Modifications/Maintenance Tricks and Tools
Owning my ’90 Miata since ’92, have made many modifications. Suspect count to be about 250 to 400. That depends on how we wish to count them. For example: I put in an aftermarket lighted mirror, rewire the kit to make it work the way I want, relocate the mirror to a lower windscreen position, then modify the supplied mount to hold a toll pass device. Do we count that as one modification or as four? Also mixed in are some little tricks and ideas to keep my wallet fatter and life a little easier.
Many projects cost very little to do but could depend on your tools available. Have a dedicated 12’ X 24’ workshop with little more than tools and workspace while retired, do like to tinker and make things. Many of the pictures used were previously posted on the Miata.net, but over time many have been deleted. With exception of a few, have attempted to post those that are not included on my other specific pages.
1, 2, & 3. Speaker Covers & Door Panels
Have
always wanted a set of those oval speaker covers such as on the ’93, but never
found a price that was to my liking.
Remaining option was to make something similar. That is an old boom box I bought in Korea
in ’83, and somewhat busted up over the years.
Like the retro look of the speaker rims and grilles. It is sitting inside an old foot locker I
made over 40 years ago from aircraft aluminum.
Cutting it up to use for other projects.
Notice the odd shape cut from the lid that has been removed. Will come to that with the next project.
First stopped in Circuit City in the stereo install garage and noticed several other speaker trim rings that were scraps from other installs. Could have had some for free and some for a nominal price. Just did not like the looks of those for my Miata.
About
9 years ago covered the door panels.
Took several tomes of samples from a local auto upholstery shop and found
an extremely close match to Mariner Blue.
One yard of material 54” X 36” (about $12) was enough to do both panels
with enough left over to make a matching shift boot and armrest pad. Removal of the door panel was simple. Unsnap the speaker cover then around the
bottom and sides. Remove one screw for
the door handle cup and a couple for the armrest. If you have window cranks and not electric
windows, push a strip of rag behind the window crank and give it a smart tug
down. Caution not to launch the holding
clip into Neverland! Lift the panel up
and off. The black top piece is held to
the board with a row of screws. If
gluing to old vinyl, suggest a good cleaning with mineral spirits or alcohol to
remove old treatments such as Armoral.
Best adhesive found is a water based contact cement to avoid causing
bubbles and ripples in the new material.
Now to come up with something that will replace the old snap on speaker
cover.
Ended
with this compromise. Preference would
be to make it smaller, but with the old speaker cover removed would require
making a completely new backboard and recovering the door panels. Future project will include either a Trinidad or tweed covering. Can then reduce the size and shape for
appearance. Can see where a spacer was
needed to temporarily fill the void after removal of the OEM
speaker cover. The brush finish was done using a
medium sanding sponge, and the polished edge was done by masking the area off
and using the tools shown on my Polishing Pages.
Not too bad but still not fully grown on me yet. Believe it will look much better after reducing in size and making new door panels.
The door handle cup is just painted with a rattle can chromed spray paint. The finish is fragile, but rarely have a passenger and I avoid running my fingers over the finish. It will last 2-3 years then only takes a few minutes to remove the old finish and spray it again.
4 & 5. Making New Door Panels and Speaker Grilles.
A
few years later found a set of speaker covers I liked better. To use them needed to make new door
panels. Shows the inside of the door
panel. To separate the top piece will
need to remove the 5 screws as shown. If
you break off a portion of a screw mount, may wish to just use another screw
about 3/16” longer. The two places with
the red circle are plastic welds. I just
scraped the top off, then used a small self tapping screw down the center of
the remaining post. If only recovering
the old panels, can easily work around those by not completely removing the two
pieces.
Will not see that odd piece where the speaker fits since made that for the above project and no longer needed.
