Mechanic dez (an imagined character)

How would mechanic dez show up?

Classical music or pop rock
Softly pondering until
Absolute silence is part of the diagnosis
Listen for that seal
Squeak or klunk

A fellow PERMIES
Told me
“Life’s too short for poor sound quality..”
So in john’s honor, the audio experience of
Analog amps would be the standard
In this shop ;)
Ahoy

Instead of the usual woolen cowboy hat
A cotton beret
Summer in the outdoors is the best
Way to work on cars
(Had the opportunity to try a water pump
Replacement on Doug this summer ‘23. Enjoyable factor was high.)

It’s been a childhood dream to be a car mechanic
A fascination
A twinkling oasis in the desert
Excited to see the excellence that
May chance

The confidence
From knowing that my
Dreams fantasy imagination
Are supported
indefinitely
  This must be the year of breakthrough
  The rhythm of relax into it
  The dance of authenticity sans compromise
  The song of numerous laughters

Value 1: excellence; show up ready willing thorough curious .. caressing ideas into manifestation .. efficient and effective movements .. following systems that are proven .. the extra mile .. the profesional isn’t best at skills; they simply practice the fundamentals, and the other skills catch up with time love and experiences.. the canvas to express tlc hehe

Value 2: enjoy thoroughly; be double triple safe, and take frequent moments to have fun times.. always respect and honor the trajectory.. be present to the gift of human being.. honor your pace

First report

DOUG
Consumes coolant.
White exhaust.
Recommend new engine.


JUDY
Rough running.
Possible misfire.
Recommend clean EGR VALVE as first step.

TOOTS
Exhaust enters cabin through vents.
Recommend inspection diagnosis.

RAVi
CEL (check engine light) on solid.
P0430
P0420
O2 sensor readings fluctuate and not steady.  Indicates catalytic converter(s) fowled.
Recommend inspect O2 sensors and monitor closely, as next immediate step.
Hear suspension knock over bumps. Recommend suspension inspection.

PRIUS
A/C system has initial odor.
Recommend fluid checks between oil changes as part of regular maintenance.

Hiya Dez;  (A non- imagined real living, breathing, person)
You should have mentioned this while you were here.
When I am not building Rocket stoves or operating cranes, I renew /restore older Subarus and resell them.
I would have bent your ear more about Subaru's and how to buy and maintain them.
Sort of Zen and the art of Subaru maintenance.
Perhaps in the future...

Funds are tight right now.

Dez, can you give me some idea of what these things are going to cost?

My guess is that we should get doug lined up for an engine replacement.  We need to figure out where we will take doug to do this.

Doug, judy and toots should be parked until we can get them sorted.  In the meantime, we make due with the rav and our electric bicycles.

Post 2

Friday august 18 ‘23

Today:
2006 Honda odyssey ex

Remove and replace both sides rear wheel shocks.
Left side took an hour because I was struggling with fitment, and the aftermarket kyb part looked slightly different, and I was absorbing deeply the engineers’ mind. (Right hand took 30 minutes; which is still too long by industry standards—ha! Respect to speed, and also observance of details.) Namely the upper mounting screw plates were not quite as flat flush as the oem shocks that were removed (showa Honda brand). Kyb excel-G is supposed to be equivalent or better.. so I’ll go with that description for now. Went for test drive after installed to torque spec.. 33, 58, 94 foot pound for 14mm, 17mm, 22mm bolts and nuts respectively.. outer bolts rechecked after test drive as this was my very first shock replacement ever..
  My previous big fear was forgetting to tighten a bolt properly.. and then the vehicle falls apart and careens into the hills are alive with the sound of music..

