#car-maintenance — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #car-maintenance, aggregated by home.social.
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Преодолел лень-забывчивость и заехал в автомагазин купить свечной ключик. Дома есть, но короткий. Итак, вашему вниманию старые свечи! (Не романтика, не тот вариант 🙂)
* 95 бензин и практически всегда одна заправка
* накатано 58000 (много, знаю, как обычно лень было за ключиком заехать)Ваше мнение, автомеханики? То, что электроды уже сильно покушало, вижу. Что ещё подскажите?
#CarMaintenance #SparkPlugs #AutoRepair #EngineHealth #CarTech #GarageLife
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Extracted 5,5 to 5,7 litres of #oil - filled with ca. 5,7 litres (matches up with all online discussion of this process).
I'd saved #Crossland filter (that previous dealer service workshop used in 2024/05) from last November (and some oil), to compare with #Mann filter - hard to see in these photos but 6 month oil change shows far less contamination (Mann filter is also made of better material)
A "sniff test" (not very scientific, but sending oil to be tested costs more than the oil!) shows less #petrol in oil compared to when #car had 12 month oil changes with previous owners
#Tomcat from a few streets away also came to inspect #vehicle, then decatted himself at speed as soon as I moved closer to the door (he always does that)
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6 months goes quickly - time for #Oil #service on #VW #GolfGTI with #EA888 engine
Completed with 0 major hassles - didn't spill any major amount of used oil in yard this time round, and #BGS funnel attachment (72214) is a gamechanger, fits directly in place of oil filler cap rather than having to hold funnel with thin end over opening in one hand and oil container in the other.
Was even able to pour oil in near perfect stream without splashing like my dad used to in 1970s/80s - to be fair he did have a bit more practice, not only did cars need 3 month oil changes back then, he also worked for #Castrol in research labs testing #rheology so was dealing with the stuff every day 😁
Bonus #photobomb for #Caturday from yard #cat in first photo..
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The Astra engine has been making a dragging sound, which stopped when switching off the aircon.
Took the electromagnetic clutch plate off the aircon compressor and had a look in there. All looked ok, except it seems we didn't use it enough and it rusted 😆
Gave it a cleanup, some rust converter on the cosmetic outside and sanded off the rust inside, then blew out any dirt and degreased the clutch plates.
Can't hear the noise anymore! 👍
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Snagged complete set of of Marshall Cavendish #CarMaintenance and #Motoring partwork "On The Road" from 1978-1981 (in 10 binders)
If you are #GenX you may remember your dad buying at least some of these if he was into #cars (although to get the entire partwork would have cost about £300 (2026 money) in total, so relatively few people actually got whole set of 140)
These were sold not only in #UK but across #Commonwealth countries where folk drive on the left, one cool thing is all units are #metric first (with Imperial equivalents added afterwards)
Fair play to the previous owner, it looks like they did definitely make use of the section on changing #HeadGasket in #BritishLeyland engine 😁
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Helped a work colleague get home this evening - she got flat #tyre just as she was leaving the office but managed to pull into side road in the village.
Had to do this at kerb with sketchy Ford toolkit jack (not even a full scissor jack but just a pivoted thing), good thing I keep my bright LED light, kneeling mat and extendable wheelbrace bar and cordless inflator in my own car at all times (as even the spare only had 0,80 bar in it!)
Ironically she often carries a small trolley jack in the car but this was the one day it *wasn't* in there.
At least it was opposite village shop, which I had wanted to visit anyway to get some food and fizzy pop (all the other shops are hassle to get to at the moment due to roadworks)
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On the right side things also mostly seem OK aside from this play in the wheel hub... feels likely to be the CV joint I think?
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Our landlord isn't all bad, I asked if I could use the disused garage for some car maintenance and he initially refused... then a week later the maintenance lady dropped by and gave me a key to it.
This is so much better than car work on wet gravel outside.
Anyway, Fox MOT due in a month and time to work out what work it needs doing and do a full service. First problem: the clunky noise from the left side... um... yeah, might have worked that out.
Not sure if this is a replacement or a repair job. Feels likely to be replacement.
On the plus side everything else on the front mech seems OK this side. All nice and stuff, no play. Plenty of pad left on the brakes.