Made
this panel from an old scrap of 1/8” plywood, and used the old panel as a
template. A better choice would be the
panels that are designed for making the panels found at an auto upholstery
shop. Those blanks are treated for
moisture resistance and not the same as those hardboard panels found at home
improvement centers. If using untreated
blanks, suggest as a minimum to seal the units. Shown is a test fitting to
ensure all the recycled panel clips, door handle, and speaker opening were
positioned properly. Removed it for a
few small adjustments, sanded the edges down then rubbed in a coat of boiled
linseed oil. Any type of oil based
stain or varnish would have worked as well to assist with sealing and moisture
protection. It also helps keep the unit
from breaking and splintering around the fasteners.
With
the different size door panel unable to recycle the padding. A piece of automotive headliner padding ($6)
from a fabric store was used for the padding.
Alternative material could have been used such as that roll of tan shelf
liner padding or also used as a tool box liner material. The liner cost $4, and came in a roll 18”
wide and 4’ long. The padding is held in
place with a few smears of water base contact cement and then trimmed to fit.
My
choice of final covering material was outdoor canvas. Got tired of looking at all that boring vinyl
and looking for something a little different to blend in the black, blue, and
brushed stainless interior. The grille
screen is a piece of gutter guard screen.
Tried a few different materials, but liked the looks of the gutter guard
best. Can easily make more from
different materials and easily swap them.
At first, thought about making it more of a rounded dome shape, so
turned out a planishing anvil on my wood lathe.
Opted instead just to cut out a circle from ½” plywood, and shape it inside
the circle with a hammer. Left about a
¼” flat flange in back so it will not fall out the opening and secured it in
place with a few small dabs of silicone.
Aware of other posters making speaker trim rings out of stove rings, and this method seems an easy way to make the grille screens to fit. Multiple choices of mesh and screen are available, or just paint it or cover with fabric as desired.
A
close picture to show the detail on the outdoor canvas used and the grille
screen. The pictures used are usually
under 10K each and details do not photograph well.
Interior view of finished project. Those $25 per set covers are polished stainless steel. Think it would match better if I scoured some of the finish to match the remaining bits and pieces of brushed stainless. The best part about this project is that if the material does not hold up well, or if I get tired of it is only cost about $10 and less than an hour to change out both door panels.
6. Repair Torn Panel Mounting Holes.
Here
is an option to repair a panel if not wishing to make a new one. The metal patch on the left with the white
fastener inserted is one done a few years ago from aluminum flashing. Used
contact cement, but many other glues work just as well. Still works fine even
after having the door panels off and on again several times. The felt tip marker was used to trace the
outline from a good hole on a piece of beverage can. The center is a tracing from a good panel
hole using the black marker. No fancy
tools needed to cut the material. That
old pair of rusty cuticle scissors with the curved tip works fine and easily
cuts both the aluminum can and the flashing.
First tried metal foil tape, but found that was not strong enough. As desired, can double up on the patch by adding a second one underneath.
7. Spark Plug Cover
Had
this old aluminum scrap from another project, a home made sheet metal brake,
and idle hands. Liked the look of those polished
covers but was too thrifty to squander the asking price for that little strip
of polished metal. My biggest concern
was trapping a lot of heat around the plug wires and reducing the lifespan. Still a concern but time will tell.
Some
measurements on the cam cover, couple minutes on the band saw and metal brake,
then a final few minutes with the polishing wheels produced this. It polished up very nicely, but seemed rather
thin so tried it again with the aircraft aluminum skin and a slightly different
design to hide the coil pack. I folded a
few small scraps into a triple thickness and bent into a “Z” shapes to make
small brackets secured by the cam cover bolts.
Little more measuring and they work fine.
The aircraft skin polished to some extent, but slightly lighter and not as much mirror finish as other aluminum or stainless steel bits. It looks much better to the eye than what is captured by my digital camera.
Made two more of these and gave them away as gifts to other Miataphiles.
This is about a 10 minute project with the proper tools.
