tech tips for the day..

[archive@porknet.fdns.net]

I finally got some time off to work on my car today, and I thought I'd
share with the list some of the stuff that I tried that worked well.

- Sunroof Lube: I know this has been covered here before, thats where I
  got the idea.. but its HIGHLY recommended! This is the 2nd or 3rd time
  I've done it and this time I did a thorough job, with vastly improved
  results!

  Get a spray can of Silicone (liquid, not the dry kind) lube with a
  little red straw attachment and spray every nook and cranny you can find
  where rubbing occurs. Make sure you spray the cables .. they look like
  miniature bottle brushes - they have bristles to help keep crud out.
  Spray them heavily to make sure they're well lubed. Crank the sunroof
  from lock to lock (all the way) open and closed several times, spraying
  again in between. After all this is done, it should slide smooth as silk.

- HVAC Controls Lube: In the past I've done this with white grease, with
  good results, but this time I decided to experiment with the same
  silicone I used for the sunroof. I simply pulled off the three knobs on
  the heater control panel and removed the panel (unplugging the 
  backlight), then sprayed everything lightly with silicone. Try to avoid
  spraying your dash as the silicone will ruin it. Avoid the temptation to
  spray anything rubber or plastic with the silicone as I assure you the
  "wet black" look is only temporary and will soon be replaced by the
  "crumbling ooze" look, forcing you to buy new trim.

  Make sure you hit the vacuum distributor in the very back, as lubing it
  makes the biggest difference. When you're done slap the controls back on
  and slide them back and forth several times ... amazing! its like the
  controls on a new car!

  I also tried silicone lube on the seat tracks (again, where I'd
  previously used multipurpose grease) and it produced impressive results
  there too, sliding forward and back (all I could think of was Clark
  Griswald on the snow saucer), but I'm not sure how long the lubrication
  will last. We'll see.

- Power Steering Juice: With the brakes and power steering the only
  remaining fluids to be changed on my car since purchase, I thought I'd
  tackle the easy one today (brake fluid comes later when I change the
  pads). Evidently Dexron and Dexron II are now very difficult to find
  although the parts counter man assured me that Dexron III would work
  just fine. I wasn't so sure, so I ended up going with a Redline
  Synthetic ATF that was listed as compatible for all Dexron II auto
  trannys and power steering systems. It was $6.49, but its made by
  Redline, so its probably a decent product, right? Changing the fluid is
  easier than changing your oil. Place drain pan under pump, remove low
  pressure rubber suction hose, watch 5 tablespoons of 13 year old black
  juice come out, reattach hose. I only used about 2/3 of the 1 quart
  bottle of Redline. The bleeding proceedure in Bentley wasn't really
  needed. As soon as I started the car the level dropped and after I
  topped it off, it stayed constant despite turning the steering wheel
  back and forth. Initial test drive with the new fluid shows only minor
  change in steering - mostly quicker or maybe more powerful response. But
  at least the grime floating around in the old fluid is no longer
  contaminating the system.

..and last but not least (and probably most significant to my sanity), I
finally killed the sunroof trim panel rattles that have been tormenting me
for a year!

Removing the sunroof trim is supposed to require a "special tool" shown in
Bentley, consisting of a loop of wire with a hook on it. I just used the
same pair of curved tip pliers (it looks like He-Man took a pair of
regular pliers and deformed them by pinching a piece of titanium pipe)
that I use to pull injectors on my 16v. I just fully opened the sunroof in
the "tilt" position so I could get to the spring and detached it from the
trim with the pliers. Then, the trim slides to the right side of the car
and lifts out through the gap between the sunroof and the roof.

I used some magical "foam insulation tape" that I purchased from All
Electronics (www.allcorp.com) for $2 and cut out small squares where the
sunroof mechanics were banging against the trim panel. The most
significant of these spots was the undersides of the 2 brackets attached
on both sides of the trim panel. Only one side of the bracket was attached
to the trim panel, the other was hanging freely and allowed to rattle
against the trim panel without restraint. I put a piece of foam under
there and in several spots where the part of the headliner that is folded
over the top of the panel was ripped from abrasion and after reinstalling
the panel, my rattles were gone! It suddenly feels like I'm driving a car
made in the nineties!

Anyway, these aren't "exciting new scientific developments", but I thought
I'd post them on the list and maybe keep a few people from having to
junk their siezed sunroofs or from going crazy (like me) from the rattles
coming from their trim panel that are comparable to the shrieks of a
screaming child.

'Roc on...

-Toby

--
'87 16v

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