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Today's adventure...
Rear brake pad replacement on a Renault Megane 3. This is a fairly straightforward DIY.
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Battery hold downs: should they look like that?
Jan 11: power steering flush.
Jan 20: gas stop, hood pop, quick scan.My battery was tipped off its tray and leaning into the radiator. No warning lights. No drama. Just a snapped ground wire and a lesson delivered in public, under fluorescent lights.
New habit: the battery wiggle check. Two seconds while the pump runs. If it moves, the hold-downs are not doing their job.
Field Note: https://adventureadjacent.com/2026/02/06/battery-hold-downs-should-they-look-like-that/
#CarMaintenance #DIYAuto #ToyotaFJCruiser #4x4 #Overlanding #LessonsLearned #PreventiveMaintenance
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I knocked out a power steering fluid flush on the FJ and it was almost peaceful, right up until I realized I had nothing to cap the return port. Improvised. Spilled some. Learned a lot.
Two quarts later, the pump is quiet and the old fluid is out. Full how-to here: https://adventureadjacent.com/2026/01/30/toyota-fj-cruiser-power-steering-fluid-flush-how-to/
#FJCruiser #DIYAuto #CarMaintenance #Overlanding #OffRoad #AdventureAdjacent
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Stresses I did not want to deal with today. The tire I had repaired the rim bent again. Now I need to look at getting a new rim and new tires. That’s going to be an expensive time.
#CarRepair #CarMaintenance -
Luckily I had spare centre caps which originally had misaligned fox head logos (they are supposed to point towards hole for the bolt and tyre valve), #alloy wheel suppliers sent me replacements.
I planned to put VW centre caps on them but removing original logo with isopropyl alcohol to soften adhesive made ABS plastic patchy and the pick I used gnarled it up slightly.
Sanded them down, set up a mini spray booth in a corner of the office using a cardboard box from a monitor to prevent overspray gave 2 coats of Simoniz plastic primer, 3 coats of Hycote Satin Black and a bit of sanding (to remove dust specks) and cleaning with neat isopropyl (to dull the gloss slightly) and left them to cure for a day - fitted them to #wheels this evening #GolfGTI #CarMaintenance #cars #maker #repair
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This is what the #LED flashers look like when in operation (they are surprisingly bright).
This #trolley will be very useful for use with the #smartcharger, #battery tester and the #VCDS #laptop as I can bring those straight out to whatever car I am working on on one go rather than having to fetch these things one at a time, I might fit a 4 way trailing socket to the bottom for things that need power.. #DIY #maintenance #CarMaintenance #repair
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Stick on magnet for the "SEND IT" patch fitted perfectly, and offcut was exactly the right size for the LED controller remote..
Got some other magnetic labels on order for tomorrow, will use them as reminders for vehicle data (tyre pressures, oil grades etc) or what to load on the trays..
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Did a further scan with #VCDS to double check all the #OBD2 #ECU #coding had taken correctly and do some real-time data monitoring, VCDS is way better for this - current draw when the ignition is turned on is as much as 14A !
New #battery holding voltage at around 12,4V with engine off, way better than old one which, barely 12V and sometimes less
Starting engine shows charge current from #alternator as much as 60A, going down to about 10A when idling (which means in future I shouldn't have to worry about #smartcharger overcharging the battery, I may even be able to monitor it this way).
Hopefully this battery lasts another 4+ years as doing all this extra coding is quite a mission compared to older cars!
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Got into drivers seat and turned on ignition - dashboard now lit up like Christmas tree as battery change causes all manner of confusion to ECU, it now has to be coded (used #OBDEleven for this stage as its easier to get to the battery settings than #VCDS).
Coding is in 19 Gateway, Adaptation, Battery Adaptation. New Ah value entered, type changed to "Fleece" for AGM (Blei-Vliesbatterie), serial number made up from date of fitting, manufacturer "TU3" for #Exide (as its an aftermarket battery without BEM code, any 10 digit number will do)
Steering recalibrated by turning wheel to full left lock then full right lock, many other temporary fault codes had to be cleared off (all normal after battery replacement) -
Cleaned up terminals with #Draper #battery #terminal cleaner (very useful tool), used 2 cable ties as temporary measure to stop battery cables falling back into space where you are trying to lift 21kg battery into.
