96' Neon Project thread

[Madman]

It's not so much the smoothness as it is the thickness. Find the spec for how thick they need to be and measure them. Like brake pads, the rotors experience wear. The calipers are fine, unless they're not. (That is, unless there is a real problem, they're fine).

As long as the discs aren't warped, they'll be fine.  Sounds like he just needs to throw on a new set of pads.

[Secret Chimp]

As long as the discs aren't warped, they'll be fine.  Sounds like he just needs to throw on a new set of pads.

He needs to at least use some emory cloth or sandpaper to score the glaze off of the discs or else his pads won't work well for shit.

[2o6]

Got the V-belts and alternator off. But yet again, I ran out of daylight.



Should be able to put the new one back on tomorrow.

[2o6]

Ok, so I put my alternator on, but now I'm getting a strange sound (sounds like a pulley not catching correctly) when the car is at full lock.


My PS fluid did run low (I had to remove a line to take a bolt off) but I filled the reservoir.


Are my belts not tightened right? Is my PS pump going out, too?

[r0tor]

How did you tighten the belt?

[2o6]

How did you tighten the belt?

Lifted up the PS pump until the belts were tight.

[2o6]

So I checked under the hood....


Turns out that I neglected to tighten the bolts on the alternator, so the entire assembly is shifting side to side. 

[Madman]

So I checked under the hood....


Turns out that I neglected to tighten the bolts on the alternator, so the entire assembly is shifting side to side. 

Making mistakes is how you learn not to repeat them.  Like the time I was changing my oil and forgot to replace the drain plug.  Poured the new oil in and out the bottom it went!  I'll make sure never to do that again!

[Rupert]

Last time I changed the my oil, it was a windy day. All over.

[2o6]

PS Pump is failing. It's a much simpler fix than the Alternator, though.


Either the PS pump is failing, or the belt isn't tight enough. It seems a bit random, it was working fine before I took the belts off. I get a rattling belt, and intermittent PS failures. I pop the hood to check the belt and it's somewhat loose.

[CJ]

So buy a new belt and bring the tension to spec.

[2o6]

Fixed.

[2o6]

I am running out of time and good weather to fix my parking brake.



How much will a shop charge?

[Rupert]

What was wrong again?

[2o6]

What was wrong again?

Right rear parking brake shoe is either seized or broken. No tension in handle. Line possibly stretched, IDK for sure.

[the Teuton]

You could always park it in-gear...and hope no one bumps the heck out of your car.

[Madman]

Who needs a parking brake?  Just carry a brick or a block of wood and wedge it under your tyre when you park.  Hey, it's a lot cheaper than paying a mechanic to fix it!

[2o6]

You could always park it in-gear...and hope no one bumps the heck out of your car.

I've been parking it in gear since late August. And unless you have a worn clutch someone bumping your car won't hurt it.

Who needs a parking brake?  Just carry a brick or a block of wood and wedge it under your tyre when you park.  Hey, it's a lot cheaper than paying a mechanic to fix it!

I want to get it done before snowfall.

[the Teuton]

If the British do it, it must be cool.

[Rupert]

Worst case, new parking brake assembly $? plus two to three hours labor at $70-100/hour.

Probably less than $150.

[Madman]

Worst case, new parking brake assembly $? plus two to three hours labor at $70-100/hour.

Probably less than $150.

A block of wood is still cheaper.

[sportyaccordy]

A block of wood is still cheaper.

I am not sure about this. Commodities have been on quite the uptick

[hotrodalex]

You sure the drum brake assembly is what's wrong? I would double check the cable and connection to the handle before assuming. Make sure you have all the J-hooks or whatever to keep the tension. If all of that looks fine, before taking it to a shop I would try to look at it yourself. Just find a diagram online of the assembly and take the wheel and cover off to check it. (I wouldn't recommend fixing the assembly yourself unless you know what you're doing. It's not very fun, takes a while, and can be confusing)

[2o6]

You sure the drum brake assembly is what's wrong? I would double check the cable and connection to the handle before assuming. Make sure you have all the J-hooks or whatever to keep the tension. If all of that looks fine, before taking it to a shop I would try to look at it yourself. Just find a diagram online of the assembly and take the wheel and cover off to check it. (I wouldn't recommend fixing the assembly yourself unless you know what you're doing. It's not very fun, takes a while, and can be confusing)

Did that already. It goes from both lines to the handle, just fine. The equalizer (that connects the lines from both wheels and transfers it into one line to the handle) is crooked.......which means that one of the lines is seized due to some sort of worn or corroded part.......like a parking brake shoe.

[Secret Chimp]

Lifted up the PS pump until the belts were tight.

Are you sure there isn't some kind of a tensioning bolt on one of the accessories? Tension-by-tug sounds like a strange system. Then again it is a Chrysler car.

[2o6]

Are you sure there isn't some kind of a tensioning bolt on one of the accessories? Tension-by-tug sounds like a strange system. Then again it is a Chrysler car.

I resolved it, but yes, it is essentially tension by tug. You take a 1" breaker bar (the PS pump has a hole specifically for it) and you get someone to push down on it as hard as possible (like a lever) and you tighten the two bolts that secure it to the car. Then, near the alternator, you tighten up the tension bolt.

[S204STi]

Re: the parking brake problem; more often than not the problem is easily remedied by simply adjusting the rear brake shoes.

Before some shadetree jumps in to claim they are self adjusting, that is what they are supposed to do but I call it Wishful Thinking.

[2o6]

Would this explain the reason why my rear brakes sometimes lockup when braking?

[S204STi]

Hmm that sounds more like broken hardware or a leaking wheel cylinder which has soaked the shoes.

[2o6]

Hmm that sounds more like broken hardware or a leaking wheel cylinder which has soaked the shoes.

But I'm not low on brake fluid.