What did you do to your other car(s) today?

[1st 5er]

Pulled the alternator from my T190.
What a nightmare wrestling it out thru that hydraulic jungle.

[Notae30]

fixed relays on 300zx

[alabbasi]

Thanks, I dialed the idle down to about 800RPM and set the timing to what it's supposed to be in the book. My CO meter tells me that i'm getting 0.2% CO out of the tailpipe which might be too lean for a carb fed car and this could be causing the engine to run hot which is boiling off fuel in the fuel bowl. That seems to be a common reason for dieseling. The carb made a huge difference to the way it now runs though. These things were supposed to have 375hp, I never believed it before but I do now. It now pulls like my Mercedes Benz 300SEL 6.3

[gadget73]

ordered a new fuel pump relay socket for the Continental. Oh the excitement.

I did finally find the proper piece of dash trim I've needed for the Towncar for years. Had to buy a whole set, and pay more in shipping than I wanted to but I've been looking for this piece for better than 10 years and haven't had any luck. At some point you just have to jump on things when you find them.

[Mike W.]

Not exactly something I did, except acquire. An old friend of mine recently sold his business that he had turned into a cash cow after inheriting it when his Dad died 30 years ago. I don't know the exact numbers, but in the past few months he bought his wife a new Tesla and himself a '67, 427, tri power Corvette. Said it's nice, but not that nice, he only paid 130K for it not 200K. (his numbers, I wouldn't have a clue) Anyway, cleaning out his storage unit he's been throwing stuff away, a set of wheels last week into the dumpster next door that I razzed him for. So he said, I've got another set to get rid of, do you want them? He knows I do BMWs. A nice, not pristine, but nice, set of staggered 18X8 and 18X9.5 Style 42s. Modular. Free. Don't know what I'll do with them, but I had to take them.

[alabbasi]

Replacing fuel injectors on my 1990 Series 3 Jaguar XJ12. The car has been having running issues that almost caused it to catch fire because the cats were running red hot. What a hateful job. I swear I've lost an entire set of tools in that engine bay that will never be seen again.

[Mike W.]

I swear I've lost an entire set of tools in that engine bay that will never be seen again.

I think I first heard that about XJS V12s. You drop something and it never hits the ground. It's just lost.

[Mike W.]

The Datsun, AKA Infiniti QX4, has been getting more and more needy. After a dead battery a couple of days ago, 10 miles later the check engine light comes on. Says post cat O2 sensor heater. OK, I get a new one, cheap enough. Ohm out the old one and the new and guess what, they're the same!!! Oh shit. I suppose it could be something besides the heater, but what are the odds? I put the new one in anyway, 30 seconds to unscrew it, 59 minutes to get to, unplug the connector, then snake and route and reconnect the harness/plug. But meter be damned, I reset the light and it stayed out.

I want to smog it and sell it, but now just how long do I have to drive it before it is ready to smog? Ah, the joys of OBDII.

[alabbasi]

Started my 1988 Porsche 928S4 for the first time in 9 years. I drained the tank first and put in fresh gas. It ran horribly for about 4 minutes before the fresh gas came through and it started idling normally. I need to drag it out and give it a good wash.

[Mike W.]

Started my 1988 Porsche 928S4 for the first time in 9 years. I drained the tank first and put in fresh gas. It ran horribly for about 4 minutes before the fresh gas came through and it started idling normally. I need to drag it out and give it a good wash.

928S4 and you haven't driven it in 9 years? What's the matter with you???

[1st 5er]

Started my 1988 Porsche 928S4 for the first time in 9 years. I drained the tank first and put in fresh gas. It ran horribly for about 4 minutes before the fresh gas came through and it started idling normally. I need to drag it out and give it a good wash.

928S4 and you haven't driven it in 9 years? What's the matter with you???

300 cars.

[Mike W.]

300 cars.

Oh.

[alabbasi]

928S4 and you haven't driven it in 9 years? What's the matter with you???

I know, my M635CSI is parked right next to it and has been since the 928 was parked.

[gadget73]

had a passenger in the car last week, now the seat belt is stuck at full extension and won't retract. Guess I'm working on that tonight. Probably just past the stop and I have to get into the retractor to manually pop the catch so it will wind back up. Not a big deal, just involves removing a bunch of old plastic trim that hasn't been disturbed in a long time so there is always some risk of it changing from 3 pieces to 82.

[gadget73]

got it wound back up, the cable that is supposed to release the belt retractor when the door opens is broken, and of course replacements do not exist. I was able to verify it locks up if I tilt the thing so the weight flops but I don't have complete faith that it will actually work in an accident. No idea what the situation is on the driver's side but I doubt its any different.

[e28Sean]

Gave the interior a proper cleaning.

[gadget73]

spent $64 on some hoses and fittings to prove I needed to replace a $25 fuel filter.

but on the plus side I have confirmed that my lift pump is fine and there are no restrictions on the feed from the tank up to the fuel filter. I honestly thought the lift pump was the issue.

[alabbasi]

Gave the interior a proper cleaning.

W208 CLK55?

[e28Sean]

W208 CLK55?

Correct, Sir.

