INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEMS

Perspective 152 Closer to Eternity

ABS WOES

trailwinds

Even mechanics get ripped off. I was under my Jeep again today. More exhaust leaks. What’s with all the exhaust leaks? Bad design for the exhaust system? I guess. Oh yeah. There’s clamps that don’t hold, hangers that bend easily. Then there’s the debacle over my manifold. I’ll beat that one up soon, but today I was after a leak around the catalytic converter. To gain access to the “cat” I had to drop the crossmember for the transfer case. That’s when all hell broke loose. Again.



Why does the worst nightmare happen on my own vehicle? Why me? Two of the six crossmember bolts snapped right off. And in order to save the other four, I had to use a torch. Just though I’d add this wrinkle to this story. I live in the salty North. We’re always having to deal with bolts that are major rusty.



But the thing that really bugs me is the last guy. He’s the last to take off the crossmember. And boy, how he really screwed me over. Staring at the broken bolts, memories of the incident came flooding into my already upset thoughts. It was maybe three years back when that dealer tech dealt this blow to me. And I’m just now discovering it.



The memories of what happened at that time started coming back to me I recalled that experience. When the tech put it back together, he was in too big a hurry. He botched the job. He over tightened these bolts, and left another fastener completely loose. And to add insult to injury, he didn’t bother and put anti-seize on the bolts. Then, he nailed them down with several hundred pounds of torque. Thanks. Jerk.

While I was drilling and trying my best to extract those damned broken bolts, I began thinking about how unnecessary this whole ordeal was. None of this had to happen. If he had only taken a minute to pay respect to the future. Only a small step to make life easier for someone else. One minute of his all-too-precious time to think ahead. To plan for the future—when those bolts had to come back out again.



Oh, what I would have given for just a little of that wonderful silver stuff on those bolts! I began thinking about how rude and stupid that guy was. Then I began to process my thought about why mechanics rip off other mechanics. Why do they?

Surely by now, you, Mr. or Mrs. John Q. Public, have lived long enough to have your very own horror story. A not-so-happy experience with an auto repair shop. And by now you’ve heard your share of other people telling their horror stories too. Right? And then there’s been plenty of horror stories in print—or on the 6 o’clock news. Right?



But what about when the situation does a turn about? What happens when it goes the other way? I mean, what about horror stories where the mechanic gets screwed on his own car repair? Funny, you don’t ever hear mechanics complaining about another mechanics, right? Ever wonder why? I was wondering why. It seems like I’ve had my share. I dunno. Maybe there’s something valuable to learn from these experiences. What da ya think?



First off, I’ll tell you what. Just because we mechanics work on our own cars, it usually doesn’t happen to us. If I screw up on my car, I only have myself to blame. Can it all be that simple? Well, actually, not really. There comes a time in many people’s life when they up and decide to buy a new car. Then, before you know it, you’ve gotta’ turn it in for warranty work, right? Now don’t you just know how that creates a situation where the tech could gets screwed. Like me.



Only difference, I’m here talking about it. Most don’t. Kind of a trade thing. Like doctors ratting on other doctors, and such. Most tech are too busy or just plain lack the interest to pursue the wrongdoings of another. And then, we move around a whole bunch too. Kinda like a moving target. I heard somewhere that the average mechanic changes his job four times a year. Wow. It’s no wonder they put wheels on toolboxes. Just to make it easier to roll them out one shop and right into another.



It’s warranty work and safety recalls that make me shudder. Don’t you know that’s when many people are forced to subject their cars to a dealer. And even if they don’t like it. Sure. Maybe that explains why only like-twenty-percent ever go back and get the warranty work done. Just plain scared to go. The others are too busy and just blow it off.



Safety recalls are just about the only time a mechanic will let someone else near his car. And that’s when I got screwed over. And not just one time, either. And I’m here to tell you about it, just to prove that no one’s immune to car repair problems. Even some of us mechanics get burned. To me, that is to say, from my viewpoint, this kind of experience represents the ultimate mechanic’s nightmare. It’s the kind where one mechanic does a number on another mechanic.



The question is, did he do it purposely? Or just fail to do the job properly on another mechanic’s car? Funny, if he knew I was a mechanic, would there be intent to put the screws to someone else? Maybe working at a competing shop?  You know that he’s gotta’ figure you’re gonna’ find out sooner or later anyway. Right? And what then? When his screw up rears its ugly head, does he think I’m blind and not see what’s happening?



Well I saw. I’m staring at it right now. Here I am, three years later, standing under my jeep, drilling out the broken bolts. Needlessly. All the while I’m thinking about man’s inhumanity to man. About the uncalled for harm created by mechanics. I mean the ones who just don’t give a damn. The word “quality” has no meaning to them. Nor does “respect.”



