Thanks for the compliment @GeorgeSanJose.
I have no problem tackling anything mechanical, or your basic electric’s in cars and trucks, but I do get lost when I get into the computer issues.
I’ve sure learned a lot hanging around on this site, and I wish I was as informed as some that come here.
Yosemite
You’d laugh if you saw what I’ve done to my Corolla to fix a no-crank problem. I discovered not only had a bad ignition switch, but my clutch safety switch was bad too. And the starter solenoid was a no-go too. I had an auto-electric shop replace the solenoid contacts. Next – being too cheap to replace the ignition switch – I bypassed it with a switch I bought for $5 from Radio Shack. That worked pretty good, but I was concerned I’d accidentally turn the switch on while the engine was running, plus the starter solenoid used 15 amp peak current and the switch was only rated 10 amp so I added in some safety factors, lighted enable switches, and a relay (another $5 job from Radio Shack). So now to start the car I enable the circuit, then push a switch, and various under-dash lights are flashing like mad, it looks like I’m lighting a Christmas tree! But it starts ok.
That’s good. Reminds me of a book I read in high school. It was turned into a movie, but I can’t remember the name, I’ve seen it a dozen times. Frogman is taken by sub to Japan to scout out possible anphibious landing sites maybe.
In the book it discribes his first encounter with a toilet on a WWII sub. open valve 7, close valve 3, open vent B, pull red handle to the up possition close valve 7, push red handle down, Close vent B, close valve 3…something like that.
I remember my first encounter (Early 70s?? Chevy Love) with repairing a hydrolic clutch. The slave cylinder was bad and the price to me seemed way out of line for that little cylinder and I couldn’t believe that they needed a hydrolic clutch in such a little truck. I was in my mid 20s and remembered all those muscle cars that I just had a few years earlier…they never needed hydrolic’s and they had massive clutches compared to this little thing. I told my dad I was going to make some brackets and make my own linkage like all those mopars that I owned. I just though it was the stupidest thing to put hydrolic’s to a peddle that a little kid could push in.
The next morning my dad showed up with a new slave cylinder.
I think I could have made everything ok and he did too, but he said that it would be easy to end up with a peddle that you needed both feet and one foot from the passenger to push in.
Yosemite
Speaking of the Chevy LUV trucks . . . my high school shop teacher stuffed a Chevy small block in one of those
It as a good little truck, and I had just gotten out of shoeing school. I spotted it in the back lot of a local dealer and it had a nice utility cap that would protect my tools. I traded in the little VW bug that I had bought for school, but the dealer tried screwing me after the sale.
I had left my VW with them and I was supposed to pick the truck up the next day. I got there and they informed me that the mechanic looked it over and they couldn’t let it leave the lot because the tires were too bald. I looked at the safety sticker on the truck the day before and it was marked that the tires were ok.
I told them that it was their problem to find good tires for it, arguing…why was the rubber marked as good the day before…I had never really looked at the rubber. After I lied, and told them that I had taken a picture of the safety inspection sticker the day before, and that theybroke the contract and I wanted my VW back…then they suddenly found some good rubber for it.
That was my first real interaction with a car dealer, but had been with my dad on quite a few, so I knew the ropes a little.
Yosemite
update on the Sebring.
Turns out someone tried to steal the thing again.
This was the car that I replaced the stearing column from a few months back. The car was broken into and vthe entire column hadv to be replaced. I hauled it off to the shop that flashed it last time and they found that another attempt was made at stealing it. But this time it was not obvious enough for me to see it.
I say park it in a bad neighbor hood…door open and the key in it.
Thius young girl need to learn how to lock the doors.
Yosemite