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I’ve never seen Seafoam hurt anything, but I’m not going to say it can’t happen. I’ve used it on both of my Subarus. Granted, I didn’t notice much of a difference, if any difference at all (I can’t remember at present moment, but I’m drunk to the point where I’m kind of suprised that I’m typing), but it did make one rather impressive plume of smoke when I ran it through a vacuum line.
I posted a recipe over in the tool forum if you want to try making it yourself. A gallon of it can be made for about the cost of a can of Seafoam. The thread is called homebrew automotive chemical recipes, or something along those lines. I can’t remember at present.
I came across another stupid design today. I had to replace an alternator on a 2003 Ford Focus sedan, with the 2.0 DOHC engine. That was a nightmare and a half. I hope I never have to replace one of those again. After getting the battery loose, and removing the serpentine belt, I had to move the coolant overflow bottle, and the power steering reservoir, undo 2 chassis grounds, then unbolt the motor mount on the belt side of the engine and then pull the engine as far forward as I could, before putting the rear bolt back in it’s hole to hold the engine forward. Then, the alternator could be unbolted. The top bolt came out just fine. The lower alternator bolt looks like it has enough room to come out of the alternator and then out of the way. Looks being the operative term in that last sentence. It’s actually about a quarter of an inch too long to come out of the alternator with the engine still mounted in the car. I wound up removing the bolt holding the engine forward and shoving the engine back into it’s original position and then shaking the crap out of it before the bolt just fell out. Then I had to fight to get the electrical connections undone from the back of the alternator. The nut that holds one of the wires to the back was seized to the shaft it sits on, so I wound up breaking that to get it free. I wound up removing the bracket that holds the right CV axle in place and shoving the steering rack backward about a quarter inch to get the alternator out the bottom of the car, then I had to force the new one back up into place. Once I got it most of the way up there, I had to figure out how I was going to get that lower bolt back in, as there isn’t enough room to install it. I wound up just cutting some of the bolt off and then grinding the end flat. There was still a good half inch of bolt sticking out the backside of the alternator when I got done, but the bolt went in like gravy after I trimmed it. It toom the almost 4 hours to install that accursed thing. I hope I never have to do that again.
The smart-ass part of me would tell you that it’s a 4 cylinder gas engine. The helpful part of me would tell you…
I’m presuming that you need to know the displacement. There’s three sure-fire ways I can think of to figure that out. The easiest method is to look at the catalyst sticker under the hood. There should be a line that says Engine Family or something along those lines, along with a string of numbers and letters. Somewhere about the middle of that there should be a 1.5 or 1.6, followed by more letters. That’s your engine displacement.
Another method is to look at the timing cover. There should be a sticker on there that says something to the effect of D15A1 or something along those lines, that’s your engine size and some sort of options, I’m not exactly sure that the entire code means. The D part means it’s a single overhead cam, the 15 means it’s a 1.5L. I forget what the rest means.
Methos 3 is to look on the front of the engine block (front in this case meaning the side closest to the front of the car), just to the left (if you’re facing the car) of the exhaust manifold. There should be a flat spot on the block with the engine code stamped onto it. Since it’s a 1998, this stamping is probably covered in scuzz, so you may need to clean that off before you can read it. Just out of curiosity, why do you need to know what type of engine is in your car?
I found a video on Youtube about doing axle seals and bearings on a Ranger. I know you’ve got an F-150, but the procedure is exactly the same. I didn’t watch the entire video, but I did skim the entire thing and it seems to be pretty complete. Hopefully it’ll help, since I know that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Depending upon exactly where it’s leaking from, it could be either the wheel cylinder (which is what makes the rear brakes work) or the rear axle seal. The leaky seal would be caused by a bad bearing, and with the right tools they’re really not that hateful to replace. I don’t remember exactly what tools you’ll need to complete this repair, so I can’t give you a tool list, but I can give you a basic tutorial on how to replace a leaky axle seal and rear wheel bearing. First things first, jack up the rear of the truck and support it with jackstands, then remove the rear wheels and the brake drums.
