New lesson on "simple repair"

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
More and more it comes down to do I want the money more than I don't want to do this or do I don't want to do this more than I want the money. Seems the money loses more and more every year.
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
I'm more than willing to pay talented folks like Ian to do what they do well and I do poorly. The older I get, the more I realize that just because I COULD do something doesn't mean I SHOULD do something.

My son (a computer programmer for a mid level consulting firm) dropped by yesterday and I shared a couple of the posts with him about going through a sequence of actions to reset the electronic system of a car. We had a good laugh and then he said, "well what else can you do, there is no keyboard".
 
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Ian

Notorious member
Actually....there is a keyboard, but it's sold separately. ;)

On broken exhaust studs in aluminum heads jammed back against the firewall where you can't even get an angle drill and jobber bit to fit, there is a trick that works every time if you have time for it. Clean and degrease around the stud and make a vessel out of a PVC pipe cap or any plastic container that will fit in the space around the stud, and drill a hole or notch the cap so fluid can be poured into it. Use RTV silicone to glue the vessel to the side of the head in such a way that fluid can be poured in and surround the stud area. After the silicone cures, mix a solution of distilled water, hydrogen peroxide, and fully saturate it at room temperature with potassium alum. Pour the solution into the cap and observe bubbles forming on the end of the broken steel bolt. Let sit overnight and use a drop light or similar to keep the solution warm to the touch. In the morning the stud will be gone like magic and the head will be unharmed.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I sold a pound of alum to a local jeweler for just that purpose Ian. If he broke off a drill bit he used it to dissolve the iron based alloy from the jewelry.
 
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M3845708Bama

Active Member
My 4Runner rear hatch latch is electrically closed, something I never understood the need for, but there it is.

Today, picking up some cable from a friend, couldn't get the door to close, it would electrically
cycle, but still be unlatched. After it opening while driving on his gravel road three times, I
was worried about getting home.

Finally it held, and when I got home it came right apart. It had done this a couple of times at
Oshkosh, but hasn't given trouble since then, until now.
Pulled the overly complex latch assembly, cleaned out some dirt, lubed it, cycled the motor
as per shop manual. Checked that limit switch was working correctly, and latch position
rotary switch was working correctly, too. Reinstalled and......dead as a hammer. Nothing.
Not even trying. Pulled it and checked again, running perfectly on the bench, hot wired.
Reinstall, nothing, won't run. Pull apart, start checking wire continuity, and looking closely
at the connector.
Connector looked perfect, wires not broken........What the heck? Mechanism works smoothly
on the bench, won't even power up on the car.
Looking at the net for a wiring diagram, couldn't find one. Did a check on "fixing 4Runner
rear latch"... ran across a youtube video, but it was only a couple of minutes, seemed way
short, but I looked at it.

The guy, apparently a commercial shop, said "We had installed a backup camera on this
4Runner, and then the latch wouldn't work. We had disconnected this plug (pointing to the
latch plug that I had to pull to remove the latch) and after we put it back it wouldn't cycle the
latch. So we pulled these three plugs (pointing to the controller box inside the hatch, with
three plugs about 20,20 and 40 pins!) and then disconnected the battery for about 20 seconds,
reconnect the plugs, then the battery and it all worked fine."

Damn. Reboot the darned thing. o_O I went out and unplugged the door controller box, pulled
the ground on the battery for 30 sec, replugged the controller, reconnected the battery, and it
worked perfectly

Good grief. A pull cable would be fine, really. Too many computers in a car, IMO.

But, keep that in mind, a simple cleaning and lube of something as lowly as a door latch can require
a system reboot to get it work. :eek::eek::eek::eek:

You can learn something every day, if you'll pay attention.

Bill

They don't make anything simple any more--I think some of it is just to tweek some old guys like me off!
 

KHornet

Well-Known Member
I remember and miss the days of no cell phones, manners, politeness, etc!
They are probably gone forever due to technology.

Paul