Fix it myself

[JohnRippert]

As a former service tech for Xerox I do a lot of my own 'fixing things'. One of my favorite things to do is look up 'how to' videos on Youtube and see if I think I am up to it. I have issues with both Mom's '06 Honda Odyssey and my KIA Sportage.

The Odyssey has had a problem with the blend door actuator motor for a while. The passenger side works fine but you can be driving down the road and the drivers side will start blowing hot air with the AC on.

I picked up the part off Amazon a while back and decided that the weather today was perfect. I spent 30 minutes getting a comfortable base just outside the door so I would not have to turn myself into a pretzel to crawl under the dash to do this job. Only took another 30 minutes after that to swap out the part and now I get AC instead of heat on the driver's side. Yay.

Next job, maybe tomorrow is to pull the right front tire and wheel well cover to get to the washer motor on my KIA. The rear works fine but the front tosses a small spit of water and then stops.

It is nicely satisfying to take care of problems yourself, when you can.

 

[llowry61]

Totally agree, congratulations to you on your success.

I do the same thing with YouTube. A great resource I wish I had when growing up.

You can watch a few videos and determine if it is within your skill set and more importantly if you have the tools and disposition to complete the job.

 

[lihpster]

Feels good, don't it, John?
I wonder if primitive man felt the same when they made fire?

 

[grover99]

I often use U Tube to find out how to do something and feel lucky when I find someone who shows me how to do the job rather than just listen to himself talk. I get these people who take 45 minutes to tell me how to do something that takes 10 minutes to do.

 

[wood714]

YouTube is one of the best things around for a do it yourself kinda person.

It sure beats one of these that I had to use growing up!

 

[yaktamer]

Satan's Curse on Mankind: TikTok
God's Greatest Gift to Mankind: YouTube

 

[Rule3]

You got to find the right video though.
So many are filled with BS dramatic music, please hit like and subscribe, Oh here meet my wife, , oh look there is my dog and cat


Come on just get to the part I want to fix!

 

[30-30remchester]

I do everything myself. From logging to roofing. None of it expertly done but will pass for fair to good. Being 6-4 and 250 lbs, crawling under the dash on cars is a bad experience. I soften the blow by using a 2x12 about 5' long. I put one end on the floorboard and the other outside the car resting on a step latter. This way I have something to lay on while working overhead.

 

[Golddollar]

It is nicely satisfying to take care of problems yourself, when you can.

I had a latch break which was my usual way in and out of the house. It made the door impossible to open. I went to YouTube to see if I could learn how to replace the lock. There was a locksmith in the next town who carried the replacement lock.

I brought the new lock home and went to work on the door . It took time to get the frozen lock out of the door. I'm sure that I took 3 times longer than a professional locksmith to install the new lock, particularly since I put it in backward the first time, but eventually I got the new lock installed and working. That did feel good to be able to do it myself because I never considered myself very handy before.

 

[Goldstar225]

I do as much as I can myself as well while not tying into a project beyond my abilities and making it worse (and more expensive). For example I've saved a few thousand working on my Harley's. Between the service manuals, youtube and helpful folks on a Harley forum I've mostly stayed out of the dealership service department.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My oldest SIL is a millwright. My younger SIL is a certified fleet mechanic. Logan is a budding mechanic and welder.

I'm covered.

 

[oldbrownhat]

As a former service tech for Xerox I do a lot of my own 'fixing things'.

...It is nicely satisfying to take care of problems yourself, when you can.

Copy that

I spent 30 minutes getting a comfortable base just outside the door so I would not have to turn myself into a pretzel to crawl under the dash to do this job.

This is what I hate about working on cars. Often you have to be the size of a garden gnome and have the flexibility of Harry Houdini to do some things. The repair shops have carefully-sourced technicians with those qualities, which justifies charging $155/hr.

Current DIY challenge: I had my dash cam plugged into the passenger side cigarette lighter on my Ford Ranger but recently the plastic ring that secures the lighter broke. Fixing plastic is another problem in itself but first I have to fish the lighter assembly out of the inside it the console where it went to sulk. I can just - but not quite - reach it with some long tongs. I think a piece of bent wire may at least make it possible to get it to the surface where I can figure out how much duct tape/bailing wire /epoxy will be required to keep it in place. In the meantime the dash cam is plugged into the driver's side lighter socket where I can conveniently hit it when I change gears.

x2 on YouTube videos although the quality varies from unwatchable to brilliant.

 

[Xfuzz]

I envy guys like y'all.
I'm a six fingered dipstick.

 

[Muley Gil]

I can do some things but am mostly a parts changer.

Recently, my portable generator died. My buddy, who can fix most everything, came over & diagnosed the problem as a bad coil. Ordered one over the 'Net. It wasn't quite the same one but changing a few parts and a little Dremel work and the old Champion was running again!

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

YouTube is one of the best things around for a do it yourself kinda person.

It sure beats one of these that I had to use growing up!

In the 60's through the later 80's those manuals were "gospel" for vehicles...Those and JC Whitney to order from.

 

[pawngal]

Seems that none of my husbands were handy around the house. I've pulled the squirrel cage blower on a furnace to remove a dead mouse in the middle of the night, replaced innards in toilets, fixed leaky faucets, replaced a bathroom sink (no thanks to the idiot that sold me the wrong flange)
When my fairly new fridge quit making ice I had Service Guard out twice only to have it quit again in a month or two. So, off to YouTube, the fixes were the same as what Service Guard was doing, but, lo and behold! Found one that stated this was a known problem for this model, phone number to call Samsung. Company completely replaced the icemaker at no cost.
Cars, I did keep an Austin Healey Sprite running for about 5 years.

 

[arjay]

I miss doing things myself. My back went permanently south in my 50s and that was the end of that!!

 

[oldbrownhat]

...I did keep an Austin Healey Sprite running for about 5 years.

From what I've heard, anyone who can keep a classic British car running is a genius.

 

[Marshwheeling]

My son gave me a nice compliment the other day: “Pop, thanks for teaching me not to be afraid to dig into a problem and see what’s going on.” Unfortunately, this came in the middle of a conversation about this 3-valve F-150 that was giving him fits. I don’t know anything about that motor, but I did pass along the Car Wizard’s warning: “Never buy a Ford with this motor, no matter how cheap.” That came too late. He already had it.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My dad and brother were gifted nut turners. They operated on the premise that if humans built it they could fix it.

I learned what I could from them.

 

[jakerudy]

I grew up an only child on a dairy farm with a cheap Dad and old equipment so never had a choice. First car was a Triumph Spitfire so learned to troubleshoot electric systems. Jack of all trades, master of none. Did build my own house though.

YouTube can be a handy reference.

 

[ameridaddy]

My oldest SIL is a millwright. My younger SIL is a certified fleet mechanic. Logan is a budding mechanic and welder.

I'm covered.

So you're saying you have a steel house with diesel fired, steam powered appliances? Cool!!

 

[oldbrownhat]

My son gave me a nice compliment the other day: “Pop, thanks for teaching me not to be afraid to dig into a problem and see what’s going on.” ...

For some reason this reminded me of The Engineer's Slogan: "If I ain't broke, take it apart and find out what makes it tick."

 

[Kinman]

I used to pride myself on fixing all of our vehicles and doing all the maintenance. My wife's '86 Mercedes was my favorite, it was such a pleasure to work on a fine piece of automotive engineering. After all the electronics and computers I don't even change the oil anymore. We put so few miles on our cars today that I just take each one into the dealership for an annual "well baby check."
I have kept one old timer, a '29 Model A tudor. I have to rebuild the rear axle this year as the wear on the outer bearing surfaces has gotten to the point I cant shim them any longer. I plan on pulling the entire axle and rebuilding it in the coming month or so, I gathered up a pair of suitable axle ends and bearing kits. I will reassemble everything and possibly consider letting it go with all its associated tools as it is just getting more difficult as I get older to crawl around underneath and around this old car to give it the care they required.