Once you’ve got the drums off, it’s time to remove the differential fill plug. It’s simply a small metal thing with a 3/8th square cut into it, and is removed using a ratchet without a socket on it. You should always remove teh fill plug first, because if you can’t put fresh fluid back into the differential, you really don’t want to let the old fluid out. Start by placing a catchpan under the rear differential and remove the rear cover by taking out all the bolts and then gently prying it away from the axke housing. About 3 quarts of gear oil is going to come pouring out, and that stuff smells absolutely atrocious, so try not to get it on yourself. Now that you’ve got that out of the way, you can now see the internals of the rear differential. Turn the rear driveshaft until you can see the bolt that holds in the large central pin that keeps the spider gears in place. The bolt head for that is 5/16ths, and you’ll need a 6 point wrench to remove it. Don’t lose the bolt, and once the pin slides out, make absolutely sure that you do NOT let the axles turn or else you’ll have to put the spider gears back in place, and that’s a royal nightmare. Don’t ask me how I know, just take my word for it.
Now that you’ve gotten the large central pin out, it’s time to remove the axle shafts. Push the axle toward the center of the axle tube. This is best accomplished by reaching out to where the wheel bolts on and pushing it toward you. It should only move a short way, but that’s all you need. Looking at the end of the axleshaft inside of the differential, you should see a horseshoe shaped clip. Push this off of the axle shaft and then fish it out of the small puddle of gear oil that it just fell into. Don’t lose this clip either, or you’ll regret it. No, just pull the axle straight out of the axle tube and set it off to the side. I usually place it so that the axle is sitting on the ends of the studs, and I’ll put a rag over the splined end of the axle shaft. Take a close look at the end of the axle where the bearing would sit. It should be smooth, and not covered in score marks. It should also be shiny. If it’s blue, you’ve got other issues that I can’t really explain right now. Let’s presume for right now that the axle itself is in pristine condition. If you’re going to go the cheap route, this is the part where you pop the axle seal out of the end of the axle tube, tap a new seal back into the axle tube, put everything back together and go on your merry way. This isn’t how I’d complete this job if it were my truck.
Once you get the axle shaft out of the axle tube, use a bearing remover and a slide hammer to pull the old bearing and seal out of the axle tube. You can rent these tools from most autoparts store that rents tools. It’s also a good idea to shove a rag into the axle tube behind the bearing, to catch any parts of it if the bearing should break during removal. After the bearing, seal and any bits of broken bearing are removed from the axle tube, go ahead and pull the rag back out of the tube. Using a bearing/seal driver (which can also be rented from the parts store that rented you the slide hammer and bearing remover), and a hammer, gently install the new bearing, followed by the new seal. You’ll know when the bearing is completely seated because the sound it makes will change. Then install the seal without getting it crooked in the axle tube. After that, you should do the same procedure on the other side of the axle tube, even if only one side is leaking. I say this because the seals are most likely the same age, and have been exposed to the same types of operating conditions, so they should have fairly even amounts of wear. One has already failed, so the other side can’t be far behind, and I personally don’t like doing a job twice. After all the bearings and seals are replaced, but before the axleshafts go back in, now would be a good time to put some fresh brake shoes on, as the ones currently installed are most likely coated in gear oil. I usually recommend that the drums be replaced as well, but you might be able to degrease them with some brake cleaner. If you need me to explain how to replace brake shoes on your truck I can do so, but I won’t in this post. After the brake work is finished, put the axles back in, making sure that you get them into the spider gears. Reinstall the horseshoe clips and then try and pull the axle shafts out of the axle tube using only your hands. This will put the horsehoe clips back into the spider gears where they belong so that the large central pin can be reinstalled, followed by the bolt that holds the pin in place. I don’t know what the torque spec for that bolt is, so I just use hand pressure, without using the added leverage of the rest of my arm. Now, make sure that any old gasket material around the differential cover is removed and put a thin bead of black RTV silicone around the perimeter of the differential cover and reinstall it. I don’t know what the torque spec is for the differential cover bolts either, so I just tighten them until it feels right. I can’t really explain it any other way. Now, set the truck flat on the ground, and then refill the differential through the fill hole. Keep adding fluid until it starts to dribble out of the hole you’re putting it into. It should take almost 3 quarts of 75w90 gear lube. 80w90 can be used as well if you can’t find 75w90. Put the fill plug back in and then go drive around the block. Pick the rear of the truck back up, remove the wheels and drums and check for leaks. If you don’t see any leaks, put the drums and wheels back on and you’re good to go.
