Wednesday, January 25, 2023

We Have Good News! We Have Bad News!

Box in the mail? CAR PARTS!

Nothing really dramatic going on, but this past week has been both good and bad out in the NMS-North garage. Let's go live to the scene:

1. On the both Good and Bad side, I checked the power steering fluid on the Cayman. It has gotten low a few times, so I was being MISTER PROACTIVE GUY and checking it before it got squeaky and low on fluid. This is not a big deal really, it just takes a bit more time than on a front engine car, but easy enough to pry off the carpeted cover, unscrew 5 Torx bolts, and then you have access to the dipstick. Hey, the fluid was good! While I've got the covers off, why not check out the rest of the engine bay, grab the various hoses and make sure they are OK! What could happen?

Old broken crankcase vent hose, time to order a new one. 

Well, grabbing a brittle plastic 14-year-old air hose from the crankcase and having it crack right in half in my bare hand is what could happen! A quick activation of the World Wide Internet Mechanics Earthbound Resources (WWIMER) on various Porsche and car forums confirmed what part I had broken, and it was easy to order a replacement. At this time, I'd like to remind you of the 5th LAW OF THE INTERNETS states that when you ask for opinions on stuff like brake pads, oil, what kind of car to buy, or any car repair, you will get at least 5 people to reply, and they will provide you with at least 10 different possible answers. This LAW never fails, and while it might contain the correct solution, it's right back in your lap to figure it out. 

New hose, just need to connect all three ends. Luckily, it's on top of the engine.

So, I ordered the new part and waited. Other possible repairs to make it drivable were to just tape it up and drive, but luckily, since I can walk to work, I just bit the bullet and spent the money to fix it with the right part. And let me tell you, biting a bullet is NOT the gastronomical delight you might think it is! 

2. The 160,000 mile Camry just developed a squeak. Another little bit of research on the WWIMER turned up a couple of videos that zeroed in on the steering shaft down at the floor by the gas pedal. Sure enough, that's exactly where the squeak was coming from! A little silicone lubricant and the noise went away! Oh, but then I had a car interior that had a strong odor of the lubricant, so we hit it with some Febreze and left the windows open. Things are not squeaking and starting to smell better. 

On a related note, some car forum I was reading today had some discussions on other interior car squeaks, and several real people suggested just turning up the radio or wearing ear buds to cover up the noise! Sounds good to me!

New hose installed, just the three ends clipped in, and two other spots also held by clips. 

3. Back on the good news side, the part for the Cayman came in, and I managed to remove the old hose and install the new one. The hardest part was squeezing and removing the connectors on the old part, but they eventually relented and made way for the new part. All three connections made a solid CLICK as they snapped into place, and my quick test drive to go buy the winning Powerball ticket confirmed that the car was running fine!

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