Fixit Log

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
davtheram12
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by davtheram12 »

After changing out the fan resistor in my car I noticed the blower motor was making some noise. Sounded like the bearing was giving out. Pulled it out, manually spun the fan and sure enough, it made a slight grinding noise and didn't spin freely. Ordered a new one ($45) and replaced it. Just like the fan resistor replacement, it took about 15 minutes to replace. A quick Google search showed average prices of blower motor replacement at approximately $450. Insane! So between the fan resistor and blower motor replacement I spent $64 and 30 minutes of my time. Managed avoid spending approximately $575 by doing it myself :mrgreen:

User avatar
Sclass
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Sclass »

Nice.

That is insane. $400 of labor for 15 minutes of work? Even my dentist doesn’t make that much.

Edit - OMG! I just found this site while looking for estimate books. The numbers that come out are flooring.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/estimates

davtheram12
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by davtheram12 »

Wooh! Those are some insane numbers. And it seems like those are local mechanics and not necessarily dealership quotes. I'll spend some time thisbweekend tallying up the money I've avoided spending by doing my own work. That website is a great resource for someone trying to weigh their options between outsourcing it and doing it in-house.

Oh before I forget Sclass. On my way home from a run yesterday I came across a box full of discarded items. Inside was a near-mint Mercedes Becker Grand Prix cassette/radio. It's model No BE 1480, serial No 9532010. Note sure of the year but it seems like a late 80's, early 90's. I'm unsure of the value since it didn't come with a security code and I'm unable to test it. Any idea what I could get for it?

User avatar
Sclass
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Sclass »

Wow, I’ve thrown so many of those away. I remember when they were the prestige item back in the 80s when I was a kid. Now, there seems to be this resurgence of analog media and perhaps it’s worth something. Never know.

OI! I just checked completed auctions on eBay. Damn! I shouldn’t have tossed those!

People have cracked the code generators. They work from the serial numbers.

http://www.radio-code.lt/

This was suggested by the Benz forum I frequent.

Edit - oh man. I went back to that repair estimator and checked the battery replacement for a 2019 BMW 430i. I’d heard some bad stories about this because supposedly you cannot go to Walmart and drop in a $75 battery and drive off. It needs to be coded to the car with a scan tool to function properly. The estimator said $337 with their mobile “economy” service compared to $400 at the dealer.

davtheram12
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by davtheram12 »

@Sclass
Old tech has been making a huge resurgence lately and I still find it very peculiar. I don't expect the same thing to happen to 8-tracks :lol:

I can't believe it takes that much money and effort for a car battery. I suppose I can't be very surprised considering some cars have become rolling computers.

kevib
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 3:29 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by kevib »

This weekend I was in a traffic jam and the engine temp rose to high level 100 -110 C. Inspired by davtheram12 I looked at the cooler fan: disconnected the cable on the fan-motor and connected the fan directly to the car-battery: no turning of the fan - then I let the engine run idle until temp was 100 C and the voltage on the cable went from 0 to 14 volt..so now I am waiting for my new fan-motor - thats 80 euro...
(Edit typo)

User avatar
Chris
Posts: 773
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:44 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Chris »

I had some small electronics with a rubberized coating. Over time, the rubber started to perish and got sticky. Really gross kinda sticky, a stickiness that would leave residue on your hands or anything else.

Online research told me that there was no way to save the coating, but it could be scraped off. The first hit suggested a spoon (?) and some rubbing alcohol. A commenter on a random forum suggested baking soda. So I tried that.... and it worked a treat! Just made a paste with water, rubbed liberally by hand, and the coating stripped off in under a minute. It's like the coating never existed. I'm very pleased.

Of course, the housing is no longer non-slip, but it's now usable, which is the important part. I suppose you could Plasti-Dip it if desired.

User avatar
Sclass
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Sclass »

Thanks for posting that. I hate that rubberized coating that eventually oozes sticky goo on the surface. It is not BIFL. I now try to avoid buying things with that grippy surface if I know I’ll use it in high heat or for a long time. I have a bunch of nice cameras, binoculars, test instruments and tools with that ^£@¥ing %#@&* on the surface. I’ll try the baking soda next time.