8. Radiator Cover.
Unknown
if a front cover for the radiator really had any benefit other than those
liking the look, so made one from remaining aluminum scraps. A template was made from thin cardboard. That was the most time consuming part due to
multiple trial and error trimmings and measurements.. Having design difficulty with the front
airbag sensor cover, so just removed it.
Used 3 existing bolts to secure it in place. It could not be tightened down without
warping from the uneven surface, so used a small stack washers under the cover
and around the bolt mounting holes until the surface was level.
9. Ash Tray Tinkering.
Reversing
the lid on the ashtray to make a small storage area is stale by now. Discovered that in ’92 when searching a
suitable alarm microwave sender location.
A small screw at each corner and it all comes apart.
The lid on mine is nearly cracked in half and can see where I added a couple layers of stainless steel tape from underneath to hold it together. What I plan to do is mount a door pull on the opposing side to remove the stress on the existing molded handle. Step one was to sand the old door pull off flush with the surface.
Lot of different options to take to customize it the way
you prefer. The little center grille is
held in place by a little crimping of the metal at the edges and will pop right
off. If preference is to have the deep
end forward, then just drill out the two rivets and remove the metal strip from
bottom. If also wishing to retain the
little ashtray light, cut a small notch on the opposing side (as shown).
The
drawer pull was just a little knob from the scrapped boom box after the lid was
covered by a piece of replacement mirror.
Sold in most auto parts stores the mirror is trimmed with scissors and
simply glued in place. For several years
just used a piece of aluminized tape which gave it a brushed finish which
matched more the brushed stainless console.
Mirror looks closer to chrome and is handy when needed. Remaining scraps of the mirror can be added
to cover the under hood fuse box lid and diagnostic box cover. Looks good if already have some chromed or
polished parts in engine compartment.
The pad is just a scrap piece the matching vinyl used on the door panels and shift boot. Glued it to an old piece of mouse pad and velcroed in place.
10. Mid-Tenn. Headlight covers.
This
project came from a poster requesting information on obtaining a replacement
obsolete headlight cover. Using a scrap
of 3/32” Lucite, heated my kiln to
around 275F and baked it for about 3 minutes.
When soft and rubbery, clamped it down with a string clothes pins to the
metal headlight cover to hold the compound curves while they cooled. When cool,
I traced around the edges with a felt tip marker to mark the excess
material. Band saw cut the excess off
easily. If a kiln or oven is not
available to heat material, suggest using a pizza box with a hole in the side
for a heat gun.
Even
with the edges taped, still had a small amount of splintering from the band
saw. Will sand those out smooth, then
polish. Have never seen a Mid-Tenn cover,
but would probably be better to use Lexan rather than Lucite.
I mailed this piece to another poster that requested it, and he stated it had a much better fit, finish, and compound curve than the original cover. Since replacement covers seem to be unavailable today, appears the only option available is to make them.
11. Wind Blocker.
Made
a wind blocker from plexi-glass to fit the rollbar. Cut it to fit the perimeter of the rollbar
and down to the rear bulkhead. Used
small felt stickers to avoid rattles and scratches.
Cut some slots and used Velcro straps to attach it to the bar and diagonal bracing as shown next.
After a few test drives I scrapped it, cut it up and used for other projects. It blocked the air too much and forced the air to beat down on top of my head. It also reflected sunlight into the rear mirror and reflected head lights and other lights at night.
Found a better method was in using a hard boot, or there some others made from a screen mesh of smaller ones the fit over the seat backs to work much better. Would rate this one as pure driving misery. The initial trip was a topless Interstate drive from Augusta GA to Chicago IL during summer. After a hundred miles or so, I pulled it off and dropped it behind the seat. Much easier on the driver with it removed! After trying it out in city traffic decided one was not needed and it just looked goofy on a Miata. Could tolerate it looking goofy if it had a practical function.
12. Light modification.
This
one goes back to ’94. Wanted some more
light for those GA back roads and in my neighborhood at night. Looking for a little more light to light up
the sides of the road. Could have added
some fog lamps inside the nose but thought those really look goofy on a Miata.
