Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[Skidog]

After about 50 miles of a different brand gas and a bottle of techron 3 consecutive healthy cold morning starts. Fingers crossed !

quirky Saabs, gotta love em.....hope it stays man...love the car, hate the quirks.

[Thaleia]

Got the sumbitch off. Just took a couple afternoons of drilling enough of the busted bolt down on each side for it to pass through the carrier.

Was going to buy a nice kick ass set of drill bits but got sticker shock. Found a shitty unused generic set in the garage and just used those.

Oh man, you're fucked. Someone mentioned it before, a bfh. Soak it with penetrating oil, whack it with a big hammer, hit it with a torch, soak it in pentrating oil, whack it with a bfh, hit it with a torch. Repeat. Gonna have to grind a slot in it. Uh, careful with the grinder... Barrier between grinder and fuel lines...
If it was me, I'd probably turn my focus to the trailer hitch bolts, and start with... Wait for it... Penetrating oil, hit it with a big fucking hammer, heat it. Repeat, until you can break the bolt loose.
That looks like a nightmare. My projects all look easy now... Thanks.

Fyi, the penetrating oil, heat, and critically, the bfh, all serve to break up the rust in the threads. Tales time, but that is how I have gotten gnarly bolts out. But that looks fucked.

sent from Utah.

basinbeater don't flatter me. I've marveled for years at your technical expertise in this thread. This is just grunt work.

[MontuckyFried]

Got the sumbitch off.

Well done, sir! I thought you were effed! Was feeling bad for ya. Good job.

[Thaleia]

Thanks, much obliged for the help.

[snowaddict91]

Victory!

[BC13]

For a year my check engine light on my 2014 Silverado with 150 K miles has gone been off and on with code P06DD. I looked it up and it has something to do with the oil pump. Often triggered by low oil or a bad electrical tidbit that sends the signal to the code reader. Seldom is it a real problem with the pump. The truck has the 4.3 V6 that alternates between 6 and 4 cylinders depending on need. The engine definately consumes oil, though it does not smoke. I've never had any "problems" with the engine but for this code.

I cleared the code, topped off the oil and went through the driving protocol. However, I must not have driven enough miles as the system had not reset and sent a not ready code. I had to go back for another inspection.


The light flickered on once this week but I took it into the dealer this time for the inspection. What an error.

Dealer says I need a new oil pump which is a 14 hr job and costs...$2285 plus tax of 8%. Front and rear brakes were quoted at $1251 plus tax.

I took it to a local mechanic and he said the problem with the code is likely the sender unit which he can replace for $150. He quoted me just over $500 for front and rear pads and rotors. He said he would not open it up to replace the oil pump due to having 150k. He said once you open the engine it will likely be a can of worms.

WTF.

I usually burn through cars every 4 years due to highway work miles. I am often 3 plus hours from home in rural parts of the state where help nor cell service is nearby so I don't risk going over 125k. Usually,at the appearance of the first major off warranty issue I get rid of the vehicle. Innthis case Covid extended the life of my truck. I've never even had a 6 year old vehicle as I always get the extended warranty due to driving so many miles.

I figure my plan is see if the sender fixes the problem, and if so get brakes done and enjoy gravy life of no car payment.

If sender fix does not work I need to get a new car at a bad time to get a car. But how do I sell a car that does not pass I spection? Truck has a rebuilt transmission ( at 99,000 miles - thank you extended warranty) and is otherwise in great shape. Any insight or thoughts are appreciated. Seems foolish to put over $3400 into a chevy truck with 150k on it.







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[highangle]

You could fix it yourself, but it sounds like you'd rather just throw the truck away and get a new one?

[John_B]

For a year my check engine light on my 2014 Silverado with 150 K miles has gone been off and on with code P06DD. I looked it up and it has something to do with the oil pump. Often triggered by low oil or a bad electrical tidbit that sends the signal to the code reader. Seldom is it a real problem with the pump. The truck has the 4.3 V6 that alternates between 6 and 4 cylinders depending on need. The engine definately consumes oil, though it does not smoke. I've never had any "problems" with the engine but for this code.

I cleared the code, topped off the oil and went through the driving protocol. However, I must not have driven enough miles as the system had not reset and sent a not ready code. I had to go back for another inspection.


The light flickered on once this week but I took it into the dealer this time for the inspection. What an error.

Dealer says I need a new oil pump which is a 14 hr job and costs...$2285 plus tax of 8%. Front and rear brakes were quoted at $1251 plus tax.

I took it to a local mechanic and he said the problem with the code is likely the sender unit which he can replace for $150. He quoted me just over $500 for front and rear pads and rotors. He said he would not open it up to replace the oil pump due to having 150k. He said once you open the engine it will likely be a can of worms.

WTF.

I usually burn through cars every 4 years due to highway work miles. I am often 3 plus hours from home in rural parts of the state where help nor cell service is nearby so I don't risk going over 125k. Usually,at the appearance of the first major off warranty issue I get rid of the vehicle. Innthis case Covid extended the life of my truck. I've never even had a 6 year old vehicle as I always get the extended warranty due to driving so many miles.