[alabbasi]

Nice, I ran a 2002 W210 E55 for about 10 years. I still have the car but it was t boned so I need to figure out if I want to fix it or part it. I loved that motor for its simplicity, I went onto an S55K afterwards as my daily driver which was also fun but a lot more hassle. I still have a SL55K and CL65 but my new daily is a W211 E320CDI which is plenty quick for a daily and still gets me 35mpg on avg.

[alabbasi]

Had to rearrange some cars so i could fit the 77 450SEL 6.9 parts car in the back of the building which took about 3 hours because it didnt really run well from stale fuel in the tank. I had to pull a few cars out including my 1994 Jaguar XJS V12 convertible which I bought 10 years ago but never drove because it had a brake issue that I did not get fixed until sometime last year. It got its maiden voyage today as I wanted to put some fresh gas. I took it for its shakedown and hit the highway at 80mph before I remembered that the tires are so dry rotted, one is started to peel away from the tread. Holy cow this car drives great! It does need some work which I will list below:

Rear dog legs (not sure what they’re called but the bushings are shot)
The shock bushings in the front are also bad
The blower fan is blowing all the time in hot
Radio just also randomly failed and is no longer working
Seats won’t go forward far enough to unbolt from the back
Check engine light is on
Battery light is on even though alternator is charging

I’m now digging the idea of putting thing back on the road.

[Mike W.]

Had to rearrange some cars so i could fit the 77 450SEL 6.9 parts car in the back of the building which took about 3 hours because it didnt really run well from stale fuel in the tank. I had to pull a few cars out including my 1994 Jaguar XJS V12 convertible which I bought 10 years ago but never drove because it had a brake issue that I did not get fixed until sometime last year. It got its maiden voyage today as I wanted to put some fresh gas. I took it for its shakedown and hit the highway at 80mph before I remembered that the tires are so dry rotted, one is started to peel away from the tread. Holy cow this car drives great! It does need some work which I will list below:

Rear dog legs (not sure what they’re called but the bushings are shot)
The shock bushings in the front are also bad
The blower fan is blowing all the time in hot
Radio just also randomly failed and is no longer working
Seats won’t go forward far enough to unbolt from the back
Check engine light is on
Battery light is on even though alternator is charging

I’m now digging the idea of putting thing back on the road.

Nice fleet you seem to have. Now don't take this wrong, it's neither a complement nor an insult, just an observation.

We clearly are in a different tax bracket.

[alabbasi]

I don't have any children . This might put me in a different tax bracket, but also makes me rich even if I don't make a lot of money :-)

[Mike W.]

I don't have any children . This might put me in a different tax bracket, but also makes me rich even if I don't make a lot of money :-)

Ah, but there's two ways to that. I've only a stepson, but he, his wife and kids are worth the world to me. Hard to quantify in $$$, but still...

Please be aware, I'm not criticizing you in any way, and I do envy what I read of your fleet, I'm just bantering back and forth. Although I do love my extended family.

[alabbasi]

I've only a stepson, but he, his wife and kids are worth the world to me

Then this makes you rich too

[Zeta]

I had to rebuild the clutch master cylinder and release cylinder on my 1997 Tacoma after the clutch went to the floor on my drive home last week. The culprit:


And the cylinders cleaned up with all their internals replaced:


The clutch now feels better than it did two years ago.

[Zeta]

More trouble with the Tacoma. It decided to do this on my way home from work Friday night:




I'm relieved that it happened while I was in the right lane, going 30 mph, considering I was about to get onto the interstate just a block away... don't want to imagine what would have happened at 70+ mph. I got it towed to a shop, they replaced upper and lower ball joints, CV axle, and brake lines, and I was able to pick it up yesterday evening. Today I replaced the lower ball joint and tie rod end on the other side, because they were in rough shape too, and it was probably just a matter of time before it happened again.

Apparently the lower ball joints on the 1st gen Tacoma are like its equivalent of the timing belt on the M20. Check them regularly, and replace if they show any sign of wear, or they will wreck you. I wish I knew that earlier!

[dsw99a]

I performed the same repair on my wifes coworkers truck. same thing, he was heading to get on the highway. failed right in front of his house when turning. i wenrt ahead and did both sides.

[gadget73]

Met up with a friend who brought me the raised speaker grilles for the back shelf that I needed in order to fit the JBL speakers in the rear deck. Pulled that out, cut the ovals in the carpet, and installed the grilles. Put all that back together and installed the speakers. Sound is better balanced now, it used to be too loud in the back.

Replaced the switch on the shop vac and gave the car a quick cleaning while I had the rear seat out. Apparently I'd never pulled the back seat, there was a lot of crumbs and whatnot under there. Found a business card sized calendar from some dentist's office in North Carolina from 2004 too.

[EuroShark]

I towed this thing home last weekend. It's a low mileage European market 308 GTS QV. It had been sitting in a dirty old shed for at least half a dozen years so of course it was filled with spiders, mouse poop and all sorts of other unpleasant things. I spent most of the weekend after we got it home taking everything out of it and deep cleaning. It needs work but I'm happy to have it.

The first car I ever bought for myself was an Alfa Romeo. It was a positive experience but after I discovered BMWs I never really wanted another Italian car, other than a brief obsession with the Lancia Delta Integrale that didn't end up going anywhere. I wasn't actively searching for anything remotely similar to this. It was one of those cars that just sort of happened.