Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT 3rd time's a charm with a 3 car workshop

[loganb]

What baby monitor do you use? I might need to copy this with my spare TV.

Probably should have explained the setup better...thx for asking!

I hated the range limit of conventional baby monitors, so we are using a security camera setup run on a PC for the baby cameras. We already had all the hardware and software from outdoor cameras so it was easy to setup.

Cameras are ceiling mounted Power Over Ethernet(PoE) units...nothing special, Dahua brand units that 3 or 4 years ago were 70-ish a piece or so. Beauty of PoE is that you get power and data over the same CAT 5/6 ethernet cable that is cheap and easy to run. Advised to get solid copper cabling instead of copper clad aluminum(CCA) when doing PoE to limit potential interference...its maybe 10 or 15% more so not outrageous.

A POE injector or PoE switch is required to inject the power into those cables, but otherwise it's wired like any other piece of networking gear.

The computer side is running BlueIris for software, think it was about 50 bucks or so for the license when we bought it. Takes a bit of fiddling to get setup but once it's running it's been great, only issues we have are when a firewall setting changes unexpectedly, normally due to a windows update.

We mostly watch it over the app which works well, we can also watch on the computer it's running on which is in our office and is our "home" desktop. To display it in the TV I'm just mirroring a phone or tablet display up to the TV thru either a Roku or Firestick. In warmer weather there is a lot of driveway socialization in the neighborhood and with this we can watch the cameras as long as we have internet so the monitor range isn't an issue and we feel more comfortable being a couple houses up the block or out somewhere with a babysitter at the house

 

[nicholam77]

What baby monitor do you use? I might need to copy this with my spare TV.

@loganb It wouldn’t work with the monitor I have, but I’m curious what your setup is to do this as well, that’s super handy!

 

[jar944]

She didn't care much for how it looked but was told I wasn't allowed to go buy more material and to make do with what I had....so the 3/4" finished 1 side ply without edgeband(out as well)

I ran out of edge banding myself and the local HD doesn't stock it. I was close to just doing what you did. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of having to take it all out again.

 

[loganb]

I ran out of edge banding myself and the local HD doesn't stock it. I was close to just doing what you did. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of having to take it all out again.

Now that it's loaded up...I have edgebanding...so now to fight the mental battle of if I unload and band it or leave it as is....probably gonna band it

 

[jar944]

Now that it's loaded up...I have edgebanding...so now to fight the mental battle of if I unload and band it or leave it as is....probably gonna band it

I hear you on the mental battle..

I ended up slapping some offcuts on the end of 2 shelves and doing a 15min glueup. Not as fast as iron on, but faster than the 1.5hr trip to lowes. I actually glued one on backwards (bandsawn edge was the glue face) it was already late so I just added more pipe clamps to crush everything into submission...lol.

 

[loganb]

@loganb It wouldn’t work with the monitor I have, but I’m curious what your setup is to do this as well, that’s super handy!

I should also mention that the camera setup isnt the important part here...the camera having an app for easy viewing on a tablet or phone is what makes this so easy with the ability to mirror/cast/screen share from the phone to the TV. The Wyze wireless cameras(which Nick you may have if I recall) or any others with built in app would accomplish the same thing. I just have mine as wired units and thru the PC as I already had the hardware and personally detest wifi internet connections for devices that don't move and can be hardwired.

 

[nicholam77]

Interesting, I thought they looked like IP cams with the timestamps and multiple cameras. The reason I say it wouldn't work with mine is ours is a traditional baby video monitor. I do have a Wyze cam, but I'm kind of the opposite though... the signal on the baby monitor carries through to the garage fine, whereas WiFi is weak out there.

I actually thought about going a similar route as you, but there are plusses and minuses. I like not having to pull out the phone or keep the app open. Also, can turn the video screen off and just have it pass through audio.

Throwing it on the TV is neat, though. I do have a PoE cam that records to an NVR (Amcrest), so I'm familiar with the tech.

I have a co-worker who runs 30+ cameras with Blue Iris. (Why? I have no idea haha). But he did catch someone stealing his neighbor's catalytic converter once, and an attempted break-in at their back door, and can keep an eye on what the raccoons are up to in the middle of the night lol.