User avatar
Alphaville
Posts: 3611
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
Location: Quarantined

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Alphaville »

not a log but a question/poll

for mounting:

alloy bottom bracket, seatpost, and quill stem

onto

steel bicycle frame

...

park tools hpg-1 grease? or boeshield? (have both handy)

--

eta: john allen says coat with boeshield inside the frame first:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/paint-prep.html#internal

(but not on the bottom bracket thread)

ok! that is my next step then...

Gilberto de Piento
Posts: 1942
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I'd use grease on those parts. I thought boeshield was for fogging the inside of a frame or lubing the chain, depending on the type of boeshield you have. I am not a trained bike mechanic so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Ego »

Same as Gilberto. I have cv joint grease that I use for everything like that.

User avatar
Alphaville
Posts: 3611
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
Location: Quarantined

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Alphaville »

Gilberto de Piento wrote:
Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 pm
I'd use grease on those parts. I thought boeshield was for fogging the inside of a frame or lubing the chain, depending on the type of boeshield you have. I am not a trained bike mechanic so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Ego wrote:
Fri May 14, 2021 4:13 pm
Same as Gilberto. I have cv joint grease that I use for everything like that.

yeah, this jives with what i ended up reading--thanks!

i figured leaving tracks of the process might help someone some day.

only discrepancy is john allen sez "thread locker" for bottom bracket? which i'm about to verify in the park tool manual...

need to refind grant petersen's thoughts on boeshield also. he's the one who made me aware of it originally.


--

eta: fogging frame https://www.rivbike.com/pages/rust-proofing-a-frame (goes into bottom bracket! but not the threads....)

eta: oh here it was: https://www.rivbike.com/products/nitto- ... -250-11048
Since this is made outta steel, please squirt some boeshield inside and roll the goop around before installing it on your bike. And check and reapply more boeshield every year or so as a rust preventative.
it's cuz i's steel on steel, so it's a materials issue not a seatpost thing, i see

Gilberto de Piento
Posts: 1942
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I've never heard of thread locker on bb threads. The problem with the bb is getting it unstuck if anything. Ive never heard of one loosening up. Im sure has happened to someone but it has got to be very uncommon on standard, everyday bottom brackets (not press fit or the adjustable ones on some single speed bikes).

User avatar
Alphaville
Posts: 3611
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
Location: Quarantined

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Alphaville »

Gilberto de Piento wrote:
Fri May 14, 2021 5:47 pm
I've never heard of thread locker on bb threads. The problem with the bb is getting it unstuck if anything. Ive never heard of one loosening up. Im sure has happened to someone but it has got to be very uncommon on standard, everyday bottom brackets (not press fit or the adjustable ones on some single speed bikes).
ah, in the john allen/sheldon brown website linked above it says:
Avoid getting either of these products on surfaces which must take threadlock compound -- in particular, bottom-bracket threads, which are hard to clean off. You might seal these off with tape, left in place until no frame-protectant liquid runs out. Turning the frame over and over will spread the liquid around inside the tubes.
bottom bracket threads, ok, so.... park tool blue book says:
Bottom Bracket Installation
Thread preparation is critical in bottom brackets. Use either grease or anti-seize for cups. Fixed cups (right-side) may also use mild threadlockers rather than lubrication. The common bearing size for square-spindle adjustable bottom brackets is 1⁄4 inch.
fixed cup (right side)... that refers to cup and cone, see:

https://sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
Fixed Cup

For normal servicing, only the adjustable (left) cup need be removed. It is a bad idea to remove the fixed (right) cup for a routine cleaning and repacking. The fixed cup should only be removed when it is going to be replaced with another one, as when replacing an entire crankset.
so the "fixed cup" gets thread locker. but that's an obsolete system looks like? i have a shimano cartridge.

this is the current park tool video for identifying bottom brackets:

https://youtu.be/e-8G1G9QNX8

woohoo! this is fun...

ps: a very funny comment under that youtube:
Yusuf Irwandi
Yusuf Irwandi
1 year ago
There are 100 bottom bracket standards
Engineers: This is ridiculous! let's create one standard to unify all standard.
There are 101 bottom bracket standards
🤣🤣🤣

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Ego »

I found a nice US Military 1974 APC stove at the swap meet this morning for $10.

