Monday, January 26, 2004
Buncha little things got done this weekend, more little things need to get done. That's how it goes.
First of all, two weeks ago I helped Steve fix the short shift kit and install the sway bar into his Mini. So, wander over to Mini Blog for the low-down on that.
Yesterday I performed another oil change and this time pulled out the old gaskets and oil screen that sit on the bottom of the sump. This pic shows the sump, the round thing in the middle is the plate that holds the screen in:
And the gaskets go there to keep oil for seeping out (gaskets and screen):
I also had to tighten the tail pipes, they had shimmied loose. Then I moved on to install (finally!) a new speedometer cable and while I was at it I swapped out the old speedometer with a newer one that the previous owner had given me. The newer one had scratched plexiglass so I swapped the plexi and the chrome ring that holds the plexi in. Here's the new speedo as I'm hooking it up (I took the steering wheel off for easy workin'):
And here's the new speedo in and the old speedo out:
Thennnnnn...I wanted to replace the brake light switches. It was getting dark and I almost didn't do it, but I forged ahead. They were a sunamabitch to get out. The master cylinder that controls the brakes is under the front of the car, drivers side, by the wheel. So, I pulled the wheel off and used much force and a crescent wrench to get the switches loose from the master cyl. I gottem eventually and now the brake lights work superbly. I'm supposed to bleed the brake system after replacing the switches but the brakes feel fine. I'll do it at some point this week but I need to draft a volunteer to step on the brake pedal while I do so.
That was it. I also wanted to remove the exterior door handles and clean out the lock mechanisms. VW Trends had a great article on how to do just that. I also wanted to replace the fuel filter but that'll have to wait too.
Yesterday was, indeed, a productive and successful day.
First of all, two weeks ago I helped Steve fix the short shift kit and install the sway bar into his Mini. So, wander over to Mini Blog for the low-down on that.
Yesterday I performed another oil change and this time pulled out the old gaskets and oil screen that sit on the bottom of the sump. This pic shows the sump, the round thing in the middle is the plate that holds the screen in:
And the gaskets go there to keep oil for seeping out (gaskets and screen):
I also had to tighten the tail pipes, they had shimmied loose. Then I moved on to install (finally!) a new speedometer cable and while I was at it I swapped out the old speedometer with a newer one that the previous owner had given me. The newer one had scratched plexiglass so I swapped the plexi and the chrome ring that holds the plexi in. Here's the new speedo as I'm hooking it up (I took the steering wheel off for easy workin'):
And here's the new speedo in and the old speedo out:
Thennnnnn...I wanted to replace the brake light switches. It was getting dark and I almost didn't do it, but I forged ahead. They were a sunamabitch to get out. The master cylinder that controls the brakes is under the front of the car, drivers side, by the wheel. So, I pulled the wheel off and used much force and a crescent wrench to get the switches loose from the master cyl. I gottem eventually and now the brake lights work superbly. I'm supposed to bleed the brake system after replacing the switches but the brakes feel fine. I'll do it at some point this week but I need to draft a volunteer to step on the brake pedal while I do so.
That was it. I also wanted to remove the exterior door handles and clean out the lock mechanisms. VW Trends had a great article on how to do just that. I also wanted to replace the fuel filter but that'll have to wait too.
Yesterday was, indeed, a productive and successful day.