I don't have a Windows machine in the house and haven't touched Windows since 2006. Unless my parents' computers need troubleshooting. Trying not to break that streak So no Blue Iris for me, and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a great MacOS equivalent. I've looked at Synology + Surveillance Station but I don't know if I have a strong need for it.

only issues we have are when a firewall setting changes unexpectedly, normally due to a windows update.

If I had a penny for every time a "Windows update" broke something on my dad's computer...

Light jesting aside, it seems like a slick setup you have there.

I just have mine as wired units and thru the PC as I already had the hardware and personally detest wifi internet connections for devices that don't move and can be hardwired.

100% agree with this. You and I might be the only ones, it seems like everyone wants wireless devices. So much hardware has dropped support for wired connections these days. Every device that can be wired in my house is, and the previous owners ran cat5e to most rooms. So I didn't even have to run much cabling.

P.S.

My vote is to edge band the shelf

 

[loganb]

Interesting, I thought they looked like IP cams with the timestamps and multiple cameras. The reason I say it wouldn't work with mine is ours is a traditional baby video monitor. I do have a Wyze cam, but I'm kind of the opposite though... the signal on the baby monitor carries through to the garage fine, whereas WiFi is weak out there.

Well if you've got weak wifi out there...big fan of Ubiquiti brand wireless access points.....way stronger than "retail" targeted ones...maybe a spring project for you when you can spend more time out there as the Tundra starts to thaw

I like not having to pull out the phone or keep the app open

This is definitely a big plus to not opening the phone and pulling up the app to check it then get sucked down a rabbit hole here or elsewhere!

I have a co-worker who runs 30+ cameras with Blue Iris. (Why? I have no idea haha). But he did catch someone stealing his neighbor's catalytic converter once, and an attempted break-in at their back door, and can keep an eye on what the raccoons are up to in the middle of the night lol.

I've looked at Synology + Surveillance Station but I don't know if I have a strong need for it.

Is this not Garage Journal? Since when does "strong need" have any place in this venue lol!

If I had a penny for every time a "Windows update" broke something on my dad's computer...

Agreed...only for us it's Grandparents machines that keep us busy doing trouble shooting

Light jesting aside, it seems like a slick setup you have there.

Thanks! And light jesting is a required "fare" for here...so keep it up!

100% agree with this. You and I might be the only ones, it seems like everyone wants wireless devices. So much hardware has dropped support for wired connections these days. Every device that can be wired in my house is, and the previous owners ran cat5e to most rooms. So I didn't even have to run much cabling.

P.S.

My vote is to edge band the shelf

Agreed....probably happens one night this week...maybe tonight?

And Thanks for popping in!

 

[nicholam77]

Well if you've got weak wifi out there...big fan of Ubiquiti brand wireless access points.....way stronger than "retail" targeted ones...maybe a spring project for you when you can spend more time out there as the Tundra starts to thaw

The cold has been brutal, we've had negative temps for about 2 weeks straight which finally broke yesterday. Went to get gas the other day and had to turn back home because my fuel door was frozen shut.

I have the original Google WiFi 3-pack mesh system, with the base station and one of the access points hardwired. They are older at this point so I've thought about picking up a 4th 'puck' on eBay and adding it to the garage. Been having network problems overall though with brief dropped connections especially on WiFi devices across the board. Don't know if it's my modem, the Google WiFi router, the half-dozen switches I have going, or what. But I may be in the market to try a new router setup if I can't solve it! I'll keep Ubiquiti in mind.

 

[loganb]

Minor project for the next warm spell...wandered over and took a look at the mini-split and found I didn't leave enough room at the drain in the pan for water to get out without giving the potential for ice buildup....oops



A quick holesaw cutout there should fix that....but not sure where my ice bits are so going to wait for this one to thaw out a bit...46 degree forecast for Tuesday so maybe that'll be an afternoon break

 

[tj675]

Just checking in to make sure all was well.

 

[loganb]

Just checking in to make sure all was well.

Thanks for the note TJ, an update was on the list to do this weekend.

In positive news, nothing overly dramatic, serious or impactful caused the absence of updates! Just as we all have at times, an overflowing amount of small to medium stuff in a short window, which overlapped my most disliked month of Feb has led to almost 0 progress on projects or garage stuff and put a damper on mood and motivation. In good news some of the real world responsibilities are complete or getting better....so hopefully my garage time returns with the spring flowers soon to start poking up.

