Thread: Pre trip check, pre 100k service check.

Did you check the idler pully for the serpentine belt?

yep, one of those things thats ok, but will probably be replaced anyway.

Dave, just curious, how long you been a mechanic?

Not many have the inclination to be that thorough with their own cars if they're honest about it.

Ok, maybe they'll note it but won't fix it til it's not quite broken.

You know, plumbers taps leaking, builder's creaky stairs, sparkies.. no actually sparkies don't **** about with sparky stuff.
Good mate of mine's a sparky. Don't let him near your car..

Originally Posted by oldzook

Dave, just curious, how long you been a mechanic?

Not many have the inclination to be that thorough with their own cars if they're honest about it.

Ok, maybe they'll note it but won't fix it til it's not quite broken.

You know, plumbers taps leaking, builder's creaky stairs, sparkies.. no actually sparkies don't **** about with sparky stuff.
Good mate of mine's a sparky. Don't let him near your car..

see thats the thing, how do you tell not quite broken?

its like tightening a bolt till just before it breaks...


Ive been turning spanners for 20+ years now and I have the fortune to have my spannering experience evolved by dad and both my uncles and had it evolved along the same lines as engines developed. from steam through to racing engins and rotaries.... (my preference is for long stroke low compression petrols and low speed diesels. both versions of the 2.25 being just about right in my books)


First engine rebuild I did was when I was about 8, I pulled apart dads lawnmower, he sat down and we put it back together and pulled it apart and put it together till i got it to run.

I still remember things that we did to keep broken engines running from pulling a the broken con rod, piston and valve rockers out of a 2.25 petrol, hose clamping the big end bearing shells in place to maintain oil pressure and driving on 3 cylinders into the next town through to taping the split radiator hose, removing the cap and upending a coke bottle full of water into the filler to keep an engine running with a blown head gasket.

torque it til it breaks then back off 1/4 turn?

One of my first cars, a real cheap clunker, was a heavy smoker as all good Ratsuns are, so we pulled it down for a real quick set of rings & brgs and found the head corroded from lack of inhibitor. It was taken in to be welded up but a few months down the track it failed again and so would pressurise the cooling system. Another head job was worth more than the car. I drove that poor thing for nearly 12mths with the radiator cap just on the first 1/2 turn and just kept topping it up once a week or so before I sold it like that for what I paid for it.