GTI :: Grease Monkey
January 20, 2008 / Sunday
I Sense The End Is Near
Gave my car some much needed maintenance and cleaning today, and wasn't happy with what I found. First, there was the usual "I was lazy/stupid and let the Oil Stop guys work on my car" rarrs. For one, my oil filter cap, which never leaks, was leaking. How did they screw that one up? Oh, look here, they left the o-ring they were supposed to use to replace the old one on the filter. Thanks for NOT REPLACING MY O-RING. I bet you didn't replace the other one, either. MAYBE THAT'S WHY MY OIL FILTER CAP IS LEAKING. This is in addition to all the battery terminal connection problems I've been having since they sprayed some sort of greasy crap on it. Oh, and they keep losing screws. Every time I take my car to them, they lose one of the Torx screws for the skid plate. All the other screws and bolts they don't lose, they strip. And did I mention they don't actually know how much oil to put in my car? Isn't that their main business?
Them (yelling back and forth as is custom there): 4.5 quarts of Mobil 1 0-40!
Me: Excuse me, my car takes 5.5 quarts.
Them: But it says right here, 4.5 quarts (shows me incorrect info for my car because they never figured out the right model to enter into the computer even though I told them exactly what to enter several times already)
Me: Can you please just put 5.5 in?
Them (after putting 5.5 in and checking the dipstick): Hey look, 5.5 is right!
Me (to myself): Well DUH, it's my fucking car!
It's just so convenient to have someone else change my oil, though, especially when it's cold and/or rainy out.
In more disturbing/less whiny news, I went to fill up my tires and found that my passenger side front rim is bent. I've hit a few newly formed potholes *really* hard since that crazy rainstorm a couple weeks ago, and while I'm glad my tire didn't blowout when it happened, I'm not at all happy about this.
Yet another thing to fix on my car. I'm approaching an expensive 100,000 mile service soon and the list of annoyances/needed fixes is much longer than I'd like to deal with. Plus, there will likely be more things to fix once I finish with this round of repairs. I think it may be time to look for a replacement.
06:19 PM | Grease Monkey:GTI| Comments (1)
June 23, 2007 / Saturday
85,000 Miles
Did an oil change (and other related routine maintenance) this afternoon. Nothing too exciting; just the usual rarring at overtorqued bolts from the shop and neighbors wowing at a girl working on her car. It's badly in need of a wash and could probably use a tire rotation, but meh, I've got other things to do. Poor car.
08:05 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
November 25, 2006 / Saturday
Car Battery Woes
Last weekend, thanks to a corroded fog light relay, my car battery got drained. We jump started the car and got back on the road without too much trouble.
Thanks to the drainage, my car battery has decided to call it quits. No biggie; it's four years old. Yesterday afternoon, we went to Kragen. They don't have the exact size battery for my car, but sold me an Autolite that the computer said should fit. It didn't; it was too wide. Back to Kragen it went.
Yesterday evening, we went to AutoZone. They carry size 47 DuraLasts. According to several auto parts websites, size 47 is what I want for my car.
After dinner, we installed the battery. The footprint was not an exact match with the stock battery, but close enough. Everything seemed to be going fine until we went to attach the terminals. The battery was too short, and my battery enclosure prevented the terminals from sitting properly around the posts. Argh!
I searched the forums for battery fitment issues. Someone said that DieHards fit perfectly. Today, I went to Sears. I bought a DieHard, carried it out to my car, and found that the DieHard was also too short. Back to Sears it went.
I wondered whether there might be such a thing as a battery post extension. I headed to Pep Boys to find out. As I waited in line to ask about battery posts, I spotted a Bosch battery on the counter. Someone else on the forums had said that Bosch batteries fit perfectly. This made sense to me because VW uses Bosch for a lot of their OEM parts. I asked to see the Bosch battery for my car and lugged my old one in for comparison. Just like the others, the Bosch battery was too short.
The service counter lady at Pep Boys gave me a riser for my battery, but although the riser attaches to the clamps, it doesn't attach to the battery. There's not much room in my car for my battery to slide around, but still, I want it secure.
How hard is it to get a battery that fits my car? What do all the other MkIV GTI/Jetta owners do? I don't want to buy one from the stealership.
I guess we're going to have to cut the enclosure to make room for the terminal wires.
