Brandon's Ongoing Problem/Repair List

[410Fortune]

SIMPLE GREEEN will discolor your plastic parts
do not use full strength simple green!

I use Gunk Foamy Engine brite
I have used it for years it works amazing

wet down engine compartment
let sit for a few
soak with foamy engine brite
let sit for 5 minutes
rinse
rinse
rinse

wipe down any standing water area's. like the power steering cap, the top of the battery, etc
I use compressed air to get all puddles before I attempt to start the truck
I also use a rag and wipe down the radiator support, brake master cyl, battery, power steering resevoir, coolant recoverry tank, upper intake, fan shroud, under side of the hood, etc

This keeps it looking brand new and also makes it easy to spot leaks or trouble area's
I do this maybe twice a year on all of my trucks

 

[Four0Sport]

x2 on foamy engine brite. we stopped carrying it at work though. i started using the gunk gel. still works ok.. but i miss the foamy engine brite.

 

[omgyouresexy]

Hi again, everyone. Hope your superbowl weekend was enjoyable.

Wanted to say thanks to everyone for the help on the engine clean. i used some engine cleaner I bought at Advance (their brand) and it worked alright. I hope I covered the right stuff, but if I didn't, the Ex didn't seem to mind. Though, it did smell like engine cleaner for a couple days after. I may not have removed it all.

I've been out of town all weekend. If the weather is nice any day this week, I plan on coming home early and jacking up the car to change the e-brake line running to the rear drivers side and change the front wheel bearings.

I might make a separate thread about the wheel bearings and document my experience with pictures (I have searched the forum and only found guides related to the 4wd ones that you replace as a whole). Thought maybe someone coming along needing this info later wouldn't mind a picture guide (I know I do when I find them). Plus I feel like I could try to contribute.

I wonder though, should i change the wheel bearings if there is ANY play in the front wheels? Or, is a little play normal? This will probably go into the dedicated thread that I hope will turn into a guide once I do it.

 

[omgyouresexy]

SO I managed to finally get the cable disconnected today and replace the rusted out e-brake cable. It was pretty nasty. Also, getting the new cable on was a HUGE pain. It almost seems like the rubber cover was too long, but I found out if you put the part that actually connects to the brake "hook" on last, its a lot easier.

Now for the fun news, when I finally got everything connected, I decided to actually test it out. I engaged the emergency brake pedal in the car, which had a little resistance. When I actually got the pedal to depress (actually, I had my wife do it while I watched the hook and eye at the rear wheel to watch for movement), the hook pulled towards the front of the vehicle as it should... however when we released the brake, nothing happened.
I'm pretty sure that everything inside that entire assembly is shot... rusted to hell. I had to get a hammer and bang the hooks back to the disengaged position. I disconnected the eyes from the e-brake hooks and figured I rebuild the whole thing when I need to replace the brakes back there, as the rotors and calipers are nothing but huge balls of rust as well.
The e-brake isnt necessary is it... on an automatic?

Also, I purchased some spark plugs and plan on replacing those to see if it will idle a little smoother. My battery died as well and I had to get one of those. They tested it and said out of 850 cold crank amps rating, it was only giving out 11. I assume that meant the battery was shot, not just dead and needed charging. Can anyone confirm this just to reassure myself that a new battery purchase was necessary?

 

[96eb96]

SO I managed to finally get the cable disconnected today and replace the rusted out e-brake cable. It was pretty nasty. Also, getting the new cable on was a HUGE pain. It almost seems like the rubber cover was too long, but I found out if you put the part that actually connects to the brake "hook" on last, its a lot easier.

Now for the fun news, when I finally got everything connected, I decided to actually test it out. I engaged the emergency brake pedal in the car, which had a little resistance. When I actually got the pedal to depress (actually, I had my wife do it while I watched the hook and eye at the rear wheel to watch for movement), the hook pulled towards the front of the vehicle as it should... however when we released the brake, nothing happened.
I'm pretty sure that everything inside that entire assembly is shot... rusted to hell. I had to get a hammer and bang the hooks back to the disengaged position. I disconnected the eyes from the e-brake hooks and figured I rebuild the whole thing when I need to replace the brakes back there, as the rotors and calipers are nothing but huge balls of rust as well.
The e-brake isnt necessary is it... on an automatic?

