Restoration Attempt

[swl 13]

One of the original CDN 450's - build date 10/04, I took delivery in Dec 04, approaching 200,000Km. Pretty much dealer serviced throughout it's life excpet for a number of A's that I did before the local dealer got authorized for smart.After the last B the service writer sort of shook his head and suggested that it was time to put the car out to pasture. He may be right but I would like to keep it running for at least another 2 years as my DD. After that, if it is still safe, I want to pass it on to my son.On the hit list:Broken front springOil leaking intercooler - oil loss is just over a litre between services.Siezed EGRSupposedly siezed rear brake I find this one hard to believe but I will give them the benefit of the doubt until I get in there.Aging clutchCracked reluctor ring - still functioning but who knows for how long.The estimate to remedy this at the dealership using replacement parts is, of course, astronomical so it is time for DIY. I have some reasonable wrenching skills, honed by years of working on a 73 Porsche 914 rust bucket. Semi-retired so I have the time to tackle it this summer. So I'm going to have a go at it. If nothing else it will be a learning experience . I'm starting this thread to keep me on track and motivate me not to let it drag out. Too much thinking and not enough doing seems to be one of my greatest faults - lol. I encourage all who have tackled similar work to kibitz and keep me out of trouble.

Edited July 8, 2012 by swl

[lebikerboy 96]

Go for it and keep us abreast of your progress!

[MikeT 744]

That list of problems is not good reason to condemn the car. Go for it!

[bilgladstone 13]

Your list is totally DIY-able. Clubsmartcar has your back, buddy :thumbup:Bil

[mekmek 0]

Go for it. Do you have a donor car? If not take a look at my link. Time for Mekmek to go to a new home.

http://hamilton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-...QAdIdZ394580241

[houseofdiesel 9]

Thats a pretty short list, you obviously took care of it! The abs ring is a repair part-not a complete axle as the dealer sells it, the intercooler will not be easy or cheap but they all need them at some point, fronts spring check flying tiger sometimes he has used ones posted for sale, the clutch you just baby as long as you can avoid "creeping" with the clutch partially engaged or uphill starts as much as possible, it will need a pro at some point with the computer to teach the actuator once replaced. Rear brakes are very simple, drums have been the same for decades nothing complex back there and very easy to free up stuck pivot points etc. Check the hand brake cables also, rust might have gotten to them.

[swl 13]

Thanks folks. First up is the front end. I have a new set of brabas springs and struts from Eddy. Evilution has the process documented with tolsen's modifications. Looks like the difficult part is getting the top nut off the strut. I'm working a couple of days this week but hope to get her opened up by the end of the week.Long term planninng for the rear end:What do you think of dropping the subframe for this? Would the extra ease of access make up for the time in dropping the engine? I know the dealerships want to drop the subframe for almost any major repair. With the subframe down I could also tackle an rust 'while I'm in there'

Edited July 11, 2012 by swl

[mzeeb 0]

On the hit list:Broken front springOil leaking intercooler - oil loss is just over a litre between services.Siezed EGRSupposedly siezed rear brake I find this one hard to believe but I will give them the benefit of the doubt until I get in there.Aging clutchCracked reluctor ring - still functioning but who knows for how long.

My 2005 cabrio - # 649 in Canada and also built 10/04 - has had all those issues.I've owned it several years and have had those issues repaired, either did it myself or had Glenn do it.Bottom line, the car has never run better and likely has may years of service left.Some tips:- use the appropriate shock clamp when trying to replace the front spring! It's a simple tool but works well- do the intercooler and EGR when the clutch is done => those parts need to come out anyway- get a set of "pre-fixed" axles from Glenn, that makes the reluctor ring fix a fairly quick job (replace axle seals too)Good luck!MZ

[CANMAN 23]

Definitely lower the subframe.It will make working on the EGR and intercooler easier.If you are removing the driveshafts for reluctors, remember to loosen the bolts on the ends of the shafts before lowering.You may want to remove both the alternator and starter and have them rebuilt.Canman

[houseofdiesel 9]

If you have the time-second or third car, not needed for " a week" then yes, remove everything you can out back, clean, inspect, derust, retighten, reseal, etc etc. It is tidy little car and simple, but it will still take a few days to sort through it all! I lay up out Jetta every 100 000kms for a couple of weeks, take the engine bay apart, address minor leaks, rust/corrosion that is starting, upgrade worn bushings, new timing belt etc. It make a VERY reliable car when your proactive and have time to sort through it. You will need patience though, dealing with harness connectors, draining coolant, brake lines?, etc. If you manage to get the engine down certainly clean the egr, remove and inspect glow plugs and clean out the bores, lots to do to keep it going...