01:34 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
August 16, 2005 / Tuesday
Nighttime Climate Control
Several moons ago, the climate control lighting in my car flickered off. I hit it, and it came back on. A week later, it flickered off again. It hit it, and it stayed off.
When I "fixed" my stereo static this past weekend, I remembered that I needed to figure out what was wrong with the climate control lighting. A quick search on Vortex revealed that the likely culprit was a dead bulb. That same search turned up a nice thread on how to replace said dead bulb, along with some very nice pictures. I picked up what I needed, and after half an hour of requisite dainty wrestling to remove said dead bulb without breaking it, I was done.
Hooray!
12:12 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
July 30, 2005 / Saturday
I Still Have To Clean The ITG Filter
My car unexpectedly ;-) hit 55,000 miles last week, and even though I'd planned to do my own oil change, I felt time pressed and lazy and decided to take it back to OilStop. That's twice in 10,000 miles, but hey, I like them. They're always friendly and cheery there. That goes a long way.
Unfortunately, when I tried to correct the incorrect engine model listed for my car in their computer, I found out that their computer doesn't think my car (2003 GTI VR6 24v BDF) exists. They finally found my engine model in the 2004s, and they changed my car to a 2004 in the system, but in the final paperwork my car shows up as a 2004 VR6 12v AFP -- which truly doesn't exist, and is exactly what I was trying to correct in the first place.
The main difference? The two engine types use different oil filters. There may be other small differences too. It made me uneasy knowing that their computer didn't know what my car really was, so when they offered all sorts of fluid flushes (a lot of which I *am* due for), I declined. It'll be more work for me (or more money to get the fluids flushed elsewhere) in the future, but my car is chock full of fluids warnings along the lines of, "IF YOU ADD ANYTHING THAT'S EVEN A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THIS EXACT FLUID TYPE YOUR CAR WILL EXPLODE." Well, not quite explode, but you get the idea.
I'd rather my car not explode, thank you.
11:55 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
April 28, 2005 / Thursday
This Is So Dumb
I can swap out my car's suspension but not a handful of measly spark plugs?!
12:12 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
April 27, 2005 / Wednesday
The Car Gets Some TLC Too
I started feeling guilty about neglecting my car after I did the brake bleed on my bike, so tonight I gave my car its somewhat overdue 50,000 mile service. Basically an oil change plus a fluids and tire pressure check. If I were really good, I'd rotate the tires, but I think that can wait another 5,000 miles.
I tried yet again to change my spark plugs, which were supposed to have been changed at 40,000 miles. This time I was armed with forum information about how to pull the *@(*&#$@ ignition coils out. No luck. WTF?! I'm starting to think this is one of those things I can't do 'cause I have weak hands. Dammit!
If I manage to get really motivated, I might even wash my car this weekend. I haven't done that in half a year.
Yes, you read that correctly: half a year. I also park next other cars on occasion now. Crazy, I know. I guess I've just gotten too busy to have time for excessive neuroticism. Or maybe I just have too many other things to be neurotic about ...
09:36 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
January 13, 2005 / Thursday
Better Than Last Time, At Least
For the second time ever, someone else gave my car an oil change. I liked the OilStop folks from my visit there a couple years ago, so I brought my car back. They were a little more clued in on and much better stocked for my car this time around, but still not enough to know how much oil I needed. After I watched the tech pour 6 quarts of oil into my engine, I asked if they were planning on draining any from the bottom. He said they didn't need to, 'cause his spec sheet said my car accepted 6.1 quarts of oil. "No," I said, "my car takes 5.8 quarts." He did a dipstick check, and they ended up draining, whaddaya know, 0.2 quarts back out.
I noticed after I left that they had listed the right GTI model but the wrong engine model (they made 2 different VR6 engines that year) for my car. I'm pretty sure that's why their oil capacity spec was wrong. I'll have to have them change that in the computer if I go back.
Still, they're very good about addressing my concerns and taking special requests. Plus, I get to see what they're doing, for the most part. Best of all, they always give ridiculously friendly service at a decent price. I dig that.
01:03 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
December 26, 2004 / Sunday
Fogs! Done! Finally!
It was not, not, not not not supposed to take me 3 days to install my Micro DE lights. Nonetheless, they're done. Well, kinda. I'll go more into that later. Here's how it all went down ...
