Came over and worked on the car today. My roommate has some ********* over for Mardi Gras, and I don’t have the stamina to drink and party six nights in a row. One night of serious partying takes care of me for at least a few days up to a few weeks. Anyways, I got a few things done.
First, I did the serpentine belt before I hooked the battery up. This was actually my first serpentine installation. I’ve taken an alternator off a serpentine truck, but I didn’t have to remove the whole thing. All of my experience is with v belts. Nothing too special. I paid extra for the Gates belt because I felt like it’d be worth the peace of mind. It was quite pricey, though.
You must be registered for see images attach
Second, I changed the oil. This was the worst oil change I’ve ever done. I imagine the oil hasn’t been changed in 10-15 years but still. The filter did not want to come off. I had to use three different wrenches before one helped me loosen it, and I pulled on it so hard that the filter crumpled a bit. It finally came loose, and it all came together after spending way too long on it. I used Castrol GTX 10W30 and an AC Delco PF454 filter. The old oil smelled slightly of varnish and had a musty, old smell to it.
You must be registered for see images attach
Third, I checked out the trunk and was pissed to find it in a state of disarray. This would’ve happened when my dad had a blow out a few years ago, had to use the spare, and got two new rear tires. I’m guessing the one little ****** mechanic shop in this town did that. I did find the retainer cup that goes on the rear wheel to hold the hubcap on so that saved me $30-$40 on buying a used one from eBay. The bolt was nowhere to be found so I still have to source one of those. Reinstalled the spare, it’s cover, the jacking tools, and made sure the carpeting was right. All of that was messed up when I opened it. I also cleaned the mold off the steering wheel and door handles.
Finally, I checked out the transmission leak situation. It looks like it’s just the pan gasket. I’ve never worked on this car before so I was surprised to find that it had a 200-4R in it. I just assumed it was a 700R4 like mine. The pan also had writing on it, which I’ve not seen before in any of my mechanical fumblings. It’s stylized like this:
Metric
Hydramatic
Div. of GMC
I hope the gasket actually does fix it because servicing this transmission is easier than a 700R4. The grommets for the dipstick and TV cable are not accessible at all. They almost touch the floor pan, and the catalytic converter is totally in the way. Both of those grommets felt supple and were dry unlike the pan gasket so I think I’m okay there.
You must be registered for see images attach
It’s got a scorching case of the runaway windshield wipers, and it started idling funny so I’m gonna try to diagnose the wipers and check the EGR valve and other emissions related stuff out tomorrow. I’ll also get a filter, a gasket, and fluid for the transmission. Also, the smog pump is screeching when it’s first started. I turned the pulley to verify when I did the belt. I don’t feel like deleting it right now, but the noise sounds like a belt issue when it starts so it’s pretty annoying.
@CorvairGeek have you come across this before?
