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What Did You Do To Your Smart Today?

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Gonna clean the Turdis today, and have a sort of of my search and rescue get so it fits more easily into the boot.  Aside from my rucksack I'm gonna try and fit everything in a single plastic crate.

Edited by Chopper

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With only 44kms to go until it reaches 200,000 ... "Bruised" (my winter beater) went into Uncle Glenn's for several items that needed attention.  I knew last March, when it went into aestivation (summer version of hibernation) that it would be needing brakes and a "B" service when it was time to get ready for the winter months.  Sometime over the summer, the right front spring failed, so that was something else that needed to be addressed.  To add to the woes, the check engine light came on and taking the car over 3,000rpm, the turbo seemed to shut off.

 

All items were looked at and all but one item was solved in the one stop.  The check engine light came on again after the codes were cleared, and it seems that there may be a loose of broken wire somewhere in the system.  This will be addressed in the next day or two when we both have more time.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!  Stay safe.

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I'm waiting for the rain to slow down  so i can rip front clip off to get a good close up look at my passanger headlight which is illuminating the moon as I drive. I have hit a few really bad potholes and a few bad train tracks over the summer which sounded like someone set of a small explosive under the front of the car. So I'm wondering if the actual bulb was shaken loose or out of centre in it's holder...?  Mike has suggested from another thread that maybe the adjuster has stripped, but when I was playing with that I watched both lights adjust to the same location against the garage door before this happening. Fingers crossed. Worst case is I'll simply epoxy them in the same spot and never touch them again.....OR swap out a headlight from the beater if it's better and epoxy the beater's lights in one position.

Yesterday I turned on my rear squirty only to find out I was filling up the rear of my trunk with washer fluid!!!   OK, taking the cover off the rear tailgate wasn't fun for the first time nor was refitting it without pinching wires way in the back where your fingers can't reach....lol. 4th time a charm!  I found that the nipple was broken off the housing from age or heat being in the window I guess...?  I tried super glue, NOPE waste of time...!  So then thought a new brass nipple sourced from somewhere......took too long.....so while scratching my head saw an old fuel filter sitting on my tool box. The clear plastic small versions for motorcycles with a right angle fitting incorporated into it. Well after close inspection, I saw that if I cut the top off it carefully it had a flat round surface with a nice new correct sized nipple that I could epoxy over the broken nipple in the rear window. 10 minutes and it was stuck well. Problem solved...better than new as the new one is far stronger than the stock version.  I hope.  Then came the refitment of the cover, that took longer than the whole job to get those rear wires to stop getting in the way of the cover.

 

Next will be some lift action on the beater and hopefully if the wife doesn't demand another honey-do list item I will get it running......?   Before we get snow!

 

Oh over the winter months the summer car needs a wiper pivot rebuild......anyone know if they can be rebuilt or is it a replacement...?  Mine has been oiled 3 times now but still is puking out brown crap every time it's used all down the side of the car while driving and using the wipers! It has the smallest of movement in the pivot, just enough to see. Suggestions...?

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OK, lift is in and complete....now to get the oil pan off and clean it up ready to install the heating pad.....OR....I have to change the oil in my good car....and it already has a heater on it, without drain plug....maybe I'll do a swap, then buy a sump pan with  drain plug and install the new heater onto it and install that one on the good car and the older one on the beater...?  More sensible..I know...lol.  Raining as I type, so will continue on beater today instead of fixing headlight issue on good car....winter is coming fast....and there is so much other stuff to get done before it gets here.   
I finally got my computer back up to operational speeds yesterday also....was only at Smart car speeds, 38 mbps download, should be 120.....took a week to get that straight....I must have upset some TRUMP haters or Turdo lovers and they tried to upset me...lol.

Has anyone stained their headlights yellow ...?   Just wondering, the hampster cage is turning again...lol

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Have worked on steering column because of UJ rattle. 

Made these to cure the problem:

4E13B1F5-A9A6-443A-A852-E74395820BB4.jpeg

The caps will allow easy future replacement of lower UJ.  Made from 1.5 mm thick 316 stainless steel using mainly hammers, files and lots of elbow grease. 

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Going on a road trip tomoz with one of my heavier bikes, so fuelled up the Turdis this evening.  70.4mpg across that last tank, not sure how much more I'll manage.

 

I've noticed already that she's taking longer to get up to temp with the cooler weather now, so I may start experimenting with grille blocks, because I'm a sad f%^&*@ with too much time on my hands! :lol:

Edited by Chopper

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Assembled my steering column this morning with brand new universal joint.

 

Those of you that are sufficiently patient may watch my boring video to its bitter end.

 

 

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Being an old fart, I miss grease nipples.....everything would last far longer if they had one......The days of lying under Jeeps etc getting covered in grease, the sound of grease spirting out of a freshly greased joint.....the good old days!

 

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You're absolutely right, the removal of zerk nipples and substitution with

"lifetime" sealed bearings was a real boon to the automotive industry.