Before Wheaton labs I was a service advisor for a  local Toyota mechanic shop.. it was my dream job.. learnt lots of things there, by watching.. last month I did my forest water pump on Doug.. today my first rear shocks.. tomorrow Judy’s egr cleaning.. what’s next..? Who’s getting dirty?—no one.. this mechanic wears white gloves.. hehe ;)
  During work hours I would day dream about a minimalist toolset .. so I built one from hand picked selections of affordability and long term quality.. they happened to fit into two steel ammo boxes and a handful of other boxes not quite ammo box sized (flex wrench set, socket set, stand alone 14/17mm wrench, stand alone car jack)  I had decided to put together this kit to cover 80% off basic diy mechanical projects for my vehicle.. example—just today was first time my kit met this minivan.. 22mm deep socket was needed for wheel lugs.. it’s an odd/uncommon size but it was in the socket set (thanks gearwrench!).. all this to say that this diy toolset kit has proven itself surprisingly useful ..I shall soon happily disclose the specifics of this kit!..

Thank you

Kittens

Yeah Gearwrench! With the 22mm AND the 18mm!!!  (Ford essential for some reason...) Keep the receipts cause their stuff is guaranteed for life!

Also yeah KYB sucks bigtime nowdays. Monroe is where all the cool kids get shocks nowdays. And all the rich kids buy Bilstiens.

Post 4

Yesterday a Honda element floated by the river bank and I hopped in.. it was four wheel drive but needed all four shocks.. it was only $2k but smelled like dog and cigarettes inside.. the brakes, muffler, engine gaskets need some love too.. the odor was a big miss for me.. hard pass

Saw a Sienna floating by a couple weeks ago.. hopped in.. engine oil had leaked past the valve cover gasket s.. possible pcv valve sticking issue.. no cabin odor in this awd vehicle.. tires, brakes, and differential recently serviced.. $1.8k seems a bit high but also pretty good.. runs and drives, witnessed solid check engine light (cel) referencing misfire in two cylinders; and flashing cel for sensor heat circuit inoperable.. initialfix it estimate is about $1000-$2000 depending on if timing belt and it coils and spark plugs is needed.. that needs further diagnosis.. soft pass.. it’s slightly outside my budget this round..

YEah bud, that's a shame about the Sienna. An AWD van for 3 Gs would be a pretty good deal. Of course timing belts are either a huge pain or 3/4ths impossible depending on the vehicle.... That's one for when you have a heated shop and nothing going on for a few winter weeks!

I like this thread cause I like junk cars. Nothing after '97, that's my motto.

Post 5

A gift from mom
that says

Money is energy
Let it flow
So it can grow
Please Remain Steadfast faith
Why not?

Mechanic dez
Doesn’t know
He remembers
The Fworz

How does a valve cover gasket get changed out?
How does an oil-drenched engine bay get cleaned up?
How does the interior of a vehicle get detailed?
Mechanic dez does not know yet
But he’s picked up a handful of skills on the way to this day..

Topics to cover:
1) general preparedness and flight checks
2) basic care habits and skills
3) inspection
4)

Post 6

Copied from my dez-brk thread:

Timing..
my mom still speaks to me somehow.. silently, patiently, confidently.. at the moment I’m walking on a grain of faith that each time I obey/follow/submit/etc, something amazing will happen.. like a squash growing because I obeyed the call and gave it some water.. the idea of giving away all money and possessions floats by like a leaf in an eddy current.. it swings back around and around, mesmerizing the viewer with possibilities and dance..
 I don’t know what time I’m supposed to purchase a fixer upper and test out my mechanics skills.. it’s a self funded school of sorts I suppose.. I really like that idea.. if I were to send a kid through school, who happens to be me (my human, this “horse”), then it would be mechanic school.. let me know if someone wants to see specific projects, or details, on the work to be done with this fixer upper that my mom has so graciously offered to me..
 This page of my journey must be to do custom tailored school of life (again)..!.. I get to set the curriculum to “permaculture-y mechanics school”.. a friend recently offered the idea of presenting a master class schedule.. master of being a beginner mechanic self taught.. maybe we can learn together as we put a hand on a wrench..

