Those '5 minute' Jobs
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- Posts: 728
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:19 am
- Location: Central Coast
Those '5 minute' Jobs
I'm sure nearly everyone has had these types of jobs before. The job that theoretically shouldn't take more than 5 minutes, but for some reason ends up taking a whole day or longer. There was a good example on Performance Forums recently where it took over a week to do an oil change on a RX7 as the oil filter wouldn't come off.
I had a great job today when i decided i might swap over the taillight on the Sigma. Should be as easy as disconnecting a couple of plugs, undoing a couple of nuts and out it comes. Not this time.
Someone in the past has decided to glue the taillight in with silicone. After much persuasion hitting the back of the light with my hand and levering the outside with screwdrivers i finally got it out minus a fair bit of paint which stuck to the silicone better than the car. Thinners to clean up what was left of the silicone also took care of what was left of the paint. By this stage i've already taken a couple of hours.
I put the good light in temporarily for the 1 hour trip to get some paint mixed up. No real dramas except for a few Sunday drivers cruising around 20kph below the limit.
Finally get home and get out all the painting gear. Sanded everything back, go to mask it up only to realise i have no masking tape. Plenty of packing tape though. Not wanting to make another long drive i just used the packing tape. Bad idea.
After getting it undercoated and painted i went to pull the tape off. The tape itself came off fine but left heaps of sticky residue which took ages to clean off. Now i just need to wait for the paint to harden up a bit so i can give it a quick colour-sand and a buff. Then i may be able to finally get the good tailight in at last.
I had a great job today when i decided i might swap over the taillight on the Sigma. Should be as easy as disconnecting a couple of plugs, undoing a couple of nuts and out it comes. Not this time.
Someone in the past has decided to glue the taillight in with silicone. After much persuasion hitting the back of the light with my hand and levering the outside with screwdrivers i finally got it out minus a fair bit of paint which stuck to the silicone better than the car. Thinners to clean up what was left of the silicone also took care of what was left of the paint. By this stage i've already taken a couple of hours.
I put the good light in temporarily for the 1 hour trip to get some paint mixed up. No real dramas except for a few Sunday drivers cruising around 20kph below the limit.
Finally get home and get out all the painting gear. Sanded everything back, go to mask it up only to realise i have no masking tape. Plenty of packing tape though. Not wanting to make another long drive i just used the packing tape. Bad idea.
After getting it undercoated and painted i went to pull the tape off. The tape itself came off fine but left heaps of sticky residue which took ages to clean off. Now i just need to wait for the paint to harden up a bit so i can give it a quick colour-sand and a buff. Then i may be able to finally get the good tailight in at last.
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
I with you, I've been there..
If you want any sigma-galant.com stickers, then look here for how to get them sigma-galant.com stickers
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
Dont ya hate that! I geuss thats wat that mean by" labour of love". Ive come to realise that theres almost no 5 min jobs on these cars ,every tme you touch them you open up a can of worms. I always make sure i dont need the car for a few days before I do anything.
85 GN ,daily driver
86 GN ,resto project .
86 GN ,resto project .
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
my front bars taken me a month to get off.. and it still not off.. i hate threaded bolts..
also went to take out the lenses on my tail lights, cleaned a few to realise some bolts were rust and couldnt be undone
now it looks uneven.. and these sort of tasks will take me a while i dont have the best patience.
also went to take out the lenses on my tail lights, cleaned a few to realise some bolts were rust and couldnt be undone
now it looks uneven.. and these sort of tasks will take me a while i dont have the best patience.
Previous owner of a GC Coupe, a few GSRS and random Sigmas.
Converted to the Ultimate Driving Machines
Converted to the Ultimate Driving Machines
- DanTurboLancer
- Posts: 1382
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:19 pm
- Location: Newcastle N.S.W Australia
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
Hmmm like the old saying if its not broken dont fix it...
I noticed the Main earth lead from the body to the motor was alittle loose, so i nipped it up.... Now the Indicators, Fuel and Temp gauges dont work....
I noticed the Main earth lead from the body to the motor was alittle loose, so i nipped it up.... Now the Indicators, Fuel and Temp gauges dont work....
- tango76hardtop
- Posts: 323
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:59 pm
- Location: perth W.A
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
when i was taking my front end apart just about every bolt was rusted in and snaped off when i undid them so a lot of drilling and tapping and using easy outs where i could so a simple couple hour job turned into a couple day after work job
I want to go down on you and make you really happy, then i want to come back up slowly and fuck you real good, yours sincerely Petrol prices.
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
i feel ur pain tango76hardtop
Previous owner of a GC Coupe, a few GSRS and random Sigmas.