I know that sounds like a really complicated repair, but it’s really not that bad to do. At work, I can have both seals and bearings changed inside of an hour, provided that nothing puts up a fight, but I have the added advantage of a lift and power tools. Working on the floor with hand tools, this job could take you an afternoon, or longer, depending upon your mechanical skill level. I imagine that there are videos on the internet that will show how to replace the axle seals and bearings. The next time I do a job like that, if I’ve got my camera handy I’ll take pictures of eac step and post them up, but I don’t know when the next time will be, if there even is a next time, since I don’t plan on being a professional mechanic past the end of this year. I’ll still stick around on the forums and help out as best I can though. I hope this novel helped.
Lexus V8s have the starter in the valley under the intake manifold, just like the Northstars. I had the displeasure of changing the starter on thoe of those cars twice in the same day. The car was towed in with a no-start condition. I traced the problem to the starter motor under the intake. I got the intake manifold off, which took forever since I had never pulled a lower intake manifold off before, got the old gasket material off of the cylinder heads, replaced the starter with a rebuilt one, gave it a fresh intake manifold gasket, reinstalled everything, and when I hit the key I was rewarded with the sound of a starter motor enthusiastically spinning, but the engine wasn’t cranking. The starter I had just spent almost 9 hours installing turned out to be defective. So I had to tear everything down a second time and put on another starter. At least the second starter worked as intended. I told the boss that I was never going to do one of those again, ever.
On a completely unrelated note, but still deep withing the realm of “What were they thinking?”, has anyone here ever done an oil change on a Mazda 3 with the 2.3L engine? it’s got a plastic skid plate mounted under the engine, which is not really a big deal, lots of cars have that. This car uses a canister-type oil filter, similar to the one used on the GM Ecotec engines, which is mounted near the bottom of the engine. Again, this isn’t a big deal as lots of cars use this setup as well. The stupid comes in when you actually look at the plastic skid plate. It’s got a hole cut into it, seemingly for oil filter access, except where the filter housing is mounted is right on the edge of the access hole, rather than directly above it. So, if you don’t remove the skid plate before you try and change the filter, you’re going to get oil all over the inside of the plate and make an even bigger mess that you normally would have simply by changing the filter.
Since you’re only seeing battery voltage when the car is running, it might be a faulty alternator. I’ve learned over the years that new does not necessarily equal good. Something else you may want to check, if it starts right up when yhou jump it, is to make sure that both battery cables are tight on the battery posts. I’ve seen it on more than one occasion where one of them will be a little loose, so it’s giving a poor connection, but when it gets touched withjumper cables it makes a better connection and the vehicle starts.
Unless you are a master at running wires and sensors and such, don’t try and convert an OBD 1 car over to OBD 2. It’s neither cost effective nor practical to do so. If I rememeber correctly, you can run a B18 with an OBD 1 ECU. As far as needing the subframe for the swap, I’m not sure. I imagine that you could get yourself a front clip from an Integra which would basically everything forward of the windshield and swap over the parts that you needed. There’s a Civic hatchback of indeterminate year around where I live with a complete Integra front end on it. I’m talking, hood, headlights, fenders, bumper, drivetrain, everything.
Thanks for the compliment Beefy. Hopefully you’ll have someone who can show you the most efficient way to fix cars, but I also hope that they’ll let you make your own mistakes. That’s the best way to learn if you ask me. I have a simple rule that I use when I’m teaching someone how to do something. Mistakes are tolerated, so long as they are not repeated.
The correct procedure to lifting an air sprung Range Rover is to keep the suspension loaded. There are notches in the lower control arms designed for having a jack put into them to keep the weight of the body on the tops of the air bags. You can also use a floor jack under LCAs like you would with a Blazer of similar when checking ball joints. At the shop I was working at when the bags were blown out, I told them to put it on the second alignment rack and to place the swing jacks under the axles. I almost feel sorry for the owner of that particular Range Rover though. The closest Land Rover dealer to Manassas VA is in Richmond (I think), which means he had to drive almost 2 hours on the bumpstops to have the ‘bags replaced. My shop would up paying for them in the end.