I polished out the front of the lens and mounted 1” X 4”, 25 watt clear fog light inside the casing. Required cutting the back off, and drilling two small holes to fit the fog light inside with enough clearance to adjust the beam where desired. With the lens removed will find a tiny unused light compartment at one side. The stock bulb is 27/8 watts which I believe will produce too much heat in the smaller chamber. Located a 6/2 watt lamp and socket in a hobby shop and used that. The different bulbs changed the flashing rate, but found nothing illegal about it and they seemed attract more attention when signaling for turns. To remove the lens, put it in a pan of water and bring to near boil. This will soften the putty holding it together so it can be pulled off without breaking anything. Used the same tools and method shown on my polishing pages to remove the refraction ridges from the lens cover.
This
pix shows the tiny compartment on the right for smaller amber running and turn signal
lamp. This was spliced into the OEM
harness. Tapped an isolation relay and
fuse into the fuse panel and wired the trigger to turn the fog lamps on only
with the low beams. Total cost was under
$30 for all materials used. The fog
lamps were adjusted to throw out their narrow flat beams about 25 feet to the
pavement in front. They did everything I
was looking for. Unfortunately,.only
used them a couple of months before installing the bugeye kit.
13. Painting Inside Nose.
The very first modification I made was within the first week of owning my’90. Did not like the way the silver AC piping showed in the nose. Can’t really do anything about the radiator or condenser but blacked out those busy little pipes. Very fine of mist of flat black spray paint fixed that. Subtle look and free.
14. Lens Polishing.
Within
the first few months of ownership found a lot of extra work was needed to
remove the crud and built up wax from the lettering in all of the lenses. Initially just used the buffing wheels and
rouges, but doing subsequent units found sanding them smooth with a sanding
block then polishing was much easier and faster.
Here is shown sanded down with a sanding block, then lightly buffed with the coarse rouge. At this stage can clearly see if all the lettering was removed and if there are any remaining or ripples from sanding process. Suggest not using any type of Dremmel or similar tools as they tend to spin too fast, dig ripples and cause an uneven surface. The larger footprint of the muslin wheel helps prevent gouging troughs in the plastic and works much faster.
For
finishing the project used the softer wheel and the fine polishing rouge. Can’t really see it here in the picture but
luster is so good that additional polishing with plastic polish does not
enhance the shine. Time involved with
each side marker is only a few minutes.
Most time consumed is with the sanding.
For the tail lights and trunk light, found it easier to just mask around them with duct tape. That will protect the paint if you fat finger the sanding block or buffing wheel. Have done several Miatas at gatherings or tech sessions and loaned out my tools for others to use. For all that have done it this way were pleased with the finished project.
If
you believe you have this plastic polishing thing down easily, could try the
lettering on the rear plastic window.
Fudged a little on this one.
Pushed it out some from the inside with a big towel then shaved out the
high points with a razor blade. No sanding
done here but went over it with the fine wheel and rouge. This job was not perfect and can still see
parts that were just smoothed out. Still
will not trap and hold any crud or residue.
15. Debadging.
At the same time the above was done, also removed the decal from the front by repeated soakings with mineral spirits. The plastic LOGO on the rear driver’s side was removed by working a piece of dental floss underneath it. Remaining glue residue was cleaned with mineral spirits. Was fun watching people walk around looking at it in parking lots trying to find something to tell them what kind of car it was. Decided to make it a bit harder.
The
’90 had recessed lettering in the hubcaps.
Filled the lettering in with plastic putty, sanded them down smooth,
then spray painted them to match the wheels.
These have been boxed in the garage for 11 years, but just pulled them
out for a picture.
Removing the MAZDA from the airbag was also easy. Filled it in with one of those vinyl repair kits and matched the grain pattern with the included sheets. The patched area was slightly off black, but when any type of treatment was used it was nearly invisible. Unable to show that since gave the steering wheel away several years ago to another Miataphile.