[swl 13]

Thanks all. Lots of good stuff there. Particularly canmans 'loosen the nuts BEFORE dropping the subframe'. Gotta love collective experience. Thinking hard about mekmek's car. Trouble is that I start thinking about solving his electrical issues rather than just use it as parts car. My plan with the intercooler is to repair rather than replace. There have been stories of JB weld working just fine. Won't really know until I get in there. Does anyone in the ottawa to Peterborough area have a strut tool I could borrow? Failing that I'll try Tolson's wooden one.

[swl 13]

cowl off, headlights out, soaking the top nut in PB blaster. Saturday scheduled for the main event.

[swl 13]

"Stretch Bolt"The E14 bolt that goes through the hub to the bottom of the shock is in there pretty tight. Is there anything odd about it? Not a reverse thread or anything silly like that? I've got a 20" breaker bar on it with some good grunt and liberal application of a hammer but no joy. I'm being pretty conservative with the attempt because the E-torx socket can slip out of alignment - don't want to break anything. As long as it is a regular bolt my next try will probably be to break out the compressor (currently in the basement and a PITA to get out to the garage).

[Overkll 0]

No, nothing special, just tight. I think it's too small for the amount of torque on it, IMO. I used a compressor after trying a racket and wrench breaker bar. Compressor was good for reinstall too. I usually don't use the compressor but it was useful in this case!GL

[smart142 605]

Use lots of penetrating oil then add a pipe extension to the breaker bar. You'll get her!

[swl 13]

no route for penetrating oil by the looks of it. Threads are down in the strut protected by the nipple. BFandFI it is! Very reminicent of the 914's castle nut!

[swl 13]

Well that was interesting! It actually gave up without much of a fight. I was feeling something that felt like the bolt failing - it was moving slowly but no snap that you would expect from a tight bolt. With your encouragement I just said the heck with it and put the muscle to it. It kept slipping and I kept saying "it is going to sheer any time now". But it didn't. It was tight all the way out.Thanks Glen/GL!PS: After reading up on 'stretch bolts' or 'torque to yield' that feel makes a lot of sense. These things actually deform and do a controlled stretching as they are torqued. Makes sense that a little of that is being undone as you take it out. Lesson learned: Give 'er.Other lessons learned:16mm sockets are not in a standard set! make sure you have oneE-Torx are not easy to find - Princess Auto.A mini pri-bar is a good tool for removing the hub cap. Pictures later.

Edited July 18, 2012 by swl

[swl 13]

Well my "Tolsen Sticks" didn't come anywhere near holding the shaft enough. I guess I'm going to have to spring for the factory tool. I'm putting on new struts so there is no need to try to save these. Might try a pipe wrench first.

[scwmcan 0]

I just used an impact wrench ( electric in my case) without anything holding the shaft, came right off, I tried everything else ( besides the OEM clamp that is ) without success. The impact gun made easy work of the nut. You do need impact elbows and extension to get on the nut.

[Overkll 0]

Well my "Tolsen Sticks" didn't come anywhere near holding the shaft enough. I guess I'm going to have to spring for the factory tool. I'm putting on new struts so there is no need to try to save these. Might try a pipe wrench first.

X2. Went and bought the factory tool and came off in a pinch. On Hondas we would just use vise grips at the top of the shaft that didn't go into the body. Not sure if there is enough room for that in the smart.

[swl 13]

Impact wrench just turned the entire shaft. Ordered a clamp. Will get back at it next week.

[scwmcan 0]

Sorry to hear it, it turned the whole shaft on mine too, but the nut came off as well. I am sure the best thing is the holder though, and it will make it so you aren't spinning the shaft of your new struts, which is probably a good thing in the long run.

[swl 13]

Too easy with the clamp. Might have cracked the seal with the air hammer but the rust on the threads was causing to much resistance. More lessons learned:The spring was broken both top and bottom (I think). It was being held by the bottom flange so I thought I was golden - wrong! At the top the break was out far enough that it was not being held by the flange. When I pulled it of the nipple it just exploded down! Very exciting.The ABS sensor wire is attached to the shock bracket but detaches easily. Detach it before taking the assembly out - the bracket can get caught during the 'explosion'. With the shock off the wheel assembly flops all over the place stressing the soft bake line. Take this into consideration when removing the strut from the nipple.It was a bit of an issue getting the strut off the nipple. Probably a combination of rust and compression load. A BFS and BFH did the trick. Hammered the screwdriver into the crack from the top front. Took some pretty heavy blows.You know that 21 mm that is not in most sets that I had to go out and buy? Should'a been a deep to get the next nut off the stack!

[swl 13]

no route for penetrating oil by the looks of it. Threads are down in the strut protected by the nipple. BFandFI it is! Very reminicent of the 914's castle nut!

Dooh! That's wrong!It is not a blind hole - goes through to the other side of the strut. You can get effective penetrating oil in from the back.

[Overkll 0]

I guess we need to let people know to put on a spring compressor prior to removal. I had a broken spring as well and it could have caused an accident. I agree with the clamp... too easy.You could just thread in the bolt in a couple of turns and hit that to get the strut off the nipple. Much easier.