ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

With the system closed back up. I filled with fluid and began the bleeding process. Once the initial bleeding process was completed with the engine off, I fired it up and continued the bleeding until it took no more fluid. I then reinstalled the passenger front tire/wheel and set it slightly on the floor to continue bleeding and see if the power assist had returned. Thankfully it was working fine and no adverse noises and everything seemed right with the world again. I torqued the wheel back on and set it on the ground and pulled the arms free of the lift.


I gave the engine bay a wipe down, reinstalled the engine cover and checked everything over once more while idling and watching the fluid level. When everything looked good, I took her for a test drive to the local car wash to wash all of the power steering fluid off the front axle and undercarriage from the work. I grabbed my pressure pot of degreaser and headed to the car wash.


Returned from a successful road test and undercarriage wash. Checked fluid level and everything seems to be working perfectly again.



I then turned my attention to cleaning the shop from my horrendous mess and to sort through things in my mind while cleaning.


Thanks for following along and reading about frustrations.

 

[madison069]

Mike, as I was always told, it's not how perfect you are that makes you the best mechanic or problem solver, it's how you respond to the problem. Instead of throwing the towel in and letting someone else deal with it, you took the time to study the problem and the system to come to the conclusion of what is happening. Also, you most likely learned what not to do in the future or how to do it differently to prevent the situation from happening again.

**** happens, it's how we sharpen our trouble shooting skills.

I'm sure you would have handled it differently though if you were performing a surgery on a human! Plus, there would have been a team of people with you in that room doing check and balance on each other.

 

[fouckhest]

Mike - great write up as always, hate to see you got that frustrated, but it is certainly understandable, but I am sure I can speak for many, that was very informative to read, thanks for sharing as painful as it may have been, hopefully it was good to "air your frustration."

....on another note, I've been dreading digging into a power steering "whine" on my white TDi Golf, but at 377k miles, it seems like a pump replacement is in my future

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, as I was always told, it's not how perfect you are that makes you the best mechanic or problem solver, it's how you respond to the problem. Instead of throwing the towel in and letting someone else deal with it, you took the time to study the problem and the system to come to the conclusion of what is happening. Also, you most likely learned what not to do in the future or how to do it differently to prevent the situation from happening again.

**** happens, it's how we sharpen our trouble shooting skills.

Thanks Cody.

My wife could see how much I've been struggling this week as I have been a bit reserved and withdrawn as I've been "mulling" things over in my head. Today she sent me a very nice short video on the struggles and how they add to our success and knowledge. Those that have had things come easy usually are not the smartest or most successful, it's the ones who have dealt with struggles and overcome them. I really appreciated that this morning and probably needed it more than she realized.

Mike - great write up as always, hate to see you got that frustrated, but it is certainly understandable, but I am sure I can speak for many, that was very informative to read, thanks for sharing as painful as it may have been, hopefully it was good to "air your frustration."

Thanks Mike. Yes, that was extremely hard to post.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Mike,
I know you were missing your long time confidant in discussing this.
Sometimes I find talking to someone that knows absolutely nothing about the topic just as helpful as I have to slow down and think through every process and describe it in detail to the point they understand it. Sometimes they can ask the simplist question that can trigger what you are overlooking.
Case in point, we had a tour in June demonstrating our program of 60+ years of doing mostly the same thing and a question was raised that really put a different spin on our approach. New eyes on the question of "why?" took me down a completely different path.

Back to the P/S issue. Was your final issue contamination in the system that was introduced during the hose end upgrade?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,
I know you were missing your long time confidant in discussing this.
Sometimes I find talking to someone that knows absolutely nothing about the topic just as helpful as I have to slow down and think through every process and describe it in detail to the point they understand it. Sometimes they can ask the simplist question that can trigger what you are overlooking.
Case in point, we had a tour in June demonstrating our program of 60+ years of doing mostly the same thing and a question was raised that really put a different spin on our approach. New eyes on the question of "why?" took me down a completely different path.

Back to the P/S issue. Was your final issue contamination in the system that was introduced during the hose end upgrade?

Thank you. My son said something along the same lines the other night about just verbalizing the problem to anyone who will listen because it slows the mind down to explain it and often times that is enough.

I started writing in a journal at the first of this year, writing down successes as well as struggles, just daily recaps more or less. At first I thought it was silly but I've struggled with some things over my lifetime and my wife suggested that maybe writing them down will help me release them from my mind and then focus on the next day. At first I tried to sit down at my workbench each evening before closing up the shop and writing in it, however, I'm ashamed to say that it has become less of a daily event and more of a weekly one lately.