The rear passenger side LOGO was pinned thru the plastic and left two holes when it was broken out. Those were easy enough to fill with plastic putty, then use a paint chip repair kit to finish. After 15 years now will find the repair very difficult to find unless looking very closely in the right spots.
This is the only badge of any type that is visible on my Miata. Has no function such as covering a dent or rust spot, or adds anything to the appearance or performance. It was added to entertain my sense of humor.
16. 4-Way Lug Wrench.
This
one has little impact other than saving a few moments of fumble time when
changing tires. Just use a little
colored tape or paint to identify the vehicle color. Identification is handy if owning multiple
vehicles or only one. The big 4-way only
fits the clunky P-30 Step Van. The inner
matching color on the smaller unit fits the hub on the P-30 rear dualies. Not a big thing but is a free and simple.
17. Ramps.
few
years ago and can see them on some of my other pages. They are all I really need to do things like
oil changes and clutch or brake fluid changes.
To keep them from sliding around such as on smooth concrete, I glued a
piece of old carpet scrap underneath and double secured it with some U brads. A little PVC cement around the cut edges of
the carpet will keep it from unraveling.
They also work well for lowered Miatas and provide enough space to slide
a floor jack underneath in the event the objective is to go up on jack stands.
I also have a set of steel 9” ramps and have no problem using them for a bit more room. The problem was that guests would come over for maintenance sessions and were too chicken to either drive up backwards or forwards on them. That then became my job of doing it. None have objected to driving up on these smaller units.
Recently painted some house trim and was no time or cost involved in painting other than a few more brush strokes. Cut a 1 ¼” hole to hang them in the garage out of the way rather than propping them up against the wall.
This gets a big “thumbs up” from Herman CheapWrench.
18. Heater Core Bypass.
This
is a picture I posted 5 or 6 years ago in the Forums. While traveling on vacation out of state had
a coolant smell in the cockpit and a few drops of coolant on the driver’s
carpet. Thinking heater core preferred
not to replace it then. Bent a hunk of
bendix cable into the desired form to fit the rear of the head and to the metal
heat core return tube. Local auto parts
store let me rummage around the back shelves to find something suitable in a
molded hose. The numbers on the end of
the hose were 59900017 and 30068. No
idea what vehicle it fit but it cost $4.58.
With a few inches trimmed from each end was about a near perfect fit
including that offset fishhook bend.
With the Miata, there is no valve on the heat core so care is needed to avoid any sharp bends or obstructions. The heat core is a main artery for coolant to get from the rear of the head back to the water pump and radiator.
19. Heat Core Leak.
A
few months later at home decided a little cabin heat would be nice for the
winter. Assuming an uncomfortable
position under the driver’s side dash, unscrewed the white plastic plate to
expose the end of the heater core. The
clamp for the coupling is loosened and slid up out of the way to expose a split
and bulging hose connector. Since I
still had the end pieces from the bypass hose I trimmed one down to the proper
length and used it for a repair. Lucked
out with an easy and free fix! While
down there may as well look up to the top where the tubes feed thru the
firewall and check for any discoloration or staining. It’s a good check to see if there are any small
leaks in the heater hoses.
Prior to removing the cover was convinced my heat core was shot and did some searching for a replacement. One of my business accounts was a second generation radiator repair shop. Looking thru his catalogs found nothing realistically priced for a Miata. He suggested measuring the old one and check to see if any of the more common ones in the $30 price range would work. Borrowed several samples to see if any were the same size and could be easily modified to fit.
Alternative idea was to see if one of those heater cores could be modified to add in the transmission tunnel, or engine bay to provide additional system cooling. By using the fittings shown on the right, could use the second heater core either spliced in serial or parallel. Since I had no overheating problems decided not to do it, but available as a future simple project as desired.