Honest photo of the garage as is this AM...hand plane cabinet not done yet... slightly closer though. Was hoping to have taken some time off if Feb to work on projects...unfortunately the building materials industry I work in is bonkers now so still holding a bunch of carryover vacation



Right now trying to find a dust collector as I'm leaning hard towards picking up a CNC router this spring. I should focus on my existing projects and tools....but new is fun! In reality a coworker has a big Avid cnc on order for his side hustle woodworking biz and I'm considering buying his 4' x 4' diy cnc kit that needs the controls finished...so it's a project to get it running then to learn it.

That's about all that's new in the garage life here...supposed to be mid 60's this afternoon but have a bday party to attend so probably not going to get to do much with the great weather today...but all week looks nice so hopefully get at least a couple hours of doing something in.

Hope all are well and look forward to catching up on threads over the next week or two!

 

[loganb]

Well another project inbound....

As mentioned above I was considering a 4' x 4' CNC router addition to the garage...came to an agreement with the seller and it'll show up this weekend....I could get used to having purchases delivered to my door! It works out he's already coming to town with the trailer...but still very handy

It's not exactly ready to make chips though...



4' x 4' working area, about 60" square foot print as a DIY kit that never got finished as he realized it wasn't really big enough for what he really needed/wanted....and think he had some income showing on the side hustle biz he wanted to wipe away with expenses . It's coming with the components for the motion control that need wired up but doesn't have a Z-Axis or a spindle yet so the hope for this weekend is to get it into the space and a listing of what I need to buy and get that stuff on order.

There is 7" of clearance under the gantry to the top of a 3/4" spoilboard and looking to keep as much of that as I can, found several 6" and 8" to 9" prebuilt Z-axis units I'm going to evaluate closer once I get it into the garage. Spindle motor will likely be a 2.2kw(3 HP) VFD driven instead of the other common solution of a DeWalt/Makita/Bosch etc router motor as I like the greater control via software the dedicated spindle motor offers vs the router body.

Intention is it's going to sit in the footprint somewhat marked out on the floor in blue tape shown below that i stuck the laser and snowblower in. There is enough height clearance on the CNC frame that the laser is actually going to live on that shelf under it, likely on a pull out drawer of some sort for easier access. The spindle motor will also likely be water cooled so I can then use a common reservoir for both machines simplifying that a bit. If it ends up being too much vibration for the laser I'll rebuild that router frame so it can roll under on it's own base to isolate the vibration but maintain the space savings.



Dust collection(at least to begin) will be with a dedicated shop vac/dust deputy combo mounted on a shelf above it, if that's not sufficient airflow will put more haste into my search for a 2HP dust collector for the whole space.

Absolutely no idea what the projects on it will be once it's running....but have wanted one for a long time and I had already committed in my head a similar chunk of money to the new Prusa XL 3D printer so decided to move that spend to this to broaden capabilities. My brother got a large print area Creality as an Xmas bonus from his boss and he's had 0 issues with that....so when I decide I want that larger print area I'll probably buy one of those to start instead of the Prusa.

Now to make the time to get it working before yard work season starts...

 

[loganb]

Well it's here!



Laser had more room under it then I expected which is nice.

Going to get it running then of course make some modifications. The way this kit was designed was to allow additional height under the gantry by leaving the corner extrusions long so if needed you could loosen the bolts and raise up the Y axis rails giving more height under the spindle. I want some additional ridgity and will put a bigger z axis in so am going to move one of the y axis linear rails down to the lower "base" extrusion, raise the current Y axis rail up for more height then redesign the end plate that the bearing blocks bolt to for the wider span and to better position the spindle.



Was able to get an open source G code sender program connected last night and briefly jog x and y. Haven't figured out how to jog at speed yet but it proved it could move which was the goal!

Goal for today is to survive while mommy and Grammy spend 6 hours at a consignment sale for kids clothes and I have both kids....so not much probably happens on the machine. Hopefully will get the Z axis and spindle ordered, Amazon should deliver limit switches, some wiring and a ferrule pin crimper kit today. Probably need to restock the 4 Rose's bottle I emptied yesterday as well....

 

[wasfast]

Do you know who the original manufacturer is/was for the CNC router?

 

[loganb]

Do you know who the original manufacturer is/was for the CNC router?

