When a friend called with a freecycle couch I jumped at it. Perfect for my newly expanded studio. No need to rent a truck. The 6 foot sectional piece fit right in the back, without having to remove the legs. No problem closing the tail gate. Speedy delivery!
I change my plugs, cap and rotor last weekend and had a little bit of help. I documented on video so you can do it too. Please consult a professional as I can’t be liable for anything you break.
I finally brought the brick in for service after giving up on diagnosing the emissions problem. Turns out I had a bad air mass meter and I had it replaced. I thought the diagnostics box was broken but it turns out that it just needed to be reset with a bunch of button holds and clicks. D-oh! Would have been good to know that before.
Once fixed the car doesn’t lag, gets good mileage and passed NJ inspection. I took the opportunity this weekend to replace the plugs, cap and rotor. Above are the old plugs. They didn’t look too bad after 36k miles.
My daughters helped me with maintenance last weekend by filling the wiper fluid and coolant. I took some pics and make an animated gif.
Saw this wile driving in front of Neuman Leather in Hoboken. Oops.
I came to a stop in traffic Saturday and noticed the guy behind me swerve to avoid hitting my rear. Idiot tailgater, I thought. It was only later that I realized my brake lights were out. Argh! I checked the fuses and they seemed fine, but I replaced the brake light one anyway. Voila! Hopefully now I can avoid getting rear ended… and arrested.
I just took delivery on some parts from FCP Groton and am trying to figure out if I got the right catalytic converter. I photographed the new and old part together and it looks like the new one is different. I’m not sure if it’s just a different design or a totally different part.
I have a 1992 245 non-california. It’s Davico DV008, ref #8551608. Part listing here.
I’m cross-posting on the Brickboard for input.
UPDATE: I just installed and it fits perfectly, better than the old one. I’m afraid my problem may be the O2 sensor though since the check engine light is still on and it still lags on acceleration. I’m heading out for inspection.
The NY Times is finally understanding the concept of high mileage in a consumer car. When the recession hit in 2009 the Times ran a few articles documenting how consumers were coping with their economic struggles by keeping their cars longer. Pity the poor family who needed to keep their 8 year old V70 instead of trading it in for a new car. Have mercy on the woman who is roughing it in her BMW with over 25k miles and going out of warranty.
Today the Times documents the trend of drivers keeping their cars past the 100k mile mark. The article feature photos of a clean and mean 1990 Volvo 745 with over 300k. Citing technological changes in piston rings, catalytic converters and rust proofing, engineers explain how recent cars can be expected to last much longer than vehicles from previous generations. And if you take proper care of it your car may even outlast you.
I parked on the sidewalk to wait for a street sweeper that never came.
I shot these pictures when taking delivery of Girl Scout Cookies last year. Ours was one of 5-6 cars picking up for our troop; my daughters did not sell all of these cookies.