Friday
Started in on the project. Took the bumper off, which seemed scary at first, but was really no big deal once I got all the screws out. Right after I got that part done, Jesse arrived. (Thanks for helping, Jesse!) Drilled some holes into the bumper, which was also scary at first, but no big deal once I did the first one. When it came to installing the light housings into the new grills, though, we ran into some strange fitment issues. Screw that, we called it a day and had sushi instead.
The bumper slept in my living room that night. There wasn't room for it in the garage. Okay, I could have made room, but I thought it'd be funny to have a picture of it inside.
Saturday
Woke up on Saturday and got back to work. Decided to get the wiring done. After all, a good fit is worthless if the lights don't light up. I was pretty excited about this part, since I've been holding onto an OEM VW headlight switch with an extra control for fogs for two years now. Yes, I've wanted these fogs for my car since I bought it. *grin*
Ran the wires to their external fog locations, mounted the central harness thinger inside the engine bay, ran the control wire through the firewall, soldered it to the VW patch cable, plugged the patch end into the empty fog position in the harness, replaced my switch with the near-identical new switch, hooked it up to the battery, plugged the fogs into their respective harnesses, turned it all on, and ... lights! Yes! Lights!
I thought I was close, but nooo, ended up having more fitment issues, this time with the back of the light housings. Tow hook mount on the passenger's side, upper horn bolt head on the driver's side. Managed to get around the tow hook mount by readjusting the light. As for the upper horn bolt, well, there was much bracket bending, some cursing, and, finally, defeat, and plans to visit Home Depot the next morning.
Sunday (the next morning)
Home Depot: world's smallest metric screw selection. Bought what I thought would work, then realized when I got home that the pitch was wrong. I'd had enough, so I decided just to get rid of the upper horn for now. I'll take my time hunting down a replacement flat head machine screw and reinstall the horn when I do. I've still got the lower horn, anyhow.
Everything was cake after that. Adjusted the lights, tightened everything up, and took a final picture. I'll write up a GTI page for this someday, pictures and all. Maybe I'll take more pictures when I remount my upper horn. I'll try to get a good pic of the car later today.
Later Today (pic taken at 9:11 PM)
It's amazing what some wet pavement and camera tweaks will do for your headlights.
Oh, and I test tooted my horn. My car currently sounds like a little Japanese car. Maybe I should take the lower horn out too and install an air horn. A GTI with semi-truck sound! That would be sooo cool.
01:39 PM | Grease Monkey:Mods| Comments (0)
December 25, 2004 / Saturday
Merry What?
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas today. It sure didn't feel like Christmas Eve yesterday. I guess that's what happens when I spend two days trying to install fog lights that won't cooperate.
The only reminder I have that today is Christmas is that the stores are closed, and I can't get the flat head machine screw I need to replace the stupid bolt that's preventing me from getting the stupid driver's side fog light to fit. How ... stupid!
09:39 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
November 27, 2004 / Saturday
Rear Brake Line Update
Checked with Rapid Parts about the rear brake line. Turns out there are two lines, and the obvious one that stumped me is, indeed, not replacable. Why? Because that line, in its full rubber glory, is not meant to be removed. Why VW designed it that way, I do not know. Why VW designs a lot of things (e.g. spark plug wire connectors), I do not know.
I'm keeping my lines for a future bleed. Maybe I'll do a swap and bleed before track season next year. I have new suspension to test out, after all. Oh, and either the forum folks are being paranoid now, or I'm not paranoid after all. Great.
Props to Rapid Parts, or, rather, Dean at Rapid Parts, for great and speedy customer service!
08:27 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
November 26, 2004 / Friday
Car Car Friday
The to-do list for my car today:
- wash exterior
- clean interior (vacuum, Meguiar-all, condition leather, windows)
- Rain-X windshields
- reground V1
- install stainless steel brake lines
- bleed brakes
- put new wheels on
When I woke up this morning, all of this was supposed to happen, but none of it was going to happen. I was just going to mope around the house all day and be unproductive. But it was nice out, and I wanted to go to the gym, and I realized there was a DIY car wash thing out by the gym, so I headed out and lifted and washed.
That did the trick. Turns out I just needed a jump start. I went home, finished off the interior, and, for the first time in weeks, felt happy that my car was clean.
