Most of us work on our cars, some of us have touched just about everything on these cars while others are just disconnecting the battery for the very first time. The point of this thread is to share your wrenching tips (although for some of us it maybe hard to remember as its second nature now).


Also if there is always something that is a PITA for you, ask. Maybe someone has found a better way to do it.

 

Removing your ASP Under Drive Pulley, but you can't find bolts with the proper thread or length to use with the puller? While the altenator tensioner bolt will work, you will have a hard time trying to pull it using only one bolt. Surely the IACV doesn't mind if you borrow the the two long 10mm mounting bolts on the bottom of it. Best part of all is you can leave the top nuts in and you wont even have to worry about messing with the fuel line/vacuum line rail that attaches to it. Add a few larger washers to them and have at it. Also, if you take the 1/2" washer off the pulley bolt, the bolt head will fit inside of the pulley opening, just saves time .

 

when you're replacing the distributor in the VG...don't look at the FSM. slide a screwdrive in the #1 cyl spark plug hole and turn the crank..you'll find your TDC.

 

when you're replacing the distributor in a VG, follow the marks on the end of the distrib- as per the FSM.
when you install it into the engine, the distro will be pointing down and to the left, NOT up and slightly to the right as shown.

 

When replacing a clutch/flywheel, after you take off the flywheel, put the dust shields back on (just use 2 bolts on the bottom to hold them in place. This way you wont forget them when you put the flywheel back on.

When dropping the transmission, you can leave the y-pipe and the passenger side axle on the car. Saves time, and the passenger side axle will help you guide the transmission back into place.

Make sure when you are bolting the transmission to the engine not to smash the guide pins on each side of the block.

Make sure you drain the transmission before you pull an axle out, or be prepared to clean.

Power steering tensioner: Left = tight, right = loose.

 

TDC on exhaust stroke or TDC on power?

one runs, one doesn't.

 

when replacing the injectors on a VG (should be the same on the VE as well), liberally grease up the o-rings on the injectors with Vaseline. It's a petroleum product so if inducted, the worst that will happen is some smoke. Plus, is sticks to the rings MUCH better than any motor oil (as says the FSM).

PUSH STRAIGHT DOWN. DON'T TWIST. DON'T ANGLE. When it's in, it'll "click" in. If you think it clicked and it's easy to pull out, you messed up. What just happened is the o-ring slipped. Buy a new pair and do it again.

 

finger covering the sparkplug hole for the win



(for those who dont know, it tells you the piston is at TDC (top dead center) on the compression stroke (valves closed). The only options is to either compress or blow out the park plug hole )

 

If I didn't know better I'd think you had no faith in me to give your Flywheel a new home No worries mon no worries

 

this would have been my tip as i cleaned after it happened.

i guess the only other trick is to read the stickies and you can usually find your answer buried in there. its not like there are many hidden tricks on a 11-14 year old cars.

 

When you are replacing a window regulator, pay attention to the alignment of the window and the two bolts that are about in the middle of the door. The holes for the bolts are oblong and are designed so you can adjust the bolt placement.

If your window stops short or has difficulty going up (especially on the front ones) you need to adjust placement of the bolts to move the regulator ever so slightly.

Oh, and what MrGone said about the guide pins on the transmission. What a PITA that was...

 

If your car if running rough [i.e. bad idle,intermintent cel light, rough running] it might be a good idea to Clean the throttle body and iac valve with throttle body cleaner NOT carb cleaner.

Then check ALL electrical connectors for corrosion[green crap].

These cheap fixes hopefully will stop you from replacing parts that are not defective.

 

Oh man does that bring back embarrassing memories...

 

Sometimes it's easy to forget the basics:

righty tighty
lefty loosey

so many times I find myself saying why won't this turn? Then I remember righty tighty lefty loosy and look around to see if anyone saw me make a fool of myself!

 

Since Im not much of a mechanic yet, I find most of my projects are spoiled when I start a job and a screw or bolt gets stripped or was already stripped. Then, Im totally stuck. Any tips?

 

penetrating oil!
if it's got any sort of corrosion on it (being in NY, everything you touch is corroded), then give it a squirt with penetrating oil and wait a while.
on big jobs like suspension and major engine work, I highly suggest you spray it at least a few hours- if not the day before you start the job.

brands I recommend are AeroKroil and PB Blaster. you can buy the Kroil at some specialty shops and from industrial/machine supply places like Grainger or McMaster Carr. You can get PB Blaster at most parts stores.

[edit]
For the inevitable bolts that strip or break, there are only about 5 or main sizes of bolts and thread pitches used on our cars. You can spend about $50 in taps and dies and have enough to do most anything on the car.
8mm x 1.0mm
8mm x 1.25mm
10mm x 1.25mm
10mm x 1.5mm
12mm x 1.25mm
14mm x 1.5mm

You may want to invest in a couple of helicoil kits of the major stuff.. the 10 and 12mm bolts are the ones that most often break..

And of course you'll want some high quality (cobalt or better) drill bits of varying sizes and some EZ-outs to remove whatever's broken.

 

Sounds good Matt, thanks. But what about if it's already been stripped? Gotta drill, huh? Do most parts stores sell kits for these kind of jobs?

 

- When changing the camshaft oil seals on a VG, use a pick and take your time. Scratched cams leak oil.

- When reinstalling the cam gears, hand tighten the bolts. DO NOT use a wrench at all until the belt is back on and the tension is initially set.

- When changing front struts, loosen the end links on the sway bar.

- When hammering out tire rod ends from the steering knuckle, loosley attach the nut to protect the threads.

- When changing the ball joints, do yourself a favor and just remove the CV axle. It takes another 2 minutes / side and will make your life so much easier.