Also, I purchased some spark plugs and plan on replacing those to see if it will idle a little smoother. My battery died as well and I had to get one of those. They tested it and said out of 850 cold crank amps rating, it was only giving out 11. I assume that meant the battery was shot, not just dead and needed charging. Can anyone confirm this just to reassure myself that a new battery purchase was necessary?

Well, the ebrake is important for two reasons. If they do inspections your truck will fail. If for some reason your brakes give out (rusted lines, or whatever), you may fail at the game of life.

You are looking at new rotors and pads in the back,e- brake shoes, and a lot of work to remove all the corrosion off the actuators. Consider a product called evaporust to help if its really bad. Buy a new spring hardware kit for the rear e-brakes.

After that you should coat all mechanical metal contact surfaces with either high temp anti-sieze or green synthetic brake grease. Use your ebrake regularly to help keep it working properly. Do not get any of this stuff on the rotors, drums, brake shoes or pads!

Usually when you test batteries you have to attempt a full charge first. If you test a dead battery...hmmm... you know the rest...Did they first charge the battery? If no, its 50/50 its bad.

 

[omgyouresexy]

Well, fwiw, the e-brake was obviously rusted through and in disrepair when they did the inspection last time. I actually didn't notice it until i had to put new tires on after the fact. maybe they just missed it. I wonder how they test the e-brake. Do they compress it and release it? Do they look to make sure it's connected.

Also, just out of curiosity, if the brakes fail (I assume while driving around), how would the e-brake help. I guess you're just supposed to engage it. I'll probably end up fixing it sooner than later, just not right at present. I'm trying to spread my repair costs out.

And finally, they didnt attempt to charge the battery. I had it jumped and got my car started and drive around for about 20 minutes, which I'm sure isnt enough to charge it. Is it worth buying a battery charger and always charge a battery that dies before having it "tested". I really didn't think that they would test an almost dead battery (as most people who bring their batteries in to have them tested would have simply left a light on and drained it) and deem it as needing replacing. Maybe they would, I don't know.
I guess, I'm trying to figure out how I know if the battery is truly shot vs just needing to be charged. Do I ask them to charge it first?

 

[96eb96]

Well, fwiw, the e-brake was obviously rusted through and in disrepair when they did the inspection last time. I actually didn't notice it until i had to put new tires on after the fact. maybe they just missed it. I wonder how they test the e-brake. Do they compress it and release it? Do they look to make sure it's connected.

Also, just out of curiosity, if the brakes fail (I assume while driving around), how would the e-brake help. I guess you're just supposed to engage it. I'll probably end up fixing it sooner than later, just not right at present. I'm trying to spread my repair costs out.

And finally, they didnt attempt to charge the battery. I had it jumped and got my car started and drive around for about 20 minutes, which I'm sure isnt enough to charge it. Is it worth buying a battery charger and always charge a battery that dies before having it "tested". I really didn't think that they would test an almost dead battery (as most people who bring their batteries in to have them tested would have simply left a light on and drained it) and deem it as needing replacing. Maybe they would, I don't know.
I guess, I'm trying to figure out how I know if the battery is truly shot vs just needing to be charged. Do I ask them to charge it first?

The ebrake test (in NYS at least) involves setting the brake and and slightly accelerating the car checking if it holds (simulating an incline). That is a good test to see if your brake works.

Will the ebrake stop the car from a fast speed? I tried it and it eventually does. I wouldn't do it too many times though. You wont stop on a dime by far, but unless you have a boat anchor in the back its better than nothing. It has to be applied gradually or the rear wheels can lock, leading to loss of control. Technically its called a parking brake....There are rare instances where parking pawls in transmissions fail and the truck sets sail....

Yes, a battery MUST be charged before testing. Would you take an exam without studying? Just because you study don't mean you will pass though .

Is a battery charger a good idea? Depends. I was working on a car the other day and the battery discharged because the lights were on. You could jump start the car, but without a full charge you are stressing out the alternator until it recharges the battery. Alternators (new ones) come with warnings about having a fully charged battery, so its not the ideal situation to go with a partially charged battery.