However, I did sit down and write it out the other night going over it in my head and I think that helped me get back to the very basics of the system and shed a light on what was missing. I was thinking too high level and complicating it in my mind, but in all reality it came back to something I just introduced into the system during the leak repair, and that had to be the contamination. At first my plan seemed like a solid one, flush the line after the cut and bubble and it would flush out any and all debris and save me the headache of removing the line from the vehicle. Well, it backfired on me and cost me much more time (and money) than if I would have just removed the line and did it on the bench, then reinstalled.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

We all make mistakes, or sometimes create our own problems. It's okay to be human.

Glad you got the issue taken care of!

 

[zmotorsports]

We all make mistakes, or sometimes create our own problems. It's okay to be human.

Glad you got the issue taken care of!

Thanks Marc.

 

[madison069]

We all make mistakes, or sometimes create our own problems. It's okay to be human.

Glad you got the issue taken care of!

hell, somedays I make several mistakes and start to wonder if I should have inhaled or exhale at that moment.

I'm sure I'm going to make a mistake today. Yesterday I was running an electrical line across the garage and after struggling with the wire across the ceiling and pulling on the wire all that time, I realized it was too short to reach. I called it a night after I pulled the short wire out.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Nice write up Mike! Nobody describes a problem like you do. I've said it before, your technical writing skills are top notch.
Quit beating yourself up....you are an excellent mechanic as well. I'd be happy to have you work on my stuff!

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice write up Mike! Nobody describes a problem like you do. I've said it before, your technical writing skills are top notch.
Quit beating yourself up....you are an excellent mechanic as well. I'd be happy to have you work on my stuff!

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.

I am only assuming that others are as hard on themselves as I am on myself. I really miss my good friend and mentor as we had some wonderful "bench racing" sessions as he called them, where we would discuss such things in great detail. I learned so much from him over the years and I hope he also enjoyed our talks where we just discussed the "why" and "how" behind such matters.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.

I am only assuming that others are as hard on themselves as I am on myself. I really miss my good friend and mentor as we had some wonderful "bench racing" sessions as he called them, where we would discuss such things in great detail. I learned so much from him over the years and I hope he also enjoyed our talks where we just discussed the "why" and "how" behind such matters.

And now, you are sharing with us. Thank you.

 

[zmotorsports]

And now, you are sharing with us. Thank you.

And therein lies the rub. The internet can and is a hard place to allow yourself to be vulnerable in such conversations. When I was discussing such things with my friend and mentor, nothing was off the table. No comment, suggestion or question was criticized, scrutinized and over-analyzed like it is on the internet, which makes it difficult to allow for open and HONEST two-way communication. Much of the time on the internet, ego's kick in and the armchair quarterback theme comes to mind where chests get puffed up and people MUST come across as superior and cannot allow themselves to be shown to not know something, whether they knew it beforehand or not.

THAT is where I very much miss having my good friend and mentor to bounce ideas, questions and problems off of. It's that honest one on one conversation where no one person felt like they were superior or inferior to the other. While this site is one of the better sites I belong to, if not the best in that matter, it is still not rid of that egotistical side to show through, and I feel that really diminishes those conversations because the amount of vulnerability and communication that must be entrusted to others not to be violated, if that makes sense. I can confirm that merely by the number of private messages that I receive by others asking questions, which I am happy to answer, but it is obvious the senders do not want nor feel comfortable to ask them in the open forum.

 

[CGarage]

Amazing that the metal on the crimp end of the power steering hose would have caused enough debris when you cut it to damage the valve inside the pump…..

Thank you for sharing!

You contributions on here are peerless, so no need to pay attention to the internet ego of others who cannot admit mistakes.

Thank you for allowing us to learn, vicariously, through yours.

 

[zmotorsports]

Amazing that the metal on the crimp end of the power steering hose would have caused enough debris when you cut it to damage the valve inside the pump…..

Thank you for sharing!

You contributions on here are peerless, so no need to pay attention to the internet ego of others who cannot admit mistakes.

Thank you for allowing us to learn, vicariously, through yours.

Thank you for allowing me to share.

I don't think the debris was from actually just cutting the crimp itself off the hose, I think I introduced some metal shavings into the return line when I cut and deburred the line itself once the hose was removed. I felt by bumping the ignition for a brief couple of seconds would have been enough to flush out anything that may have gotten into the line, but that is where I must have been mistaken. I too did not think there would have been enough debris introduced and I thought I took precautions but it still bit me in the ****.