I believe he said it was a kit/plan from OpenBuilds below, possibly that he customized a bit more, it's essentially 8020 aluminum extrusion type channel, connection hardware and then linear rails/bearings. The "end plates" that connect the Y axis linear bearings to the X axis gantry beam is something he drew up and machined on his smaller Vcarve, not sure if those drawings were with the kit or something he drew up

https://openbuildspartstore.com/

Motion Controls is the DemonShield by Designs by Phil which is a GRBL based Arduino driven CNC software. One of the common and more cost effective "DIY" type solutions, not as feature enabled from what I've learned as a MACH3/MACH4 setup or some others but seems to be very well supported and common and for a primarily wood router it'll be fine. If it was doing more metal or a knee-mill type CNC retrofit may not pick it but should work well for this and if I outgrow it and want something more that'll be a "future me" problem

https://www.designsbyphil.com/full-demon-controller.html

Spindle will be a 2.2KW, water cooled spindle with an ER20 collet size. I'd honestly prefer a smaller 1.5KW spindle but can't find one that is cost effective with water cooling AND ER20 collets, most of the 1.5KW are ER16 collet size which limits to 3/8" bits and I really want to be able to chuck up 1/2" bits so the slightly larger spindle will have to work.

Was hoping to find a Z-axis that I liked on Ebay from a couple dealers I'd found, not finding one right now that fits the size range I was looking for (9-12" of travel) and rigidity I wanted so may buy one new....hoping to get it ordered today though.

 

[nicholam77]

Awesome!!

Absolutely no idea what the projects on it will be once it's running....but have wanted one for a long time and I had already committed in my head a similar chunk of money to the new Prusa XL 3D printer so decided to move that spend to this to broaden capabilities.

Lol! I guess it depends on what your goals are to do with it, but it seems like a CNC would be more useful and capable than a large format 3D printer. I wish I had the time, know-how, and $$$ to get into something like this. 4'x4' is a decent sized work area, you could do a lot with that. Make templates for furniture parts, etc. All kinds of parts for shop jigs. Inlay letter signs to sell on Etsy

Looking forward to see what comes of it!

 

[loganb]

Awesome!!



Lol! I guess it depends on what your goals are to do with it, but it seems like a CNC would be more useful and capable than a large format 3D printer. I wish I had the time, know-how, and $$$ to get into something like this. 4'x4' is a decent sized work area, you could do a lot with that. Make templates for furniture parts, etc. All kinds of parts for shop jigs. Inlay letter signs to sell on Etsy

Looking forward to see what comes of it!

The increase in capability vs a similar but bigger version of what I have was a big thing as well. In prior versions of me with more time and less money I have designed in CAD (2) different diy cnc's so excited to finally get to this point and commit to one.

Cost wise I'm going to have around 3k in it I think plus whatever software I decide to use. I could have cut that down some with a smaller spindle, less travel z axis etc but the increase wasnt that much in my book and I didn't want to regret it down the road. It spends the remaining money from the sale of tools before the move, plus most of what I had earmarked for the bigger printer so will have to try and slip some bits in here and there past the accounting dept I am hoping to do some paying jobs later after I figure it out...lot to learn on the design side for Etsy pretty stuff before I tackle that!

Did get the spindle and Z axis assy ordered today and both are supposed to show up this week along with some assorted hardware, taps, wiring and limit switches. Going to see if I can take off later this week and get a day of garage therapy during the week to work on it.

 

[loganb]

Well z axis showed up....its definitely big enough....cue the jokes about compensating



13" or so of Z axis travel, will be raising the x axis gantry going across the bed by around 5 or 6 inches to give at least 9 to 10" of clearance assuming 2" of wood spoil board over the metal frame.

Spindle shows up tomorrow so the tracking says...had hoped to get it mounted this weekend...work schedule isn't looking promising on that happening

 

[tj675]

Looking good Logan!

 

[loganb]

Little update

Made an adapter plate for the spindle for now as I get it debugged out of some scrap garolite I had laying around from a work auction of surplus/used stuff


Crudely but effective thru bolts to the back plate








And with the pretty dust covers back on



Vfd showed up today but the spindle did not so not sure if it gets mounted this weekend or not

 

[loganb]

Amazon was pretty good to me today with some parts and tools....small metric tap and drill set, some more metric hardware kits for misc fasteners, metric Bondhus drivers as I was tired of conventional Allen wrenches as well as more heat shrink tubing and generic Igus cable carrier track.

