Two Lines Run, New Shock

I snaked the oil pressure gauge and tachometer positive lines through the firewall of my 1987 Chevrolet G20 van.  I know that I don't have enough tube for the oil pressure gauge.  I'm going to wait for daylight to determine what bolt the water pressure gauge needs to mount to the engine.

I replaced one rear shock, but it didn't improve the van's disposition.  But the bolts came off easy.  I had a cheater bar standing by and didn't need it.  It looks like I'll be replacing the rear leaf springs next?

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New front left shock was installed about 1.5mi prior to the odometer reading in the picture. I then mounted a new tailgate touch pad, bit found that it was still powering like before, but it wouldn't release. So I dismounted it and remounted the old one. Also at this time, I rotated the tires.

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Judging by the looks of it, I'd say that the rear disposition on my 2008 Chevy HHR LS has improved by 1-1/4" while resting after I replaced and upgraded the rear shocks.

Another thing about where the car is sitting in this photo is that about 5 of my cars have been regularly parked there in the easement. As a result, it has depressed wheel slots towards the rear. But the front is on a slight high. In the past, the car use to look like it was in more disrepair than it actually was when it was parked there.

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The mileage on my 2008 Chevy HHR LS is as shown in the picture. Today, I replaced the rear shocks. This means that the car now has new struts and shocks all the way around. The rear shocks are MacPherson style and are separate from their struts.

The job required jacking the car up in the the center of the rear axle. Because the lift on the car is only 6", I ended up having to jack up the rear driver's side area with a 2 Ton scissor jack, the get the center of the axle of the with the 3 Ton floor jack. The Chilton's manual for this model noted that there was a jacking spot in this area. Personally, I would have preferred the floor jack that they have at Harbor Freight Tools that has a plate on it. Because around the axle was a piece of angle iron. My round plate would never make contact with the axle, so I had to jack on the angle iron.

Once I got the jack stands in place, I dropped the axle enough to remove the lower mounting bolts for both rear struts. Then I released all the pressure from the floor jack and let the axle drop as low as it could go.

This job eluded me when I was at home port last. For some reason, I was unable to lift the springs out. But this time, I figured it out. The spring in question has to be grabbed down at the top. The upper shock tower is sitting on a peg and needs to clear it for disassembly.  Well, with the brake line in place, it makes is hard to do that. In fact, I've heard of some disassembly instructions call for removing the brake lines. If I ever get anything bigger in there, I certain that I'll have to.

I was concerned when I compared my old shocks with their replacements.  The coils on the old ones wrapped around the upper shock towers. The new ones dont come so close. And the new ones are longer. I consulted with a friend on Facebook about whether they'll coil around the towers in time and he says no. That's ok, it's merely consistent with having bought heavy duty shocks and struts. Which now means that my rear shocks now have an extra coil. And that's excellent for hauling my trailer.

I did the work in my brother's driveway. After I was done, I put the car on the ground and immediately coupled my Harbor Freight 4x8 Utility Hauling Trailer.  And I was disappointed to note that the trailer is well below the HHR's 1,000lb towing capacity and the car still sunk down like it always had before today's servicing :-(. At least I know now that it's normal.

After I got the trailer to home port and uncoupled it, I took the car for a drive and noticed that my previous issues of driving around curves that hook with 20 & 25MPH advisories didn't feel like I was going to flip the car anymore. I'm glad to say that I solved that problem today. I can't wait to see its improvements in Southern Ohio on 03 October when I leave for Basecamp F at Scioto Trail State Park.

Lastly, the driver's side rear drum that I had to mount tightly is whistling and burning the shoes to the point that I can smell it. I expected this and hope that since the shoes are newer, that they'll just burn themselves free. The next time that I replace those, I'll just replace the shoes and rotary (again).

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The right rear brake was bled, then a new left front wheel bearing, left front shock/ strut assembly and right front fender was installed installed today. I forgot to take a mileage then, but the one I have now is at 136,251 miles on the odometer.  I did forget to rotate the wheels, but if I have to get the tire stems replaced, I might as well have those mechanics do it since they have a lift and are in the neighborhood.  My 2008 Chevy HHR LS requires that they be rotated front to back and back to front.  I did it last time and it can tip if the side on my CUV is jacked up too much.

