Showing posts with label maintenance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maintenance. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Finally finishing up the Outback - up soon - back to the diesel

Well, it's been a longer road than I would have originally thought, but I'm just about done with the Outback now. Although the car ran well when I bought it, I needed to catch it up on a lot of maintenance and tune-up items, most of which I detailed in this blog.

Recently, I finally installed the new steering rack boot. As the passenger side boot was still intact, and it's still cold here, I opted to only replace the torn boot.




I also finally replaced the missing exhaust manifold stud. I was going to replace 2, but one hole had apparently been drilled and tapped to a larger size. So, that bolt had to stay in place, for at least the time being.


Next, I replaced the cooling system hoses, which looked original to the car, and then washed the car and cleaned the engine compartment.




Then, yesterday, I got the fog lights working. The factory ones didn't work. I put a new bulb in the driver's side, and it worked for a few minutes, but the passenger side light was corroded on the inside past the point of no repair. Given how hard these lights are to find, I opted to install a pair of aftermarket lights which also use H3 bulbs. I'm pleased with the new lights. They work well and don't look too out of place.




So the next time you drop in for a read... I'll try and have some Mercedes stuff for you. I'm glad to be getting back to that project, and that the Outback is now solid.




Sunday, February 24, 2013

Sorting out the Outback

So, I've been delayed in getting back to working on the Mercedes. I've been putting the Outback together, but mostly have been delayed by weather. It's snowed pretty much every weekend for the past month. But, I try to do at least a little something each week.

So far, I've done the following:

  • transmission fluid flush
  • changed front differential fluid
  • changed spark plugs
  • new air filter
  • new PCV valve
  • fixed interior lighting
  • installed stereo from my old car
  • fixed/replaced broken/missing interior trim
  • replaced missing alternator tensioning assembly
  • replaced accessory drive belts
  • replaced valve cover gaskets
  • replaced vehicle speed sensor 2
  • replaced battery
I still have a few more items to take care of, but the weekend weather has slowed me down significantly. But, I'm daily driving the car and am getting closer to having the car caught up on its maintenance items. Once that's done, I'm getting back to work on the diesel. 

Here's a few pictures of this weekend's work (the speed sensor replacement):






I'll leave you with a few videos I've done of some repairs to the Outback: