very nice dylan

i just got done replacing that bad alternator, did it in a park-n-ride lot in kirkland cause that was as good a place as any went in without a hitch, and i learned that kirkland still has helpful people - 2 different people stopped to make sure i was ok. i don't normally see such helpful people around, i was impressed.

 

Thanks, this bug just got to be a much bigger project. I was expecting rust but holy s**t this thing is bad. It looks like most of the rear floor is toast. This is a good chance to get fresh pans and bed liner them to prevent further issues but it is a little disheartening. Plus the front tires have a slight knock when you pull on them. Maybe ball joints or something. I still really like this though, it's a cool little car.

 

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day!!!

-The Great

 

Dylan,
No bal joints. It's wheel bearings and you should be able to repack them.
You will need a set of metric allen wrenches, some wheel bearing grease,
new seal, larger open wrench and something to R&R the old seal (screwdriver
works for removal). It's not a bad or hard job. The adjustment is also easy. Bit
like new cars where you have to use a torque wrench. But you can if you want.

Sean

 

booooooooooooooooooooyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

sorry i wish i could be on here like i was but i got one of those stupid things called a job...now.....lol

 

Curt you can fix the job PROBLEM really fast if you try

The down side to that is then the $$ go away.

Sean

 

Great wheel bearings... That sucks. Well I should get paid today so I will end up spending all my money pretty quick. I found out what was causing my brakes to grab, when the tow truck driver was pulling he bronco onto he flat bed, he placed the hooks onto the front axle. That ended up crimping the front passenger side line in 2 places... That would explain why it felt like there was a lot slower reaction out of that side of the truck. Now I just have to figure out how to replace that line and I should be golden.

 

those brake lines are pretty easy to replace, just measure the length, diameter, and size of fittings, but a straight piece of line and a bending tool at your local auto parts store, bend it into the shape of the original, and put it in place of the old one.

other options include getting a used one from the junkyard, or paying a premium for a pre-bent one from some online supplier if you're able to find one.
note that you will want to have a set of flare nut wrenches for this job, as an open end wrench will usually strip the nuts.
before you start, make sure the master cylinder is full of brake fluid, then remove the old line, and install the new one starting with the end closest to the master cylinder. i like to leave the wheel end disconnected until i'm only dripping clean fluid out of the line, then connect it, and then bleed the brake at the affected wheel until you're satisfied with it.

 

I went to AutoZone today to get my beetle a new battery and some other things and looked at the brake line selection. They may just have a pre-bent one I can use. As for the flare wrench tools.. Well, We HAD a full set, now they are strewn about the garage... So when I pull the line from the wheel cyl. will the fluid continue to drip out from gravity? The current stuff is fairly old so it wouldn't hurt to let it all drain and get some clean stuff in. I think I also need to keep an eye on my rear fluid. I *might* have a small leak on the driver side flare nut. When we bled them it was leaking a little but I wiped it clean and watched it after driving it and didn't see any more.

 

yes, it will keep dripping out. since your fluid is old, you would do well to change it. start by sucking all the fluid out of the master cylinder using a turkey baster or similar device, fill it with new fluid, then go ahead and change your line, allowing it to drip until its dripping clean new fluid. as you're at it, bleed it from the other corners until they also show the color of new fluid.
DO NOT allow it to all drain out and start over from having air in the system unless you want a real fight bleeding it out!
when changing fluid as i described above, the easiest way to do it alone is to open the bleeder on a given wheel, put a hose over it into a container that already contains some brake fluid, making sure the hose is under the fluid level, then sit there and watch it flow on through while you top off the master cylinder as needed. if you get impatient, pumping the brake pedal can speed up the process a little, but make sure your hose stays under the fluid in the process or it may suck air.

as you already know, brake fluid does bad things to paint, skin, pavement, and just about everything else, so make sure you contain the fluid that drains out and dispose of it in a sealed container (coke bottle)

 

the last couple days have found me installing a new clutch in a BMW m3, got it all put together, and the darn clutch won't release. before the replacement, the clutch was worn out and slipping, plus i'm told it made a grinding noise when the pedal was really pushed to the floor. now with a new flywheel and new clutch, i can't get the clutch to disengage. i never opened the hydraulic system, just unbolted the external slave cylinder and set it aside, but it feels like theres air in the system. so after a good bit of playing around, i bled the system in every possible method i could think of, without any improvement. also, when i pump the clutch up till it has some resistance, it has a grinding noise with the pedal pushed all the way down, like was reported to me before. i can feel it in the pedal, as if the clutch fork were hitting the pressure plate.
i double checked that the clutch fork pivot ball stud is in place and the clutch fork is properly engaged to it, throwout bearing is installed correctly, and all parts appeared to match the ones i removed.
i'm kinda stumped on this one, any thoughts?

 

Dylan,
File a claim wit the tow truck co. They should know better than
put the hooks in a place that would damage a non-wrecked truck.
That would save you some $. Also take some photos of the crushed
points on the lines.

Sean

 

LOL...ya...

 

Sean I thought about doing that but don't have any valid proof it was them. I could say hey towed my truck on this day, and now I have crushed brake lines, but without a picture of the hook on the line, hey would probably say that I could have damaged it between the time I filed and the time it got towed.