You flew a plane that did not have one good part on it???? Don't worry, I know what you mean, but funny to read.
Nothing ever goes right when working on my vehicles.
- Thread starter wtd
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The last time I messed with the rear brakes on this car was almost 14 years ago when I put new pads and wheel cylinders in on both sides.
There you go! If you don't want drums or rotors seized on, they need removed every now and then, to check your brakes. Now and then < 14 yrs.
The last time I messed with the rear brakes on this car was almost 14 years ago when I put new pads and wheel cylinders in on both sides.
There you go! If you don't want drums or rotors seized on, they need removed every now and then, to check your brakes. Now and then < 14 yrs.
You must do this work with love and when things start going South it's time to light up a roll your own and just laugh as this to shall pass.
If it moves, it will fail. The only question is how and when.
Good catch Lolvoguy.
Ah yes, the posts here remind me of the 1970s and 80s when I did much of my car's maintenance myself, including all 4 drum brakes. The brakes usually announced the need for service when they did not grab equally and the car would drift to one side on hard braking. Or the one time braking got weak and I found one brake shoe down to metal! Usually the job needed new brake linings or slave cylinders. I had to do the master cylinder only once, I recall. It was cheaper to hone the cylinders then, than get new ones. So that's what I did - got a hone, used it with a powered drill to get the pits out of the cylinders. Then used 1000 grit sandpaper to make the insides smoother. Bought rebuild kits with the new rubber boots and piston cups.
Same thing with the brake shoes. Cheaper to replace the linings than to get new shoes, so that's what I usually did. (Money was tight.) I'd take them to the local reliner. I would wait 90 minutes for him to pry off the old linings and put in new ones. I found out that using glue instead of rivets would allow me to run the brakes longer without service, since the rivet heads would rub the drums once the linings got thinner. Glued on linings allowed me to run them much thinner before needing replacement. The brake relining man took 40 minutes more if I wanted glue instead of rivets as he had to bake the shoes in the oven for 20 minutes. That, plus the 20 minute cool down period.
Now that I'm in my 60s and nearing retirement, I'm so grateful for disc brakes. Less maintenance, easier to service, and cheaper too.
Same thing with the brake shoes. Cheaper to replace the linings than to get new shoes, so that's what I usually did. (Money was tight.) I'd take them to the local reliner. I would wait 90 minutes for him to pry off the old linings and put in new ones. I found out that using glue instead of rivets would allow me to run the brakes longer without service, since the rivet heads would rub the drums once the linings got thinner. Glued on linings allowed me to run them much thinner before needing replacement. The brake relining man took 40 minutes more if I wanted glue instead of rivets as he had to bake the shoes in the oven for 20 minutes. That, plus the 20 minute cool down period.
Now that I'm in my 60s and nearing retirement, I'm so grateful for disc brakes. Less maintenance, easier to service, and cheaper too.
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If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
I had all of the tools to do the job so that was not an issue. I don't like doing drum brakes and would much prefer discs but it was good practice. I did do the job right. I even bought a new brake hardware kit that replaced all of the springs and some of the levers.
You guys are correct in saying I should have removed the drums a long time ago to make sure everything was okay but since I didn't have any rear brake issues for a long time I just didn't do it. Lesson learned.
I did get the brakes bled this morning and had to readjust the left side shoes because the wheel did not spin very well with the tire mounted back on.
You guys are correct in saying I should have removed the drums a long time ago to make sure everything was okay but since I didn't have any rear brake issues for a long time I just didn't do it. Lesson learned.
I did get the brakes bled this morning and had to readjust the left side shoes because the wheel did not spin very well with the tire mounted back on.
Originally Posted by SeaJay
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
Heh, some truth there.
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
Heh, some truth there.
I replaced the fuel filters on my F250 a few weeks ago like I've done several times since buying the truck. The fuel line for the filter under the hood had a 1/8" molded hose barb going into it for a return line from the injectors. Needless to say I managed to snap the barb off while trying to dissconct the housing. At 4:45pm my nearest dealer parts counter had closed early from covid-19 hysteria. I called another local dealer that informed me the part in question came part of a $160 fuel line assembly (good news was it was in stock).
I examined the part I had broken and decided to try and repair it. I snipped the broken remnants of the plastic barb off and remembered seeing a brass double ended hose barb at a hardware across town. The next morning I wasted time stopping at several parts stores and hardware to see if I could find it closer. No luck but I did find one where I had remembered seeing it the first time.
On my way home my wife had me stop here and there for different reasons. When I got home that 1/8" by 1" single brass barb in the tiny Ziploc bag was no where to be found.
