c/auto-mechanics

Broke a breaker bar on a rusted control arm bolt - then found a fix

I was doing lower control arms on a 2010 Subaru Outback last weekend in my home shop. Everything was going fine until I got to the rear bolt that connects to the subframe. That thing was welded on there with rust. I snapped my 1/2 inch breaker bar clean in half and the bolt still wouldn't budge. I tried heat from my propane torch, PB Blaster, even a cheater pipe on a new socket. Nothing. Then my buddy who used to work at a dealer stopped by and told me to try an impact driver with a hex socket and a BFH. I smacked it about 8 times and that bolt cracked loose like magic. Has anyone else used that trick on seized suspension bolts?

Caught a guy at the gas station stripping O2 sensor wires with his teeth

Ngl I saw a dude at the Shell on 3rd doing this yesterday and had to say something. That coating is fiberglass based and you will be picking splinters out of your gums for weeks, just use a damn wire stripper.

Talked to a 30 year diesel tech yesterday. Changed how I see oil changes.

He said most guys overtorque drain plugs by 15 ft-lbs. Then showed me a cracked oil pan from a F-250. He does it finger tight plus a quarter turn now. You guys ever check your torque specs against what the shop manual says?

Chased a bad ground for 3 days on a Chevy Silverado

I had a 2015 Silverado come in with random electrical gremlins, lights dimming and the radio cutting out. Turns out a ground strap behind the passenger side headlight had corroded almost completely through, but it looked fine from the top. Has anyone else spent way too long tracking down something that simple?

I finally stopped chasing a vacuum leak that wasn't there

Tbh, an old mechanic named Frank at the shop told me to stop spraying brake cleaner everywhere and just use a smoke machine instead. I kept replacing hoses and gaskets on a 2002 F-150 for two weeks, wasting about $80 in parts. Turns out the PCV valve was cracked in a spot you couldn't see. Has anyone else had a simple fix like that bite them after overcomplicating it?

Hit 500 brake jobs this week without realizing it

PSA: That cheap $40 torque wrench from Harbor Freight just cost me a head gasket job

I used one of those cheap click-type torque wrenches on a 2005 Civic head gasket last month. After 50 miles it started overheating and I found out I only put 35 ft-lbs on the head bolts instead of 60. Bought a $150 digital snap-on torque wrench from a used tool guy and redid the whole thing. How much did you lose trying to save a few bucks on a basic tool?

The day I fixed a '73 Dodge Dart with a coat hanger and a prayer

Last Tuesday I had a 1973 Dodge Dart roll into the shop with the driver side window completely stuck down and it was pouring rain outside. The owner had been driving around with a trash bag taped over the opening for like a week. I took one look at the old regulator and the cable was snapped clean through. No way I was ordering a part for a car that old on a Tuesday afternoon. So I grabbed a wire coat hanger from the back office, bent it into a loop, and rigged up a temporary cable system that actually held the glass up. It took me about 45 minutes and I charged the guy $40 just for my time and a handshake. He drove out with a fully functional window and said it was the first time in 5 years he could roll it down and back up again. Has anyone else McGyvered something on an old car just to get through a shift?

Just found out a plugged PCV valve can make your seals blow out

Had a 2014 civic come in last month with oil leaking everywhere. Owner already replaced the valve cover gasket twice. Third times the charm right? Nope. I was about to do it again when I checked the PCV valve and it was totally clogged. Cleaned it out and the leak stopped. All that pressure had to go somewhere so it pushed past the seals. Wish I knew this years ago. Has anyone else chased a leak for this long before finding the real cause?

That Tuesday when everything that could break actually did

Had a day last week where three cars rolled in before 9 AM, all with the exact same weird electrical issue on 2014 Ford F-150s. Took me 4 hours to figure out the first one was just a corroded ground strap near the battery tray. Then my lift decided to quit halfway through the second job and I had to use the floor jack like it's 1995. Has anyone else had a specific car model show up in a weird cluster like that?

Just hit 200 engine swaps in 8 years, never thought I'd get here

Started doing these in my backyard with hand tools and now I'm averaging 25 a year at the shop. Has anyone else tracked their numbers and been surprised by how much they've actually done?

The difference between a 30 year old smog pump and a new one is wild

I was working on a 90s Ford Ranger last week, the guy brought it in saying it was running rough. I pulled the air injection pump off, and man, I have never seen one that clogged up. It was from a 1993 model, so about 30 years of gunk and carbon buildup just baked inside it. The bearings were so dry they sounded like gravel in a blender when I spun it by hand. I put a brand new Duralast unit on there and fired it up, and the change was immediate. The idle smoothed out completely, no more ticking noise, and the check engine light even cleared after a couple drive cycles. What causes that kind of buildup anyway? Is it mostly from short trips where the pump never really gets hot enough to burn off the carbon, or is it just age no matter what?

Old timer at the shop taught me how to set ring gaps by feel...

