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The car is 99% fixed. That is, it's completely apart, so now it's just a matter of putting it back together. And really, that's only going to take about an hour at most.
It's been on ramps since November, I think. I was just trying to put a new vehicle speed sensor in, but that requires getting the exhaust pipe out. Fine, except the studs are all BADLY rusted. I managed to really bugger them up with the impact wrench, and pretty much threw in the towel until it got warm, since I don't really need the car anyway.
Finally, earlier this week I bought a couple of large cutoff wheels for my dremel tool (I can't get an angle grinder in there) and cut the studs, releasing the exhaust system. Today I was home from work due to a cold (not feeling too bad, just didn't want to infect everyone) and I easily got the sensor loose. Then I had to get the cut off studs out so I could replace them.
One stud came out pretty easily, just used a torch and a big breaker bar. The other was very stubborn, even after repeatedly heating with a torch and dousing with penetrating oil, it was cranky enough that I just slightly rounded the hex head off. That called for extreme measures since I didn't want to take a chance at having to drill it out, so I heated up a 9/16 impact socket with a torch and pounded it on over the 15mm hex, and finally got it to move.
That thing was rusted badly enough that the stud left some of its threads behind. So I went to tap it out and it turns out that the cheap metric tap/die set I got from Harbor Freight had two 12x1.5 taps instead of one of them being 12x1.75. So I'll be taking that back for replacement tomorrow along with hunting for some replacement studs. I've decided I don't really need to replace the two studs on the front manifold, so if I have to get them from the Ford dealer, fine, it's only $25. The Chelsea dealer didn't have them in stock, but I bet the west Ann Arbor one does; they often have what Chelsea doesn't stock.
This all sounds like a pain, but really it's been interesting. I learned some stuff, and that's what I'm interested in, and I'm out < $150 for new tools, which is less than the labor would have been on this job, and hey, I've still got the tools.
I also think I have a water leak under the dash, which I think I've located. I think that's what caused the instrument power failures last fall.
It's been on ramps since November, I think. I was just trying to put a new vehicle speed sensor in, but that requires getting the exhaust pipe out. Fine, except the studs are all BADLY rusted. I managed to really bugger them up with the impact wrench, and pretty much threw in the towel until it got warm, since I don't really need the car anyway.
Finally, earlier this week I bought a couple of large cutoff wheels for my dremel tool (I can't get an angle grinder in there) and cut the studs, releasing the exhaust system. Today I was home from work due to a cold (not feeling too bad, just didn't want to infect everyone) and I easily got the sensor loose. Then I had to get the cut off studs out so I could replace them.
One stud came out pretty easily, just used a torch and a big breaker bar. The other was very stubborn, even after repeatedly heating with a torch and dousing with penetrating oil, it was cranky enough that I just slightly rounded the hex head off. That called for extreme measures since I didn't want to take a chance at having to drill it out, so I heated up a 9/16 impact socket with a torch and pounded it on over the 15mm hex, and finally got it to move.
That thing was rusted badly enough that the stud left some of its threads behind. So I went to tap it out and it turns out that the cheap metric tap/die set I got from Harbor Freight had two 12x1.5 taps instead of one of them being 12x1.75. So I'll be taking that back for replacement tomorrow along with hunting for some replacement studs. I've decided I don't really need to replace the two studs on the front manifold, so if I have to get them from the Ford dealer, fine, it's only $25. The Chelsea dealer didn't have them in stock, but I bet the west Ann Arbor one does; they often have what Chelsea doesn't stock.
This all sounds like a pain, but really it's been interesting. I learned some stuff, and that's what I'm interested in, and I'm out < $150 for new tools, which is less than the labor would have been on this job, and hey, I've still got the tools.
I also think I have a water leak under the dash, which I think I've located. I think that's what caused the instrument power failures last fall.
