Category: Car repair

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Passat Coil pack

Jennifer’s Passat suddenly started running rough and stalled.  She called for help and we trailered it to the shop.

We pulled the codes and got Random Misfire and and Cylinder 3 and 5 Misfire.   We tried testing the spark using an inductive spark tester, but none of the wires would reliably light the light.

We did all the resistance checks that the Bentley manual suggested and every thing checked out.  However, it was obvious that the spark was still weak to non existent.

Despite the lack of firm evidence, we elected to replace the coil pack.  The V6 Passat coil pack is only available as a unit that included all three coil packs and the transistor to fire them.

The coil pack is easy to change. There are four bolts holding the coil pack to the front of the engine.  There is one wire connection where the bundle comes in.  Then there are the six plug wires.

Replacing the coil pack quickly cured the misfire condition.

 

 

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2013 XJ list Fall Crawl

2013 XJ list Fall Crawl

Harlan, Ky

Thursday was a lazy rainy day for most of the participants. I made a quick warm up run to middle fork and took a trip up and down the slip and slide hill.  Several folks had trouble getting their rigs up to the campground due to the road being slippery. Jennifer had XJ cupcakes delivered from Bear Country Cupcakes.

Friday morning we headed out to the trails. We took 15 across the ridge on our way to the lower rock garden.  A couple of places on 15 have become quite challenging.  However every one made it without too much trouble.

We played around in the lower rock garden for a while before heading on to Rail Bed.  While some were playing at the water fall, I made a run up Pinball.  I was waiting for Derek to follow when I heard his voice on the radio. “I need a little help” he said.  I backed down the trail and suddenly I saw tires where there should have been a Jeep.  I drove quickly back up the trail and down one of the step bypasses of the waterfall. I collected the others to assist. We found Derek flopped on his side at the entrance to pinball.

Neal took his rig to the top of the hill and we used his winch to pull Derek back onto his wheels.  His exo cage held up well and the damage was mostly a mirror and a crack in the windshield. We then headed into Rail bed.

I took the early exit to the right and almost made it to the top. I made several runs always stopping about six inches short of the crest. I got a quick tug and was out.   Jennifer came up unassisted.  Some of the larger tired XJ took the later exit.

After lunch, we decided to explore a bit and run Intimidator.  The trail started out easy enough but about half way through there was a long rutted climb.  The hill was just slick enough that you could not stay out of the ruts. The ruts were also deep enough that on 33 inch tires my diff was dragging keeping my speed down near the small ledge at the top.  I got a tug from Neal over the crest and then tugged Jennifer up behind me.   Derek tried next but with 32s he could not keep enough momentum to make the climb. We spit the group at that point with the smaller tired folks going back down and the larger tired folks continuing.  The rest of the trail was entertaining with plenty of rocky climbs.  We all met up at the middle rock garden.

Frosty made some heroic runs at the big rocks and ended up shaking loose a wire that shut down his diesel.  Neal and Adam towed him back to camp. While they diagnosed the trouble I made a run to Walmart and picked up some electrical fittings to make the repair.

Saturday morning we got a leisurely start and headed over to Mason Jar.  We took time out for lunch and the stadium.  We then spilt into two groups. Those running Mason Jar headed to the beginning while the rest of us headed to the exit. We went in the wrong way and made it to the bog mud puddle before we stopped at a big rock in the center of the trail.  We parked off the trial and hiked in just in time to watch the other make the entrance.

The hill was pretty dry so the guys enjoyed taking on the harder lines.  Frosty almost felled one tree but everyone made it through without any carnage.

We then headed out along Fuqarwe which is a narrow trail with a few challenging spots for those with open diffs.  We went to upper rock garden and watched as sheet metal was mangled on can opener and the other big rocks.  We elected to head down early so that we could actually start dinner in the daylight for a change.

At the bottom of the hill, we decided to explore camp ground 4 which we may choose on our next trip to Harlan.  There we found and irresistible jump.  Frosty gave it a go and broke something in the front axle on the way up.  He was able to reverse his Toy back to camp.  There we used a floor jack to get it safely on his trailer.

The steak and potato boat making commenced and soon we were all stuffed. We enjoyed the fire and conversation well into the night.

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VW Passat rear window regulator repair

VW Passat rear window regulator repair

We picked up a rear door at Pull A Part to repair Jennifer’s window regulator.  The window was braced up so I expected to find the regulator broken. I already had the repair kit she had ordered for her door so the plan was to use it to repair the door off line and then to swap doors.

To remove the regulator, I began by carefully prying off the door handle cover.  I had to use a sharp putty knife to start lifting it and then work in a thin pry bar.  I actually use my brake spoon to get just the right angle to pop it off.  It was much easier to do with the door on the bench instead of in the car.