I’m thinking back to the incident that caused my present snafu. I’m remembering the details about the situation. It was when I lived near Pittsburgh. While doing a routine inspection of my new Jeep. I was looking over the driveline when I noticed one of the bolts missing. It was one going through the transmission into the bellhousing. Missing. I remember how when I probed the hole with a pick, the remains of the broken bolt were still there.



Removal of that broken bolt would require a whole bunch. Time. Lots’a time. How about removal of the drive shaft, the transmission, and the transfer case? We’re talking major hassle here. The good news was the Jeep was still under warranty. The bad news was, I decided to take it to the dealership. Should have fixed it myself. Damn. That’s when all this started in the first place. With that damned Jeep dealership.



I just want to tell you something about myself. This is important. I’m not a lazy person. It’s just that at the time, I had a lot on my plate. I remember the circumstances. I was busier than a bee on a warm spring day, and I decided to get my problem fixed under warranty. But! I did promise myself that I would take some time out and carefully inspect it afterward. That way, I could rest assured that my Jeep didn’t get botched up. And, you guessed it. He botched it. Big time.



It all happened at the Jeep dealership in Butler, just North of Pittsburgh. You probably don’t know it, but this just happens where the Jeep first started—back during World War Two. You’d think that the dealership in the town where all Jeeps come from would surely be proud of their work. Right? You’d think they’d be reputable. Right? And maybe if asked to meet the tech who’s working on it—and tell him I’m also a tech—he’d be extra careful. Right?





Wrong. When I got my Jeep back, I found the first of his screw-ups. I found the bad news he left behind. But! I was in no way aware of the worst part—which wouldn’t rear its ugly head until now, three years later. I was remembering how when I inspected his work, I saw the new bolt he installed. But there’s this RTV silicone form-a-gasket slathered all over the place. Why? Didn’t he use thread locker, like what’s called for, instead of RTV? Was all of this blue goo that I saw oozing out from under the bolt head and aluminum housing a bad sign?



You bet! It was a clear foreboding. And I remember how it left me with a very uneasy feeling. This tech is messy, and in a hurry, I thought. And sloppy too. How sloppy? I wondered if he managed to get some silicone RTV on the inside the tranny. I thought, “Oh man, I hope not!” Now I was really suspicious about the quality of his work, so I looked around at the rest of it. And it’s a good thing I did. There was the shifter linkage nut. Loose as a goose. The jerk was in such a big hurry, he didn’t tighten the shifter linkage for the transfer case. Dummy.



The nut [shown by the arrow] was finger tight. It would’ve been just a matter of a few hundred miles, and it would have worked its way off. I had caught it in the nick of time. I remember clearly the tale the sloppy mechanic left behind. He was in such a big hurry, he didn’t check his work. Remember, this happened at the Jeep dealership in the town where Jeeps come from. Wouldn’t you think they’d take more pride in their work?



Yeah. When I found the legacy left behind by “Mr. Big Hurry”, you can bet I was angry. He was just slamming out his warranty work. Just like all of the rest of his sloppy work. He slopped the RTV all over the tranny. He didn’t remember to tighten the shift linkage. Jerk. But that’s not all. Now, here I am three years later finding out what else he did. Or should I say, “Didn’t do!” He was in such a big damn hurry, he didn’t bother to throw a little lube on the sorry-ass bolts.



I found myself thinking about the flat-rate system. Again. Being a tech, I think about it a lot. It really sucks.



It’s a double edge sword. That’s what it is. To a shop owner, It’s good. Flat-rate keeps away the lazy techs. Makes efficiency. But to the tech, it’s a drag. Here’s a guy who’s already being paid less time than he actually works. Because a job is under warranty, he’s paid less than it takes to do it. There’s a built in incentive to hurry. Factory paid work is a rip.



Now here’s the tech who’s working at the dealership, cranking. He’s already underpaid. Do you really think that tech really isn’t likely to take the time to walk over to his toolbox, grab the bottle of anti-seize compound, and slap some on those bolts he’s about to reinstall? No way!



Why should he? The flat rate book doesn’t pay him to! It would only take pride in his work—and good work habits—that would have made this tech take a few seconds extra and lube the bolts. And he clearly lacked both. See for yourself.



As I looked over the damage caused by rust on the frame and bolt area, I started thinking about those of us who’re unfortunate enough to work in the North. Salt belt states, they call us. Hey, anyone working where the rust-monster lurks is well aware of the consequences. Salt is corrosive. Big time. You know! And you use anti-sieze on ANY undercarriage bolt. But then there’s this jerk. Someone who works in the North and knows better. Who knows those bolts are going to rust in place. And knows he’s working on another tech’s car. And he blows it. Totally. Bangs out another job! Bang. Bang.



May a silver hammer come down on his head! You gotta’ wonder what must have been going through his mind. Sure, any job can fail. But! He KNEW he might be the one. He knew he might wind up doing the job over again. A comeback. The bolt could break again. And—or any number of other things could cause the job to bite him. In self-defense, you ALWAYS plan ahead. Just because it might be you taking it apart again some time down the road.