Most auto stores will charge a battery for free though. I got one of those electronic 3 stage chargers, they are from either Black and Decker or Vector. I also have lawn tractor batteries that go bad over the winter if they lose their charge, so its either buy new batteries or keep them topped off. Partially charged lead acid batteries are bad news, they form sufites on the lead plates and eventually cant take a charge. My charger has a mode that can reverse this process, I actually saved a few batteries with it and got years of use from them.

 

[omgyouresexy]

Hey guys,
This may seem like a dumb question, but here goes...

After I remove the tires and caliper, how does the rotor come off. Is there anything else you have to unscrew or should the rotor just pull outward. I tried pulling on it, but it didnt come off, and before I go PB Blasting it and banging the sh** out of it to get it off (there's so much rust under there, I wouldn't be surprised if that was necessary), I want to make sure there's no more bolts to unscrew or anything to turn twist or finagle with in order to remove them.

Thanks.

P.S. I'm asking now, but it might say in the Haynes manual. I'll go checking there tomorrow.

 

[96eb96]

Hey guys,
This may seem like a dumb question, but here goes...

After I remove the tires and caliper, how does the rotor come off. Is there anything else you have to unscrew or should the rotor just pull outward. I tried pulling on it, but it didnt come off, and before I go PB Blasting it and banging the sh** out of it to get it off (there's so much rust under there, I wouldn't be surprised if that was necessary), I want to make sure there's no more bolts to unscrew or anything to turn twist or finagle with in order to remove them.

Thanks.

P.S. I'm asking now, but it might say in the Haynes manual. I'll go checking there tomorrow.

The only thing you can really do is try to back off the parking brake shoes using the pinwheel that you access with a screwdriver thru a slot. They sometimes create a rim on the drum and make it hard to get off. Other than that its just brut force.

 

[mechanicmom]

Re: Leaking console & simple green

My husband gets Simple Green @ Wal-Mart; it's cheaper & easier to find. Re: the console, my daughter's had the same problem & it was a couple of the rivets that hold on the luggage rack strips (they had rusted or were missing). We found a body shop that sold us some for $3.00 & even offered to put them in for $10.00 so we went for it & problem was resolved! We were going to just plug the holes with JB Weld, but my husband likes to fix it right, so we did & it really was cheap & easier to have someone else do it for us!

 

[omgyouresexy]

Spent yesterday afternoon the the parking lot of Advance Auto Parts replacing my alternator (was only spitting out 10 or 10.5V). This is actually the first thing I've ever fixed by myself on a car (not counting the e-brake cable) and it was a pretty good feeling knowing I fixed something myself that i would have paid someone else a lot of money to fix. Plus, it was surprisingly easy. The only down side is that the battery I purchased a month ago probably wasn't actually bad, just wasn't getting a lot of juice from the alternator and slowly dying.

I had another question regarding the towing abilities of my car. Again, its a '99 Eddie Bauer, and as of right now it has no towing ball, but my father in law pointed out a place on the bumper where you can bolt on a towing ball... though I'm not sure that's what I'd want to do. I was assuming I'd have to buy a towing hitch and get it welded underneath the rear.

Can anyone offer advice regarding towing and what I can expect? I'm looking at eventually trying to find a small lake fishing boat and trailer and would want to tow that around. I'm just not sure if the EB comes equipped to tow once I buy a ball... it just seems weird that bolting a ball on and pulling something attached to bumper. Doesn't seem safe... sorry bout being completely uneducated on this topic.

Edit: Upon further review, I see many people in the tow forum advising against towing using the bumper. I have no idea what the weight of a small boat would even be, but I figure if I'm going to actually go through with it, buying a hitch might be worth it. As I'm not completely knowledgeable of the terminology, can someone explain the diff between tow weight and tongue weight. They were saying the tongue weight is like 350 or 500 or something... it seems like that might be the vertical force it can withstand so as not to bend the bumper.

Thanks for any advice you might have on the issue. I'm reading the towing forum more in depth now.