Blog

March 2018 Newsletter

27 Feb

February 23, 2018

You know the drill. If you don’t, here’s the 411.

For the full newsletter click here, or click the image below. If you’re just interested in one topic, click the image or “read more” link and you’ll be taken directly to that part of the newsletter on EricTheCarGuy.com.

If you’re reading this on the website, you’re already reading the full newsletter, and you are amazing!

Past newsletters and the ETCG Blog can be found here.

YouTube Drama

I’m sure that many of you remember this ETCG1 video from a couple of weeks ago.

Well, I’m happy to report, that things are back on track. I posted this video the day after the previous one.

Thankfully my channel was only down for 10 days total.

It was actually my old network that did the heavy lifting. They reached out to YouTube on my behalf, and by the end of the day, my channel was back in business.

I learned a lot from this experience. A lot about you, the audience. I’ve learned that you are kind, generous, and willing to help at the drop of a hat. For that, I’m am eternally grateful. Everyone should be so lucky as to have a fanbase like mine.

For those of you that pledged to my Patreon account, I can’t thank you enough. The monetary support is helpful. However, it’s the moral support and comments that really strike a chord with me. In fact, I’m struggling trying to put how I feel into words here.

I’m going to leave you with this in response. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I plan to go on making videos for all my channels that I hope will continue to educate and entertain you. It’s not just how I make my living, I also feel it’s my gift to the world. It took me years to find it, but it’s clear to me now that this is why I’m here.

I’m here to help people better understand the intricacies of auto repair and maintenance using video. I’m also here to put a better face on the automotive technician. We’re not all money hungry scam artists. Some of us truly care and want to help.

Thank you again for being such a great audience, and thank you for supporting me in my dream job. I couldn’t do any of this without you.

The ‘Mini’ Series

Those of you that follow me on social media will already know that I picked up a 2007 (not a 2006) Mini Cooper S last week.

I had one thing in mind when I made this purchase, to make videos.

I was also thinking it might be a good car for my oldest son who lives in western NY. Unfortunately when he looked into insurance cost, it came out to more than the car was worth.

Instead, I’m thinking I’ll do the repairs and shoot some videos. Once I’m done, I plan to sell the car and give the profits to my son who can then use the money to get something more affordable.

That’s the plan, but we all know how plans go sometimes.

I’ve already started on the videos. I’ve shot a video on it’s battery replacement as well as the removal of the seats and carpet. I removed the carpet because one of the windows was left open for a few months. As a result, the carpet and seats were a pretty damp when I bought it. I wanted to get them out to dry ASAP to avoid mold and the smell that comes with it.

Next, I plan to address the oil leaks on the engine. They are severe and should be easy to find. I suspect the oil feed line for the turbo is leaking and also the crank sensor ‘o’ ring.

I’m also thinking of replacing the clutch. I understand that’s a pretty big job on this car. A video on the process would help several people that have Mini’s. You guys also seem to like videos where I tear half a car apart, so even if you’re not planning on doing a clutch on a Mini, you can be entertained watching the process.

After that, I have an electrical issue with the rear hatch latch to sort out. My research shows that may be due to the water ingress it’s already undergone. Drying the car out may fix this problem. I guess I’ll have to wait and see on that one.

I’m sure I’ll find some other things along the way. To be honest, I really like the car. It’s cute. I suspect it’s also pretty quick despite it’s 115hp engine. It’s a light car after all, and that power should move it down the road just fine.

Anyway, I plan to call this series of videos “The Mini Series”. I’m thinking of doing things a bit different this time. Instead of following me along like I did with the #FairmontProject. I’m thinking I’ll have all, or most, of the videos completed first. That way there will be a clearly defined beginning and end to the series.

Keep an eye out for those videos starting in the next couple of months.

The #FairmontProject Videos

There’s been a few comments lately about the #FairmontProject videos. Those of you that love the project are wondering when the next videos are coming out.

Here’s the SITREP. I have over 60 days worth of footage from the build. This covers from the time I left off, to the time I started the engine for the first time.

Know that there was a lot of additional work that’s taken place since then, that will also be covered, but let’s take this one step at a time.

I’m currently working on organizing the videos into ‘buckets’. Meaning, grouping them by topic and content. Once I have that sorted out, I’m handing the footage over to a professional video editing company to work on the edits. I’ll then take the videos back into my system and wrap them up into nice, finished packages to present to all of you.