This is the part where you guys roll your eyes, I know. People think I'm nuts when they tell me my car is clean and I say I think it's dirty. What I wonder is, DON'T YOU SEE THE DUST??
Ha, okay, I'm kidding, kind of.
Redid the V1 ground connection. I've been driving detectorless for the last few days, and it's quite disturbing because I drive too fast and I can't seem to slow it down even when I know I'm incapable of detecting out-of-sight speed patrol.
Finally, brake lines!
Actually, no. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out (1) how to get the rear lines off and (2) how to make the ss rear lines attach. I believe this is because (1) the rear lines don't wrench off and (2) the ss rear lines I have don't fit my car. I'm torn. Do I try to get lines that fit, try to return these ones, or just flat out sell them? I'll deal with that later.
I did, however, bleed my brakes. It was amazingly easy ... as are most things when you have the right tools. Thanks, Nadsy, for letting me borrow your pressure bleeder!
I fiiinally put my new wheels on. They look HOT. Well, except that now I'm wishing I cleaned my calipers before putting the wheels on. They look dirty. Ha.
Noticed my strut towers sit funny. That's worrisome. Currently asking the Vortex folks whether I'm paranoid or in need of a suspension adjustment.
• • •
Turns out I'm paranoid, but still, I swear they didn't look like that stock!
05:58 PM | Grease Monkey:Shiny| Comments (0)
November 21, 2004 / Sunday
Spark Plug Grumble
I've been meaning to replace my spark plugs for a month now. Today, I finally found time to do it. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get the *@#(*&$ ignition coils off. I *think* I can just pull them off, but I don't want to use brute force, since there's rumored to be a magical tab I need to press. Unfortunately, they seem to be magical beyond common sight. That, and I don't have the hand strength for the brute force approach. Tools in lieu of brute force are probably a bad idea, given the number of wires and breakable plastic pieces in the area.
Perhaps I'll try again when I feel more up to it. It's cold, I have a cold, and I really don't feel like dealing with it.
12:12 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
October 15, 2004 / Friday
Corners For Lunch
Old wheels reinstalled. I'm finally driving my car again. The new suspension is tite! Pun intended, misspelling too. I'm definitely feeling and hearing the road more, but it's a fair tradeoff for the better cornering. No more spring pops, and my CD didn't skip on my way into work. The smaller wheel gap, also tite. Pun and misspelling intended again.
But, the best part is, I did it myself. I didn't really save all that much money (had to buy tools), had to spend three weeknights on it, missed a hockey clinic, and am absolutely worn out from the whole process, but it's all worth it to know that I could do it, and did do it. Plus, I learned a lot.
Ahhh ...
12:58 PM | Grease Monkey:GTI| Comments (4)
At Least The Customer Service Operators Are Nice
Replacement centering rings on their way ... but they won't get to me 'til Tuesday. Siiigh.
Gonna go put my old wheels back on. Wanna test out the suspension!
07:43 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
October 14, 2004 / Thursday
Suspension Swap (Part 8 of ?): Done, But ...
How Many Times Can Tire Rack Screw Up One Order?
I'm done installing my suspension. Can I test it? Nooo. Why? Because one of the centering rings on my tires isn't the right one for my car. I kept trying to get the thing to seat around the hub and it wouldn't. I took a closer look at the two tires and realized the centering rings were different. First they dent my rims, now they send me the wrong ring insert. Damn you, Tire Rack! And you're not even around to answer the phone right now. *#$&(*&@#!!!
11:30 PM | Grease Monkey:Rant/Whine| Comments (0)
Suspension Swap (Part 7 of ?): Clunk?!
Pulled my car out to reverse garage direction for the rear install, and ended up driving around the block instead. My passenger side spring was clunking. Ack! I drove a few more blocks, turning left, turning right. Fewer and fewer clunks, and I think they eventually went away. I'll have to pay more attention when I really get on the road; perhaps the spring just needed to settle some.
12:21 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
October 13, 2004 / Wednesday
Suspension Swap (Part 6 of ?): Front Done!
Front suspension installed, 2 new wheels on. Looks badass, mainly 'cause of the wheels. After all, I'm not really dropping my car that much.
I was gonna try to do the rear tonight, since it's supposed to be *much* easier than the front, but I looked at the DIY and darnit, I don't own vicegrips. What self-respecting aspiring grease monkey doesn't own vice grips? Pfft!