Next I removed the two screws under the cover. They seemed to be #3 Phillips.  I then removed the torx screw at the bottom of the door panel.  I then used my brake spoon to pop loose the push pins that hold the panel to the door.  I then carefully lifted the panel off the door.

I had to then reach under and disconnect the wires for the door latch and tweeter. Next I disconnected the loop of wire that connects the cable to the door latch handle. I then carefully slid it up out of the window channel and off the door lock pin.

I found that the door speaker was missing and so were the plastic rivets that normally hold the door catch to the inner panel. This window regulator had been serviced before!

I pulled the wedge that was holding up the window and confirmed that the window glass moved independent of the regulator. Something was in fact broken inside.  The regulator was not parked in the correct place to view the pin but the cables looked to be in the right place.

Next, I removed all the wiring harness that was accessible from the front.  I then disconnected the door lock linkage. I then removed the several 10mm hex head bolts that hold the panel to the door. I did not have much trouble separating the glue as this one had been apart before.

I lifted the panel as far as I could and then disconnected the wire at the door catch. I then was able to slide it off the door release cable and lock rod.

I was surprised I was able to move the panel independent of the glass. That is when I found the connector pin laying it the bottom of the door.  I inspected the regulator and it appeared to be in good condition. The pin had just fallen out.

However, I could not get it back in place. After much trial and some internet research, I realized the center part of the pin was not the original.  It was too long so that it could not snap into place in the regulator.  I fabricated a center pin out of some ¼ inch copper pipe. I had to use vise grips to press it in place but it looks like it will work better than the original plastic part.  I reused what I think is the original split outer ring.

In order to test the window and to get it in the correct position to snap the two parts together, I had to find a way to operate the window.  I found a wiring diagram and ended up powering up the two large wires that come to the door connector.  With power to these wires, I plugged in the wire to the window controls and was able to control the widow with the buttons.

With window regulator in a position I could reach through the speaker hole, I was able to guide the window into the clamp and snap the pin into place.

I then secured the panel with screws and hooked back up the wires cable and rod. I carefully tested everything to make sure all the moving parts worked before putting in the screws that hold the door handle in place.

The next step will be to bolt this door to the car. The color seems a perfect match.

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Chasing the Dragon

Chasing the Dragon

Celica Dragon logo

The logo for the Celica is a Dragon. So we thought an appropriate place to test our Chump Car Celica was the chasing the Dragon Hill climb.  I got a special invitation from Ted Theodore of Southern Driver and organizer of the hill climb in Robbinsville, NC.

 

The hill climb is named after the famous Tail of the Dragon Road with is US 129. Chasing the Dragon Hill climb uses a dead-end road nearby with similar topography.  Although I have been to Robbinsville many times and explored many of the back roads, I don’t remember having actually driven up this road before our scouting trip.

 

After accepting the invitation and making plans to race, I loaded the dog in the Jeep and took a trip to see the hill. The total road length is less than 5 miles. Most of the road is taken up in parking for racers and spectators leaving 2.2 miles to race on.  The pavement is mostly smooth with a few interesting dips and ripples. There are also some new patches.

 

Tom and I arrived early to get an SCCA log book for our car. We already had a Chump Car log book but an SCCA log book is required for the Time Trial.  We also had to apply for our Novice time trial license.  That meant we also had to attend a class that evening.  Tech went smooth on main street of the sleepy little mountain town. We did not even have to unload the car from the trailer.

 

After tech and registration, we took the car to the camp ground and began setting up camp.  I had made arrangements with camp host on my scouting trip and he had saved a nice place to park the truck and trailer. We unloaded the car and snuck it the ¼ mile of public road to get to the hill. We set up a paddock space on the narrow shoulder of the road.

 

Once camp was set up, we headed to town for our class.  Ted lead the class telling us some of how hill climbs work – multiple runs, drivers split into run groups, only the best one counts etc.  He mentioned that it would not be possible to memorize the track in one weekend. I had already realized I could not and was a bit relieved to know that I was not expected to.  I treated it like a short rally stage I had run before.

 

I went to bed a little nervous. I was not sure what it would be like to drive our old car flat out up the mountain.  I took the first run up the hill with Tom being in the later run group. I was a but disappointed that the car had so little power that I was at full throttle all the way up. I hardly lifted at all and never braked until after the finish line.  I was very happy with the grip our Azena tires gave however.

 

Toms first run up the hill was a second or so slower than mine. We compared notes on how to go faster.  I dropped a few second on my next attempt. Tom went even faster edging me out slightly.  We checked the cooling system and added a little water as the car was beginning to get hot on the climbs and not cool quickly in the turnaround area.

