Strombotne.com » cars

put it in clutch

cs — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:10:51 +0000

Too late. I splurged for an all new replacement Clutch Master Cylinder and installed. Out of curiosity the original unit was disassembled for inspection. Its machined cylinder bore ( 5/8″ ) had no corrosion and was therefore in fair condition. The residual fluid however was filthy black with contamination. The annular lip seals on the piston plunger were likely perished and my thinking is that I could have replaced these and saved the core unit. It may present a small challenge to find these small tapered sealing lip rubber bits. The pictured piston assembly resembles (copies?) that of a type of piston and valve frequently seen for early British Cars made by Dunlop and Girling. One closer look of this piston notes some scuffing. A proper rebuild would require honing the bore. Previously skeptical of dealer recommendations for annual brake fluid changes, cooling system flushes and similar ilk; I now have first hand evidence for the justification. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and thus the degradation. Why not silicon based DOT 5 instead, which is hydrophobic? That is another debate. Perhaps the *new* complete assembly was the path of least resistance after all.

brake job

cs — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:39:26 +0000

No need to pay an automotive service center specialist the big bucks. This is maintenance that can be done in the garage. The local auto parts store has the replacement pads and special tools. Safety stands are necessary since the vehicle will be raised and the wheels removed. Supporting the vehicle with a floor jack is not recommended. Before lifting use your tire iron to loosen slightly the wheel lug nuts. The torque required to break them free will cause wheel rotation unless the weight of the vehicle rests upon it. Continue reading…

pilgrimage

cs — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:27:06 +0000

We went to see the cars on display at the show and, as it happened, this 3rd Annual 2009 Historic Occoneechee-Orange Speedway “Celebration of the Automobile” Car Show & Racers Reunion took place at a location that NASCAR devotees revere as holy ground.

The old speedway site features an oval dirt track which traces its beginnings back to the inaugural 1949 race season for the franchise and is now, in fact, considered to be a historical preservation. The dirt track by now is only partially visible because the infield (and outfields) are completely overgrown with tall pines and woods. There was a crumbling concession stand that they lingered over. Only a broken foundation and a rusty pop cooler were visible in the remains. A section of cement grandstand remains in decay and it was amusing to see the a fore mentioned race fans taking a moment to sit down on them contemplative, solemn and introspect seeing and hearing in their imagination the cars roaring round and round.

Lost in the Translation

cs — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:16:41 +0000

The Google Voice service transcribes voice mail messages ( by machine ) which can be somewhat off:

“This is James a catholic area calling let you know that your car needs 8 number is that it is not opening and closing properly parts and labor to your place with them. That is about 481. Give me a call back. 555-2036. Thank you.”

I get the gist. Thankfully Google has a Play Message Back link with the real deal.

Degas Bottle

cs — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:55:57 +0000

Shade tree mechanic(s) wrestle with a faulty radiator coolant expansion tank: The reservoir was split which allowed weepage and seepage which eventually became leakage. None of these symptoms were visible from the engine compartment topside, except for the occasional adding of coolant. The sickening sweet smell from the slippery glycol mixture dripping from the underbelly was also noted. A new unit was ordered. The challenging bit was the removal of the original hoses and clamps. They were hard to access due to obscure placement and confined space. Luckily we prevailed with the uttering of only a few choice curse words and NO skinned knuckles. We took step by step photos detailing the procedure. Once the new piece was in place we followed the procedure to refill and bleed the system.