So, I've done about the maintenance that I have to skills currently to do.  I took it out for about a 10 mile drive on the freeway this morning and everything seems to run as it should.  The brake pedal position seemed to improved and so far the car is taking well to the new DOT 4 brake fluid that I added prior to this drive, but still needs improvement.  If I had to, I'd say that it could handle the roads in southern Ohio, towing a loaded utility hauling trailer as it is.  But I'd like it to be better.

Right now, I have to go find my uncle who knows several mechanics.  They're all friends of the family and have worked on our vehicles many times.  I'll have to give him a list and would like to do that tomorrow.  But tomorrow is Saturday and I have a feeling that I know where he's going to be, which is at his camper in Sandusky of Erie County. He doesn't do text messages very well.  So, I anticipate my day tomorrow as consisting of doing a load of laundry and then spending the weekend out there.

One thing that I was not able to do while I was out was test the car to see if the new air filter would alleviate the problem that starts at 60MPH while trying to accelerate going slightly uphill.  It was raining this morning and was almost flash flood conditions on the freeway today.  So, I will test it some other time.

I don't think that this kind of information is on the web yet, but on the topic of building a teardrop camper on a Harbor Freight 4 x 8 Utility Hauling Trailer in Ohio... In the past, I have learned that there is a way to build a way to do it so that the living amenities slide off so you can still have use of your utility hauling trailer.  When I had my utility hauling trailer titled, I inquired about this and was informed by a Deputy Clerk of Court in Lake County that a "convertible" trailer like this would not be legal in Ohio because the trailer has to be registered one way, or the other... either a utility hauling trailer, or a camper and it can not be both.

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Two new rear struts were installed on my 2008 Chevy HHR LS. But, they didn't need to be replaced. So, I saved the old ones in case I need them in the future.  But the procedure to get the springs off required dismantling two brake lines and I don't know enough yet about bleeding the brakes to attempt that at the moment. Right now, I plan on adding the springs to my mechanic's list of things to do.

The new passenger's side eye was mounted. But due to my prior collision, the beam is way too low. So,  I know that I need a new eye, too.

The passenger's front side strut and shock was installed.  But, I forgot to remove and install the driver's side unit.

The mileage on the dashboard was 134,304 miles when I finished and bolted everything up. Then I took it for a drive.

The car tends to hold the road straighter by itself now. And the ride is quieter.  But pictured here is my aftermarket roof rack. I've never had it mounted so far forward before. Well, I got on the interstate and it started whistling right around 65MPH. So, I got off at a rest stop and cranked it's steps down more, got on the interstate and it started whistling again.  When I got back to home port and looked at it, it showed signs that the wind shear was going between the car and the cage. And the mounting struts looked like it was trying rip the cage right off the car. If it was further back, it wouldn't make this noise.

At the moment, there didn't appear to any noticeable drop in fuel economy, which I found to be odd.

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My data usage with Verizon Wireless reset this morning.

Pictured here is one bolt and nuts that was snapped off one of the stabilizer bar link mounts. With the 17mm damaged nut socket freed of the previous bolt and nut, I just snapped this one off like I did the last.

The passenger's side strut/ shock mount installation was completed yesterday.  Everything went back together as it should.  The new headlamp harness was hard wired in and it works. But I noticed when working with the new eagle eye, that there was more damage to the outer hull than I previously estimated.  It looks like it will need an eye socket replacement.  The good news is that it's still a part of the outer hull. And there isn't any damage to the HHR's inner hull, or frame.

Propane Tank Splitter, Trailer & Light Bulbs

A new adapter and splitter was added to the 20# propane tank.  I may have cross threaded it, but so far, I can't detect any leaks.  It's now set to supply propane to the range, grill and indoor propane heater.  I still need another hose for its third connection.

I just picked up the trailer tongue. If I can still do that, it's nowhere close to 1,000lbs (max load for my 2008 Chevy HHR). But the replaced strut on the rear passenger's side did little to lift the back end.  It's possible that I damaged a spring when it was bad.  But more likely, I'm looking at having the upgrade the rear suspension.

Two 12.8 volt, 8.3 watt bulbs we're purchased. One of which replaced the trailer's driver's side taillight at 125,623 miles. The original blew and was Chinese.  I'm concerned that a piece of the mounting hardware is damaged. For now, it still mounts and works.