Additional note. At the time this heat core picture was posted on the Miata.net, there were discussions concerning the feasibility of replacing the heater core without removing the dash. Making measurements to the steering column (where it has to slide out toward) and space available would say yes. Unable to talk with experience tools of actually doing it but appears doable and saving several hours of work removing the dash. What is needed first is to cut the second tube and make a similar hose splice. Prior to any cutting will need to find a more suitable place to cut than the same tube location as the existing splice. Do that and will be unable to fit the white cover back in place.
Reach under the dash and put your hand on the white cover after the engine is warmed up, Will find it quite hot to touch. For a finishing project, added some insulation over the white cover and wrapped the remaining bare tubes with insulating tape. It has a minor benefit of keeping radiant heat from the driver’s footwell.
20. Heater Hose Fittings.
If the heat core fitting is badly mangled or ripped so the above insert will not work could just cut the end off. Should have about 3” of tube available so will not miss an inch or so. Use a longer insert, but will have to be soldered in place. Use the connector shown on right on the end to provide a ridge to assist keeping the new hose clamped in place. That piece is about 50 cents and is pre soldered. Insulate the surrounding areas and use a simple propane torch. Regular roll of plumbers solder is fine. If never working with these tools before suggest buying a few extra pieces for practice. Will want to know the optimal amount of heat to use and length of time applying it for a good nice looking seal.
21. Removing Broken Keys
Sometimes
will have to extract a broken key or in some instances have posts with
vandalism of shoving an object in the keyway.
A couple of inexpensive tricks may save a visit with a locksmith. Of the two lower tools one is a wire drill
bit and the other is a piece of fine coping saw blade. The object if the saw blade is to slide it
between the broken key and keyway, give it a slight twist so the teeth grab the
key and try to pull the broken key out.
Note the teeth points are facing the handle. Using the wire drill bit is a second choice
and works by twisting it in along the broken key and see if it will slowly work
the key out. The black object on top is
a toothbrush holder so should have an idea of the size needed. Remainder of tools were cropped out as you do
not have a need to view them!
Was a licensed and bonded locksmith in Arizona during ’76 and ’77 and gave that up for other pursuits. In ’86 started a vending business and forced by economics to do my own lock work of re-key, manipulate, and rebuild. In many cases it is easier to work around locks rather than thru them. See my other pages on opening a locked Miata or trunk..
22. False Lowered Look.
The
objective here was to tone down that black strip on the lower panel. With a little more blue blended in with the
black it appears to make the Miata sit a bit lower to the ground. Used some pinstripe tape that
is 1 ½” wide, then applied a double strip to cover 3” down from the existing
blue.
A closer view shows the pinstripes. Is not an exact match, but close enough to produce the desired result. First saw this done on Ernie’s (Irmo, SC) red Miata and liked it. The red he found was a near perfect match for his paint. Seems to last about 5-6 years and the roll of tape ran about $8. 1 roll was enough to do two Miatas.
23. Cup Holder.
Needed
something to hold my beverage and found this folding cup holder for about $5 at
K-Mart. Had it attached to the screw
(marked with red dot) for a couple of years.
Biggest problem was that when the passenger seat was moved it would hit
the thing and knock it out of alignment.
Noticed that at the location shown now there was a small plastic cover
with nothing behind it except 2 ea 14 mm bolts.
Removed the bolt, drilled a hole in the head, then tapped it for an available bolt. The caddy had a backing plate with a pressure tab to remove the rest of the unit. Required drilling a second hole in the back of the plastic caddy so it covered the removed Tupperware panel. Had it like this for the past 12 years and is one of the cheapest and easiest things to add to a Miata. No fumbling, awkward reaching or need to take eyes from the road to reach your favorite beverage. The best feature found is the $5 price and complete freedom to use the armrest console and shift without fear of knocking anything over.
Completely reversible. Just remove the cup holder and attachment screw, then put the little OEM cover back in place if desired.
