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  • greasybob
    Senior Member
    • May 2008
    • 1591

    #76
    A quick way to make changing a starter on a Duramax a breeze is to loosen the exhaust clamp on the turbo down pipe and use a ratchet strap to pull the exhaust back. This will give plenty of room to get the starter through for removal and installation with out damaging any thing. A 2 hour booked job in less than 45 minutes. 08 Chevy 2500HD shown.
    Attached Files

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    • greasybob
      Senior Member
      • May 2008
      • 1591

      #77
      To make it easier to slid a spring type hose clamp into place where you can not get on it squarely such as this Colorado thermostat, a little white lithium grease on the outside of the hose will make it slide much easier. Clean off when done.
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      • Steve6911
        Moderator
        • Feb 2007
        • 2210

        #78
        Bob

        I just used your tip on the sliding alternator shim this morning and it worked GREAT! I had a Honda Odyssey that came in late yesterday needing an alternator replacement. I couldn't squeeze the new unit in last night, came in early to finish it up and saw your post. Two minutes and I had all the room I needed and no beating the new unit with a hammer

        THANKS!

        Comment

        • greasybob
          Senior Member
          • May 2008
          • 1591

          #79
          Glad it worked out for you.

          If you have a GM car or truck with a radio problem, damaged face plate or inoperative CD player you can save the programming hassle that goes with installing a used unit. The CD player or face plate can easily be changed out in a few minutes and just install the face plate or CD player from a donor unit and you can plug it in and it'll work with having to flash or unlock it. The ribbon cable unplugs and it's just a few small screws and some tabs.
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          • Witsend
            Banned
            • Nov 2012
            • 2942

            #80
            Control Arm Bushing Sleeves seized to bolts

            Where I live these things cause me to lose my @ss on what otherwise should be gravy jobs.
            Some times in the early stages of the rust beginning to bond the bolts inside the bushing sleeves, I'll hold the nut on the opposite end and attempt to tighten the bolt side in an effort to clamp the bushing sleeve tighter between the metal, but often that still does not work for me and I have to take a cutoff wheel, air chisel , razor blades , whatever to get as much of the rubber cut away before I start using the torch on the bare sleeves stuck to the bolts so I don't have a fiery dripping morass while working on my back. I try to avoid a trip to dealer to order new bolts and clean and reuse the original bolts when possible , however I would gladly toss away the heat weakened bolts and get new ones if it actually would work to take the oxy acetylene torch and heat the sh@t out of the heads of the bolts , allow things to cool , and then try to loosen the bolts again? Does that work often? I thought Bob mentioned trying that.
            I am changing out the half dozen rear suspension arms( 3 on each side) of a 2006 Ford Focus that has weld nuts on the other ends and 4 of the bushing sleeves are seized to the bolts and seems to just want to start spool up the bushing rubber.
            I hate bushing fires from torching as well as cutting wheel change outs and chiseling Any body know if putting heat on the bolt head really does makes a difference getting seized bushing sleeves to loosen their grip on the bolt ? I always figured it just take the strength temper out of the bolt and even snap off the bolts head after cooling. I've always cut arm off and surrounding bushing rubber away, then heat the steel bushing sleeve and drive bolt out or find a seam and split with a chisel. Where's a Crazy Scorched Bearded Jihadrodist when you need one?
            Last edited by Witsend; 04-19-2018, 12:35 PM.

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            • greasybob
              Senior Member
              • May 2008
              • 1591

              #81
              Penetrating oil, soak over night and shake it around with an air hammer. I had a front lower control arm from an 05 F150 from a salvage yard with the remains of the mounting bolt still in the bushing sleeve, they cut it to remove from the vehicle. Had the 50 ton press up to 30 tons before it started to move. Crushed a socket I was using to push with. The Rust force is strong over here.

              Sometimes you can cut the head of the bolt off then use the nut end to pull the remains of the bolt through by tightening and keep adding washers or shims as the threads run out. I use similar method to remove the control arm stud on the rear upper control arm of the Chevy Traverse type vehicles when stuck.

              Comment

              • Crusty
                Senior Member
                • Dec 2007
                • 2450

                #82
                Originally posted by Witsend
                Any body know if putting heat on the bolt head really does makes a difference getting seized bushing sleeves to loosen their grip on the bolt ? I always figured it just take the strength temper out of the bolt and even snap off the bolts head after cooling.
                From what we were taught, waaaay back when....in a galaxy far far away....

                Heating is OK as long as you don't cold shock the metal and you let it cool naturally. The sudden quenching changes the temper of the metal.
                If you put cold water on it (or anything else like penetrating fluid) to shrink it fast, THAT will take the temper out of the metal and actually make it harder and brittle. Being brittle it is a hazard.
                Heating it and getting it hot expands it, breaks the rust bonds, and once it cools on it's own, sometimes things will come loose.
                Walking away and having a Miller Light, or three, or four, and then saying screw it, let it cool on it's own shouldn't be hard to do... ()

                As Bob mentioned, rattling things with a flat hammer on an air chisel will break a lot of things loose.