 

[Jgaz]

I think I told you this before:
“The good mechanics stand head and shoulders above the average mechanics partly because of the pile of broken parts they’re standing on.”

 

[CGarage]

Thank you for allowing me to share.

I don't think the debris was from actually just cutting the crimp itself off the hose, I think I introduced some metal shavings into the return line when I cut and deburred the line itself once the hose was removed. I felt by bumping the ignition for a brief couple of seconds would have been enough to flush out anything that may have gotten into the line, but that is where I must have been mistaken. I too did not think there would have been enough debris introduced and I thought I took precautions but it still bit me in the ****.

A really important post.

Lesson learned: Power steering hydraulic systems are highly susceptible to damage in the presence of any debris because of tight tolerances within the valve.

I guess the small amount of metal shavings from the grinding was just enough to cause galling, and thus failure at the valve.

Amazing.

Doubly amazing is Stellantis / Jeep / Mopar and prematurely discontinuing parts.

 

[zmotorsports]

Doubly amazing is Stellantis / Jeep / Mopar and prematurely discontinuing parts.

Yes, this is very irritating. I am dumbfounded with the number of these Jeeps still on the road that the power steering pumps have been discontinued. I am seeing backordered issues with things like camshafts for the Pentastar 3.6 liter engine as well which just baffles the mind.

 

[MrPink]

Yes, this is very irritating. I am dumbfounded with the number of these Jeeps still on the road that the power steering pumps have been discontinued. I am seeing backordered issues with things like camshafts for the Pentastar 3.6 liter engine as well which just baffles the mind.

They have mostly fixed the backorder issue on the RH Intake Cams we are able to stock them now lol.

 

[rharman]

< snip >

Thank you. My son said something along the same lines the other night about just verbalizing the problem to anyone who will listen because it slows the mind down to explain it and often times that is enough.

< /snip >

In the software world, we called it "Rubber Ducking". Either a partner or, sometimes, an inanimate object. Just someone/something to explain the problem to. As your son said, just verbalizing it can sometimes clear the logjam.

I was really fortunate the last few years of my last job before I retired. The gal who I hired as a contractor sat in the cubicle right on the other side of my cubicle and we got along really well. Every once in a while, one of us would call out "Rubber Ducky?" and we'd hash out the problem. We had to do rubber ducky over Zoom during Covid but it still worked well.

 

[M.Brane]

Don't beat yourself up too much over the power steering issue. There are plenty of people in this world who are way better at making mistakes.

 

[mattthemuppet]

ha, at least you put the power steering pulley back on the right way! I took mine off (2000 Focus) to replace some leaking PS pump seals, then cockily put the pulley back on without checking orientation. Took me HOURS and multiple DIY puller attempts to get that damn thing off. That was sheer stupidity, your issue was just an accident

 

[PugetDude]

Mike, Welcome to my world.

 

[zanyad]

Don't beat yourself up too much over the power steering issue. There are plenty of people in this world who are way better at making mistakes.

 

[signcrafter]

I for one would like to say thanks for posting this Mike because I learned a lot.

Talking things over helps so much when you are struggling. There are a few members on here that I have sent PMs to, you being one of them and they have gave me great advice and help. But even just writing the message to them has helped me think through some issues and get some new thoughts on what might be going on. It's a great resource to have to bounce thoughts and ideas off others and writing the messages to send makes your brain think in a different way. So I can see what you mean about calling your mentor and just talking through the issue. I appreciate guys like you that have taken the time to answer questions with issues I have ran into.

 

[bugnut]

Hey Mike, I recall a quote from somewhere "to err is human" I, like the others here really appreciate your post detailing the issue and solution.
I miss having mentors that I can discuss the likes with, but age comes with these issues.

As others have said talking it out really help, oftentimes I awake about 3:30am and realize the root cause, and usually it is something I have done.

So once again lesson learned, the smart folks won't repeat it, the not so smart, welllll....

Quit beating yourself up decision made, corrected and move on.

 

[zmotorsports]

I for one would like to say thanks for posting this Mike because I learned a lot.

Talking things over helps so much when you are struggling. There are a few members on here that I have sent PMs to, you being one of them and they have gave me great advice and help. But even just writing the message to them has helped me think through some issues and get some new thoughts on what might be going on. It's a great resource to have to bounce thoughts and ideas off others and writing the messages to send makes your brain think in a different way. So I can see what you mean about calling your mentor and just talking through the issue. I appreciate guys like you that have taken the time to answer questions with issues I have ran into.