24. CAS Plug.
Broke
one of the 4 wires flush with the top of the CAS plug. Unable to find a replacement at any of the
local salvage yards and found an on-line parts yard that would cut one off with
a couple inches of wire so I could splice it in. Unfortunately it would cost me 1 and ½ days
out of my meager pension check. Carried
my CAS and broken cap to a local Radio Shack.
Walked out with this Disk Drive Y-Cabl (part # 2780766) for $5.99. Came with 1 male and 2 female connector
plugs. Seems a nice snug fit and works
fine. At this point it has been
installed for about a month and 900 miles.
Now have time to scout around and find a proper plug! As needed, still have the second plug if this one fails. That means then that will need to intensify my search efforts or loosen the purse strings a bit. Maybe it will last until tomorrow or another 18 years. Dunno. Understand now you probably have a spare and unused plug inside your computer that will work. Free is a better option. In any event it made a quick and cheap roadside repair!
Another advantage with this cable is in trimming a little plastic from a remaining plug to fit inside the wiring cap. This leaves the remaining plug to check signals using a multimeter or O’Scope … with or without the engine running.
25. Stuck Spark Plugs.
There
were a few comments on the inability of the poster to remove spark plugs and
having the top of the flats rounded off. Is usually blamed the PO for installing them too tight. Possibly some merit there, but suspect is
more likely the problem rests with the tools used to remove them. Rummaged thru my tools collected over the decades
and found nine different spark plug sockets.
Two of the nine just barely fit over a portion of the flats. The plug wells are tapered inside and the
wall of the plug socket was too thick to fit low enough to cover the flats
completely. I marked an extension then
measured how deep each socket would fit down inside the plug well. The lower socket is a simulated and slightly
exaggerated fitting to show the flats.
If the socket will not fit low enough to properly cover the flats. The primary cause is that some of the socket
walls are too thick to fit low enough into the plug wells.
A
few minutes on a bench grinder reduced the wall thickness enough to fit low
enough inside the tapered plug well.
Less critical was to grind the end of the socket flat. If it does slip a bit then that tapered edge
will amplify the slippage. One odd
problem found on a visiting Miata was during a previous plug removal where
after plug removal one plug had two spark plug rings and one plug was missing
the ring.. The one with the missing ring
sat deeper in the well and hat the top of the flats rounded.
One related comment. My 24 mm differential drain plug has a cast raised ring on the housing around the plug.. The 24 mm socket has a deep inward bevel making it difficult to get a good bite on the drain plug. Remedy was to grind the 24 socket to make the bevel reversed. It now fits completely over the drain plug.
26. Dashpot Throttle Damper.
The
dashpot is designed to keep the throttle plate from snapping shut too quickly
when the throttle is lifted. Symptoms of
a faulty or sticking dashpot are stalling/near stall when stopping at stop
signs, similar symptoms when shifting gears, or changes in idle speed. Inside is a diaphragm that acts as a spring
that pushes on a piston to ease the closing of the throttle plate. Try this simple 1 minute test first.
With the engine off, rock back on the throttle to expose the piston tip. Push on the tip of the piston and should have about 3/8” of travel against the spring action. It should push in and out smoothly. Pull on the end and see if it will extend a bit more. It should not pull out any if working properly.
The second picture shows the protective boot slid off and working a little light weight oil around the piston with a toothpick. Work the plunger again and see if that solves the problem. Seems better to add a drop of oil every couple of years rather than spend a couple days pay for a new part. If all fails, look at the lower arm where the piston engages and note the small adjustment bolt. Leave that alone until after making other checks first.
27. Removing Rusted Nuts/Bolts/Screws.
Would
prefer to show this removing an O2 sensor, rusted exhaust hardware, or frozen
CAT bolts. Not doing any of those right now
so showing an old dead lawn mower that has been sitting in the weeds for 20
years. First step was to use a wire
brush to remove most of the rust scale and crud. Picture shows heating the bolt with a propane
torch. Heat is your best friend for
removal of most types of frozen nuts and bolts.
Touch the hot bolt quickly with a piece of candle. Crayon works as well if you can’t find a candle stub. The wax instantly weeps into all the small cracks and crevices. Remove when hot and the melted wax adds superb lubrication. Seems little point in spending money on those chemicals that need to soak for a few days and do not work as well.
Have never broken or stripped any nuts or bolts using this method.
For small screws and bolts where a small torch is not desired, try using a soldering iron to conduct heat to a small area.
Removing Broken Studs/Bolts.
There
are multiple ways to remove studs and bolts that are broken flush with the
mounting surface. The Impact Screwdriver
on the left I bought in 1970 and still working fine. On the right is a $5 Harbour Freight
Special. This one will only turn the tip
counter clockwise with a hammer tap.
Both are ½” drive and come with some very big screwdriver tips. By using the socket adaptors can neck that
down and use all the tips, sockets, and extensions from ½”, 3/8”, and ¼”. For small broken bolts such as on the cam
cover, neck it down to ¼” and use the smallest flat tip the is the same size as
the broken bolt. In the center is a worn
cutting wheel from a Dremmel-type tool.
Put a small slot in the top of the flush broken bolt and use the small
flat bit tip. A hammer tap will jar the
bolt, seat the tip firmly so it will not slip out and put a small
counter-clockwise rotation. Once it
moves slightly, just back the broken piece out with the screwdriver. Used this method multiple times and is much
better than trying an EZ-Out. If needed,
the heat suggestion above may help.
Not done yet. Also great for both cross tip and flat tip screws that have been buggered. Can also use all your sockets for starting stubborn nuts and bolts. May find it handy for things like the CAT bolts and the upper clutch slave bolt. Works well for the top latches by necking it down to ¼” and using a T 40 tip. Have multiple other uses for it and for the $5 is a handy tool to have.
If
the lighter is not working for some reason, check the CIGAR fuse in the
driver’s foot-well fuse compartment. The
same fuse also powers the OEM Radio/Cassette/CD player and clock. If none of those work, the fuse is a good
starting point.
It is not too difficult to remove the lighter… just rather awkward. Remove the cover under the steering column and feel for the two small release tabs on either side of the green ring. Press those two tabs together to remove the entire unit from the dash. May help to poke your other finger in the housing to help twist and pull it free. Also note the small notch in the dash at the bottom of the dash opening, and in the second image, the matching notch in the black plastic trim ring. Those notches fit the protruding stub on the green ring. Should easily see how those need be aligned when removing or installing the unit back in place. The red circle on the green ring shows one of the two release tabs and the small stub on the very back shows where it is aligned for the small notches to install the unit.
On
the right of the second image are two different lighters with the element
housing unscrewed from the handle.
Beneath those is a typical accessory plug which could be for a map
light, phone plug, GPS, or for additional devices. The power contact connection for the lighter
is shown inside the red circle on the housing.
There is one on each side. They
also grab the tip of the element when pushed in place. If the lighter pops out
too quickly before the element is heated properly, may wish to remove the
housing and try a small controlled bend on those two arms. The remainder of the housing is the common
ground. For the accessory type plug
power comes from a small button in the very bottom center of the housing. If the lighter works but the accessory plug
does not suggest taking a pencil with eraser to reach down inside and do a mild
sanding/cleaning. Should see that center
contact point without removal of the unit and just twirl the pencil eraser to
remove any crud. Blow out any debris
when finished.
If the lighter and accessory plugs will not work but the radio and clock work fine, it may be a blown fusible link. It is a safety device that will open if the housing gets too hot (such as a stuck lighter) or if the amperage drawn is too high. It is that “L” shaped wire at the lower bottom of the housing.
If suspecting the fusible link as the problem, may wish to just reach under the dash and check it by feel.