I don’t plan to have the #FairmontProject take over the EricTheCarGuy channel. Instead, the plan is to release Fairmont videos in addition to the ‘repair’ videos I’ve been posting since last December. This way, those of you that are into the #FairmontProject can get your fix, and those that only have eyes for repair videos, get what they want as well.

My hope is that everyone is happy with this arrangement. If not, well I’m sure I’ll hear about it in the comments.

The #FairmontProject

It’s actually been about 2 months since I’ve been able to work on the car. Travel and other work has kept me out of the shop. Once that was over, I got straight to work and made significant progress.

The main hurdle I overcame was the exhaust system. I’ve finally cured the exhaust leaks and it runs…so….good!

I ended up buying a new set of headers. Then trued them up on the belt sander. Then I installed them with nothing but copper RTV as a gasket. Not one leak since. I talked about this in the latest ETCG video if you want more detailed info. I’ll also be covering this in detail in future #FairmontProject videos.

Now I can finally turn my attention to other things. First on the list is the fuel system. The issue I’m trying to solve here is poor fuel delivery and inconsistent fuel pressure. Luckily, I have friends at Holley.

My solution is to install an upgraded fuel pump and a fuel pressure regulator with a return line to the tank. My research has shown that by going with a return system, I’ll be able to have more consistent fuel pressure.

Yes, the fuel pressure regulator is a bit high, but my carburetor can handle it. It also helps set me up for fuel injection if I ever wanted to go there one day.

As some of you may be aware, if you don’t have consistent fuel pressure, it’s impossible to tune the carburetor. Therefore, once I get the fuel system sorted out, I’m going to turn my attention to tuning again.

Another issue with the fuel system is the vent on the fuel tank. The way it is now, if I take a sharp turn, the fuel will slosh and dump out of the vent. I’ve got an idea for a ‘trap’ to keep the fuel in the tank and still vent to the atmosphere.

All this needs to happen in the next 2 weeks. I’m planning on taking the car to Jekyll Island for the Caffeine and Octane event. That’s an 11 hour drive each way for me. More than enough to shake the car down. I just hope it doesn’t leave me stranded.

Keep an eye on my social media to see how I do.

Fixing it Forward

I’m sad to report that I didn’t get to the church to help out this month. The Mini came from out of the blue and wrecked my schedule a bit.

I’m still interested in doing this, and I’m going to see how things look at the end of the month.

In the mean time I’ve purchased new wheel cylinders for the Civic that I was going to use as a ‘loner’ car. I also have some parts I obtained from Pull-A-Part when I was in Atlanta last year I plan to install.

Once the car is up and running, the next step is to look for the first candidate of the Fixing it Forward reboot.

Stay tuned.

Premium Member News

Not only did Premium Members get 3 new exclusive videos last month, they also got a new benefit. 5% off all orders from J&B Tool Sales!

I’m not stopping here. I’m also working on other deals for Premium Members that will equate to a free membership if you take advantage of all of them.

Here are the 3 videos I mentioned, “#FairmontProject Update 2.10.2018 (Exclusive Video)”, “Shop Tour Feb 14, 2018 (Exclusive Video)”, and “ETCG Gets a 2007 Mini Cooper S (Exclusive Video)”.

The Premium Member (Exclusive Video) library is growing each month. As of now there are over 200 (Exclusive Videos) for Premium Members!

Premium Members get up to 4 exclusive videos per month. They also get additional perks on the website, and they help support the site with all of it’s useful, free, repair content.

But wait! There’s more! Premium Members now get a 5% discount on all orders from J&B Tool Sales!

Details on the new Premium Memberships here.

In Closing

I’ve been doing this for 9 years now. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but I’m not. Each day seems to bring a new challenge, and something new to learn. I suppose that’s what life is about. Learning new things. I think that’s how we grow.

But as I said earlier in this newsletter, having you as my audience makes all the difference. I can’t thank you enough for your support. In return, I plan to continue to make the videos you love. As previously mentioned, I feel that’s why I’m on this planet.

Thank you all very much for your viewership and support. I could not have done this without you and as a result. I owe you a Wookiee life debt. So if the Millennium Falcon ever brakes down, know that it’s always welcome in my shop.