Benefits of work from home means I get to put it away before the wife sees the packaging . However she's the Finance Dept and reconciles the books so she will see it eventually....but gives me time to make something cool ahead likes...I hope!



Still waiting on the spindle....did get X and Y axis limit switches installed so making some progress

 

[nicholam77]

The CNC is looking really cool!

Noob question but why is the z-axis so tall / have so much travel? Is that typical?

I should grab a set of those Bondhus drivers. I got a single 6mm t-handle style for MFT use, and the ball end is so much nicer to use.

 

[loganb]

So quick update here....

Delivery service finally brought the spindle....heavier than I anticipated(about 8 lbs) but excited to get it mounted up and see how it fits and help get 1 step closer to limited running of it



Wife had her monthly Saturday shift so I was left to watch the kids....nap times no longer overlap so after lunch while the 3 yr old was napping the littlest and I tried to do something in the garage....wasn't highly successful but that was my fault not his



And working towards finishing up Rev 1 of my spindle mount, will 3D print it to start as I get everything figured out then if I don't like the flex/stability of it will do one out of aluminum at that point. I switched to a new CAD program(Alibre) from the hobbist version of Solidworks due to license changes...so far it's a Solidworks clone and I actually own the license vs cross my fingers they'll continue to allow my usage. Caught it on a sale last Thanksgiving and it wasn't too bad(under $150 if i remember correctly) and finally installed it. Learning curve so far from Solidworks/Fusion360 was easy, not many significant changes




As it sits now that's roughly 12 hrs of print time and around $10 of filament. Since I don't know how things are going to work out and what tweaks I'll want, its faster and cheaper than doing several revisions in aluminum. I still need to check fastener clearance on that clamp flange to determine how much more clearance I need to give it but hoping that I send it to the printer either Sunday or Monday.

Last(for now) "major" component other than free time is the cable from the VFD to the Spindle motor....30' of Belden double shielded spindle cable scheduled to arrive on Monday

 

[loganb]

Noob question but why is the z-axis so tall / have so much travel? Is that typical?

I should grab a set of those Bondhus drivers. I got a single 6mm t-handle style for MFT use, and the ball end is so much nicer to use.

Astute noob question...and no as it's currently configured it's not normal. I was future proofing it(my way of feeling better vs just saying overkill) that Z axis. After it's running(but before I get too carried away with anything project wise) I'm going to raise up that X axis(left and right that the Z is on) to give more clearance under the gantry and make that X axis stiffer as well. Once that's done it'll be a bit more proportional and not as odd looking. The Z is rated for 12" of travel and give s bit more then that, I was trying to keep 10" of clearance which is probably overkill but I couldn't find a Z axis kit I liked in the 9-10" of travel for a cost I didn't feel was astronomical.....so I found a ebay seller specializing in linear motion "stuff" like this, linear rails etc with name brand stuff and fair prices

And yes....I like those drivers! I've got the standard set but hadn't had a need to get the metric set until now...so much nicer when you have the space to turn them!

 

[loganb]

Well slight change of normal content here as the wife's ride(Volvo xc60) needed some attention with about 90k miles and first significant work I've done to it

First up: PCV Valve...which was remarkably easy to get to...and all the internet articles and videos I saw said the cover needed to come off ended up being wrong and could have been done entirely on the car but with the cover removed I was able to clean up some of the sludge created by the bypass which was good

Cover assy on the workbench...the cap on the right just pops off on this model(3.0L turboed engine) and new assy pops on



What guys hate to hear...torn rubber....I did contribute to the tear when I took it off but definitely needed replaced




New assy just snaps on over detents



And all done and reinstalled up against the firewall. Ended up just under an hour taking the long way so 0 complaints with that. 24 bucks for the parts and an hour of labor, dealer charge $407 bucks.

 

[loganb]

Next up...spark plugs. This is the first inline 6 I have worked on in probably 15 years so I'm used to contortions on v orientated blocks....especially transverse mounted ones. Such a pleasant experience to not have to deal with that as its all right there and exposed! Don't worry...I'll pay for the ease of the plugs soon....


Factory plugs likely...originally Denso 4704's


Coil on plug and everything was clean and dry, one hole had a bit of corrosion and a different one got piece of debris that I apparently missed and caused me to grab the claw grabby tool...otherwise totally uneventful...darn





Thanks for one of the other threads recommending the Gearwrench sparkplug set...nice set and only used the 9/16 but the built in swivel and magnets were a big upgrade over my old foam insert Craftsman sockets.




