So I went from chasing computer issues on every system... and not working on the Van on Thursday to well... lets see. Left after finally getting everything sorted out on Thursday, swung through a parts store to grab a couple cans of Brake cleaner.
Dude pulls in just in front of me, mechanic greys with name tag, grumpy, typical 50 odd year old mechanic, at least you know they look older than me so that's my guess... to return a $3.54 gasket, mask sign up, plexi shields, like super full coverage not going anywhere shields and employee's wearing well fitting masks, and this dude, loud, no mask just wants to return. Takes a while. I get my stuff and get blown sideways a bit in the cold wind riding home.
Updated Friday plans were to get the brakes done then head to office for meeting. Wind up just working from home all day and working on the van for part of it.
Getting the tools out and everything ready to go takes WAY more time than actually fixing anything.
Chatted with my brother, he's got a kid in development, a minor complication was explained to me, things are good, and outlook is excellent but there are a few things to deal with, I really feel for him and while it felt like we waited forever to have kids, glad we didn't wait longer. Also I can't imagine adding sleepless nights on top of all this right now.
Finally got stuff started, DB stopped by, was actually really nice to hang out with someone, outside, distanced but lots of crossover interests, cars, bikes, other stuff, good person. Brakes are easy, hardest part of the van is that it uses the VW style rear brake with the caliper piston that has to be twisted and compressed. Can't do a straight up push back in.
Once side just got to the metal (yeah duh, that's what it sounded like). The other side? FROZEN. Caliper ain't been doing SHIT for a loooooooong time. I do kind of remember them saying something down in VA when we tried to trade it in (they said here we'll give you $390) and the wheel bearings were toast and I paid for a full eval that the caliper was likely frozen, the transmission was needing a full overhaul/rebuild. And yeah the wheel bearings.
I took the passenger side off and yup, maybe 30% worn? Maybe? Slider pin on the driver's side, just one of them, had a torn boot and was slightly rusty but I filled it up with grease last time and only slightly rusty and sticky, still moving. Passenger side? Slider pins were moving free, rubber seal around the piston? busted, hole in it. NO WONDER the piston sized. I did manage to compress it, took a bit. It ain't un-compressing.
The Driver's side was cranked way out, all the way to the backing plate, rotor thin, and then I pushed all that garbage fluid back into the system. oops. Yeah, should have bled them right then and there, but I didn't dig out the DOT fluid or the miti-vac. Thinking, just gotta get a few more months. It'll be fine.
The upper shock mount on the driver's rear side was wiggly. Like could easily clunk it by hand. Explains the clunking eh? Trailing arm bushings looked better than the motor mounts (they are totally dead - along with an almost dead oil/coolant exchanger) but that's not saying much.
$60 later there's some shiny new rotors and pads and instead of grinding along it is nice and quiet and smooth. Or that's how the Kid thought it drove. before my meeting we went for a drive. Only almost had a head on collision with one turn into a UPS truck (avoidance reactions are good on that kid). Reported van driving much better.
Mind you this is from someone with only a handful of hours driving. Still learning.
Meeting, dinner, get ready for the next day.
meet up with Don R, we started working together at NBX in '13 and had been on road rides but never a MTB ride even though he's a MTBr. Finally Saturday before work, headed to the trail.
Went to put my foot on the brake leaving and it felt a bit soft.
Went to slow down and it slowed down fine, then had to stop, HOLY SHIT OMG. that was almost like when the Passat blew out the brake line that one PVD CX race with Jerry. Like ooh shit i gotta put my foot down hard and no, it isn't slowing down much.
I hate DOT fluid. And myself for not bleeding the brakes.
Pull in to Greasy Joe's a few minutes late. Don says, "there's water coming out from the front of the car" just a puddle or dripping? "Nope that's a lot and that's coolant."
well fuck...
sure enough there's fucking coolant coming out from the side of the radiator. Not obvious leak but that's coolant and that is coming from this car.
seriously?
Had a great ride, a bit distracted. Called E, said maybe take a look at used car inventory, maybe we don't wait till September...
Head to shop, grab seatpost and brake rotors and a gorgeous D/A crank (Yo, anyone want to buy a 50x36 NEW dura-ace chainring combo?) Build three sold bikes, van doesn't actually lose anymore fluid, that's weird. Yes radiator is full, overflow actually had more in it than at the trailhead.
Get home. OH FUCK THESE BRAKES ARE NOT NORMAL and traffic was nuts so i was basically always having to overcome the instinctive and expectation of pedal feel and braking. Was not fun.
