the 240 saga continues...volume 1 article 2

~Emissions and Safety~

This will serve more as a personal journal while eating up some server, sucking the energy right out of the earth. The cars have continued to serve up entertainment of great proportions. I put off the whole emissions safety thing for the first 3 weeks of January. First the rear passenger taillight had to be replaced since my angle-head pole (Paul Gardener's extendable concoction that went with the glazer he sold me) busted the inside part that allowed the bulb holder to grab hold of the taillight assembly.

That journey took me to two junkyards with one having a light but they wanted $75 and seeing it was looking 25 years old I passed and went with a $58 new after market on ebay. I attempted to get the tests done but the owner at Jim's Automotive told me a headlight was not adjustable and would need to be fixed. He mentioned kindly a 5 minute poxy that would hold the ball joint that busted to the back side of the light's reflector wall. While I attempted to keep the stuff from oozing away from the needed, I sort of gave up after a small battle and drove to the next place on my list that day. An hour later I arrived back at Jim's and found the stuff actually worked. But I hadn't tightened the 10mm nuts making the headlight seem loose still. He gave me a little bit of the Bill Murray sort of stumbled talk, with his longish balding wild hair complimented by the non removable grease stains on his scalp. But he again showed grace and gave me enough credit to quickly tighten it up and display adjustment.

The car passed on safety but the emission showed that there was some raw fuel not getting ignited. He suggested to start with cap, rotor, and plugs like I had no real understanding of the cars construction. The car was driving fine so it sort of took me by surprise. I went home and found a broken piece with burnt plastic inside the Cap, at top where the ignition wire feeds the spark. I had a useable Cap stored in a box with spare ignition wires still attached to it. I took out the spark plugs and gapped em after trying to wipe the signs of unburned gas. The air box thermostat got rigged to never need another thermostat since it was possible the AMM was damaged and partly responsible for causing the car into running rich with fuel.

While attending to the spark plugs my eye caught hold of the Flame Trap which had come apart after taking the high powered car wash at the valve cover a few days before. That led to the removal of the throttle body with subsequent cleaning of both it and the Flame Trap with the replacement of the small vacuum hose leading from the FT to the intake manifold. The valve cover looked to be holding tight after I cleaned and replaced its gasket just a few days before the tests. The dismantled Flame Trap isn't a good way to run a car. The flame trap's job is to allow the crankcase pressure to ease and for stray emissions inside an engine to make its way back through the intake and burned with the air/fuel mix.

~Interrupted by broken Clutch Cable~

Between the failing of the emissions and making it back home without getting a ticket, I had the clutch cable break as I accelerated from the stop light on Center Street and University heading East. I coasted into the first slanted parking spot and begin the race to replace the cable with one I had stored under the passenger seat. The stock scissor jack (unsafe on its own to work under the car with) was used to jack up the car enough to slide under. The sun was a half hour from sunset when I started and would cause me to struggle late in the job. Unhooking the cable from the pedal was really easy and I was feeling like things where just going great. Removal of the old was quick.

I tried to take into my mind what the correct assembly for the iron weight and rubber bushing where on the clutch fork. I got stumped the same way the last time forgetting that the cable needed to be adjusted to its longest length before it would reach the fork. After I figured that out I was just fooling with the two adjustable wrenches trying to adjust the tension. After an hour and fifteen minutes I finished the clutch worked although the adjustment would cause me problems on the way home the next day from the emissions test which I passed really well on. The old cable was bought franticly a couple years ago from Autozone. I knew when I put it on that it wasn't going to last. I bought the best known brand off the internet and had it ready.

~every 240 owners dreaded task, Rear Trail Arm Bushings~

At this time I could go into the trail arm bushing that gave me hell this last saturday. But I don't think it worth reliving. Getting to where I could put the "Home Brew TAB Tool" on was easy and again I was rolling. (BIG THANKS to Richard Talley for machining it for me) Then it was one thing after another until I finally got the bushing out. The pressing out took me a good 2 hours. The secret was using the metal tube from the shock absorber bolt to keep the metal holding the bushing to the rear axle from bending.

Then pressing in went pretty quick and the reassembly kicked my butt. Nothing wanted to line up with the two bolts that had to be inserted through the TAB and shock absorber. Having to align the sway bar holes with the rear trailing arm made for setting two jacks in vicarious positions enabling the slight adjustments of both the sway bar and rear axle. I ended up putting the wrong long bolt through the TAB and tightened twice the bolt to it before realizing it was meant for the shock. NO bolt is done up easy. They all took way too long. My shoulders paid the most price along with hands and wrists. My back looked and felt like a sunburn from the 7 hours of sliding under the rear of the car on cardboard. I should have found my knee pads before starting although they weren't needed like when the Timing Belt needs changing.

~daytripper~

I went walking through Sears tonight looking over their tools and exchanging a multi-screwdriver for a new one since the plastic handle split on me from too much twisting. I calculated thousands of dollars needed to get the tools I really want. From an air rachet to a paint gun to a new torque wrench to a vacuum gauge to a ratchet-swivalhead-breaker-bar to a nicer tool box to a gas pressure gauge to a new set of metric deep sockets over 21mm to tin snips to sand blaster (just looked like fun) and all the other things that one day might be in a garage of mine. Maybe. I realized how I can get through most jobs with the basics and most of that stuff isn't really needed other than that air rachet to keep my hands from getting sore and speeding stuff up. Anyways... when I win the lottery then maybe...

I also talked the DMV into replacing my wagon license plates for free. The plates before as seen in the snow pictures was 666. The blue beast was the wagon's nick name for a time. Now I'm hoping that the car will finally get moving and the gremlins cease. I've got a u-joint on the list along with figuring out that cold idle problem. I'm thinking electrical or a plugged FPR. Cool.

(below added April 27th, 2009)

Replaced FPR with new Bosch I got for $25 off ebay (!!!), did not solve problem. Replaced this past week the seal to the brake booster check valve since the old one had a split in it. Helped some. Today I replaced the bottom o-rings on the fuel injectors and found an increase in power but I still have a stall until it warms up. Two o-rings looked suspect. Need a bosch distributor from a 83-84 2.3 li Lh 2.0 donor. Original Chrysler distributor put back in but has a short in the 6" lead for the ignition harness plug. Getting closer to solving the running issues. U-joints and full suspension replacement on list of things to do this year if work picks up.