—-
He’s gonna need a lot of love..
First is a valve cover gasket with coil plug seals.. both valves and six coil seals.. will try cleaning the spark plugs if they’re in okay shape (age uncertain; might be time to replace them too).. and replace two coils (2 & 6) with misfiring codes.. all together it’s a valve cover gasket r&r (remove & replace), coil tube seals r&r, and spark plugs likely r&r..

Dan—thanks! Great to have you chime in :)

Yeah buddy! That ought to be an easy job, unless Toyota thought it would be funny to put the valve cover on the bottom or something "modern" like that. For your plugs, just look at the electrode(? I am not a mechanic either... the sparky part) and make sure it's still pointy looking. If it's looking flat or domed it is time for some new plugs. Ask the parts store to gap them for you at the counter.

If that's all you need to get that thing going it's going to be a sweet vehicle. Lot's of room for all you yahoos in there!

Post 7

Dan—thanks!

Car River update:
2006 odyssey touring, $1200.. 280k and one cylinder “bad”.. I’m guessing bad spark or injector.. need to inspect
1996 Audi A6 Quattr0, $1000.. 150k and crank no start.. I’m guessing starter battery weak

My current dream is to flip these kinds of cars.. for the experience and some coin.. because I have little of both, for now I’m doing free inspections with my visit to see these vehicles in person.. gas and time will be my tuition payment.. slowly I imagine my budget will grow and so I’ll have a small rotating fleet of reliable used cars for folks.. so far it’s just a thought..

As of now I’m faced with the decision to sell the white odyssey that I picked up in Arkansas about a year ago, or the blue Sienna that floated my way a month ago.. the blue van has Toyota’s awd.. a big plus around here..

Hey I have/had the same dream! My excuse is just a lack of time. But seriously I think fixing up cars with minor problems and then flipping them is a very viable plan for experience and cash. It will only get easier as you gain experience, tools and a working budget.

I bought a $60 code reader a few years ago. It has been super helpful in diagnosing misfires, "bad" cylinders and things like O2 sensors. I don't believe a shade tree mechanic needs a nice one, I just want to know what codes it has thrown and if they are still pending or not.

Have fun!

Post 8

Yesterday and today was a bit of love for old blue and Judy. No updates on Judy yet.

Old blue:
A guy tinkering in a sandy lot with an old blue minivan.. the local farm cats love to dig in this sand.. he does this to test his custom built diy beginner toolset (call it research and development for a marketing plan er something like that).. newly added today to this beginners toolset is a set of six external star bit sockets (E4-E10); and the E6 worked like a champ for those two E6 studly bolts holding the fuel rail.. after breaking the locking clips on at three front cylinder ignition coil connectors, I think the lesson is be gentle to brittle plastics—assume they’re pretty brittle after 200k+ miles.. (by the way it turns out that there’s a way to replace those connectors.. add it to the list! For now zip ties for the win).. so gently he continued with the three fuel squirter connectors, and the two fuel rail mount connectors.. no breakage this time.. whew ~! The front fuel rail dangle freely away from the valve cover, which is what’s on the hands of the trust fall.. “it’s a gosh darn trust fall this whole thing!.. so have fun with it!”, exclaims the sandy , gentle treeshade mechanic.. We’ll pause there for now..

Toodles

Ps. The feeling of building this beginners diy kit is unreal.. ie fantastic amazing.. maybe it’s a phase, maybe it’s a calling.. guess we’ll see..


Pps. Thanks Dan. I hope to see some of your car tooling some time

Post 9

This is dez diving into the unknown
Facing the fear
Hands tremble while peeling away this time tempered gasket..
breathe.. just breathe and feel..
What’s the very next step?
Clean the removed valve cover.. gladly gratefully

For the cleaning.. working towards a vibration cleaner like hypersonic or supersonic tank; for now good old wire brush or wiping cloth will get us there.. this is grassroots eh..

