Log 2014061601

Today, I broke through the second mounting bolt on the left side stabilizer bar link of my 2008 Chevy HHR LS.  The last time, I burned up a few Diablo blades on the Sawzall and so I was searching for alternatives today.  Yesterday, I mounted the new left side wheel bearing and in preparation to bleed the brakes, I re-mounted the left side caliper and pads.  So my angle to drill it from wasn't as open today as it was before.

I started using a butane torch today, but several minutes in, I remembed something about the stabilizer bar being made out of tempered steel and promptly quit.  Yesterday, I purchased a drill bit extension from Lowe's in Mentor of Lake County.  But to my chagrin, it only extends 3/8ths drill bits and I was very disappointed.  With the Diablo blades on the Sawzall, I was able cut most of the hex off of the bolt.  But because the blade was so wide, it left a sliver of the hex still on there.  So, I mounted a metal cutting blade of standard width and was able to slice it off without damaging the stabilizer bar.

Afterwards, I took off the right fender.  It was just a series of bolts.  But to my chagrin, the after market replacement fender came with it's own eye socket wielded to it.  Now, I have an extra.  But the replacement didn't come with any insulation.  I'm thinking that I might be able to reuse the one from the old fender.  As for installing, I've decided that I'm going to "sleep on it."  Considering the amount of bolts it and the under shielding has, I'm wondering if that is going to be a mistake?

I was about the bleed the left front caliper solo today, but didn't have a clear tube big enough to fit around the bleeding nut.  And I'm concerned about no doing it right, so either I need a vacuum bleeding kit, or I should just task it out to the mechanic?  I think I'm going to go with the latter. Because right now, I'm at a loss as to where the manual transaxle "check/fill" nut is.  I think its to the left of the fuse block and has a hex key that is identical to the drain plug.

With all that being said, there'a bald spot on the table where I layout all of my new auto parts now.

Log 2014061201

So, my brother came over to assist me with bleeding my brakes. But as indicated in a previous log, I didn't have the right wrench to open the bleeding nut on my Chevy HHR's. So, I moved on to smaller items and replaced the air filter and the one in the cabin instead.

The current milage on the car today is 136,231mi.

I purchased two more wheel chalks for about $4 each at Walmart in Mentor of Lake County. 

I purchased new screws to bore into my manual transmission shaft and finally hold my after market T shifter in.

Earlier this evening, I cyphoned the old brake fluid out of the master cylinder and replaced it with new DOT 4 fluid. But at this time, the air in my brake lines has not been bled yet.

I purchased new clear hose that will fit around my brake caliper bleeder nuts. The other end of the hose will be inserted in a modified Gatorade bottle and I'm hoping that I'll be able to observe their stream by sticking my head out of the window or watching in my rear view mirrors as I pump the pedal from the driver's seat.

I have my repair strategy laid out in my "Construction" task list tomorrow because each brake caliper has to be bled one at a time, while some of the wheel sites have other tasks to perform there as well.

Log 2014060701

I repadded my cycling helmet today. And the SC Delco manual transaxle fluid for my car came in the mail today. Otherwise, I took my utility hauling trailer to my relatives house today and loaded up some yard waste, but with the license plate light still being out, it was too late to haul it to the recycler.

My automotive repair tasks have been prioritized. And I just started the list for the trailer rails upgrade. I found that the back door would have to be 48in tall to act as a ramp itself.  That is unacceptable because it would be taller than the car and act as a wall when the caravan is in motion.  I, instead, opted to build the rails to 3ft tall and install slots on the outsides so that they transport four ramps of 1" x 6" that are 6' long. They'll have slots on the back door and together, they should make a 6' ramp. The tool bay has wheels. And it's the heaviest thing that I transport. It's probably over 300lbs and is the hardest thing to load and unload.  Last year, I avoided doing it at all costs.

I wanted to get some front bars mounted like you would see on the front of a police interceptor.  If it's legal, I could mount a 5,000lb wench.  My Chevy HHR and trailer are about 4,600lbs together and if I ever got stuck, I could just get myself out. But finding this for a car, and not a truck is difficult. So, these items are not essential to me at the moment are a "would be nice" item.

Log 2013091601

filling master cylinder
I do not prefer using a cyphon pump. I can't get it to pump yet with out plugging one end with my thumb.
My trailer will now carry DOT3 Brake Fluid, a corrosive chemical.
I rebuilt the right rear brake system today and installed a new brake cylinder at 126,563 miles on my 2008 Chevy HHR.  It seems to be working.  But my brake pedal goes almost all the way to the floor.  Also, a new cabin air filer was installed.
I changed the oil, but later found out that I purchased the wrong oil filter. So, I test drove the car afterwards.  It does brake, but still, my foot goes all the way to the floor. At present, I believe that it will still haul my trailer, but on county roads and under 45MPH. The trailer's light enough for me to pick up still.  At present, I guess that my next camp, Harrison Lake State Park will be about 45 miles from here.
I can rule out the hydrolic brake system's master cylinder as a problem since the brakes were responding today. That leaves only one problem to check... When the previous brake cylinder was destroyed, it unleashed an ample supply of hydrolic brake fluid inside the drum.  At which time, the seals on the hydrolic fluid ruptured, causing air to get in the lines.  That air needs to be relieved by bleeding the fluid to that brake only.
Now, I just hand crafted a "2nd person." Apparently, somebody needs to depress the brake, while another person releases one of the brake's relief nuts under the car.  That "2nd person" is a hand crafted 2" x 2" made to fit between the driver's seat and the depressed brake pedal.  What I have to do is release the nut and watch for air bubbles in the leaking brake fluid, while at the same time monitoring the brake fluid resevoir under the hood to make sure it doesn't run out of fluid in the process. She (the car) just has to get me to Harrison and I'll have all the time in the world to get done there.  Right now, because of the state campsite maximum stay is 14 days, my time will be up in about 40 hours from now, or 1300hrs on the 18th. She'll do it so long as I bleed it at Harrison.
While I was out, I drove to Napoleon on the old Buckeye Trail route, where I picked up 5 quarts of oil, the proper oil filter, a wire spark plug gapper, a 3/8th nut socket for the oil filter canister and some shop towels. Tomorrow, I plan to spend the day packing and maybe do some more tune ups and repairs.