The Saga Continues....
So I'm just bursting to tell people about what happened with my car. I feel like I won a major victory and want to share it. I don't want to be assailing everyone with my story, because they've got their own lives too, so maybe by posting it here, that will get the bug out of my system, and I can actually get to work.
Ok, half the decision was just to try and fix the car myself. A friend of mine who works at a tire shop invited me to come work on a hoist they've got, and he got permission to use one of the mechanic's tools. Note, my brother, my former roommate and myself have not had much training or experience in this field (but we're learning). Taking the brakes off was easy, been there, done that.
Opening the differential wasn't too bad either, we drained it, and then wondered how we were supposed to get at the little bolt that holds the pin in place (this pin we have to remove, and then try not to let all the gears fall out). Adrien (roommate) went off to find a tool to reach it, while Jonathan (brother) & I waited. Then I wondered what would happen if I put the car in neutral, and voila!! The diff now turns. So then we waited a while yet for Adrien to get back, but we were able to get the pin out. Long story shorter... the axle didn't move like it should. After much prayer, and with some fear and trepidation, we took a mallet to the axle, and beat on it (isn't that what being a mechanic is all about??). The axle moved in enough for us to release it, then it wouldn't come out. After more wondering, we bolted the disk back on, and then pounded it out. By this time we were pretty sure something was wrong (our consultant said the axle should just slide out easy, and he was right).
When we got the axle partly out, we could see that the seal was toast, which was comforting, because up till this point, we didn't actually know that was the problem. Then we got the axle out further, and we could see the real cause of the problem. The bearings were all messed up, jumbled up, and chewed up. While they should have looked like nice little barrels, most of them had sides worn flat, and one was actually more banana shaped! We could see some wear marks on the axle, but didn't know exactly what it should look like. So we pulled out the other axle, and found out how easy it should really come out. I then realized that not only my bearing, but my axle was shot as well. So we called it a night, backed the bearing back in as best we could, put the axle and tire on, and rolled the car back into the parking lot. Today we get a new axle, and learn more about cars, spend a bunch more money, and hopefully I can still make it out to Silver Valley tonight to spend the weekend with Jen & her parents.
Ok, half the decision was just to try and fix the car myself. A friend of mine who works at a tire shop invited me to come work on a hoist they've got, and he got permission to use one of the mechanic's tools. Note, my brother, my former roommate and myself have not had much training or experience in this field (but we're learning). Taking the brakes off was easy, been there, done that.
Opening the differential wasn't too bad either, we drained it, and then wondered how we were supposed to get at the little bolt that holds the pin in place (this pin we have to remove, and then try not to let all the gears fall out). Adrien (roommate) went off to find a tool to reach it, while Jonathan (brother) & I waited. Then I wondered what would happen if I put the car in neutral, and voila!! The diff now turns. So then we waited a while yet for Adrien to get back, but we were able to get the pin out. Long story shorter... the axle didn't move like it should. After much prayer, and with some fear and trepidation, we took a mallet to the axle, and beat on it (isn't that what being a mechanic is all about??). The axle moved in enough for us to release it, then it wouldn't come out. After more wondering, we bolted the disk back on, and then pounded it out. By this time we were pretty sure something was wrong (our consultant said the axle should just slide out easy, and he was right).
When we got the axle partly out, we could see that the seal was toast, which was comforting, because up till this point, we didn't actually know that was the problem. Then we got the axle out further, and we could see the real cause of the problem. The bearings were all messed up, jumbled up, and chewed up. While they should have looked like nice little barrels, most of them had sides worn flat, and one was actually more banana shaped! We could see some wear marks on the axle, but didn't know exactly what it should look like. So we pulled out the other axle, and found out how easy it should really come out. I then realized that not only my bearing, but my axle was shot as well. So we called it a night, backed the bearing back in as best we could, put the axle and tire on, and rolled the car back into the parking lot. Today we get a new axle, and learn more about cars, spend a bunch more money, and hopefully I can still make it out to Silver Valley tonight to spend the weekend with Jen & her parents.
posted by David Stauffer at 8:25 a.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home