Fitted without too much drama (other than having to lift it up again battery in tray to blow out small bits of polystyrene from box battery came in, I didn't want those in engine bay and some had even got into holes at flanged bit at bottom of the battery - #bladibarsket )
Hold down bolt torque 15 Nm, terminal bolts 6 Nm.
Reconnected BMS control wire and put covers on + and - including warning about not connecting external chargers, boost packs direct to - (they must go to terminal provided on car body because of BMS)
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New #AGM #battery arrived today from #Yorkshire (even though I only paid for 2-4 days delivery time), fully charged.
Yoinked old battery (control cable for BMS on - terminal must be removed, pull *out* grey connector and then push back to release it), 10mm for battery terminals and 13mm for the hold down.
It is heavy (ca 21kg), about the weight of a well-fed male Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Removed transport bungs from new battery (there are two, red and black correspond to + and - side of the battery), put heat shield around it (this is important, EFB and AGM #batteries don't like heat and the EA888 engine get warm!), and placed it on small trolley as car was parked a few metres away in the yard
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Got 20A #SmartCharger for lead-acid (and 12V #lithium) #batteries - also has 13,6V constant supply for #coding #car #ECU (so starter #battery doesn't run down whilst getting data from #OBD2)
It works well - but confirmed my suspicions in recent weeks (alas) that battery in my #GolfGTI is goosed (installed 2021 by #VW dealer, presumably as warranty replacement with 0 record on service history, only worked this out from date code)
I'd noticed slower cranking in the cold, battery losing charge quickly and OBD2 scans showing "low voltage warning" codes from LED lighting control.
Will replace it before it bites me in the arse during #winter - #EFB unobtanium but got #AGM on order for fairly good price (will have to change coding when it arrives!)
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Recently a work colleague was having slow/unreliable cranking in their 2010 #FordFiesta (previously fleet car but since purchased from the company) - was authorised to replace #battery before handover.
Ordered battery in afternoon, quoted 2-4 days delivery but sent from #Yorkshire and arrived next day - impressive!
Thought harness for #ECU would get in the way and have to be disconnected by springing big connector (other Fiestas don't have this arrangement, ECU is in different locations!) but thankfully there was just enough space to haul old battery out without doing that.
Didn't get photos of actual job as I only had a short time to do the job before she had to use the car for work trip, but it starts on the button now within <1 sec
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Though, when doing things the "official" way, you just have to push the "Enable the service mode" button in computer.
I only had to do it the "hacky" way, because initially we were given the wrong rotor by the shop, so when I eventually got the correct parts it was faster to do the replacement myself. (This picture was taken more than one week earlier than the pictures in previous posts).
#carmaintenance #diy #hacks -
On the wheel side, motor has just a positive/negative pins which you hook up to ta 12V power supply. Connecting wires one way will engage and the other way it will disengage the electric parking brake.
#volvo #carmaintenance #hacks #diy -
Our car has electric parking brake which is automatically engaged when stopping the engine. Official service manual mentions that you'll need to use the "diagnostics" tool to disengage the brake and this is what most mechanics use as it's actually faster in case you are already servicing the machine.
But it's also possible to do it without by using a 12V power supply (in my case I just used the bench PSU)...
#carmaintenance #hacks #diy #diagnostics -
🚗💨 Ah, reminiscing about the days when Soviet jalopies graced the streets of Singapore, because who doesn't miss unreliable clunkers that doubled as smoke machines? 🛠️🔧 Let's glorify the era when car maintenance was a full-time job, and road trips were just a gamble with fate! 😂
https://remembersingapore.org/2025/10/30/soviet-made-cars-singapore-70s-to-90s/ #SovietCars #Nostalgia #CarMaintenance #RoadTripMemories #UnreliableClunkers #HackerNews #ngated -
Thankfully there are not any houses for 50 metres around here, so I can get away with making this racket in the middle of the night (whilst I did conduct this same test earlier in the year I didn't fully monitor all the variables and I think I hadn't warmed up the engine as much)