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Old 09-11-2017, 08:29 AM   #123
bren
lawn boy
 
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: e46m3, f25x3,C5 Z06, C4 Vette, 06 CTD Ram, and a trailer
Location: Maryland
Posts: 14,029
Quote:
Originally Posted by blee View Post
Haven't been around the forum much over the past few weeks. Been busy...in fact, I just came off of 26 days straight at work.

Anyway, she's aliiiiive! I'll post relevant photos later, but I finally put oil back in the car, filled the power steering reservoir, tightened the lugs, and got the engine to turn over. It required a jump from the Silverado, since the car had sat so long. I'm still compiling everything that I did, but it amounts to:

-Rod bearing replacement
-Steering rack high-pressure line replacement
-Steering guibo replacement
-Tie rod (inner and outer) replacement
-Transmission mount replacement
-VANOS high pressure oil line replacement
-VANOS refresh, including full Beisan anti-rattle and solenoid work (check out the whole procedure at http://www.beisansystems.com/procedu..._procedure.htm)
-Valve clearance check (everything was in spec actually)
-What else? I can't remember. Seriously.

The first time I tried to start the car, I got nothing because of the battery. Few minutes later, the car turned over but I got a terrible whine from the power steering system, since it was nearly empty and sucked in the entirety of the reservoir that I filled before I started it. Of course, I had to turn off the car to refill the reservoir, and I couldn't start it again without a second jump. With all of that out of the way, however, the engine purrs like it's new. Guess I didn't make any (significant) mistakes.

So while I want to start driving it, like, yesterday, a couple of little things I need to address.

-First, the alignment. It's way off, so I guess my guesstimation of the tie rod lengths didn't quite work out. The car tracks to the left with the steering wheel centered, and it has to be cocked to the right in order to go straight. I'm tempted to buy the equipment and tackle this myself, considering the almost literal impossibility of taking time out of the work week for things like this. Is this a doable activity at home?
-Next, the damn battery. I couldn't drive it enough today to really charge the battery, so it'll be on a tender tonight. I suppose, if I've killed it, I'll need to buy a new one.
Tears engine apart on the floor of his garage, and then asks if measuring between the front tires is too hard to take on at home.
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