Last Person Thread #4

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Dirty Dog

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Nice beater.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Not TapaTalk. Really.
 

ks - learning to fly

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Awesome!!

and here's my buddy James :)

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Dirty Dog

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if it's vacation time, anytime of day is good for the airport. Our next trip is leaving at 2359. I don't mind. It means we will be landing in Nassau at 0830. And under water that afternoon.
 

granfire

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tsk tsk tsk....been talking this morning about doing good, heaven and hell, then I realize upon leaving the store I lifted a string of beads....(the cashier was a cute guy, what can I say...I had a blonde moment!)
I think it's cool though, payback for all the times when stuff was on sale and I didn't notice the wrong price at checkout.....and it was only 98 cents....:nailbiting:
 

granfire

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alright, gearheads, give me the rundown:
Replacing brake pads.
I don't care much for automotive works, but I think I need to have the breaks fixed, and no real money to do so.
Can't be too hard, I know of people (real people, not somebody's second cousin, twice removed friend's brother from the internet), who have done so successfully.
Car: 2002 (I think, gotta check) Ford Expedition.
I got all common tools, some even in one location, ready to grab.
a couple of jacks and an almost flat spot in front of the garage, and a few wedges to keep the beast from rolling.
 

ballen0351

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alright, gearheads, give me the rundown:
Replacing brake pads.
I don't care much for automotive works, but I think I need to have the breaks fixed, and no real money to do so.
Can't be too hard, I know of people (real people, not somebody's second cousin, twice removed friend's brother from the internet), who have done so successfully.
Car: 2002 (I think, gotta check) Ford Expedition.
I got all common tools, some even in one location, ready to grab.
a couple of jacks and an almost flat spot in front of the garage, and a few wedges to keep the beast from rolling.
Not hard I taught my 11 yr old daughter to change pads. When in doubt check youtube and follow along
 

granfire

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Yeah, I checked it, the 'special' tool can be replaced with a C clamp....I just gotta do it
(and with temps around 90 at 10AM....oh my!)
I guess I will get ready for my annual shunning.
 

granfire

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Cats going round robin, drinking from my water glass....
I do have a bowl sitting out for them....

CATS!
 

Dirty Dog

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alright, gearheads, give me the rundown:
Replacing brake pads.
I don't care much for automotive works, but I think I need to have the breaks fixed, and no real money to do so.
Can't be too hard, I know of people (real people, not somebody's second cousin, twice removed friend's brother from the internet), who have done so successfully.
Car: 2002 (I think, gotta check) Ford Expedition.
I got all common tools, some even in one location, ready to grab.
a couple of jacks and an almost flat spot in front of the garage, and a few wedges to keep the beast from rolling.

First off... why do you think you have a problem with your brakes? What's happening?

If you're talking about disk brakes, then swapping pads and rotors is super simple and requires no special tools. Drum brakes (which many vehicles still have on the rear) is a whole 'nother story, and requires some special tools and a bit of experience.

The closest thing to a "special tool" needed for disk brakes is a C clamp, and even that isn't vital. I've compressed the piston with a pry bar or a large screwdriver in a pinch.
Some vehicles require torx bits, but a socket set works for most.

If you're replacing the pads, then the rotors will virtually always need to be turned or replaced. Rotors are cheap enough that I just replace them, but in a pinch they can be turned on a lathe and swapped every other pad change. Run your fingernail across the rotor from the center out. Feel ridges? Then it needs to be replaced, or at least turned. Your local auto parts store should be able to tell you if there is enough metal left to turn it, and they can usually do the turning for a reasonable price. Rotors are bought individually, so you need two per axle. Pads are bought in sets, and you need one set per axle.

This video will give you the basic idea...

 

granfire

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ARGH!!!! Flashbacks to working at Midas muffler in the early 80s.....AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

I feel a shunning in the making....

The brake control lamp had suddenly come on - when it was cold. The breaks worked fine, but eventually Ipoured a little break fluid in the reservoir. Light went out.

but now it is doing some sort of grinding thing when I get nearly to a stop, so I try to avoid that, by pumping the breaks before I get to that point. No squealing, just kinda rough.
The previous owner said they religiously rotated tires with every oil change, not sure how often they checked the breaks. I had the car for a couple of years now.
 

Dirty Dog

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I feel a shunning in the making....

The brake control lamp had suddenly come on - when it was cold. The breaks worked fine, but eventually Ipoured a little break fluid in the reservoir. Light went out.

If the reservoir never got low enough to suck air into the lines, then you're probably OK there. If the brakes feel "mushy" or soft, then there's probably air in the lines, and the brakes need to be bled.

but now it is doing some sort of grinding thing when I get nearly to a stop, so I try to avoid that, by pumping the breaks before I get to that point. No squealing, just kinda rough.
The previous owner said they religiously rotated tires with every oil change, not sure how often they checked the breaks. I had the car for a couple of years now.

Yup, you most likely need new brakes. If it's grinding, rather than squealing, you might very well be metal on metal - meaning there's no pad left at all, and you need to replace things immediately.
And if it's metal on metal, you need new rotors as well. No turning of the old ones.
 

granfire

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The breaks feel fine up until coming nearly to a stop, then it feels icky rough.
Yeah, I figured I might need to have more than the pads replaced....It's Tuesday, there might be a competent person in the part shop....

I read that putting new pads on could make the reservoir overflow. That would explain why it was low in the first place....no pad left.
 

Xue Sheng

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The breaks feel fine up until coming nearly to a stop, then it feels icky rough.
Yeah, I figured I might need to have more than the pads replaced....It's Tuesday, there might be a competent person in the part shop....

I read that putting new pads on could make the reservoir overflow. That would explain why it was low in the first place....no pad left.

Feel icky rough...... do you hear any grinding?
 
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