                Getting a hair line crack in the rust (from heating and natural cooling, or, rattling with an air hammer) allows the penetrating fluid to creep in.
                Just spraying penetrating fluid onto a badly rusted pair of bolts and sleeves just makes a soft goo on the outside and deep inside it's still a solid block of rust.
                The penetrating fluid needs a crack to creep down inside.

                Comment

                • Witsend
                  Banned
                  • Nov 2012
                  • 2942

                  #83
                  I tried heating the bolt heads and letting cool to room temp and it only worked for one of the six seized bolts.(the 2 eccentric bolts also are also seized) I initially used the torch to cut open one bushing, but way too much flaming , smoke and dripping hot rubber at the rear of the car with the Evap tubes and fuel tank too close for comfort and a water hose to keep flames at bay making the work area a wet muddy mess. With a cut off wheel I decided to cut the control arm bushing area across in 2 spots remove the metal and get under the bushing and grab with a side cutter and rotate the bolt with the seized sleeve and peel the bushing with rubber away . Now the bare sleeve is exposed to heat orange while I rotate it like a rotisserie and the sleeve looses the rust bond and not deal with a dangerous flaming mess
                  Attached Files

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                  • Witsend
                    Banned
                    • Nov 2012
                    • 2942

                    #84
                    Here's another shot of removing the rubber bushing material with a razor scraper from around the inner sleeve after i peeled the outer metal of the bushing away with side cutter pliers as I slowly rotated bolt with a long handled ratchet. I'm doing this on my back in my home garage at the rear of the vehicle near a charcoal canister and fuel tank so it's scary enough using the torch in the area on just bare metal sleeves, let alone having all the bushing rubber blazing.Suckie job but rather take the time and reduce as much risk as possible of having a blazing bushing fire getting out of hand working on my back.
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                    • greasybob
                      Senior Member
                      • May 2008
                      • 1591

                      #85
                      Maybe that car is just past it's expiration date ?

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                      • Crusty
                        Senior Member
                        • Dec 2007
                        • 2450

                        #86
                        I would have the welding gloves on (thick leather) instead of the flimsy "keep my Palmolive hands pretty" ones....
                        Another option to the cutting wheel might be an air powered sawsall

                        Comment

                        • Witsend
                          Banned
                          • Nov 2012
                          • 2942

                          #87
                          Maybe that car is just past it's expiration date ?
                          Today 11:01 AM
                          I feel like I'm getting close to mine too.

                          I would have the welding gloves on (thick leather) instead of the flimsy "keep my Palmolive hands pretty" ones....
                          Another option to the cutting wheel might be an air powered sawsall
                          Today 12:26 PM
                          LOL, guess they won't look too pretty after I gouge, cut , or burn a hole through them
                          I have been looking at a little air powered saw but thinking the small cut off wheels worked out pretty good, and that rear cross member sheet metal isn't very robust and thick enough on that Focus to be forgiving of a sawsall blade trying to cut through a hardened bolt between it and the sleeve.

                          Comment

                          • Wheel
                            Senior Member
                            • Jul 2007
                            • 719

                            #88
                            Originally posted by Crusty
                            I would have the welding gloves on (thick leather) instead of the flimsy "keep my Palmolive hands pretty" ones....
                            Another option to the cutting wheel might be an air powered sawsall
                            I never had much luck a lot of places with the air powered sawzall cutting metals and not burning up the blades, except sheet metal or soft metals, but the air powered ones I have are all or nothing on the throttle.
                            A good variable speed air powered one would be nice to find if it exists to avoid this. Where it's not too big, I like a battery powered variable speed sawzall. Just like drilling metal - sometimes slower is faster.
                            You can expect the reputation of your business to be no better than the cheapest item or service you are willing to sell. - Wheel

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                            • greasybob
                              Senior Member
                              • May 2008
                              • 1591

                              #89
                              Working on an LML Dura Max and have to remove the injectors or injector lines ? Save some time by taking 19mm crows foot and trimming it up a bit. You'll be able to remove and re-torque the injector line nuts with out removing the EGR cooler on bank 1.
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                              • greasybob
                                Senior Member
                                • May 2008
                                • 1591

                                #90
                                Are you hot yet ? AC not cooling properly ? Was close to triple digits last week with an 06 F150 with not much AC. Evacuate the system and was not over charged but the high side was running at 450 psi at idle Engine wasn't over heating but the fan didn't seem to be moving much air. When it's this hot a weak viscous fan clutch will show it's self. Replaced the clutch and repaired the air deflectors around the condenser. Now we got some air moving through the condenser. Pressures better and cold air now.
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