I suppose this downtime is actually another blessing in disguise: I'm tired and sore and it's late. I'll have to swap hockey for suspension tomorrow, but that's okay.
Ow. And this is after taking Advil. Oh, and I retweaked my sprained thumb, trying to turn the lock on my torque wrench, of all things.
And if I never have to compress another spring again ... that's quite all right with me!
11:17 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
Suspension Swap (Part 5 of ?): Difficult Corner Done!
Passenger side front done! Now soaking driver's side strut mount and lower bolt in PB Blaster. Dunno why I didn't think to do it before. I blipped the top strut nut (soaked that yesterday morning) and it came right out. I suppose this downtime is good; I need a breather. This stuff is hard work!
Vinny came by to watch me pop more stuff out of his Jetta earlier. I think I left my Bentley manual in his trunk. Good thing I can search Vortex for torque specs!
08:42 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
October 12, 2004 / Tuesday
Suspension Swap (Part 4 of ?): It's Really Off! Yeah Again!
Yaaay again! The entire strut assembly is off! Now I can really go to work!
08:46 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
Suspension Swap (Part 3 of ?): It's Off! Yeah!
Yaaay! The strut nut came off! Now I can go to work!
08:21 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
Suspension Swap (Part 2 of ?): Is It Loose Yet?
Could not sleep last night. Kept waking up wondering whether the top strut nut was loose yet. Wanted to go blip it with the impact wrench in the middle of the night to check, but my neighbor probably wouldn't have appreciated it. Woke up waaay before my alarm today, gave up on trying to sleep, and am now waiting for 8 AM, which should be a late enough hour to start making noise.
Please be loose please be loose please be loose ...
07:52 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
Sniff Sniff
I smell like chemicals.
That, and I have bleeding hangnails and grease under my fingernails.
Actually, the chemicals kinda burn on my bleeding hangnails.
Yow.
I'm calling it a night. I hope the PB Blaster does its job while I sleep. I'll give it another go tomorrow.
12:25 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
October 11, 2004 / Monday
Suspension Swap (Part 1 of ?)
Started my suspension swap tonight.
First off, I had a hell of a time with the jack and jackstands, since my car's rails are screwed up (thanks to me), and the rail-to-jack pad placement on my car does not allow much space for jackstand placement next to a jack used to prop up the car (thanks to VW). That, and everything in that area is soffft.
So everything is soft, and I had a hell of a time, meaning my car is now plus one huge double scratch and dent in a spot that no one but me knows about, but is worrisome nonetheless.
It bugs me because it happened due to a total brainfart on my part. Never mind that this is the second time I've injured my car in as many days. Bah.
Finally, front of car on jack stands. I finished up maintenance tasks and started on the suspension. I decided to start with the notoriously difficult front passenger side strut. I actually got past the part that was supposed to be really hard: loosening the strut mount. Next up was the top strut nut. I blipped it with my shiny new impact wrench. Nothing. I blipped again. Nothing. WTF?
So now I'm stuck. Someone on the VW forums recommended PB Blaster. Strut nut now soaking ...
11:54 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
40,000 Miles
Did a bunch of 40,000 mile maintenance tasks tonight:
- did oil change
- cleaned ITG filter
- replaced pollen filter
- partway through replacing tires (wheels too!)
I'm minus skin and plus grease at the moment. I've discovered a new use for my rollerblade kneepads. They've now been removed from my bag of never-used rollerblading gear and added to my car maintenance pile.
Two more things left:
- change sparkplugs (looking for the right kind)
- bleed brakes (will do within the next month)
This is my happy car post. My unhappy car post is coming next.
11:49 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (2)
AutoZone Is d4 Rox0r
Sitting on my desk right now: strut spring compressors! Borrowing them for free from AutoZone. Yes, that's right, free. Forget Kragen and their "we don't have it in stock but we can order it for you to rent at 8 bucks a day" rentals.
I think I'll try to do my suspension this week. Stay tuned ...
01:13 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (4)
September 30, 2004 / Thursday
The Continuation Of Project Grease Monkey
I haven't done any new greasemonkeying in a while. I think next month I'll start up again. I've decided to install my new suspension myself ... with help, of course. I've read enough about it to know what tools I'll need, what replacement parts to purchase, and what obstacles I may come across beforehand. In the end, it's all just nuts and bolts, right?
More to buy for the self-install:
- "the spreader tool" (hahaha)
- a spring compressor
- replacement mounting nuts and bolts
- new strut bearings
It'll cost me less, I'll learn something new, and I won't have to deal with the shop guys who all seem to think they know everything and are better than all the other sucky shop guys in the area.
Wish me luck!
12:31 AM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
September 02, 2004 / Thursday
I Think The Kids Think I'm A Mechanic
So I'm out in my driveway rotating my tires, and the little kids on the block come by to ask me what I'm doing. The one from next door asks, "Do you fix things all day?"
No, kiddo, I sit in front of a computer all day.
I'm not surprised he asked that, though. The only time they ever see me is when I'm out in the driveway mucking around with my car or motorcycle.
Heck, for all they know, I really could be a mechanic!
09:10 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
August 29, 2004 / Sunday
Random Car Maintenance
I've done a lot of small car things over the past week. They were no big deal, but thinking back to them makes me appreciate how my comfort level with tweaking (but not necessarily massive wrenching) on cars has increased substantially since I've owned this car.
So let's see, what did I do? My car got a flat, and I changed the tire. (I got it plugged, but next time if I need a plug I'll do it myself.) I put new windshield wipers on my aunt's car, which took me 5 minutes. She thought it was magic. Cool. Today, one of my headlights went out. I got home, pulled out my box of extra Philips VisionPlus bulbs, and swapped in a good one in about 10 minutes. Also cool.
Back in my car-clueless Civic-driving days, the flat would have resulted in a call to AAA, my aunt would have had to take her car to a shop to replace her wipers, and I would have probably taken my car to the stealership to get a silly bulb put in.
But now, car tweaker that I am (ha!), I can blog with all that saved time, and pay for a suspension installation with all that saved labor money.
I suspect that still puts me in the hole, though.
09:03 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
Orange Goop Is The Rox0r
I got auto grease on my favorite white convertible capri pants today. I was sad, very very sad, because I thought they were done for. But, thanks to Google and my bottle of Orange Goop, my converticapris are white again!
It works on your hands, so why not your clothes, right?
08:30 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
May 15, 2004 / Saturday
Oil Change Brain Fart
After meticulously washing and waxing and detailing the outside of my car today, I started in on my oil change. I drained the oil pan, I drained the filter, I removed the filter, I replaced all unscrewable pieces and torqued them to spec, I added 5.5 quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40.
Then I looked over and saw my new oil filter sitting on the shelf.
I wasn't about to waste thirty bucks of motor oil (and it's not always easy to get the stuff I want anyhow), so I drove all the way to Kragen to get a new clean oil drain pan. I got the pan, I drained the oil, and then when I removed the filter drain bolt, nothing came out.
Turns out no oil flows into the filter until you run the engine.
Well, now I know. I also have my very own oil drain pan now. Woop.
09:03 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
February 19, 2004 / Thursday
I've Missed Being A Grease Monkey!
It's nice to work on my car again! It's also nice to know that I'm running clean motor oil through a clean oil filter, filtering air through a cleaner (and supposedly better) filter, and not wearing down my race brake pads while commuting on lame-O snow steelies.
I replaced the stock air filter with an ITG (same idea as a K&N but foam). I hope it doesn't destroy my MAF sensor. I kept the dirty stock one just in case it does, so I can pop it back in and limp my car to the dealership for a warranty replacement. 
06:14 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
November 01, 2003 / Saturday
Wrench Wrench Goes The Grease Monkey
Having another grease monkey weekend. Was poking around my car earlier and noticed that the seal between my airbox and MAF sensor was loose. Loose! WTF?! Maybe the stealership people knocked it loose when I had my car in for the ignition coil recall. Bad bad bad. Don't want non-air particles getting into my engine. Anyway, tightened that up.
Swapped some bulbs out up front again. I swear, no more headlight work until I get myself a set of HIDs or angel eyes.
Checked my spare tire pressure. Pain in the ass but a small one and well worth it, so I was good and made sure it was happy.
On to the motorcycle. Doug helped me make a bracket for my new license plate. I'm finally legal! Very happy about that.