Back to the hardware. Once home with 2 more barbs this time, I measured the outer diameter of the barb and found a tad smaller drill bit and carefully drilled through the thin plastic where the molded barb broke off. I coated the outside of brass barb in super glue to kinda lube and bond and gently pressed it in with channel locks. It snuggly fit so I let the glue dry overnight.
I Googled my fuel fitting predicament and located a replacement part for $30 On eBay. Of course I hit the buy it now button. The next day I reinforced my superglue job with a little fuel tank safe epoxy.
The following day, (Monday) went to put everything back together and broke a quick connect clip. My nearby local dealer had opened back up so I called. After emailing me some parts diagrams he told me " I think I have the clip you need but it's sold with a $10 fitting. I drove up there to check it out. It was the part I'd spent all weekend repairing and told it was sold in an assembley and bought on eBay for $30....just not the little retaining clip I needed (ford did improve the design to protect the barb from getting broken on the new part). I bought it anyway in case my repair plan didnt pan out and the ebay item wasnt right or useable.
After examining the function of the broken clip I decided I could fish a small zip tie in there, it would grab the fuel line as the clip intended and hold the fuel line in place. The worst that could happen would be a fire and I would make sure to leave my phone in the truck so someone else would have to call the fire dept to put it out.
I bled the air out as per Ford's procedure and she fired right up and ran great. No leaks, not sucking air, no fire. Time will tell how my Super glue/epoxy/zip tie repair will hold up, but I'll know I'm out $160 for that fuel line assembly which will come with another "T" fitting that I already have 2 extras. (BTW, the ebay part came in, it was new in package Ford part)
https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-part...N0-4uXN5YqwAwJLuJNPQ1Bj5cGIaAiWWEALw_wcB
I examined the part I had broken and decided to try and repair it. I snipped the broken remnants of the plastic barb off and remembered seeing a brass double ended hose barb at a hardware across town. The next morning I wasted time stopping at several parts stores and hardware to see if I could find it closer. No luck but I did find one where I had remembered seeing it the first time.
On my way home my wife had me stop here and there for different reasons. When I got home that 1/8" by 1" single brass barb in the tiny Ziploc bag was no where to be found.
Back to the hardware. Once home with 2 more barbs this time, I measured the outer diameter of the barb and found a tad smaller drill bit and carefully drilled through the thin plastic where the molded barb broke off. I coated the outside of brass barb in super glue to kinda lube and bond and gently pressed it in with channel locks. It snuggly fit so I let the glue dry overnight.
I Googled my fuel fitting predicament and located a replacement part for $30 On eBay. Of course I hit the buy it now button. The next day I reinforced my superglue job with a little fuel tank safe epoxy.
The following day, (Monday) went to put everything back together and broke a quick connect clip. My nearby local dealer had opened back up so I called. After emailing me some parts diagrams he told me " I think I have the clip you need but it's sold with a $10 fitting. I drove up there to check it out. It was the part I'd spent all weekend repairing and told it was sold in an assembley and bought on eBay for $30....just not the little retaining clip I needed (ford did improve the design to protect the barb from getting broken on the new part). I bought it anyway in case my repair plan didnt pan out and the ebay item wasnt right or useable.
After examining the function of the broken clip I decided I could fish a small zip tie in there, it would grab the fuel line as the clip intended and hold the fuel line in place. The worst that could happen would be a fire and I would make sure to leave my phone in the truck so someone else would have to call the fire dept to put it out.
I bled the air out as per Ford's procedure and she fired right up and ran great. No leaks, not sucking air, no fire. Time will tell how my Super glue/epoxy/zip tie repair will hold up, but I'll know I'm out $160 for that fuel line assembly which will come with another "T" fitting that I already have 2 extras. (BTW, the ebay part came in, it was new in package Ford part)
https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-part...N0-4uXN5YqwAwJLuJNPQ1Bj5cGIaAiWWEALw_wcB
Originally Posted by SeaJay
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
If book says .75/hr and they charge 2.5 because they are slow/inept, that is crooked, yes.
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
If book says .75/hr and they charge 2.5 because they are slow/inept, that is crooked, yes.
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted by dwcopple
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
I think I found the source of your problems....
Originally Posted by wtd
Last week the right rear wheel kept locking up on my 92 Cavalier when applying the brakes ....
Nailed it
Asinine comment.
The later cavaliers were my rental of choice. Nice driving vehicle unlike garbage Hondas or Camry of the same period.
Agree. I've had a couple of Cavaliers and they were as reliable as anything out there if not more so. Imports are overrated.