 

Just loosen the nut, use a pry bar inbetween the nut and cv joint assembly and apply pressure. At the same time, hit the side of the hub assembly (where the ball joint is pressed into) with a medium/heavy hammer. The vibrations + the pressure usually pops out the ball joint in a few seconds. Much easier than taking the cv joint out.

 

hunh. I've never had a problem with room. Kind of tight getting them out but meh.

 

If the head is still in tact then craftsman sells a socket set(well it looks like a socket but it takes like a 7/8th wrench or something instead of a ratchet and has a spiral in it that bites into the head iof the bolt) that will remove the rounded off heads... They work very well.. but remember.. use pb blaster on thses rounded bolts or else you may snap it and have to drill and tap.

 

 

Krill oil. this stuff kicks butt!

 

Make sure you loosen the lug nuts on your wheel before jacking her up.

 

i actually took the lugs all the way off then forgot to jack it up, i had no lugs on it, it was scary, i was wondering why the impact gun wasnt making the lugs fly off.....whatb a dumb ***, i am lucky i dint break anything

 

I've only recently become a convert to pneumatic tools, but that impact wrench turns the toughest bolts with just the touch of a finger. When your car is creeping on the 15 year old mark, nothing seems like a better investment (especially when your a pawn shop hound).

 

when removing breather hoses from PCV valve and valve cover, as well as some vacuum hoses (valve cover gasket job), the best way to keep them from breaking is by using a pair of adjustable plier, padded with some shop towel, grasp it firmly with the inner part of the plier right at the very end, and keep the plier parallel to the connector, then use a twisting motion to break it loose, and then up and away.

 

I let my subconsience take care of that.

Also I find squirting a little liquid wrench makes it easy to get of dry as bone vac hoses.

~Alex

 

when handling bumpers given to you by Alex_V you should wear gloves unless you want to bleed to death.... i got owned by a busted piece of reflector gashed my thumb to hell

 

heres the pic...

 

So close to punchureing your heart too, darn...(stupid non-leathal reflector... )

~Alex

 

Troubleshootin...

Key issue in any problem is LOCATION.

To pinpoint a noisy problem source - location, use s***hoscope: place screwdriver on suspected locations like cam cover, sensor, place ear on handle. Hmm. Autoeditor cannot cope with s***hoscope = s-t-e-t-h-o-s-c-o-p-e ...Long screwdriver = a cheap st_et-hoscope. Placing the end on the cover will definitely give answer if its lifter related. (Your ear on handle, caution: u must be able to distinghuise the screwdriver handle, hearing loss is probable if placed vice versa.)

Listen to your engine today, and youll know what is normal - just for future reference. Its really neat how u can pinpoint a noise source, then figure out (from manual) the engine part responsible. Theres no way stealer$ship can rip-charge MAF'$ from u; IF u are willing to kneel down over u horse stable an listen what they want to tell u... (=noisy problems)

This is easy on stationary engine, but chassis/speed related problems need a microphone attached to chassis. Move it from place to place and try repeat your noisy problem, until u have the mic on the sweet spot. Then figure out whattodo: Intermittent chassis and resonances need just to bend a supporting metal sheet/bracket, and/or glue in a weight.

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My opinion on this thread overall is that in this form this is pretty useless - IF it grows like this and vanishes somewhere. I understand the pricipals of keeping this site running and thats ok [great site!], but screening any relevant info for a certain problem the reader is interested in - from this mile high pile - is goin to be PITA.

So please Mr Gone figure out how to arrange this data being compilated, pls index all this dat by issue or whatever....

 

well for one, people can search and find these little gems full of handy info. Also I was going to add this thread to our stickies once it had more info. Along with that, I was going to edit the first post to have links to each tip so its easier for reference.

 

sounds like you got it covered, Shawny.

Just make sure you don't get mad one day and delete all of our stickies like EvilBill!

 

 

The two things that have helped me more than anything else in my toolbox are an air/impact wrench with 12-24mm sockets and a 10" handle (I made one out of copper alloy pipe) that I can fit over my socket wrench for those more stubborn bolts that don't warrant the "big gun."

On cars this age these are PRICELESS timesavers. I'm a big guy who frequents the gym, but there are many bolts on these cars that I have a really hard time moving. I think someone else said it better: one little finger pull on an air gun moves the toughest bolts.

 

heres a tool that has saved me so much frustration especially at the junkyard do to lack of air

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...nderwrench.php

i have the 3/8 but id like to buy the 1/4 because the 3/8 is somtimes to big to fit in tight places

 

Rear Drum Brakes - For GXE owners in the U.S. w/o ABS.

Make sure these are adjusted properly by turning the Starwheel on the backside of the backing plate to ensure minimal distance between the show and the drum.

Quite frankly, I hate those drum brakes......I seem to be servicing them (adjustments and cleaning) more than the front discs!

 

- Keep 10mm wrenches and sockets handy because most bolts are that size on our cars.

- If the ATF drain plug is very tight and you don't have a breaker bar, get the 1/2 socket wrench securely and fully into the plug, find a clean shop towel and wrap it around the socket wrench handle. As you pull the wrench with the cloth (counterclockwise for loosening), use your other hand and give the wrench a few smacks with either a rubber mallet or a hammer to "punch" the plug loose. Worked for me on many VG autos I serviced.

 

These things rock, I was in the quicklube business as a pitman for about 4 yrs and these things came in real handy for saving customers time. Cheaper shops have u use vicegrips, chisles(sp) and let ya bust ur knuckles off....These are freekin awesome, tough as hell too!

If you havent got a set yet Kev, go get one! lol