HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
"When it rains it pours".
So, last Friday I was looking forward to a little quality time in the garage wrenching with my 20 year-old son, who called earlier in the week to report his Fox mustang's heater core was leaking. While we wouldn't have time to pull the dash and replace it, we planned on at least pulling the hoses off and bypassing it so it wouldn't leak onto the carpet. The plan was to buy some time until we had time to fix it correctly.
Well right on time, he rolls into the driveway and gets out and lets me know that the a/c stopped working completely on the drive down. Of course I checked the fuse. Not it. Took the glovebox out and got my multimeter hooked up. 12V to the fan with the switch on, but the fan isn't turning.
So we pulled the entire blower assembly and hooked the motor up to a second battery (kind of like asking your doctor for a second opinion.) No joy. I checked all around and none of the autoparts stores in my area had a blower for a 1989 mustang in stock, so I ordered one. Meanwhile it's supposed to hit 95 in the coming week and the boy has a job interview on Friday after lunch. So I told him we'd leave the mustang apart until the parts came and he could take his brother's car back when he left on Saturday.
Saturday rolls around and I get up and take his brother's Subaru WRX to the gas station to fill it up. On the way back, one of the belts is screaming so loud I can actually smell burning rubber. ****. And, as we're supposed to leave for a wedding in an hour, I'm already wearing a suit. Suit and all, I check it out and first thing I notice is there's coolant under the car. I'm thinking water pump failure and coolant all over the timing belt and that's the squeel. That's about an 8 hour job and we're late leaving for the wedding.
So, we park the subaru and go to the wedding. Luckily, his grandparents live in the town the wedding is in and they have a spare car they offer to loan him for the week so he can get back home and have a car to drive to work for the week and his job interview. The car (older Toyota Prius) even has a/c...so at least he's in good shape there.
Sunday we get up and I start in on the Subaru while the wife starts mowing. 5 minutes in (I didn't even have my tools all drug out) the mower stops and she comes into the garage. "The belt came off the mower". Wonderful.
So, I check that out. Yes the belt came off. It came off because the tensioner pulley has flown apart in 3 different pieces. ****. Sunday. No way am I getting parts for this.
I went in and added gas to the push mower, which hasn't been started in about 3 years. Surely the machine gods owe me one favor here? Evidently not. Even after cleaning out the fuel bowl and spraying it with ether, I could only get it to run for about 5 seconds at a time. Carb needs pulled and cleaned or rebuilt.
So, back I go to the riding mower. Did I mention the grass is about 9 inches tall and it's supposed to rain in the next few hours? I took the mangled bits of idler pulley that were left into the garage, clamped them in a vice and sort of pathetically beat on them with a brass hammer until they resembled a tin foil replica of an idler pulley. I reinstalled them on the mower deck sandwiched between a couple of hardened washers there to keep the junk from just falling back apart. Realizing I now have a spinning pulley mounted between two stationary washers, I get out my oil can and shoot them liberally down with oil (Yeah...that should do it) and start up the mower. I made a run around the yard, and MIRACLE it seemed to work, so I told the wife to pray while she mowed and I went to the computer to order a replacement pulley.
Back to the Subaru. All the coolant was running out of the frame. There was none at all anywhere near the water pump or even the engine. I checked the radiator and it was fine. Looking at the overflow tank the level was above full. Best I could figure the coolant tank puked, possibly because of an air pocket left when I changed the timing belt a few weeks ago and had the radiator out. The squealing belt symptoms went away/returned by switching the a/c on or off. Off to the parts store and picked up both accessory belts for the car (the a/c belt is in back anyway behind the alternator belt). My youngest son helped me get the old belts off and new ones on and tensioned and everything was great for a test drive. Even let it sit running in the drive and it didn't leak any coolant, so I called that one fixed.
Tuesday I pulled my '65 mustang into the garage and pulled out the seats, as the upholstery guy needs them this week to recover. I've been waiting 10 weeks for him to call. Of course he waited until THIS WEEK to call.
Wednesday I got the mower parts and started in on it. But, the belt looked like **** so I didn't get it finished as the stores were all closed by then.
Thursday I got the new blower in for the kid's mustang. Installed it and put it back together. The a/c was cycling, so I checked the freon. Low, so I added a can and hope that keeps it going for the summer. Also got the new belt on the mower and buttoned it up.
So as of right this minute...I have nothing broken other than my pushmower. Not sure if I want to mess with it or not. What a week!
Oh wait...I'm still going to have to pull the dash on the mustang and actually replace that heater core too. GRRR. It never ends.