E finds a car. I get over there, after heading home and emptying the van (easy since I did that in January) we drive it, it works, kind of stinks but not a cig oder and not terrible, it isn't white (E flat out says no white) it is inexpensive and they'll give us a grand for the van. Reluctantly. I mean sure I could cut out the catalytic converter and get close to that for that alone. And yeah sure part it out but no. There's something about doing even more work and then what with it that I just don't have time or desire to do and $1000 just to hand them the title and keys w/o doing anything else? yes PLEASE.
I'm headed back this afternoon to do just that and drive away with. ugh a heart killing sedan. For a Golf guy, a hatchback person, a sedan just seems ugh, but... it will be the kid's car and as a Jetta i will not get attached to it. It will do what we need to do and an unexpected gift from E's aunt's estate helps make it affordable. TMI maybe, but hey. What isn't. That and it should be easier for Kid to learn to drive and park and all that for the driver's test, AND since E won't let the kid learn in the new car, they'll turn this into the daily driver.
First time we've ever had two cars this new, ever. Kind of strange. Well it hasn't happened yet but will soon.
And heck if I hadn't put the brakes in they'd def had balked on the full value on the trade, and sure could have private partied it but also - yeah no - yes - there are different/better ways to do it but one thing I've sort of started to realized and learn, doing it the easiest way and with the least anxiety is worth more than the value in cash difference going the hard uncertain route can be. For me. Everyone is different, gotta do what works best for you. I'll take this hit.
While I was at the shop I did order the chainrings, BB and even splurged on new chainring bolts for the Dura Ace crank, you can't just be putting any old random bolts on a D/A crank! Next week the Crockett with ride with road cranks for the first time ever. Seriously, anyone wanna buy some rings?
Oh and the big reason for the brakes then? Had to go to Boston to pick up other kid and an apartment full of stuff and a bike.
stuff fits in wagon, bike + stuff does not. have whisper bars for wagon, borrowed upright mount to put on them. drove in the rain to B to get kid and home sunday. Then shopping. then home. Doesn't sound like too much but it was a loooong weekend. And with the radiator unknown and shitty nearly non-existent brakes the last thing I'd wanted to do was take that big beast to boston. Also it hasn't really gotten more than 20 mpg lately - even with highway miles. Wagon gets double that. Might take a little while to recover cost of new car but new one should be close to the economy of the wagon and that's a good thing. And holy shit the van is clunking even more lately. Maybe me wiggling it wasn't a good idea. But it is also clunking up front too, suspension and motor mounts.
But yes, honestly - the van has served well, and it has a ton of issues, and is it reliable? Nope, not by a long stretch but it served well. Basically a year of MTB and driving to Ganset for work. Hopes to make it to Great Glen, well, it might not have actually made it there, might have blown up in heavy Friday traffic on the way there and really been a pain.
And man do I hate cars. Although i wouldn't mind having a garage with a lift and a nice rust free A4 2 door Golf TDI ALH... in black, with 1" front lift, Bilstien sport shocks and the heavy springs and big honking injectors and a nice tune... and whatever clutch came stock in the 99.5
Or a vanagon, with the ALH conversion... maybe an old A1 or A2 diesel rabbit... but really? I think the Top Fuel and a good rack system for whatever car we have now, will be awesome and enough.
I'm kind of hoping the next car will be all electric and the only fluid i'll have to deal with is the washer kind.
Big changes i guess...
Best part of getting the brakes done was hanging out with a friend, it was windy but sunny and nice. Had a great ride with another friend, was made to feel like i mattered (better word but hard to fully express so leaving it) by the generosity of the boss at the bike shop, grateful to be in a place where it was possible to actually move on from this old beast of a car. The new one isn't perfect and I think that's good in lots of ways.
Lots of words, I know. Maybe smackdown tomorrow. Maybe everything will come together. Maybe a pan of white vinegar in the new jetta will cut through the smell. And just maybe I will catch all the mice that have invade our house after being evicted from their decades long home next door (forgot about that danger of the semi-vacant next door house being sold).
Still a few things to do, big ones, hoping the activation energy i've got now hangs out for a while longer
Anyway - I watched this - opened up the weblog edit tool and instead of just posting it I wrote all that (with the breaks here and there to fix, troubleshoot, keep working and answer questions).
Link to page with info and more indepth to this video
that was before this video launched...
G
2 comments:
Fixing cars without a shop is a young person's game. Hell even with a shop... I've been looking at used cars and vans lately. It's exhausting. So I just took the XBox in for... exhaust. Whatever. Like you said, take the path of least resistance/anxiety. It's only money, and I've spent so much less than average over the past 45 years of driving, I'll take a hit now to save a backache. I'm not doing my own stunts anymore!
Rear brakes aren't bad but yeah, agree.
But i'll probably still put the hitch on the new car myself.
like an idiot
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