But NOOooo! This jackass doesn’t care. No. He didn’t even think about the tech in the future. Me. And now here I stand cursing at him for this mess he left behind. His legacy. Overtorqued bolts. They’re so tight, their threads are stretched. They are totally jammed in place. Totally seizing. Stuck.

“Let’s see here. I’ll just nail a bolt in place with my impact. Then, we’ll let the DOT add a little salt for seasoning. Now, I’ve got the perfect recipe for disaster. I know. I work here in the north.” I tried to picture in my head what he must have been thinking. This picture tries to show the disaster. This is the best shot I could get. The bolt threads stretch. The threaded hole becomes distorted. The salt welds it all together.



The hole that you see here? That hole contains my broken reverse drill bit drill. It’s buried deep down inside there. And I did everything I could. I still lost. Big time. I used the torch. I used reverse-fluted extractor drill bits. But those threads were too distorted. That bolt was totally jammed into the hole. It refused to come. Then, my drill bit broke instead. Man! Now I’m really pissed-off!!





Once the bit broke off, it left me with no choice. That broken bit would prevent any further effort on my part at drilling. So I had to take another tact. I tried using the torch heat and cool the broken bolt. Sometimes this will get it loose.



No such luck. I wound up having to burn out the remains of the bolt. And as I was, I got hit by another surprise. The threaded mounting boss came away from the rusted-out frame. I didn’t think it was that badly rusted. But it was. I found out. And when it busted loose, the stripped out mounting boss that is—it dropped back out of sight. It now lives—along with my broken bit—back in the dark recesses of my frame. Now it’s a new rattle inside the frame of my car. It shall forever remain reminder to me of this day’s incident.



At any rate, I had to try and salvage the mount. After all, this was a critical rear corner. And this is my own vehicle. So, I don’t much care about cosmetics. Hell, I could’ve just cut out the bad section. Just welded in a whole new mounting boss. Too much trouble. I just grabbed another stud and welded it in place. Right over where the original was. It might not look so pretty, but it’d work.





Here you see it just before I welded it. And that turned out to be a pretty tricky job. The rusty frame metal wanted to disintegrate. I’d be welding along and it would disappear right before my eyes. I had to build up the surrounding area to get a good hold. It took numerous passes. And multiple heat settings. It was like I was welding along and suddenly a huge hole would appear. By the time I was done. I had a real blob weld!






loose pulleys



A 1992 Buick LeSabre 3.8l engine has a rattling sound that gets louder when the A/C is engaged. Sam uses a long screwdriver on the compressor to feel it and hear the rattling sound. Guillermo removes the belt, is able to wiggle the slightly loose compressor pulley, and runs the engine. The total lack of noise at this point convinces Sam and me to go ahead and find a compressor from the boneyard. I wiggle the pulley on the replacement compressor - also slightly loose. I think, "If it rattles, I'll just send it back."



Guillermo changes it out but wants to run the engine with the serpentine belt on before mounting the refrigerant pipes.



 "It rattles, boss" said Guillermo. He takes it off, puts the other compressor back on, and we send it back. Good thing he didn't mount the refrigerant pipes.

 Back to square one. I decide this time to listen to the alternator, the steering pump, the water pump, and the idler pulley through a 3-foot length of heater hose for a stethoscope. Sure 'nuf I hear it the loudest at the idler pulley. I take the belt off and find a slightly wobbly idler pulley. I put the idler pulley around my finger and spin it. It feels and sounds worn out. I replace the $22 part. Same noise!



While I'm gone to the parts store, Sam inspects the other components and finds excessive end play in the steering pump as well as looseness in the water pump. He spins the alternator with the cordless drill and finds it to be quiet and smooth. He goes and brings back new replacement pump units. He replaces the steering pump. The engine still rattles. He replaces the water pump.



The rattling noise won't go away! This car's killing me, man!



 Now we have two parts replacers scratching their heads cussing and discussing what to ass-u-me next.

 "I'm not replacing that alternator!" said Sam. "You didn't even find the noise anywhere up there with your rubber hose!"



 Guessing wrong and chewing up the customer's meager funds is one thing but eating a $200 alternator is quite another!



 While Guillermo is doing a post-installation under-car inspection for leaks at the pump fittings, he notices the harmonic balancer has lost large chunks of rubber. He grabs it. He yells, "Boss! I found another loose pulley!"



 What did we learn? Beware of the guy who has the solution before he understands the problem.



 Product knowledge: Unlike the Mitsubishi crankshaft pulley which completely falls apart and loses the drive belts, this LeSabre pulley has interlocking 3-pronged failsafe that, in this case, failed to make noise until its pulley was driving the accessories. This would explain why parts closest to the crankshaft were condemned by Sam and me. The problem ended up solved by an enthusiastic trainee named Guillermo.