Originally Posted by dwcopple
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
I think I found the source of your problems....
Originally Posted by wtd
Last week the right rear wheel kept locking up on my 92 Cavalier when applying the brakes ....
Nailed it
Asinine comment.
The later cavaliers were my rental of choice. Nice driving vehicle unlike garbage Hondas or Camry of the same period.
Agree. I've had a couple of Cavaliers and they were as reliable as anything out there if not more so. Imports are overrated.
I had a 2000 cavalier for 3 months, I bought from my best friend and his wife. She bought it when it was 3 years old. At 120k miles it was still like new and had very little in repairs over the years. She had anxiety and would fix any little noise she heard in the car. It was a great car but it didn't save me enough $ in fuel to be worth the increase in insurance when I had to pay for it and my 1984 cutlass. So I sold it for what I paid ($1500)
Originally Posted by dwcopple
Originally Posted by SeaJay
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
If book says .75/hr and they charge 2.5 because they are slow/inept, that is crooked, yes.
I think I get what you mean?.....You shouldn't pay more just because of a lacking skill set. That's fair BUT.....Book times don't take in account for rust/corrosion, broke/stuck/rounded fasteners, Or dirt/mud/oil accumulation.
Repair times are based on brand new cars in a controlled environment with every tool needed layed out, Then on top of that....It's usually averaged over three successive removal & replacements of said component.
Originally Posted by SeaJay
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
If book says .75/hr and they charge 2.5 because they are slow/inept, that is crooked, yes.
I think I get what you mean?.....You shouldn't pay more just because of a lacking skill set. That's fair BUT.....Book times don't take in account for rust/corrosion, broke/stuck/rounded fasteners, Or dirt/mud/oil accumulation.
Repair times are based on brand new cars in a controlled environment with every tool needed layed out, Then on top of that....It's usually averaged over three successive removal & replacements of said component.
Originally Posted by clinebarger
Originally Posted by dwcopple
Originally Posted by SeaJay
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
If book says .75/hr and they charge 2.5 because they are slow/inept, that is crooked, yes.
I think I get what you mean?.....You shouldn't pay more just because of a lacking skill set. That's fair BUT.....Book times don't take in account for rust/corrosion, broke/stuck/rounded fasteners, Or dirt/mud/oil accumulation.
Repair times are based on brand new cars in a controlled environment with every tool needed layed out, Then on top of that....It's usually averaged over three successive removal & replacements of said component.
Very true. If a vehicle had severe corrosion and was going to take a significant amount of extra time we would add that to our estimate when I was a service writer.
That said I've seen my boss heavily discount an old ladies rusted out Malibu, only so that it didn't get scrapped. It was likely to be her last car and if she had to buy a new one we wouldn't get any $ except oil changes for a while.
Originally Posted by dwcopple
Originally Posted by SeaJay
If this had been done by a shop we would have instead had a "what a bunch of crooks charging me 2.5 hours of labor to do a simple brake job that I could have done at home in 45 minutes" rant.
If book says .75/hr and they charge 2.5 because they are slow/inept, that is crooked, yes.
I think I get what you mean?.....You shouldn't pay more just because of a lacking skill set. That's fair BUT.....Book times don't take in account for rust/corrosion, broke/stuck/rounded fasteners, Or dirt/mud/oil accumulation.
Repair times are based on brand new cars in a controlled environment with every tool needed layed out, Then on top of that....It's usually averaged over three successive removal & replacements of said component.
Very true. If a vehicle had severe corrosion and was going to take a significant amount of extra time we would add that to our estimate when I was a service writer.
That said I've seen my boss heavily discount an old ladies rusted out Malibu, only so that it didn't get scrapped. It was likely to be her last car and if she had to buy a new one we wouldn't get any $ except oil changes for a while.
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It seems like lately every time I work on anything it takes twice as long as it should. Jobs like this brake job reinforces why I am not a mechanic even though I like to fix things.
Same thing usually happens to me, although usually because of lack of proper tools or a hoist or garage.
That kind of stuff will happen when you go 14 years without pulling the drums. Brakes should be inspected at least every 10,000 miles.
Originally Posted by DGXR
That kind of stuff will happen when you go 14 years without pulling the drums. Brakes should be inspected at least every 10,000 miles.
That is true but there would not have been any reason to pull the hub/bearing assembly off that often and it was rusted on as well.
That kind of stuff will happen when you go 14 years without pulling the drums. Brakes should be inspected at least every 10,000 miles.
That is true but there would not have been any reason to pull the hub/bearing assembly off that often and it was rusted on as well.
