Today in automotive history
Jan. 7th, 2010 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgToday I turned off the car stereo and really really listened to The Catmobile on the back streets and on the freeway. I remain convinced that the engine is in fine fettle (last year was a struggle to overcome a niggling timing problem that was solved with a new timing chain and an injector service). And that the interior is in fine rattle. I tried being extra kind on the gear changes which helped a little, but my impression of sticky ickiness remains. It used to go *snick* all by itself.
Now in theory--says the software and human person--I was pretty sure that the gearing problem was a worn bush somewhere in the gear selector assembly, and not down deep inside the gearbox, nor the actual clutch. It's a not unreasonable diagnosis for a 14-year-old moving part that has slowly deteriorated in performance over time. It's technically a consumable. I thought it was probably a not far under the console; I could get to that with a screwdriver, right?
Wrong. Turns out access is through a snap-lock bit of panel so all I had to do was get brave and lever it off. I then spent quite a long time changing gears and looking at the mechanism. It was like a bit of Terminator, with extra ooh and aah. And cat fur. I forgot how much fun it is to look at mechanical machinery and try to figure out how it works. I used to tinker a bit with the Datsun, but it barely had electricals never mind electronics.
I've just remembered I helped BB to replace the fuses in one of his cars once. We didn't do that sort of thing together very often, but I'm happy to have the memory out of cold storage now. One thing my sisters and I will never forget is that we were never allowed to drive the family car because BB as eldest got to borrow it first. This did not end well, and so that was the end of letting the children borrow the family car. I'm also beginning to understand where my vehicular possessiveness comes from. I've let Husband drive her several times, but neither he nor I were particularly comfortable with the idea.
Back in The Catmobile's controls I found a few nuts and bolts that looked like they might benefit* from a bit of tightening, but most importantly I found a split bush! Which seemed capable of occasionally catching the thingie that bumps up against it, particularly in 5th! A possible reason for both the excess play in the gear stick (the bush is squashed) and the occassional stick (the split allows for something to jam slightly).
Yay!
I've actually tried to get a mechanic to look at this bit before (since I had to replace the same part on the Excel), but they've refused, saying it probably wouldn't make a difference. I think it more likely they just didn't want to do a small fiddly repair. I'm not quite ready to go in myself, but I have a mechanically inclined BIL... Otherwise I'm just going to walk right up and say "Replace This Part". Please.
BTW if the shocks are really a problem (and I've had them checked often enough for safety) I just can't feel it. I've chucked her around corners as fast I'm willing to go and there's no wallow. I've braked as sharp as I'm likely to in anything short of an emergency situation and the hood doesn't dip. I wouldn't want to take her any country roads for any length of time, but that's what you get with sports suspension at the best of times.
She's so much fun to drive (except those gear changes).
I think I might make a project out of improving The Catmobile as much as possible at home. It's time to go in and patch up the paintwork and polish up the vinyl. Find a super powerful vacuum cleaner, or splash out on a full detail. Maybe deploy some gaffer tape. At this point I can hardly reduce her market value, and if I need to do it all again in a year or two I'll consider myself grateful that I still have her.
I luff my car. I want to keep her. I'd still like to do test drives of new vehicles--particularly ones I can't afford--but that will be to assess what brand new handling is supposed to feel like. It's research for the benefit of my car :-)
(*) Or possibly be destroyed by.
Now in theory--says the software and human person--I was pretty sure that the gearing problem was a worn bush somewhere in the gear selector assembly, and not down deep inside the gearbox, nor the actual clutch. It's a not unreasonable diagnosis for a 14-year-old moving part that has slowly deteriorated in performance over time. It's technically a consumable. I thought it was probably a not far under the console; I could get to that with a screwdriver, right?
Wrong. Turns out access is through a snap-lock bit of panel so all I had to do was get brave and lever it off. I then spent quite a long time changing gears and looking at the mechanism. It was like a bit of Terminator, with extra ooh and aah. And cat fur. I forgot how much fun it is to look at mechanical machinery and try to figure out how it works. I used to tinker a bit with the Datsun, but it barely had electricals never mind electronics.
I've just remembered I helped BB to replace the fuses in one of his cars once. We didn't do that sort of thing together very often, but I'm happy to have the memory out of cold storage now. One thing my sisters and I will never forget is that we were never allowed to drive the family car because BB as eldest got to borrow it first. This did not end well, and so that was the end of letting the children borrow the family car. I'm also beginning to understand where my vehicular possessiveness comes from. I've let Husband drive her several times, but neither he nor I were particularly comfortable with the idea.
Back in The Catmobile's controls I found a few nuts and bolts that looked like they might benefit* from a bit of tightening, but most importantly I found a split bush! Which seemed capable of occasionally catching the thingie that bumps up against it, particularly in 5th! A possible reason for both the excess play in the gear stick (the bush is squashed) and the occassional stick (the split allows for something to jam slightly).
Yay!
I've actually tried to get a mechanic to look at this bit before (since I had to replace the same part on the Excel), but they've refused, saying it probably wouldn't make a difference. I think it more likely they just didn't want to do a small fiddly repair. I'm not quite ready to go in myself, but I have a mechanically inclined BIL... Otherwise I'm just going to walk right up and say "Replace This Part". Please.
BTW if the shocks are really a problem (and I've had them checked often enough for safety) I just can't feel it. I've chucked her around corners as fast I'm willing to go and there's no wallow. I've braked as sharp as I'm likely to in anything short of an emergency situation and the hood doesn't dip. I wouldn't want to take her any country roads for any length of time, but that's what you get with sports suspension at the best of times.
She's so much fun to drive (except those gear changes).
I think I might make a project out of improving The Catmobile as much as possible at home. It's time to go in and patch up the paintwork and polish up the vinyl. Find a super powerful vacuum cleaner, or splash out on a full detail. Maybe deploy some gaffer tape. At this point I can hardly reduce her market value, and if I need to do it all again in a year or two I'll consider myself grateful that I still have her.
I luff my car. I want to keep her. I'd still like to do test drives of new vehicles--particularly ones I can't afford--but that will be to assess what brand new handling is supposed to feel like. It's research for the benefit of my car :-)
(*) Or possibly be destroyed by.
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Once you've gone rotary it's hard to go back...
Date: 2010-01-08 08:04 am (UTC)I'd love to know how different a real wheel drive car (BMW 3-series might be the easiest to get a drive in since they're common as muck) feels to you.