Phil
So, last Friday I was looking forward to a little quality time in the garage wrenching with my 20 year-old son, who called earlier in the week to report his Fox mustang's heater core was leaking. While we wouldn't have time to pull the dash and replace it, we planned on at least pulling the hoses off and bypassing it so it wouldn't leak onto the carpet. The plan was to buy some time until we had time to fix it correctly.
Well right on time, he rolls into the driveway and gets out and lets me know that the a/c stopped working completely on the drive down. Of course I checked the fuse. Not it. Took the glovebox out and got my multimeter hooked up. 12V to the fan with the switch on, but the fan isn't turning.
So we pulled the entire blower assembly and hooked the motor up to a second battery (kind of like asking your doctor for a second opinion.) No joy. I checked all around and none of the autoparts stores in my area had a blower for a 1989 mustang in stock, so I ordered one. Meanwhile it's supposed to hit 95 in the coming week and the boy has a job interview on Friday after lunch. So I told him we'd leave the mustang apart until the parts came and he could take his brother's car back when he left on Saturday.
Saturday rolls around and I get up and take his brother's Subaru WRX to the gas station to fill it up. On the way back, one of the belts is screaming so loud I can actually smell burning rubber. ****. And, as we're supposed to leave for a wedding in an hour, I'm already wearing a suit. Suit and all, I check it out and first thing I notice is there's coolant under the car. I'm thinking water pump failure and coolant all over the timing belt and that's the squeel. That's about an 8 hour job and we're late leaving for the wedding.
So, we park the subaru and go to the wedding. Luckily, his grandparents live in the town the wedding is in and they have a spare car they offer to loan him for the week so he can get back home and have a car to drive to work for the week and his job interview. The car (older Toyota Prius) even has a/c...so at least he's in good shape there.
Sunday we get up and I start in on the Subaru while the wife starts mowing. 5 minutes in (I didn't even have my tools all drug out) the mower stops and she comes into the garage. "The belt came off the mower". Wonderful.
So, I check that out. Yes the belt came off. It came off because the tensioner pulley has flown apart in 3 different pieces. ****. Sunday. No way am I getting parts for this.
I went in and added gas to the push mower, which hasn't been started in about 3 years. Surely the machine gods owe me one favor here? Evidently not. Even after cleaning out the fuel bowl and spraying it with ether, I could only get it to run for about 5 seconds at a time. Carb needs pulled and cleaned or rebuilt.
So, back I go to the riding mower. Did I mention the grass is about 9 inches tall and it's supposed to rain in the next few hours? I took the mangled bits of idler pulley that were left into the garage, clamped them in a vice and sort of pathetically beat on them with a brass hammer until they resembled a tin foil replica of an idler pulley. I reinstalled them on the mower deck sandwiched between a couple of hardened washers there to keep the junk from just falling back apart. Realizing I now have a spinning pulley mounted between two stationary washers, I get out my oil can and shoot them liberally down with oil (Yeah...that should do it) and start up the mower. I made a run around the yard, and MIRACLE it seemed to work, so I told the wife to pray while she mowed and I went to the computer to order a replacement pulley.
Back to the Subaru. All the coolant was running out of the frame. There was none at all anywhere near the water pump or even the engine. I checked the radiator and it was fine. Looking at the overflow tank the level was above full. Best I could figure the coolant tank puked, possibly because of an air pocket left when I changed the timing belt a few weeks ago and had the radiator out. The squealing belt symptoms went away/returned by switching the a/c on or off. Off to the parts store and picked up both accessory belts for the car (the a/c belt is in back anyway behind the alternator belt). My youngest son helped me get the old belts off and new ones on and tensioned and everything was great for a test drive. Even let it sit running in the drive and it didn't leak any coolant, so I called that one fixed.
Tuesday I pulled my '65 mustang into the garage and pulled out the seats, as the upholstery guy needs them this week to recover. I've been waiting 10 weeks for him to call. Of course he waited until THIS WEEK to call.
Wednesday I got the mower parts and started in on it. But, the belt looked like **** so I didn't get it finished as the stores were all closed by then.
Thursday I got the new blower in for the kid's mustang. Installed it and put it back together. The a/c was cycling, so I checked the freon. Low, so I added a can and hope that keeps it going for the summer. Also got the new belt on the mower and buttoned it up.
So as of right this minute...I have nothing broken other than my pushmower. Not sure if I want to mess with it or not. What a week!
Oh wait...I'm still going to have to pull the dash on the mustang and actually replace that heater core too. GRRR. It never ends.
Phil