Love this life

Post 10

Old blue update
Front and rear valve cover gasket and tube seals replaced.
Spark plugs found worn. some oil in spark plug tubes causing misfire.
Oxygen sensor wire broke during coil #6 installation. Oops. Who knew freezing temperatures would make sensor wires brittle?.. with temps dropping, warmth will be key.. hoses and plastics will also be brittle.. proceed with caution dez.. tomorrow will be coils 2 and 4 installation.. hoping for that warmth :)

Judy update
She’s running much better
Distributor has a loose connection causing the misfire. After reconnecting she sounds and runs smoove

What you imagen becomes a reality.   Do you know there is an aluminum containing anticize medium that can be applied to the spark plugs so that they do not develop a burnt oil insulation on the threads?  

Yeah buddy!

Running out of time for warmth there....

Oil in the plug hole is bad. But since you have the valve cover off already change the different gaskets and seals that keep the oil out. I do believe that the last time I bought a valve cover gasket it came with all of these.

Or it's the valve seals which is it's own animal...

Anyways, as far as tools go, here is my favorite tool for gasket removal: The Tweaker Tool (tm). Basically buy one of those $5 multi purpose painters tools and sharpen all the different edges, you will be able to get at all angles of crusty gasket with some authority! In fact scraping a gasket off a '97 Civic valve cover was how I was first introduced to this tool. (My friend pulled it out and I was like, "OK tweaker", hence the name.)

Keep it up man. Killing it.

Post 11

Old blue update
She fired right up and ran nice and smoove as of 23.11.07
Now put back together and ready for a short test drive
Check engine light for misfire is now gone, but separate code for oxygen sensor still active ( solid light)

Things broke.. other than the sensor wire.. There was one main vacuum tube that simply would not go back in.. once removed, it shrunk and lost elasticity.. after a bit of struggle trying to seat the tube, I decided to give it a small slit cut and it fit.. eventually needs replacement; okay for now.

Parts and labor, rounding up
Six new spark plugs $60
Three new coils $210
Valve cover Gasket set $20
Tools oil misc costs $100
Total approximately $400

Labor hours.. incalculable :)
Value of learning Experience $simplypriceless
Fear experienced 10/10
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat with a giddy grin.

I was daily reminded of the auto shop class days in high school and college.. back when I thought I was pursuing automotive repair asa career, before the big fear set in.. I changed career direction and began my journey in seeking joy in other things.. fear of failure offered me the best excuses to keep me away from even trying some simple repairs.. to the point where I denounced my calling to tinker and say “oh I’m not a car guy.. well i am but I like them from a distance..”

today I am enrolled in mechanic dez school; curriculum and schedule are mine to create; objectives are laid out and rewards are granted at milestones; unlimited meal or bathroom breaks.. tuition is paid in attention and respect.. here we learn about cars and how to encourage our Self to reach for dreams.. this has turned into my favorite opportunity encountered, regarding vehicle repair.. to whomever might be on a similar journey, congratulations on your progress this far.. may success and joy flow towards you in a gentle enthusiasm and reassuring abundance..
each day I met with old blue was an exploration into and an embrace of the unknown.. most days my mother’s kind confidently guiding voice tugged me along and by the end of each session of working with old blue, I was grinning ear to ear lost track of time and could just keep going if the sun stayed out.. this to me is the joy of life.. and I’m so grateful for the support guidance and patience that is available in abundance, that somehow I’ve tapped into.. special thanks to y0utub3 and Bothell Toyota specialists for teaching me invaluable lessons.. special thanks to Paul for providing the space for me to experience such joy..


Hans I happened to have a silvery anti seize that I brushed on the new plug threads.. perhaps this is exactly that stuff you speak of :)

Dan that looks like a tool I have.. luckily this time the gaskets came off clean.. and the tube seals rings were wayyy crusty, so they were replaced with brand new squishy ones

Woah you have a nice code reader there!  Keep er up