Funny how lots of industrial machinery still comes with grease nipples...

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Plus one (or two) on grease nipples .. The hubs on my small trailer did not have them, so I drilled and taped with the appropriate threads and installed grease nipples.

 

Also officially past the 200,000km mark today on 'Bruised' .. my winter-beater.

Smart 200,000km.jpg

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I fitted grease nipples on my rear wheel bearings 8 years ago. 

Did the fronts as well but not sufficient space for grease nipple so those have a wee removable screw. 

Have not replaced a wheel bearing since. 

 

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My cabrio truck and trailer went into storage in Washington state today for a few months until I can get back to retrieve them.  Long story but Willys and I should be comparing scars soon.

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3 hours ago, Nigel said:

My cabrio truck and trailer went into storage in Washington state today for a few months until I can get back to retrieve them.  Long story but Willys and I should be comparing scars soon.

Hope things are OK , talk soon, my scar is almost invisiable now.....I asked for a nasty pirate type scar, but he refused to give me one...lol.   I was hoping for a train track, something to brag about....lol. Take care and follow Dr's orders!  Force yourself to do more than they ask in physio....it's worth it in the long run.

IF you need anything simple ask...

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It's been unseasonably warm here so I drove the Turdis to work in the dark at 5am with the roof down.  Great fun!

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I rode my Smart to Aberdeen and back home enjoying precise rattle free steering. The roads here are full of potholes so I conclude my UJ mod done a few days ago and reported in this thread was another great success. 

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Show off....lol....

I think I drove the Smart for one of the last days of warm weather here in Ontario also.....temps dropping fast tomorrow!

Going to search for a set of winter tires tomorrow I think...

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Installed my  modified control unit for the car. Made use of my ashtray and installed part of it with in. Then did a power test every thing checks out ok.  

123.jpg

7789.jpg

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Ordered some wrap for Marcie which arrived today. Cut a small square and stuck it on, I think it's going to look sweeeeeet.

Also ordered some window tint, first time at trying that so it might be fun :)

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Had a heart stopping drive home from Search and Rescue training last night.  High winds alond the elevated section of the M45.  Major gusts, in the dark, I was getting blown a cars width either way at times.  My shoulders and arms still ache from the effort.

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I thought about mine...while filling my equinox tank with gasoline

 

I will miss the $20 diesel fill ups 

 

but i wont miss freezing my sack all winter 

Edited by LooseLugNuts

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I'm glad the sparker engine provides plenty of cabin heat.  I will miss having a heated rear window in the cab, but as I don't drive backwards much it shouldn't be a problem.

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Well, busy afternoon and evening......played around with my STAR for 5 hours, interesting machine, still won't find or acknowledge it has or should have a tach..?  But reset and tested everything possible......Next I ran pipe insulation along both water or rad pipes that travel under the car. Then installed both heating pads, one on the sump and the other on the front rad tank. Installed the clock and tach onto the dash also, but can't figure out that one wire yet....augh!!!!!!

I have a few items left, mostly wiring the spot lights, headlight relays, the heater wiring and also a ceramic heater all running to a single house hold plug on a 15 foot extension 14 guage cord which is already in place. I also removed the fresh air scoop and installed a wire mesh over the entrance to stop rodents! I will also block off the fresh air behind the fins on the door of the fresh air itake so it is forced to fetch air from behind the rad somewhat!  I have found enough space there to wrap up the extension cord for the heaters instead of using that screw in plug at the lower front left......it'll be submerged in 2 feet of snow when I need to undo it and frozen solid......so I thought this would be better in the long run. 

Tomorow I hopefully get another remote fuse pannel and wire it in to power my spots, headlights and a few other things off of.  

Also try and remember to post up a pic of that frig' wire......and find out why the lights in the pods don't come on.

I also removed the compressor box or foam block as I have had to sit in that passenger seat and there isn't enough leg room for someone 6 foot tall. Now there is!

 

And install a new battery in the wife's car.......wonder what actually gets done...lol.

 

Tomorrow night they are calling for SNOW....AUGH!!!!

Now I have to get things done FAST!
I still need to get new snows in a 2" larger size.....thanks lift kit!  I can get a set for $400 installed and ballanced.

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Hmmmm........sitting here waiting impatiently for pain meds to kick in......I think I over did my allowed work load for my busted neck yesterday!

 

 

TIC ......TOC......TIC.....AUGH...!!!!!!!!

 

 

Augh to be young and fit again!

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Took the nose off the Canada 1 and disassembled the headlight, some how I pushed the reflector out of its holder when doing up the spring clip on the bulb.  All snapped back together with no problem.  Will drive it all week do to unbelievable weather here in Vancouver.

 

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It's nice out.  I will drive the smart on Tuesday and Friday but ride the bicycle Monday and Wednesday.

 

I'm also seriously thinking of giving the Canada 1 to one of the kids in the not too distant future......

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