http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/locke/ DSM tech forums for performance enthusiasts. en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:57:19 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/locke/ http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/locke/4-pistons-valves.html Tue, 09 Oct 2007 03:15:29 GMT My buddy, Kramer, owns a Laser that we have been fiddling with for the past couple of years. After his girlfriends vehicle got wrecked, he got himself a truck and let her drive the DSM. About a week ago, she is driving on the bypass and the motor stops. Her father arrives to pick her up, turns... My buddy, Kramer, owns a Laser that we have been fiddling with for the past couple of years. After his girlfriends vehicle got wrecked, he got himself a truck and let her drive the DSM.

About a week ago, she is driving on the bypass and the motor stops. Her father arrives to pick her up, turns the motor over a few times, and hears a noise. He tells her it is rod knock. Her father and one of his buddies put the vehicle in tow and get it to his house.

Earlier today, Kramer and I drive over there to give the vehicle a quick initial inspection, and transport if needed. The oil is low, and it has coolant. We chirp the key a couple time and hear it.

CLACK CLACK CLACK.

A closer inspection of the cam time reveals a 4 tooth difference at TDC. Yeah, thats right. The timing had jumped, and the pistons where clashing into the valves. Thats no good at all.

We need to get the vehicle to his house, and we are two cities over. No problem. That is why we brought the truck. We forgot the chain. So we proceeded to push the vehicle with his truck, bumper-to-bumper, out of tow, through another town, and into Elkhart to his house. I manned the cockpit of the Laser, he pushed with the pickup.

30-40 minutes later, the DSM rolls into his driveway with a bent licence plate, scratched bumper cover, broken plate light, and a nervous pilot with minor neck pains. Not so bad, really.

That's the DSM life.

We haven't yet aligned time, done a compression check, pulled the head, or otherwise touched the Laser since we parked it earlier today, though we have been passing some thoughts by each other about it.



We can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to make a wicked DSM. The Laser will be that DSM. Better than it was before.

Better, stronger, faster ]]> Locke http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/locke/4-pistons-valves.html http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/locke/2-doors-piss-me-off.html Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:10:18 GMT I have never seen a blog before in my life. If this is wrong, I don't care. It's my blog. Here goes, my very first ever blog entry.


Summary: An overly descriptive and poorly written vent about today's experience working on the doors of my vehicle that has no purpose, and should not be read.


Earlier today, I decided I would repair the driver-side door's outer window seal. (It has been popping up about 0.375" at the rear.)

After fighting with the interior door handle's bezel, I get the door panel off to find I am missing a screw that would be holding my window switch in place. Sweet. On to the window seal. I quickly found that the plastic screw bung that holds the seal down had popped out of the door frame. Pop it back in. Easy.

Then I decided to investigate the wretched screech emanating from the door while operating the window. Ok, the rear glass track somehow came out of adjustment. 10 minutes later, got it were I wanted it. Everything looked good. Checked all screws, installed the door panel, and close the door...

Shit.

It doesn't close. The front of the glass is now hitting the upper lip. So, I tear it all apart, this time to find that I am missing TWO of the screws for the window switch. That's no good.

I take the door panel to the workbench to epoxy the split screw holes back together, and discover that all of the hardener had leaked out of the syringe for my polymer epoxy. I scrape some off of the outside, and mix a bit together. Wipe it on with a 16 penny nail.

Upon throwing away the cardboard used for mixing the epoxy, I somehow stick my finger in the stuff. Mixed epoxies get hot. Very hot. And they don't wash away very easily. In the thirty seconds it took me to get in the house to wash, the epoxy had already begun to set.

Yeah, it's quick setting too.

So, 15 minutes with a nail brush, and most of a bar of soap, I got most of the epoxy off. Only the grooves of my finger's print are now filled with epoxy. Yay. Feels very weird.

Back to the garage to find some new screws for the window switch. Well, I don't have anything that will work. So I just put the two remaining screws across diagonally across from each other. It holds pretty well.

I have to remember to be gentle with my door switches now.

I get the front door glass stop adjusted, and decide to adjust the glide pads while I am in there. Too easy. So goes the re-tightening of the front glass guide.

Reassemble again. Perfect.

While properly motivated, I recall that my passenger side door glass doesn't tuck under the upper lip at all, and that the inside window seal does the same thing as the outside window seal of the other door did. Pop's up about 0.375" at the rear.

I pull the seal out, and crimp the tabs on the seal to make a tighter fit. That wasn't the problem. Pull it back off, and bend the metal tabs on the door frame out a bit. Fits perfect now.

Adjusted the front and rear glass stops and glide pads, and move the rear track back a bit so the glass will seal better against the door seal. When checking that the guides are tight enough, I discover that the rear one is broken in two. I don't really care. :shhh:

And that's that. Buttoned her up, and went to get pizza. ]]> Locke http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/locke/2-doors-piss-me-off.html