c/auto-mechanics

Shoutout to that shop in Tucson that only uses used parts... but is that actually a good thing?

PSA: My torque wrench lied to me and I snapped a head bolt on a 5.3L Chevy

I was putting together a 2007 Silverado 1500 last Wednesday, torquing the heads to 22 ft-lbs like the manual says. Thing clicked, so I moved on, but on the final pass I felt it give and snap. Turned out my old Craftsman torque wrench was 15 ft-lbs off at the low end because I never stored it at zero. Had to drill out the broken bolt and Heli-Coil the hole, took me 4 hours extra. Anyone else ever get bit by a mis-calibrated tool and swear off ever trusting them again?

Found a simple way to fix a stuck brake caliper without replacing it

I was working on a 2005 Ford F-150 last week for my neighbor. The right front brake was dragging bad, heating up the rotor to the point you could smell it. Normally I would just tell someone to replace the caliper, but parts are hard to find for that truck right now. I pulled the caliper off and noticed the slide pins were coated in this hard crusty old grease. Instead of swapping the whole unit, I cleaned the pins with a wire brush, hit them with some brake cleaner, and put a thin layer of high-temp silicone grease on them. Put it all back together and the caliper moved free as could be. Has anyone else had luck reviving a sticky caliper this way, or do you think it's just a temporary fix?

Had a alignment rack failure three years ago that almost killed a customer's car last week

Just learned brake fluid absorbs water way faster than I thought

I was reading through a 2019 Bosch tech bulletin last night and it said brake fluid can absorb enough moisture in 18 months to drop its boiling point by 100 degrees. I've been telling people to flush every 2 years but honestly I've been pushing it to 3 or 4 on my own truck. Has anyone else seen corrosion inside calipers from old fluid?

TIL Harbor Freight torque wrenches aren't as bad as I thought

I always avoided the cheap Pittsburgh ones because I figured they'd be way off. Finally tested a 1/2 inch drive I got on sale against my buddy's Snap-on at his shop in Cleveland and it was within 3 ft-lbs at 80 ft-lbs. For the $60 I paid vs $400 I'm not mad at all. Anybody else had good luck with budget tools for stuff that doesn't need NASA precision?

Talked to an old Ford mechanic at a junkyard yesterday

He said he never uses a torque wrench on oil pan bolts, just tightens them by feel after 40 years. Made me wonder how many engine jobs I've made harder than they had to be by being too by-the-book.

Unpopular opinion: using an impact driver on oil drain plugs is fine

I used to crack every drain plug with a torque wrench like the manual said, 30 ft-lbs religiously. But after 8 years in a shop in Phoenix, I switched to a low-torque impact gun set to 1 click. Never had a leak or stripped thread since, and it saves me 20 minutes a day. Am I wrong for ditching the torque wrench here?

Heads up: Wrong coolant can kill your water pump in under 6 months

I keep seeing guys at my shop in Tulsa just grab whatever green coolant is on sale and dump it in anything. Last week a customer brought in a 2015 Ford Explorer with a seized water pump at 80k miles. I pulled the pump and it looked like somebody painted the inside with orange rust. Turns out he'd been running GM-style Dexcool in it for about 5 months. Different engines need specific coolant chemistry. The wrong stuff eats the seals and bearings from the inside out. I've pulled apart at least 4 pumps this year that failed from someone mixing coolant types. Has anybody else noticed a spike in water pump failures from mis-matched coolant?

Debated between a cordless impact and air ratchet for my home shop

I work at a Ford dealer in Columbus but my garage at home doesn't have an air compressor. I went back and forth for weeks on getting a Milwaukee cordless impact or setting up a compressor for an air ratchet. Ended up grabbing the cordless impact for $200 and honestly it handles lug nuts and suspension bolts fine. Anyone else skip the air tools for battery stuff at home?

I used to think Lucas Oil Stabilizer was snake oil until an old Ford van proved me wrong

Had a customer bring in a 1998 Ford E-250 with 280k miles and a lifter tap so loud you could hear it across the lot. Told him it was time for a rebuild but he was on a budget and begged me to just try that Lucas stuff first. Poured in a quart with his oil change and drove it around the block. The tap went away after about 10 minutes of driving and it's been quiet for 3 months now. I still don't use it as a replacement for proper maintenance but I can't argue with results like that. Anyone else had a product surprise them after years of being a skeptic?

PSA: Stop using impact guns on plastic trim clips

I saw a guy at the shop last Tuesday blast a door panel clip with his impact and snap it clean off. Those things are designed for like 5 ft-lbs max, not 200. Now the customer is out $40 for a whole new panel because the clip housing is busted. How many times do you have to replace a trim piece before you grab a ratchet instead?

TIL that PB blaster isnt always the answer for seized bolts

I spent 3 hours last Saturday trying to break loose a lower control arm bolt on a 2002 F-150, soaking it in PB every 20 minutes with zero luck. Finally got fed up and tried heating the nut with a propane torch for about 2 minutes, then hit it with a cold wet rag, and it spun right off with just a ratchet. Anyone else have weird tricks for rusted bolts that worked when the normal stuff didnt?

Customer said my brake lines looked 'sloppy' last Tuesday

I had a guy bring his 1998 F-150 in for a brake job, and he leaned over my shoulder while I was flaring the lines. He told me my bends were too tight and would crack under pressure. I thought he was just being picky, but I stepped back and looked at it, and he was right. I had been rushing the curves to save time. So I re-did the passenger side line with wider, smoother bends, and it actually seats better against the frame. Has anyone else gotten useful feedback from a customer who actually knew what they were talking about?

Remember when we used to rebuild carbs instead of just swapping them out?

Took a buddy's 78 F-150 from Arkansas last month and got his old Motorcraft 2150 running smooth with just a $18 gasket kit and some carb cleaner, but every shop I called said to just throw a new Holley at it, and I swear we lost something when we stopped trying to fix things right the first time, has anyone else noticed how hard it is to find guys who still know how to set float levels by feel?

That time I tried rebuilding a CV axle instead of buying new

I had a 2005 Civic come in last spring with a torn boot on the passenger side. Usually I just swap in a reman unit for like $80 and move on, but the customer was tight on cash so I figured I'd rebuild it myself. Got the axle pulled and cleaned up, repacked the joint with new grease, put on a fresh boot and clamp. Put it all back together and it lasted maybe 3 days before it started clicking again on turns. Turns out I didn't get the cage aligned right inside the outer joint. Wasted about 4 hours and still had to buy the reman axle anyway. Has anyone else had better luck rebuilding those or is it always a gamble?

Bought a half inch torque wrench from Harbor Freight for $45 and it actually held up on head bolts for a 5.3 LS swap I did last Saturday in my driveway

I was prepping for a head gasket job on my buddy's 2004 Silverado and needed a torque wrench that could handle 65 ft lbs. My old one from AutoZone crapped out after one use so I figured I'd try the cheap Pittsburgh one everyone talks trash about. I marked the bolt heads with a paint pen and ran the sequence three times like the manual said. Every single bolt came out consistent and the final turn felt solid with no click drift. Has anyone else had good luck with those budget torque wrenches or did I just get a unicorn?

Talked to a transmission rebuilder at a swap meet last weekend

He told me he never uses aftermarket shift kits anymore, just stacks factory plates carefully. Said it's about fluid pressure curves and I never thought about it that way - has anyone else dropped aftermarket kits for stock parts?

That $40 vacuum bleeder from Harbor Freight actually works great

I was SURE it would leak or break after one use but I used it on a 2004 Camry last Tuesday and it pulled all the air out of the brake lines in under 20 minutes. The plastic reservoir feels cheap but the seal held fine. Has anyone else tried the Pittsburgh one or should I just save up for a Motive next time?

Tried a cheap serpentine belt tensioner and lost $80 plus my Saturday

Bought a no-name tensioner off Amazon for $18 instead of the ACDelco one for $55. Installed it on my 2008 Silverado last Friday. Within 40 miles, the pulley started wobbling and the belt slipped off. Had to tow it home and buy the proper part, wasted 6 hours extra work. Anyone else get burned by cheap tensioners or is it just me?

Swapped to high-moly grease on my F-150 ball joints 6 months ago and they're still quiet as new

I finally got tired of grease fitting clogs on my 2012 in Richmond, VA, so I stopped using the cheap stuff and went with a Schaeffer's blend, and the joints haven't made a peep since; has anyone else noticed a real difference switching grease brands on older trucks?

That "quick" alternator swap on a 2007 Accord took me 6 damn hours

Question about rust converters after a convo with a customer

Had a guy come into the shop last week with a 2005 F-150 that was mostly rust. He told me he swears by that Corroseal stuff for the frame, says it beats POR-15 for the price. I've always used the cheap rattle can stuff from Autozone for small spots. Made me wonder if I'm wasting time with the budget options on bigger jobs. Anyone here use that Corroseal on a frame and see it hold up through a winter?

Took me 5 years to figure out I was overtorquing lug nuts

Pulled into a shop in Phoenix last month for a tire rotation. Guy comes out and says three of my studs are stretched. I always used a torque wrench. Set it to 100 ft-lbs like the manual says. He asked if I used anti-seize. I did. Every time. He said subtract 20% next time. Nobody ever told me that. Felt like an idiot. How do you handle lubed threads on your torque specs?

Had a guy in a '01 Tahoe teach me a lesson about brake fluid last fall

I was bleeding brakes on an old F-150 at my shop in Tulsa when this older fella pulled in asking if I had a flare nut wrench he could borrow. He said he'd been fighting a rusted fitting for two hours with vice grips and had stripped it almost flat. Has anyone else had a random customer drop some hard earned wisdom on a small thing that stuck with you?