Here’s what I’d go with, I’m presuming that you’ve got a spouse and a kid or two. Find yourself a Ford F-250 or -350 with the 7.3L turbo diesel, four doors and an 8 foot bed. Those engines will return roughly 20 mpg, as well as make enough torque to pull a house down. Maybe I’m biased a bit, but I’ll choose a diesel engine over a gas engine in a heartbeat if one is available. For towing, nothing beats a diesel engine. The only downside is that not all gas stations sell diesel, and it’s comparable in price to premium gasoline. It will give better fuel economy though, so it’s a wash regardless.
If you’re looking at Ford diesels, the 7.3s are bulletproof and will run forever. The 6.0s are delicate in stock form, but can be made bulletproof, although it will no longer be “emissions legal”, since you’ll be disabling the EGR system. This will prevent you from having to replace head gaskets though, which on the trucks with the 6.0 require that the cab comes off the truck. The 6.4 and the 6.7 diesels are about as delicate as the 6.0, and with all the emissions control stuff on them, will give you, at best, 8 mpg. This is largely in part to the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and it’s regenerative process. The DPF is designed to catch all the soot that would normally come out of the tailpipe. That’s all well and good, but eventually that will get full and will have to be regenerated. This occurrs in a similar manner to the way a self-cleaning oven cleans itself. These engines will fire the rear two injectors on the exhaust stroke, dumping raw diesel into the exhaust stream, which is basically throwing fire at the hot side of the turbo, and then down the exhaust to the DPF.
On a different note, I don’t have many complaint about the GM trucks, although replacing the idler and Pitman arms all the time will get old and tedious very quickly. They also seem to have problems with the guage clusters not working correctly for no readily apparent reason. That said, the LS series of engines are absolutely amazing. They’re easy to work on and from what I’ve read can be built up to make insane amounts of horsepower for cheap. I don’t have much experience with the Duramax diesels though, so I can’t really comment on them beyond saying that changing the injectors out is a real bear. I’ve never done such a job myself, but I’ve read comments from people that I trust about them that say the injectors are a nightmare when they go bad.
TL, DR: Buy a Ford F-250 or F-350 with a crew cab, a stick shift and a 7.3L turbo diesel.
The last time I had to deal with a sitting car was on a 1984 Volvo. It was essentially a family heirloom, as the grandfather had bought it new, then gave it to the father who was in turn passing it on to the son. Unfortunately, the father stopped driving it three years before the son was old enough to drive it, so he towed it to my shop and dropped it off, wanting to know what all it would take to make it road worthy again. I replaced, in no particular order; spark plugs, wires, distributor (twice, the first one was defective), air and fuel filter, the battery, all 4 tires, inner and outer tie rods on both sides, all the fluids, the exhaust system from the catalytic converter back, several light bulbs and the driver seat-belt mechanism. I also had to disassemble and then rebuid the e-brake handle as the button wouldn’t stay out under it’s own power.
Personally speaking, I’d check for leaks, make sure the fluids are topped off and it’s got fresh gas in it and the jsut start driving it, fixing things as they stop working. But then again, I’m unbelievably sheap when it comes to repairing my own cars.
I’ve been in similar situations in the past. I’ve decided that I’m simply going to give people advice, and then let them follow my recommendations, or simply not follow my recommendations. One of those situations that stands out in my mind happened shortly after I was hired by the company I currently work for. One of the tire changers was getting ready to put tires on a Range Rover with air suspension. When one of those trucks is lifted, you have to keep the suspension loaded or else the bags will be seriously damaged. I told the tire changer as much. One of the salesmen (who doesn’t know his butt from a hole in the ground) said “No, I called the dealer and they said that you just have to turn the key off and take it out of the ignition and it’ll be fine”. So, the tire changer set the lift under the frame of the truck, lifted it up, and proceeded to pop both rear airbags. I just laughed at their failure. The suspension did exactly what I said it would do, but as I tend to say an awful lot at work “I’m jsut a mechanic, what do I know?”
My recommendation would depend upon what you plan on using it for? Are you going to be using it to go off-road a lot? In that case, I’d look at a Wrangler, or somthing similar. Is this SUV going to be used for towing something like a boat on vacations with the family? If that’s the case, I’d look for a Ford Excursion with the 7.3 diesel engine. If you’re going to be using it for daily driving in bad weather, you might want to consider a Subaru Legacy wagon. I need more information before I can recommend something to you, as I can’t think of any vehicle that is perfectly suited to every condition you may be driving though.