Scott, please don't misunderstand me, I do NOT mind forum members reaching out to me via private messages for help or guidance, I just feel that "maybe" the reason is fear of exposure in the open forum. I could be wrong and if so I'm sorry for making that assumption. That is just something that I feel myself as I don't like to put my vulnerabilities out there seeking information, especially on sometime so basic. Hell, I get ridiculed if I put an Adel clamp off-center on a power cord on the wall of my shop, just imagine if I world have asked about a power steering system.

 

[signcrafter]

Scott, please don't misunderstand me, I do NOT mind forum members reaching out to me via private messages for help or guidance, I just feel that "maybe" the reason is fear of exposure in the open forum. I could be wrong and if so I'm sorry for making that assumption. That is just something that I feel myself as I don't like to put my vulnerabilities out there seeking information, especially on sometime so basic. Hell, I get ridiculed if I put an Adel clamp off-center on a power cord on the wall of my shop, just imagine if I world have asked about a power steering system.

I understand Mike and wasn't suggesting that. I was trying to say that when I reach out to other members it's kind of like how you reached out to your mentor to just bounce an issue off of them to get their advice. It helps tremendously just talking through things with someone else, at least for me. Maybe they have the answer or maybe just another way to look at things comes out while discussing it.

I don't have an issue posting stuff in the forum and receiving ridicule. I've learned over the years when you post something you get all sorts of opinions and thoughts from different people and you have no way to know who actually knows what they are talking about and who just likes to see themselves type. So you have to take all replies with a grain of salt.

When I reach out to someone with a PM it's usually because I know they have the knowledge by reading their past posts. So I trust and appreciate their advice or thoughts. I don't follow many threads or posters on here. But I check for updates in this thread each day. Because you post a variety of things you get done and you go into the little details with pictures and explanations. So I pick up all sorts of things from this thread. So when I run into an issue and remember seeing you doing something similar I will go back and read your posts again. If I don't see something to help me I will send a PM instead of posting n the forum. When I had an issue with rebuilding a rear end I sent you a PM for advice. I would have no issue posting a question in the forum and getting some ridicule, that doesn't bother me. Just nice to talk to someone you know has the experience to give advice sometimes, instead of getting answers from all sorts of people that you don't know if they have ever done the job or just watched a youtube video. I send PMs to 2ndgearrubber often about diagnostic questions when I run into something new or hit a wall. Also ZKdiesel for diesel questions. Both of them have helped me a lot. And from their posts I know they have the knowledge and experience so trust what they say.

That's all I was trying to say about PMs. Guess you could say some of you guys are my mentors. I learned a bunch just by reading your power steering post. And I'm not afraid to say that would have said the pump makes the pressure until I read your thread. But after reading that it was like well ya the just pumps and the pressure comes from the restriction. I also didn't know there was a valve in the PS pump. Like your co worker I've replaced a bunch of pumps but never have taken one apart. I've torn down parts after repairs just to see how they work or to learn something. But guess I've never seen a PS pump rebuild kit listed so never took the time to tear one down.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts Scott. I very much appreciate them and they resonated with me.

 

[ntsqd]

At the first post about the PS system trouble I thought "That's Me!" I've been fighting a slow leak in Snowball's PS system. Actually I've been fighting a bunch of different issues in that system, but I've got it down to a slow leak that I can't find. The truck got a bunch of mods done all at one time (hence why I call it "Snowball") and one of those was a hydro-boost conversion employing a Saginaw pump. I decided to replace the steering box since literally everything else in the system was new and I didn't want any pollution it might have had getting into everything. With all of the other mods (rear D60 & OX, camber comp'd TTB beams, larger front brakes, rear disc conversion, etc., etc., etc.) I bought a generic reman steering box. I've been over everything else, so I'm sending the old box over to Lee PS for a rebuild. Hopefully that fixes it.

Long way of saying that I know how you feel.

FWIW I put a std hydraulic system spin-on filter on the CTD to clean up it's system prior to it getting hydro-boost. Literally the next model year was an H-B truck and our was a vacuum truck. I put one on Snowball as well, but in the process sorting out it's issues I tried removing it, and haven't put it back yet. They're big and bulky and hard to package in most vehicles, but they add a lot of fluid volume which I think is a good thing. As a mental exercise work out how long it takes a 3.0 GPM pump to completely exchange the volume of fluid in the reservoir. It's a bit of mind blower.