Pretty consistent wear, at 92k miles assuming these were originals


56 bucks I believe for the new plugs, another 52.87 for the socket set and an hour of time. Dealer charge $285.77 so not nearly as good of ROI as on the PCV valve...but not bad.

Next up on this appear to be far less fun...hint....it's not the brakes

 

[gearhead1960]

Nice work Logan. Always better to do it yourself than the dealer, especially at those inflated prices.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Gap was definitely pretty wide. Great now I have to buy a set of those sockets.

Good work!

Serpentine and an engine mount!

 

[bj383ss]

Damn what is the Hydraulic mount for the engine? I dread the day I have to start doing more than oil changes on my wife's Volvo. It's still very young at 55k. It's a 2013.

Only thing I have had to fix is rubber and plastic components. The thing seems to be biodegrading in the driveway. I had to replace the gas cap and the bracket that held the headlight switch in place has two tiny little plastic tabs holding it to the dash. The force of pushing the gas door unlock button broke them. Also the rubber seals under the window trim on all 4 doors literally biodegraded and fell off the car. Other than that has been a great car. Thanks for reminding me I think it needs an oil change.

Bret

 

[gearhead1960]

Damn what is the Hydraulic mount for the engine? I dread the day I have to start doing more than oil changes on my wife's Volvo. It's still very young at 55k. It's a 2013.

Only thing I have had to fix is rubber and plastic components. The thing seems to be biodegrading in the driveway. I had to replace the gas cap and the bracket that held the headlight switch in place has two tiny little plastic tabs holding it to the dash. The force of pushing the gas door unlock button broke them. Also the rubber seals under the window trim on all 4 doors literally biodegraded and fell off the car. Other than that has been a great car. Thanks for reminding me I think it needs an oil change.

Bret

Bret,

Hydraulic mount usually means it's fluid filled. Typically, if it's starting to leak, time for replacement.....

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Damn it Logan, now I need to buy those sockets.

Seriously though, nice work on the maintenance. Doing this sort of thing yourself saves a boatload of money, and it's always good to know that things are taken care of properly. Looks like you've got plenty of fun left in the list though...

 

[loganb]

For additional sparkplug tools that one MUST add to their collection....check out the thread here which is where the GearWrench set was introduced to me @wreckdiver1321 @OutlawDrifter

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/favorite-spark-plug-tools.495272

I've got 8 to do on my Silverado if I get some time as I'm at about 90k miles on it...after that it'll be just small engine so they're a big improvement to what I was using but not something I'll get a ton of usage out of so some of the more expensive sets mentioned in that thread weren't anything I could justify for my usage.

Bret,

Hydraulic mount usually means it's fluid filled. Typically, if it's starting to leak, time for replacement.....

Yes...I went ahead and got all (3) mounts to hopefully do them all at once...will see how that goes...

Looks like you've got plenty of fun left in the list though...

The belt looks like a real fun one....I bought the belt a couple months ago knowing it was needing it, popped the hood, said some nasty cuss words over 2 beers staring at what has to move then put it on the "to think about" burner. While I have the world torn apart I picked up the tensioner and idler pulley as well to hopefully take that entire failure mode of shredded belt off the table for the rest of our ownership of it(probably a couple more years)...may try it tomorrow as I'm off work and could let the wife take my ride to work giving me all day on it. There is a ton of yardwork that needs to happen though in the very near future so it may come before tackling that project....

 

[Bob Heine]

While I have the world torn apart I picked up the tensioner and idler pulley as well

Logan, I don't know how long water pumps last on those V8s but it looks like you have to take all the same stuff apart again when it needs to be replaced. The "if it ain't broke..." mantra makes sense but I noticed our PT Cruiser Factory Service Manual calls for the timing belt to be replaced at 90K miles and the belt kit comes with tensioners, idlers, gaskets and a water pump. Because it's 18 years old, I'm replacing the belt at 49K miles.

 

[loganb]

Logan, I don't know how long water pumps last on those V8s but it looks like you have to take all the same stuff apart again when it needs to be replaced. The "if it ain't broke..." mantra makes sense but I noticed our PT Cruiser Factory Service Manual calls for the timing belt to be replaced at 90K miles and the belt kit comes with tensioners, idlers, gaskets and a water pump. Because it's 18 years old, I'm replacing the belt at 49K miles.

