feature on the car for her. She could take or leave everything else, but sitting in the car on her lunch break with the roof open is about the most important thing in her day.

TheBenior
May 7th, 2014, 03:01 PM
Ah, sitting with the sunroof open. Next best thing to the simple joys of a monkey knife fight.

thesameguy
May 7th, 2014, 03:08 PM
Let me paint a sad picture:

Monday through Thursday, 9am to 7pm.
30 minute lunch, two ten minute breaks
No paid sick
No paid vacation
No paid holidays
$12/hr
No benefits
45 minute commute across 20 miles

I didn't have that job when I was in high school. Anyone who thinks that is ok in one of the most expensive places to live in the United States probably takes great pleasure in 30 minutes of staring through the hole in the roof four days per week.

Edit: What's even worse is believing that this is the best job you are worthy of having. Not "I'm just waiting for something better" or "All I want to do is smoke pot all day" but "This situation represents my best possible option."

Godson
May 7th, 2014, 04:57 PM
:(

thesameguy
May 9th, 2014, 10:17 AM
So, anyone know anything about fiberglass? :lol:

I've done some basic, arguably pathetic work with it but never anything I actually cared about. :)

The TV in the Suthwin has a 20" diagonal, and probably another 2" in bezel. Want I want to do is use it as a mold to make a fiberglass box for some other type of display. I was initially thinking about using a 19" LCD I have, but what I believe is that the TV is 12v and the LCD is 20v, so either I'm doing some messed up voltage conversions or running it off an inverter or the generator, all of which are inefficient solutions. What I'm now thinking about doing is taking a cue from Tesla and building a mount for a large tablet - and maybe two. Those details aren't important right now.

What I don't want to do is hack up the dash or ruin the TV during the construction process. Depending on how things go, I may want to put the TV back when I sell it, as the idea of wrapping up several hundred dollars in computer crap into the sale seems like a bad use of money. Maybe not, but I want the option.

So, anyone know how to use the TV to make a mold for laying fiberglass?

Random
May 9th, 2014, 10:21 AM
Tim does--he makes molds for carbon fiber layup, technically, but the process is similar.

Godson
May 9th, 2014, 10:30 AM
Build a frame from cheap woodthat mocks the TV dimensions. You can mess up as much as you desire without fucking up.

thesameguy
May 9th, 2014, 11:08 AM
The problem is shape - the TV has a rounded shape and replicating that with wood would be difficult.

I need to take another look at how the TV is mounted in there and do a little more investigation on how the electrical system works. What I think is that the normal car stuff runs off one battery that is recharged by the alternator, and all the house stuff runs off two batteries that is recharged by the generator. I think the only bridge between those two systems is a button on the dashboard that lets you start the engine using the house batteries, in case you do something stupid. :)

In my head right now, I am torn between:

1. A big display taking the place of the TV that might have multiple inputs, connected to a backup camera, computer (or some other media source), etc.
2. A dock for portable electronics, like cell phones or tablets.

The issue is trying to balance the interface (especially while driving) with visibility (as for the backup camera). I was originally thinking a display, a computer, and a remote (just like an HTPC), but then started thinking about a TV, an Android HDMI stick, and a ? (no idea how to control it), and then started thinking about a tablet device and just a Bluetooth connection to the speakers (maybe through the stereo). I like the tablet idea, but even spending $800 on a 13" Android tablet nets a pretty small display for backup camera purposes.

I dunno... lots to think about, including exactly how much this whole idea is really worth. I didn't have any trouble backing the thing into the driveway, so maybe I'm over thinking this.

Random
May 9th, 2014, 12:11 PM
FWIW, Ye Olde Skool backup cameras typically displayed on a ~6" CRT, which IME was sufficient real estate to determine if you were about to back over a kid/pole/Fiero.

thesameguy
May 9th, 2014, 02:02 PM
The "issue" is placement. The TV is placed in the middle of the dash, on the floor. It's not in a good viewing position for the driver. I think the olde screens were on the dash, near the controls - at least the ones we saw were. I am trying to come up with a way to have that single display do backup & entertainment, but it may not be possible. The better solution might just be a small screen in the dash, maybe even replacing the stereo with something like a Pioneer AVIC etc. That would net a small but useful screen for backup purposes and be close enough to the driver for futzing with the radio. I don't know what's under there or what'd be involved with going double DIN... maybe a lot, maybe nothing. I can't imagine the under-dash is terribly congested. :D

Actually, that gives me an idea. Maybe the answer is an HDMI splitter and just taping a small LCD right on the dash where the radio goes. I wonder if I could do one carputer, one HDMI splitter, one touchscreen (dash), one non-touchscreen (console) some sort of remote control (other users), and some sort of amp to connect it all to the cabin speakers. That might work out great.

Random
May 9th, 2014, 02:04 PM
Yeah, that location is bad for a back-up camera. You definitely want it in easy scanning view along with the mirrors.

edit: it's $80 for a LCD/wireless camera set up from Crutchfield.

thesameguy
May 9th, 2014, 02:35 PM
I need to sit back and ponder exactly what it is I need to have.

I know:

Backup camera
Radio (for road conditions, if nothing else)
Some sort of digital music support (USB, Bluetooth, whatever)

I don't think I care about anything else... like movies or whatever. Maybe I should. Navigation?

Maybe the answer is a double-DIN stereo for AM/FM and streaming music and a separate display with an AppleTV/Chromcast/Miracast doodad attached to it. I could just use a switch of some type between the two sources and an amp. That would be easy and require minimal cost and work. I bet I could even gut the TV and stash a 20" LCD inside the case. :lol: