I SAW YOU ON THE ROOF TODAY!
Was too late to beep as I'd already gone past
Loving the circular hat haha but I guess they offer the best protection

Don't you be laughing at my circular hat! I nearly always slip and slap. I usually forget to slop. Click Here if you're lost.

Today I took the opportunity to replace the water pump and fix this coolant leak once and for all. Looks like the seal blew out:





And the shaft seal failed. Probably from me over tightening the belt:



New pump in:



I started the car and an alarming amount of smoke came pouring out of the exhaust. Must have been something to do with the PCV system because it cleared up quickly.

Thanks,

Evan.

Shiny new part looks good!
Clean your engine bay

I cleaned near it

I just looked under the front of the car and there was no puddle! Woot! There was usually a few drips a few minutes after parking.

I know how much you like seeing your old junk fitted to my car, BenJ:



Before fitting that up I visited Pick and Payless to find an EA induction pipe. No luck. All the EA's either had centerpoint injection or MPEFI and no pipe. I did find another XH snorkel though. I also found two central locking relays for my girlfriend's Mazda for $10.00.

I am pleased to say that P&P have seen the light and sorted the cars out according to make so that it's easier to find stuff.

Results of fitting XH snorkel? It's a little bit more responsive. As scientists say, further studies are needed.

Thanks,

Evan.

I like!
When I went hunting for an early e series induction snorkel I found an EB1 which had a cracked induction snorkel and the one I grabbed from an EA wagon which was full of oil
Definitely a worthwhile mod though!
Air filter wise, unless you find a cheap one I'd probably stick to a clean paper one to be honest.
Here's a cheaper high flow: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/JR-CLEANABLE ... 104wt_1037

Looking good Ev

Was the wagon a red one? I think it was the only multipoint EA in the place.

As far as filters go, I don't think I would bother with a high flow one. I tend to agree with the logic that if you have the same surface area and a higher flow, you are going to be sacrificing filtration.

I can't exactly remember but red does ring a bell!

Yep exactly right, I usually re-oil mine each time I do an oil change but wouldn't buy another high flow one if I were ever to be in the market for one again.

Hi all,

This morning, I went to visit BenJ to borrow his spare bonnet. I am going to run the car with it on so that I can take my time to properly restore my bonnet which, as you can see is pretty poor:



And this bubble, then crack, then big a*** chip:



Looks quite good now:



I haven't posted a 'Full Body' shot for a while:



Nice. I even got the wheels the right way up and everything by accident.

Now that I have got it running well, maybe I should start making it look nice. I have some plans and have secured some parts. Lets just say, XR6 Ghia?

Anyways, thanks for looking,

Evan.

Watching this space curiously

Hey Evan

Looks good in the pics mate.

Why do I get the feeling you may not want to give it back LOL.

Cheers
BenJ

I fired up the old PC last night to check out some old photos and I found these. My fixing up my first car pics. A 1991 Toyota *gulp* Camry Wagon CSi

This is what $800 gets you:



The interior was in a bit of a state as it belonged to Tempo Cleaning:



I don't want to know what they were carrying in the back...



I ended up ripping out the carpet and cargo back-deck (hinges up to reveal spare wheel) and replacing it with a better one from the wreckers. I also pulled out most of the interior plastics and gave them a damn good clean:



Shot with my Mum's Corolla of a similar vintage:



Door trims came up nice:



A bit of rust in the floor:



Fixed with a bit of Kill Rust:





I should have taken before pictures. The cargo area was absolutely BLACK:



Rear seat mount had to be bent into the right shape so that it would close up properly.

Cut and polish the whole thing:



Ready for the road:



And yes it was completely legal to display your P plates in the windscreen back in 2005.

This thing ended up with CD player, 6" speakers in the doors, 6 x 9"s in the back with a 12"sub. I got rid of it as I wanted something with a manual 'box, the car smelled pretty bad and it's not exactly the coolest thing on the road is it? Traded it for $650 when I got my N15 Pulsar.

Hope that wasn't too boring.

Evan.

Hi All,

I just got back from a trip to Canberra with my sister. Saw some sights. Museum of Australia, C**k Green, bike ride around Lake Burley Griffin.

Everyone loves to drive a Falcon:



Big Merino:



Capital Hill:



C**k Green:



Lake Burley Griffin after a 17km bike ride:



I think the only way that the trip could have been improved was if we didn't have to clutch start the car about 4 times throughout the weekend. I thought that I had narrowed it down to either the neutral switch or bad earth. I thought the neutral switch because the starter would engage if I put it half into 3rd or 4th. I thought a bad earth as quite a lot of corrosion had built up on the negative terminal of the battery. This is my improvised tool kit for cleaning the battery terminals furnished by Coles:



We stopped for a break just before Picton and the hold half in gear trick didn't work. Umm... breakout the scotchbrite! That didn't work either. Another clutch start...

I got home and made up a neutral switch by-pass and installed it:





Moment of truth. Cross fingers, toes, anything else possible. Nothing...

Start with the basics. Check battery. Er... not much water in there. Fill it up. Try to start. Nothing...

Check fuseable links, all good.

I studied this diagram for what seemed like hours:



And by that time it was getting dark and I still had no idea. It was frustrating because the starter relay was operating correctly. I tested the base and found that there was voltage whether or not the neutral switch link was connected. I made up a jumper lead and bridged the starter relay base and nothing happened. This got me thinking that maybe the starter motor itself was the issue. I made up a trailing lead with a female spade and connected it to the trigger terminal of the starter motor solenoid, then touched the other end to the positive terminal of the battery. Nothing happened except for some sparks. I think we have something now! I got my hammer out and gave the starter a little tappa tappa tappa. Try again...

LIFE!

I re-connected the car wiring to the starter and tried the key. Started right up.

So there you have it. I have fixed my car with a hammer. Looks like I need a new starter motor. Good thing they are only about $100 new.

Thanks,

Evan.