Appreciate you stopping in Bob but I'd swear you were watching my internet browsing or something...cause water pump is likely getting added to the list since I'm already there.

The belt issue looks like this:



And a close up of the crank end buried back in the bowels of this fine Swedish lady....



Based on a writeup I found of this same job on a earlier model...looks like to get the serp belt off you:

• Pull air cleaner box and air intake pipe
• Pull battery and battery box
• Pull ECM cover
• Unbolt AC compressor and lines to allow to move around
• Speak the magical words long since forgotten and wiggle the tongue the right way

With all that off you supposedly then have good access to the belt, tensioner and idler as well as the water pump and brake vacuum pump. Also looks like the leaky motor mount will be much more accessible at that point so glad I'm already down the path of replacing those as well and will probably go ahead and pull drivers front tire and wheel well cover to make access handier

This model is timing chain instead of timing belt so I don't have to do the mental gymnastics of do I replace the belt at this point since I'm already 75% of the way there

I previously had a '03 Caddy STS with the Northstar....this might give it a run for it's money on serviceability....ugh. From someone who grew up working on farm equipment and 80's or 90's vintage small block chevy's in pickups the concept of an accy drive belt taking more than 20 minutes total and 3 tools is just ridiculous...but I'm also not paying almost 800 bucks for the belt replacement then plus the probably $1,500 in extra stuff like the water pump, idler, tensioner etc that all should be done while there. I should stop bitching about it though as this is the first actual stuff it's needed in roughly 40k miles...and I prefer this over a monthly payment. It also helps justify to my Finance Director the amount of amazon tools delivered over the last month or two....I hope!

But I've now got the water pump and vacuum pump rebuild kit in the RockAuto cart and will order here after the wife gets back and I can check coolant color so I can get the right antifreeze on the same order....good news it means I'm not tearing into this project tomorrow on my day off....bad news is may now be Friday night and Saturday??? Will see how it goes!

Thanks all for following along!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

That makes me want to cry just looking at it...

 

[Bob Heine]

Logan, that looks awfully familiar. I replaced the water pump on my '87 Corvette and I swear there's one in there somewhere.

I had to go back in a few years later and replace the temperature sensor and connector. I'm looking forward to replacing the thermostat one of these days.

 

[gearhead1960]

Logan,
I’m sure you’ve checked the list for all the recommended replacement parts but I would check to see if the crank pulley is recommended for replacement. A late 90’s 2.5 Subie I had specified replacement at a certain mileage due to its 2 piece bonded design. How did I find out? Apparently PO didn’t follow the required replacement and it failed on me, after I tightened a loose belt, while running. Caused the timing belt to jump as it jammed the motor at an instant stop at failure. Jumped 2 teeth. 3 teeth would have spelled complete disaster as the 2.5 of this period was an interference motor. Did the timing belt, tensioners, idlers, etc. and she was good to go until the head gaskets failed….

 

[XJSuperman]

Damn, that is my new reason for not wanting a Volvo.
Just changed a couple pulleys on my K3500 and was amazed at how simple it was. Removing the belt is literally a 3/8 drive ratchet. My jeep has a nasty tensioner that I despise, and the Mini takes some fancy floorjack work, but the GMC....man thats nice. That Volvo looks miserable. Oh, and you're allowed to ***** here, thats another reason forums exist: so people can ***** about their problems to others.

Kinda nice to see some auto work in the garage though, IMHO.

 

[gearhead1960]

Logan,
I’m sure you’ve checked the list for all the recommended replacement parts but I would check to see if the crank pulley is recommended for replacement. A late 90’s 2.5 Subie I had specified replacement at a certain mileage due to its 2 piece bonded design. How did I find out? Apparently PO didn’t follow the required replacement and it failed on me, after I tightened a loose belt, while running. Caused the timing belt to jump as it jammed the motor at an instant stop at failure. Jumped 2 teeth. 3 teeth would have spelled complete disaster as the 2.5 of this period was an interference motor. Did the timing belt, tensioners, idlers, etc. and she was good to go until the head gaskets failed….

Before GJ, I used to post on a little blog that I haven't updated in awhile, as GJ is a far better platform, but I did do a write-up of the crank pulley odyssey here.