I was working on a 350 small block last month for a customer's Chevy pickup. This old guy, must be 70 plus, walked over and watched me using the feeler gauge for a good 10 minutes. He just shook his head and said "you're overthinking it kid." Then he showed me this trick where you file the ring to where it just slides in with a tiny bit of drag, no gauge needed. Said he's done it that way for 40 years and never had a failure. Has anyone else run into those old school methods that actually work better than the book says?

Unpopular opinion: WD-40 is the worst thing you can spray on a seized bolt

I kept a can in my box for years and soaked every stuck bolt with it. Last week I snapped a rusted exhaust manifold bolt clean off a Ford F-150 because the WD-40 just evaporated before it did anything. Switched to a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF fluid and that same bolt came out like butter after 10 minutes. Has anyone else had better luck with something besides the blue and yellow can?

Figured out I was overtorquing lug nuts for years

I had this moment last month at the shop where I kept seeing the same Nissan Sentra come back with warped rotors after brake jobs. Turns out I was hitting like 120 ft-lbs on the impact gun when the spec is only 80. My coworker showed me by putting a torque wrench on after I finished and it clicked before I even got close. Been using a torque stick ever since and no comebacks on that car. Anyone else have a habit they didn't know was messing up their work?

Walked into a dealership shop and saw a lift holding a Corolla with zip ties on the control arm

Was picking up parts at the Toyota dealer near my shop in Phoenix. Looked over at their service bay and saw a car up on a lift with zip ties holding the lower control arm in place. Not a temp fix for the road, like they were actually doing work with it. I asked the service writer what was up and he just shrugged and said "factory training day." Has anyone else seen dealership techs do stuff that would get you laughed out of an independent shop?

Customer called me out for rushing timing jobs and it stung

Last month a guy watched me set timing on his old 4.6 Ford and asked why I wasn't double checking the crank position after rotating it. I told him I've done it a thousand times and he said "that's exactly how guys mess up head gaskets." Made me realize I'd been cutting corners for years to save 10 minutes a job. Now I take the extra 3 minutes to verify every single time. Anyone else get called out by a customer who knew their stuff better than you expected?

Appreciation post: that perfect alignment day at Frank's shop

Last Friday I had a 2015 F-150 that wouldn't pull left or right on the interstate for the first time in my 8 years doing alignments. The camber and toe all fell right into spec without me having to fight any seized adjusters or rusted bolts. Anyone else get those rare days where everything just clicks and makes you remember why you love this job?

Had to choose between an impact and a ratchet on a tight job yesterday

I was working on a starter in a 2017 F-150 near Fort Collins, and the top bolt was buried behind the intake. I grabbed my 3/8 impact first, but it just wouldn't fit in the gap. Switched to a flex-head ratchet, took me maybe 20 minutes of wiggling and cussing, but I got it out. Anyone else find themselves defaulting to the wrong tool when space gets tight?

Spent 6 hours chasing a parasitic drain on a 2012 Civic yesterday

I had this 2012 Civic come in with a dead battery every morning. Pulled the fuse box and started testing each circuit. Everything looked normal until I checked fuse 19 under the hood, the one for the interior lights. Turns out the glove box light was staying on because the switch was bent. Took me from 8am to almost 3pm to find it. Any of you guys had a dumb little thing like that eat up your whole day?

Hit 500 alignments done in two years at my old shop

I was just going through my old work logs and realized I did an alignment every 1.5 days on average. That many hours under cars really taught me how to spot worn ball joints just by feel during the adjustment. Anyone else keep track of how many alignments they crank out?

Had to pick between a used Snap-on scan tool and a new Autel last month

I was in a real bind trying to decide between a used Snap-on Verus from 2019 for $2500 or a brand new Autel MaxiCOM MK908 for $2900. I went with the Autel because it had way more coverage for Asian cars, which is most of what rolls into my shop. So far, it's been solid on diagnostics but the software updates are a pain to get set up. Did I screw up skipping the Snap-on, or is the Autel the better call for an independent guy like me?

I picked a Milwaukee 3/8 impact over Snap-on and don't regret it

I mean my Snap-on guy was pushing the hard, but I couldn't justify $600 for something that's gonna get dropped in oil every day. Been running the Milwaukee for 6 months now and it's pulled every bolt I've thrown at it including a rusted control arm bolt that had me sweating. Anyone else decide to just go with the cheaper option and have it work out fine?

Changed my mind about using a torque wrench on every lug nut

I was at my buddy's garage in Cleveland last month swapping tires and figured I'd just 'feel' the torque like I always did. Three days later I heard a clunk on the highway and one wheel was almost off. Anyone else learned this lesson the hard way?

Swapped to synthetic oil in my 97 F-150 and now it leaks from everywhere

I tried synthetic after 250k miles on conventional because the bottle said better protection, but now I got puddles under every seal and I'm wondering if the old sludge was actually holding it together or if I just got a bad batch of oil, has anyone else had this happen with a high-mileage engine?