 

[Xti04]

As much as I love to post all my wins in the shop I post all my losses, *** kickings and diagnostic nightmares as well. I just gave up on a rover I have been working on and off for over two months on. I have such limited diagnostic info available to me and its either the harness or the gateway module. I could always run a new wire and see if that solved it but its a trainwreck. We become better mechanics by working systematically through the diagnostic processes and talking it out or writing it down helps. For me when I get stuck its typically walking away and giving myself a few minutes to let it go that allows me to finish the job. The part for me that eats me up is spending money on my own vehicle. There is literally nothing I hate more than having to work on my own stuff.

 

[M.Brane]

A British vehicle with electrical issues? Say it ain't so...

 

[PugetDude]

A British vehicle with electrical issues? Say it ain't so...

If it weren't for Lucas, the British would have ruled the world.

 

[Mr.zippy]

If it weren't for Lucas, the British would have ruled the world.

Gotta give Paul Revere a little credit too!

 

[zmotorsports]

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

Last week between fighting the power steering issue on my Jeep and the torrential downpour we had mid-week, I wasn't able to get my mid-week mow in on the yard. We had about 3 inches of rain in a 24-hour period on Wednesday and even by Friday the lawn was still not fully dry, but it sure did wonders for the couple of dry spots I've been fighting over the summer. Therefore the lawn was more like a jungle by the time I got to it on Friday evening. I simply can't go a full week between mows. As it was, it took me 4 hours to trim edge and mow the lawns Friday night. I had to creep along with the mowers because they kept clogging up, and that was with the decks raised slightly more than usual. By the time I went in the house to shower, eat dinner and call it a day it was damn-near 8pm and I was spent and ready to rid myself of the week's BS. Shortly after going in the house, my son dropped off my DIL's Acura RDX Friday night so we could work on it Saturday and the engine wouldn't be hot.

Saturday morning I sat and enjoyed a few cups of coffee before my son arrived and enjoyed the view of my back yard, even with the lawn a little longer than normal.


After my son arrived, we commenced the timing belt and water pump replacement on my DIL's Acura RDX.


Not sure if anyone has seen this radiator petcock socket, but it sure makes those hard to reach ones much easier to open.






With the coolant draining, the car was lowered and work began on the topside of the engine bay.


Serpentine belt removed and checked. Still looked pretty descent for the most part, but it will get replaced along with the tensioner pulley.


Engine mount removed and then the timing belt covers removed.


Timing components removed and lastly the water pump removed.


Old water pump out and new one at the ready.



Stay tuned for more.

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on.

Old parts compared to new parts to ensure everything matches.


New water pump installed and torqued to spec.


With the new timing belt installed, the idler and tensioner can be torqued to spec. before barring the engine over a few times to ensure timing is correct.


Then the covers were cleaned and ready for installation.


Lower cover installed and any spilled coolant was cleaned off the oil pan.


Upper timing covers installed and torqued to spec.


Pulled a vacuum on the cooling system to ensure there were no leaks. It held perfectly for about 45-minutes.


The Aisin kits come with a nice label to write the mileage and date on that the timing belt was replaced.


New tensioner pulley and serpentine belt were installed.


And the top side finished up with all of the covers reinstalled.



Stay tuned for more.

 

[zmotorsports]

With the engine bay reassembled, it was time to turn our last bit of attention to the wheelwell opening and button up the bottom.

The engine cradle and lower plastics were cleaned to remove any remaining coolant that spilled. Also the crank pulley was torqued and everything given a good looking over before covering.


The car had a small hole in the inner fender when my son bought the car, so prior to tackling this job he had purchased a new OEM inner fender to replace at this time.


All OEM fasteners reinstalled as well as the small rock guard to the rear of the wheel opening. Then the tire/wheel was installed and torqued to spec. before fully lowering and backing off the lift.


Ready for another 100k miles. Son's Jeep parked in the shop so he could take the car home and put it through its paces.



Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Sunday morning the wife and I sat on the deck and enjoyed some coffee watching the sun come up and enjoyed the view of the backyard, even with the long grass.



I also uploaded the review of the new Bendpak 12APX now that I have had about a dozen vehicles on it and it's been a month plus.

 

[CGarage]

Was this preventative maintenance doing the water pump and timing belt + tensioner? Or is it recommended at this mileage?

Great work per usual.

 

[zmotorsports]

Was this preventative maintenance doing the water pump and timing belt + tensioner? Or is it recommended at this mileage?

Great work per usual.

Recommended service interval on the belt, the water pump and other timing components are usually done at the same time because you're already in there and it's quite a bit of work getting to them just to do a water pump after the fact. The Aisin kits I've been using come complete with new tensioner, pulleys and water pump so it's prudent to just do them all at the same time.