The Tips and Tricks thread

[takai]

isn't oil thicker when hot? i would have thought it was best to do it cold, this is interesting, anyone want to give a quick run down on why more comes out?


Thanks

Oil be thinner when hot. Therefore more drains.

[ed]

Inox is tha bomb

inox is teh suck

LANOGUARD is teh BoMb !!

[Skip]

If you have got a very tight nut or bolt that you can only get a combination spanner onto and won't budge, get another spanner a couple of sizes up say 14mm need 17mm, hook the larger spanners closed end onto the open end of the small spanner now your lever arm will be much longer and the offending fastener should budge

[o_man_ra23]

nulon nulube is slipperier than a greased up scotsman

Cheers, Owen

[o_man_ra23]

If you have got a very tight nut or bolt that you can only get a combination spanner onto and won't budge, get another spanner a couple of sizes up say 14mm need 17mm, hook the larger spanners closed end onto the open end of the small spanner now your lever arm will be much longer and the offending fastener should budge

Dont do this with cheap spanners... ive broken quite a few. Good spanners should be all good with it though.

Cheers, Owen

[Nark]

Dont do this with cheap spanners... ive broken quite a few.

Same here. Always scary to break a spanner 'coz you don't know what your hands are gonna hit.

[Hen]

Whenever taking something apart:
- Do some research beforehand and work out whether you really have a chance of succeeding with the job.
- ALWAYS put all bolts and nuts back into their correct holes if at all possible. Means you know where they go and you wont lose them.
- Take WAY more notes/photos than you think necessary. Trust me, you wont remember when you go to put it back together.
- Remember that it will probably be months before you get around to re-assembling it.

Also:
- Whenever doing any wiring work, label everything in sight. You can NEVER label enough wires.
- Don't ever do dodgy wiring. It is easy to do a good job (soldering iron and heat shrink) and you will end up not getting around to cleaning up the wiring and it will bite you later on.
- Twist ties (like from some loaves of bread) are a good, reversible way to check wire routing. However replace them with zipties once the routing and length is worked out.

Hen

[MS-75]

If you have a phillips head screw that is slipping, dip the screwdriver head in coarse valve-grinding paste. The grit increases traction brilliantly.

[myne]

For an old, smokey engine with worn rings, I've been told you can do an 'emergency hone' of the bores.

Rev to about 3000rpm, dribble a tin of brasso into the inlet and then change the oil + filter immediately afterwards.
It scratches the bores and rings to buggery approximating a proper hone.

Obviously it's dodgy as hell but the story is it works.

Also, diesel can be used to clean the oil system. You can actually run a car using diesel as THE oil (diesel is a light lubricating oil). I've done it a couple of times to flush out the sludge. Drain oil, pour in diesel, allow to soak for a bit, start the engine, allow to idle for a few minutes(make sure the oil light turns off) and then drain the sump again. Repeat if nessessary to properly clean the sludge out.

I've also seen diesel used for 2 weeks in an old lazer. The thing had been neglected for 10 years, never had an oil change, and had been continually topped up. Eventually the oil crystalised into hard chunks and eventually the cam siezed in the head, snapping the belt. Cam was unseized, and bearing points were sanded. Head was chiseled out, sump dropped, chiseled tand oil pickup cleaned as best as it could be. It was flushed several times with diesel. Diesel was used as the only lubricant for 2 weeks while being driven gently to and from the workshop (ie home and back). Theory being that it might soften up the remains of the crystalised oil. It seemed to work because once that was done and real oil put back in, the engine was fine. It's not something you'd do to a race car, but for a shitty runaround it worked a charm.

[CrUZida]

If you have a phillips head screw that is slipping, dip the screwdriver head in coarse valve-grinding paste. The grit increases traction brilliantly.

I've gotta try this this weekend.
If it works, and I'm willing to bet money it will, then rep point for you !

[RobertoX]

lol ditto ^^^ that could possibly be the best tip on this list!

another one for clutch plate alignment is to use a broom handle with a rounded end, grind the handle into the splined part of the old clutch plate then cut it off about 15cm long, then bash the round end into the old spigot bearing so it makes a cenrtalised indent. This has aligned about 4 clutches for me and gets it straight first time everytime

If you are unfortunate enough to work on a s13 silvia, never use a jack under the chassis rails, my mate did and they bend like cheese...

[Joorsh]

There's the good old crank pulley bolt trick too.

If you're having trouble getting the crank pulley bolt undone, then attach the socket and breaker bar to the bolt, and brace it under the chassis rail. Then jump in the car and crank the starter motor. Just make sure you brace the breaker bar on the correct side!

[o_man_ra23]

- Don't ever do dodgy wiring. It is easy to do a good job (soldering iron and heat shrink) and you will end up not getting around to cleaning up the wiring and it will bite you later on.

Actually, Soldering wires in automotive applications is dodgy. Solder work hardens from vibrations, and then the solder cracks on the join, and you get what is known as a dry solder, which will cause an intermittent electrical fault, and be the biggest pain in the arse you have ever seen to find. The best way is to buy some good crimpers, about 8 bux should get you a pair that doesnt do wire stripping, but crimps the best out of all, and use crimp lugs of the correct size. Heat shrink is a good way to keep these things oil free and tidy. Ever noticed how all the factory wiring in your car is crimped?? not a drop of solder in sight??

Cheers, Owen

[o_man_ra23]

Sorry, forgot, circuit boards etc are soldered. These however either have vibration damping, like rubber mounts etc, or they are prone to failure. The circuit boards inside your ECU will be rubber mounted to their casing.

Cheers, Owen

[c2888]

For all the wrecking yard scourers, take a backpack, sooo much easier to carry your tools in a backpack.
Get some gloves, either real mechanic ones, but some rigging ones will do. Next time you use that cheap spanner you'll thank me when your hand isn't bleeding profusly.