We're currently trying to pull the centerstand off. For some reason the exhaust pipes are in the way. Doug's trying to help me find a way around it. Originally I was going to pull the exhaust off, which requires draining the coolant and removing the radiator, which, in turn, requires removing every single freakin' piece of fairing. Anyway, I was working my way through the parts and I was looking at the Haynes guide diagrams and I was complaining about how the idiot who reassembled my bike had forgotten a part, and then Doug looked and pointed out that I was looking at the wrong part on the wrong side of the bike. Oops.
Hold up hands, thumbs out. 'L' means left.
Time for some soup. More bike wrenching afterward. More blogging after that. Hope you're all having a good Saturday. Roh!
03:20 PM | Flopsie:Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
October 26, 2003 / Sunday
Grease Monkey Garden Helper Viv
Played car today and finally did my 20,000 miles oil change. I feel better! I hope my car does, too. I somehow spazzed and forget to remove the oil filter cap drain before removing the oil filter cap and wound up with motor oil splattered everywhere. Made a pretty cool pattern on my shirt. Designer grease monkey clothes. Whoo.
Played motorcycle after playing car. I took the ridiculously hard to turn petcock apart and cleaned it out so now I can actually go from "On" to "Reserve' without having to pull over and get off my bike. After that, bled my brakes, and then cleaned out the front calipers.
I just realized that my motorcycle's front calipers have twice as many pistons as my entire car does. On the flip side, just one of my car's brake pads contain enough material to outfit several bikes. Interesting.
Cleaned up the motorcycle a bit and helped Doug out with some much needed gardening. Raked a lot. Felt like I was back home helping out my mom again. Got bitten by a bunch of mosquitoes. Again, felt like I was back home. Next thing you know there's gonna be a warm torrential downpour thunderstorm.
One of the mosquitoes bit my forehead. I whacked it right after I felt it, but it broke skin. I wonder what that's gonna look like tomorrow.
09:44 PM | Flopsie:Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
September 11, 2003 / Thursday
And More Brakes (3)
Back from my squeak test (a.k.a. insurance and gym run). Back from my failed squeak test, that is. Anti-squeak goo or not, you're gonna hear me stopping from a mile away.
At least I know I can change my front brake pads on my own now.
04:40 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
May 03, 2003 / Saturday
Grease Monkey Viv!
Huzzah! I finally did an oil change on my car! Rotated the tires too. Fun fun. Happy car, happy Viv. No more OilStop people who don't know what kind of engine my car has and can't figure out what to inflate my tires to. Besides, they don't have my filter in stock and they don't have the type of oil I want to put in my car so I'd have to buy that myself anyway. So long, OilStop people, I'm doing my own oil changes from now on.
Ooh, and now I own a 2 ton jack. Jack stands, too. 'Twas cool rotating the tires 'cause I got to prop the entire car up and pop all the wheels off. La la la.
Whoo.
05:09 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
April 29, 2003 / Tuesday
POW-er!
My GTI (Vrooooom!) got to play with an M3 (Mmmmm3!) up the hill on 92 today. It was fun, but I knew the M3 was just toying with my pretty red car. Thanks for sticking around and not totally leaving me in the dust, speedy M3.
Went from 50 to 95 MPH over about half the length of the climb. After the exit ramp I thought, wow, in my Civic I used to approach the hill going 75 or 80 and by the end of it I'd be in third gear going maybe 55. 55 on a good day.
Whoo for more horsies.
On a related pretty red car note, I went to the dealer and bought a couple oil filters this afternoon. The VW counter guy there was super cool. He even printed up a diagram for me of how everything fits together.
I'm gonna be a little grease monkey and change my oil and rotate my tires.
02:40 PM | Grease Monkey:Vroom!| Comments (0)
March 21, 2002 / Thursday
Another Step Toward Grease Monkeyhood
I changed my tires today. Twice. Once to swap the spare in. Once to swap it out. Yay for me! I'm not useless and frou frou.
04:11 PM | Grease Monkey| Comments (0)
January 04, 2002 / Friday
SoopahGreaseMonkeyViv
Lately I've been feeling like I'm bonding with my car. Last Thursday I installed my ski rack. The next day I learned to put chains on. Yesterday I refilled the wiper fluid. This morning I replaced the wiper blades. Next thing you know I'll be changing the oil and putting in a new transmission. Grease monkeyhood, here I come!