 

I had to sit in the stage line a long time as one of the Miatas had a bad off. The driver was carted away in an ambulance but I was told it was just a precaution and he was not hurt.  I tried to not think about it and just focused on the drive up the hill.  As Tom had suggested I shifted into fourth and got more speed out of the car. I was going quite a bit faster than before and took one scary slide as the pavement changed grip in a transition from old to new paving.  I took six seconds off my previous time.

 

Tom made another run pushing hard to drop below my time. He was just a bit slower but noticed that the engine did not cool off on the return trip down the hill like it had been doing all morning.

 

We checked for leaks but did not see any.  I made the decision to press on anyway when my run group was up.  I was having a good run until about the last .3 miles.  I saw a red light flash on the dash but did not see what it was. As the car began to lose power, I noticed the oil pressure was low and the temperature was very high.

 

As I let off the throttle at the finish, I head a tapping coming from the engine.  I left it running in the turnaround area hoping it would cool off from the fan running.  It never did. The tapping got worse as I coasted down the hill. I pulled into the paddock and told Tom the bad news. I had killed the car.  He seemed relieved that it was me this time as he got credit for killing it last time.

 

I was very disappointed as I had really hoped to drop my times with more runs up the hill. I was really starting to enjoy the experience.  I drove back to our camp and loaded the car. I was ready to head home but our support crew had been invited to the worker appreciation dinner so we decided to stay the night.

 

The next morning we got our license signed off and said good-bye to Ted.  He made sure we got trophies for second and third in our class although I did not feel like we really earned them.  It is still a nice trophy and I now have it displayed in my office.

 

We are now having a new engine built and hopefully we can put the overheating problems behind us. I hope to get to do another hill climb and look forward to racing in Charlotte in November.

 

Results and pictures can be found at dragon-hill-climb.

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Jeep Cherokee Window regulator

Jeep Cherokee Window regulator

The manual window regulators for Jeep Cherokees seem impossible to find. None of my regular suppliers carry new ones.  So for Jennifer’s Jeep we elected to find used ones.  Both of her windows had stripped spots in the spiral cable that moved the window. This spot would allow the window to hang and it had to be forced past that spot making it difficult to use the windows in a regular manner.

We found that while the regulators in her 92 Cherokee are riveted in place the 93 and newer are bolted.  We elected to source these as replacements.

If you have removable door, it is easier to do this task on a work table. However, it is easy enough to do with the door in place on the Jeep.

To remove the window regulator, you first need to remove the arm rest. There are two #3 Phillips screws holding it in place.   Then rotate the handle until it is vertical. The tip of the handle has a flat section that will release when rotated into this position.  Next, remove the three #2 phillips screws that hold the door handle in place. Leave the plate alone just remove the screws.

Next remove the inner cover from the door. I found a brake spoon worked better than my panel removal tool to pull the plastic studs from the door.  Once all the studs are out, carefully lift the door latch plate up and slide the inner panel back out from under the mirror.  Then twist it to slide the door handle through the opening leaving all the rods in place. Remove the panel and set it aside.

Locate the 10mm headed bolt that holds the bottom of the vent window glass. It is in a depression and may be hidden by sound deadening. Remove this bolt.

Lower the window to ace the glass retaining bolt through the opening in the door. The glass is bolted to the regulator with a torx bolt. The back is in plastic. If it spins, it may be very difficult to remove. Use some penetrating oil and try to hold the plastic washer with vise grips.  If all else fails break and replace the glass.

If the regulator is riveted in place, use a ¼ inch drill to drill out the aluminum rivets. They drill out easily.  Otherwise, remove the six 10MM head bolts.

It may help to remove the door speaker to get more room to move the regulator around, however it is not required. Release the clip that hold the rubber tube to the bottom of the door. Begin working the regulator out of the door by rotating it. Part of it is on the wrong side of the vent window frame. Carefully bend the vent window away from the place where you removed the bolt and slide a narrow portion of the regulator through.  There is no need to remove the vent window if you do it this way.

Carefully work the mechanism out through the opening in the door by rotating the whole assembly. Moving the glass all the way up helps create more space.

Install the new regulator in the opposite way. Carefully work it over the vent window frame and reinstall the vent window bolt. Install the bolts holding the top of the regulator and the crank gear. Leave the bottom loose.

Attach the glass to the regulator.  Then install the bottom bolts. Temporarily install the window crank and test the action. Make sure all the door rods are still in the right place.  Remove the crank and install the door panel.  Install the arm rest and bolt down the door handle plate. Test the operation of the door release and lock before closing the door.  Refit the window crank.