Converted to the Ultimate Driving Machines
Converted to the Ultimate Driving Machines
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
when i pulled my first coupe apart...the screws holding every piece of chrome trim on were all rusted and rounded easily while trying to pull them out...and most of them were in hard to reach places...a real pain in the ass took me like 2 weeks to get it all off without damaging it
Check out my thread for progress
http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=3281
http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=3281
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
It sounds like the customers that come into my work with one of my favourite statements "It should only take 5 minutes" If that's the case then smart arse, DO IT YOURSELF and see how long it takes...........
I'll get off my soapbox now
I'll get off my soapbox now
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - beer in one hand, smoke in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming -WOO HOO! What a Ride!"
- Sigmaproject
- Posts: 1143
- Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:11 am
- Location: Maitland NSW
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
With me it is usually the 5 minute jobs that I SHOULD HAVE DONE
Like last Sunday I noticed that the bolt holding the EGR bracket to the turbo manifold was a little loose. Made a mental note to tighten it next time.
Well next time happened to be on the Sydney/Newcastle expressway at 110kph (or there abouts) when the bolt had worked it's way out to the point that the carby linkage got jammed. Not nice having a jambed throttle at 110kph.
I had to continually turn the ignition off and back on until I found a spot to pull over. Lucky I had my allen keys with me
Anyway, my next 5 minute job is the put some locktite on the bolt. Maybe tomorrow
Like last Sunday I noticed that the bolt holding the EGR bracket to the turbo manifold was a little loose. Made a mental note to tighten it next time.
Well next time happened to be on the Sydney/Newcastle expressway at 110kph (or there abouts) when the bolt had worked it's way out to the point that the carby linkage got jammed. Not nice having a jambed throttle at 110kph.
I had to continually turn the ignition off and back on until I found a spot to pull over. Lucky I had my allen keys with me
Anyway, my next 5 minute job is the put some locktite on the bolt. Maybe tomorrow
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
on the RX-7 front. i had to move mine so i could mow the grass that was coming out from under it.......it no start, put fuel in it, no start. notice no fuel is getting into the carbie but the acel pump is leaking, fixed the acell pump, it no start, clean out the bit where the acell pump inserts fuel into engine..........it starts BUT the clutch slave had leaked all the fluid out so it won't move. no fluid in the shed to fill it up again in a hope it would engage a gear.
all up it took over a month to mow that bit of the yard instead of the 5mins it should have taken
so thus ends this lesson don't own a RX-7
MATT
all up it took over a month to mow that bit of the yard instead of the 5mins it should have taken
so thus ends this lesson don't own a RX-7
MATT
- DanTurboLancer
- Posts: 1382
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:19 pm
- Location: Newcastle N.S.W Australia
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
HAHA, well ANOTHER RX7 story...
My best mate owns a Series 2, with Series 5 Engine/box
Microtech computer, all the fruit,
very mild tune 330HP@Wheels...
Would not start one random morning when he was headed to work!
Had took 3 days to get the Spark plugs out!
Normal sockets will not fit
My best mate owns a Series 2, with Series 5 Engine/box
Microtech computer, all the fruit,
very mild tune 330HP@Wheels...
Would not start one random morning when he was headed to work!
Had took 3 days to get the Spark plugs out!
Normal sockets will not fit
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
i have found this same problem with mine, the old motor was no worries but the import one has some stupid bit in the casting that stick out to far........so i grinded down an old plug socket and all is good now.DanTurboLancer wrote:
Had took 3 days to get the Spark plugs out!
Normal sockets will not fit
MATT
- DanTurboLancer
- Posts: 1382
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:19 pm
- Location: Newcastle N.S.W Australia
Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
haha yeah thats what we had to do too Matt.
How can the Engineers that design these things be so smart, and yet so dumb at the same time lol
How can the Engineers that design these things be so smart, and yet so dumb at the same time lol
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Re: Those '5 minute' Jobs
been there so many times. What always kills me as of late is rebuilding on my cars after they have sat for a while and I've shuffled parts around.
I spent a day looking for my 12a v band clamp, 45 minutes trying to find the missing copper crush washer on one of the turbo lines, and I ended up realizing I was missing the end of the wastegate actuator. 15 minute turbo install went to a few day fiasco.
I spent a day looking for my 12a v band clamp, 45 minutes trying to find the missing copper crush washer on one of the turbo lines, and I ended up realizing I was missing the end of the wastegate actuator. 15 minute turbo install went to a few day fiasco.
73 galant coupe, 78 Lancer coupe, 84,85, and 86 ex1800 turbos, 87 minicab van supercharged, gto vr4, 4 starions. swb montero, mighty max, 88 cordia turbo. 65 debonair
80's Hero
80's Hero