I figure my plan is see if the sender fixes the problem, and if so get brakes done and enjoy gravy life of no car payment.

If sender fix does not work I need to get a new car at a bad time to get a car. But how do I sell a car that does not pass I spection? Truck has a rebuilt transmission ( at 99,000 miles - thank you extended warranty) and is otherwise in great shape. Any insight or thoughts are appreciated. Seems foolish to put over $3400 into a chevy truck with 150k on it.







Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Brakes are a consumable expense so just think of them as similar to an oil change. Spend the 700 bucks at the real mechanic and let it ride. And don't trust the dealership. Also brakes are very easy to DIY if you feel like doing it on your own. Any NAPA or similar would have parts.

If you're really feeling frisky then buy some sort of towing coverage too.if you end up needing a tow then you will also get 3 hours of stimulating conversation with Jethro as he drives you home.

Edit: That said I believe I did post in this thread about having my wife's car come off the jack while changing her brakes so my advice/judgement may be suspect.

[BC13]

You could fix it yourself, but it sounds like you'd rather just throw the truck away and get a new one?

I've gotten pretty handy at basic carpentry, plumbing and flooring installation over the years but never had the inclination to tackle any automotive repairs. My dad rotated the tires and changed his own oil when I was growing up, but other than that I never had any exposure to working on cars. He used to scare the shit out of me jacking the car up. He always seemed confident the jack would hold. I thought it looked like the car would fall off the jack if my 6 year old self learned against it.

I'm currently up to my ass in home projects and raising kids so I dont see my skill set expanding into auto repair is in my near future.


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[BC13]

Brakes are a consumable expense so just think of them as similar to an oil change. Spend the 700 bucks at the real mechanic and let it ride. And don't trust the dealership. Also brakes are very easy to DIY if you feel like doing it on your own. Any NAPA or similar would have parts.

If you're really feeling frisky then buy some sort of towing coverage too.if you end up needing a tow then you will also get 3 hours of stimulating conversation with Jethro as he drives you home.

Edit: That said I believe I did post in this thread about having my wife's car come off the jack while changing her brakes so my advice/judgement may be suspect.

Yeah, I'd love to keep the truck for another 50k miles. If the sender fixes the glitch preventing ot passing inspection I am definately going to get the brakes done and keep the truck. I've gotten 150K miles out of 2 sets of pads and rotors. 75K per set does not suck. Lots of thruway miles on the truck.

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[basinbeater]

Way to go thaleia! Victory!

sent from Utah.

[Skidog]

Yeah, I'd love to keep the truck for another 50k miles. If the sender fixes the glitch preventing ot passing inspection I am definately going to get the brakes done and keep the truck. I've gotten 150K miles out of 2 sets of pads and rotors. 75K per set does not suck. Lots of thruway miles on the truck.

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Why not 250k ? You must brake wrong

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[MontuckyFried]

Why not 250k ? You must brake wrong

Must've forgotten to switch on his jake.

[MontuckyFried]

If sender fix does not work I need to get a new car at a bad time to get a car. But how do I sell a car that does not pass I spection? Truck has a rebuilt transmission ( at 99,000 miles - thank you extended warranty) and is otherwise in great shape. Any insight or thoughts are appreciated. Seems foolish to put over $3400 into a chevy truck with 150k on it.

Personally, with the ludicrous prices of vehicles these days (ESPECIALLY trucks), personally I'm in the "fix it" unless it's utterly catastrophic camp. All my vehicles are worthless. About to drop some $$$ on my old Volvo with nearly 200K on the clock. Still FAR cheaper than replacing with something remotely comparable these days.

Don't get me wrong. A few years ago, there was certainly a point of costing more to fix than the car's worth, because you could just run out and get something else for a reasonable amount. No mo! Seriously. Look up what people want for trucks of your year, condition, and mileage. You'd be shocked. I really do want to replace all my vehicles, but I'm going to have to hold off until the car market looks halfway normal again.

[bagtagley]

Fucking stuck bolts. Working on cars would be a breeze if not for stuck bolts. It’s a tedious, infuriating time warp. The smell of PB Blaster gives me PTSD.

I just put a new y pipe on the truck. An hour job took all day because the rear flange bolts were rust welded. Got the first one out with an extractor. The extractor broke in the second one, so I spent the rest of the day drilling that bastard out. Sometimes, the relief and reward of success are overshadowed by the unrealized opportunities of a wasted day.

Does that mean I’m paying someone to do the brakes on my MIL’s car? Fuck no! That’s some quitter talk right there. Working on cars is a whore bitch, but deep down I love her.

[MontuckyFried]

Fucking stuck bolts. Working on cars would be a breeze if not for stuck bolts. It’s a tedious, infuriating time warp. The smell of PB Blaster gives me PTSD.

I just put a new y pipe on the truck. An hour job took all day because the rear flange bolts were rust welded. Got the first one out with an extractor. The extractor broke in the second one, so I spent the rest of the day drilling that bastard out. Sometimes, the relief and reward of success are overshadowed by the unrealized opportunities of a wasted day.

Does that mean I’m paying someone to do the brakes on my MIL’s car? Fuck no! That’s some quitter talk right there. Working on cars is a whore bitch, but deep down I love her.

That's the worst! Look into the Milwaukee 1/2" impact wrench (the high torque 1400-ft lb model). Will freaking change your life when it comes to working on cars. It's buried deep in here somewhere, but when I was trying to pull stuck, ancient caliper bolts on my last brake job, I was dicking around for like a night or two trying to remove those damn bolts. Borrowed a buddy's air powered impact wrench. Still didn't budge. Ponied up for the Milwaukee, and it popped those bolts off like it was butter. Thought at first it could be because all the previous efforts made it easier for the wrench, but nope. The other 3 caliper sets came off in seconds. I was pissed I hadn't invested in this thing before. Makes all my jobs ssssoooooo much easier. Unless you can't shove it in a tight spot of course. Then life still sucks for those. Haha.

[snowaddict91]

^or you'll wind up like thaleia. Fucking rust is indeed the worst. I would give up working on my own cars if I ever wound up back in the midwest.

[warthog]

Fucking stuck bolts. Working on cars would be a breeze if not for stuck bolts. It’s a tedious, infuriating time warp. The smell of PB Blaster gives me PTSD.

I just put a new y pipe on the truck. An hour job took all day because the rear flange bolts were rust welded. Got the first one out with an extractor. The extractor broke in the second one, so I spent the rest of the day drilling that bastard out. Sometimes, the relief and reward of success are overshadowed by the unrealized opportunities of a wasted day.

Does that mean I’m paying someone to do the brakes on my MIL’s car? Fuck no! That’s some quitter talk right there. Working on cars is a whore bitch, but deep down I love her.

Check this stuff out- supposedly the best. Not sure what it smells like, but I know what you mean about PB Blaster.
https://www.kroil.com/?gclid=EAIaIQo...iAAEgKYCPD_BwE

I am picking some up today for a sticking shift shaft on my Merc 250. Hoping it is this simple. From what I have read, my symptoms are similar to others that fixed it by soaking it in Kroil.

Also, I read "Does that mean I’m paying someone to do the brakes on my MIL’s car?" as MILF, so good for you bro.

[El Chupacabra]

Do not use an impact gun on stuck, rusted exhaust bolts. Pretty much guaranteed way to snap them off. Penetrant and heat and more penetrant and more heat...

Good job on getting that rack insert removed, Thaleia. So was it steel or aluminum, and was it really all solid?

[bagtagley]

I've got an impact wrench. It did a great job rounding the rusted bolt heads. That was after a couple unsuccessful cycles of penetrating oil and heat, though I'll admit to giving up early. What I really need is an angle grinder. And a garage. And a gas axe. And a lift.

[waveshello]

Do not use an impact gun on stuck, rusted exhaust bolts. Pretty much guaranteed way to snap them off. Penetrant and heat and more penetrant and more heat...

Good job on getting that rack insert removed, Thaleia. So was it steel or aluminum, and was it really all solid?

I did that last year on the manifold flange bolts on my Jeep Cherokee. Sheared both off, then cracked the manifold trying to remove the stuck bolts, so ended up replacing the whole manifold. So stupid. Those manifolds are a ticking time bomb anyway from what I hear, or at least that's what I tell myself to feel better about it. I took the opportunity to replace the muffler with a borla though so at least it sounds nice for all the effort I put in.

I tried to do a bunch of other stuff while I was in there, replacing vacuum hoses and fittings, injectors, valve cover gasket... But I'm an idiot and didn't do the motor mounts.

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[MontuckyFried]

As to the rusty bolts problem, has anybody here ever used one of these tools? Seems like it'd be just the ticket if it really works as well as these guys are showing!



Exhaust bolts!:

[Thaleia]

Do not use an impact gun on stuck, rusted exhaust bolts. Pretty much guaranteed way to snap them off. Penetrant and heat and more penetrant and more heat...

Good job on getting that rack insert removed, Thaleia. So was it steel or aluminum, and was it really all solid?

Yeah the shaft that was stuck was solid steel, and the bolt I was drilling out was (I'm assuming - but you can probably tell I'm not exactly an expert on this stuff lol) hardened steel.

[MontuckyFried]

Do not use an impact gun on stuck, rusted exhaust bolts. Pretty much guaranteed way to snap them off.

Ok, then. NOTE TO SELF: Do NOT use impact wrench on exhaust bolts.

How about one of those induction heating tools like I saw up above? They ain't cheap, but COULD be a pretty rad tool to have around.

[basinbeater]

If the rusted bolt goes into something solid, do not discount the benefit of whacking it hard with a hammer. The shock from the impact breaks down rust bonds on the threads. I swear. Use an old ratchet extension or something, put it on the bolt head, and give it a solid whack! Then penetrating oil, heat, repeat. Between the three, it really helps break down the bonds that keep it stuck in there. My success rate for rusty bolts is pretty good with that technique.

sent from Utah.