Image

It is the same as this one on youtube but not as clean.

The pump did not pressurize the tank so I took it apart and found that it needed a new leather washer.

Image

Image

I had an old Silca bicycle pump with a crack in it that happens to use the same size leather washer. I took the pump apart and removed the washer. It has been lubricated recently so I didn't have to do anything but install it and put it back together.

Image

Both burners work perfectly. I will clean it up and sell it.

Image

Image

User avatar
Alphaville
Posts: 3611
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 10:50 am
Location: Quarantined

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Alphaville »

nice!

you must have a warehouse full of parts too...what are the chances for the same leather washer? i thought you were going to punch leather... that fix was unexpected.

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Ego »

Actually I don't have a ton of parts. A few weeks ago I bought a dead-grandpa box of plastic drawers full of nuts, bolts, washers, and extra parts and pieces from a lifetime of handy work (similar to dead grandma box) but other than that I wing it. I just happened to buy three silca pumps for resale on ebay and discovered that one had a crack so I could only disassemble it and sell the parts. It worked out well.

Gilberto de Piento
Posts: 1942
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

If I'm understanding the article correctly the only bbs that require thread locker are the old standards where the threads are the same on both sides, meaning that normal rotation of the crankset can loosen one side. That makes sense. I've never seen any of those in real life. If your bb is a standard where there are both right and left hand threads there should be no need for thread locker in my opinion. What bike frame are you working on?

Cup and cone bbs are obsolete but there's nothing wrong with them in case you run across one. If everything is in good enough shape they work fine, though they can be replaced with cartridge style.

Fwiw for a long time there were all the bb standards as described in the article, then in the say 80s and 90s and 00s bikes settled on one design for the most part, then recently designers experimented with different standards. Same for other bike part standards like wheel size: weird stuff, some feeling of stability in the 90s and 00s, new ideas are tried.
Last edited by Gilberto de Piento on Sat May 15, 2021 7:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

Green Pimble
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 8:16 pm

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Green Pimble »

Reading this thread is like crack to me.
"What is that thing? What does it do? Why is it shaped like that? What's inside there? Why did they put a screw right here? What does that purple thing do? Why isn't the hair dryer working!?" -- my constant internal monologue.

User avatar
Sclass
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Fixit Log

Post by Sclass »

Nice stove. I used to collect Coleman stoves and lanterns at yard sales. Fun items. I still have a couple of white gas backpacking stoves. Coleman sells the pump cups and generators. I haven’t camped in decades but these are good to have around for cooking smelly stuff outside. I also use it to fit interference fits like harmonic balancers that need to be slipped on hot.

Good to know about the Silca pump cups. I restore old pump up air rifles. Sheridan and Benjamin. They are beautiful BIFL solid brass guns powered by your arm. $0.01 per shot. Infinitely rebuildable…just replace o-rings and pump cup. I have several from the 1970s and 1980s. They use a pump cup just like a Silca pump. Good to know where to get the cups.

I acquired this one for free. It had leaking seals and a barrel separating from the main pump tube. I resoldered it with plumbing solder and it is deadly on soup cans! I got the pump cup from an antique airgun restoration shop. I think the old guy who owned the place is long gone now.

Image


That CV grease is the greatest stuff. It’s something between oil and grease and fits a lot of applications. I keep a couple of tubes handy on the shelf. Leftovers from cv rebooting jobs. I figure if it’s tough enough grease for a cv joint it can take almost anything. Great for sewing machine cams, assembly lube, linkage bushings etc.. And it is easy and convenient to dispense from the toothpaste type tubes. Reminds me I need to grease the gearbox on my cord trimmer.

Post Reply