 

[biku324]

Here's one for 'no help wanted' types: [ame="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Mb3zb91jw"]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Mb3zb91jw[/ame]

 

[Muley Gil]

I used to pride myself on fixing all of our vehicles and doing all the maintenance. My wife's '86 Mercedes was my favorite, it was such a pleasure to work on a fine piece of automotive engineering. After all the electronics and computers I don't even change the oil anymore. We put so few miles on our cars today that I just take each one into the dealership for an annual "well baby check."
I have kept one old timer, a '29 Model A tudor. I have to rebuild the rear axle this year as the wear on the outer bearing surfaces has gotten to the point I cant shim them any longer. I plan on pulling the entire axle and rebuilding it in the coming month or so, I gathered up a pair of suitable axle ends and bearing kits. I will reassemble everything and possibly consider letting it go with all its associated tools as it is just getting more difficult as I get older to crawl around underneath and around this old car to give it the care they required.

A friend of mine also has a '29 Tudor. He bought a four-post lift. That helps a LOT!!!

 

[Kinman]

A friend of mine also has a '29 Tudor. He bought a four-post lift. That helps a LOT!!!

Neighbor down the street has one, I noticed his wood stove heater working all winter long...I've been tempted to walk down and introduce myself. If I had the income I have now back in my earlier years I would definitely have the lift installed, again...I've slid around on cardboard "poor man's creeper" for so many years I would probably have trouble working standing up and whether or not that is any more or less strain on the old bod. I represented the shop buys as their Union rep, almost all of them had upper body issues, shoulders etc. from overhead work on heavy equipment...yes....buses are heavy equipment.

 

[greenwellg]

That poor man's creeper is comfortable for me now at 74.
I just bought my last car and it was new. 24 Prius, went 520 miles on 8 gallons of Costco regular at $2.73 a gallon (last tank). Pop passed, stock market crashed, so I moved everything to CD's and got rid of the old cars. Hurt too much working on them. Fixed a dozen or so motorcycles for short term cash and scrounged yard sales for deals on stuff, Turned $20 into a hundred many times over.
Built two houses, even drew the plans myself. Rebuilt 200 salvage cars and drove for free. Basically got rid of the two greatest expenses most normal people have. Wife was a county employee. I was paying 49.5 % taxes on my income on top of hers, 28% federal, 6% state and 15.3% social security and Medicare, so I stopped earning income and built assets, then sold them tax free for a retirement nestegg. Interest on CD's close to $20k last year, even more this year after Pop passed.
Her retirement and social security are close to $50k a year. She wrote a check for the condo we now live in, Her car is almost 9 years old and still runs and looks like new. We mostly drive my car anywhere we go, so hers gets maybe 5k miles a year.
I stay fit playing pickleball around two hours most days if the weather permits.
Hernia kept me out of VietNam, heart murmur kept me from driving anything commercially, so I focused on the necessities and did fine.

 

[Tom S.]

Saturday, I replaced the thermostat and temperature sensor on my Colorado. The code said that one or the other was bad, and since they are located about 2" from each other, I did them both. Parts were around $100 and a tool I had to buy was an extra $50 plus money for antifreeze and a gasket, for a total of about $190 and 3 hours of my time. The dealer wanted a smidge over $800. As always when I do things on the truck, I look around for possible future issues.

The "tool" that I bought was a cooling system vacuum. Simply adding coolant to today's systems is not recommended because air pocket can form and get trapped, causing hot spots in the engine. The kit involved several different caps to fit all makes and models and a contraption that attaches to the cap. You must have an air compressor, which I do. Hooking the compressor to the "contraption" and letting the compressor run, creates a suction in the system, sucking out all the air. The contraption has a gauge and when the indicator is in the yellow, you put a hose into the antifreeze bottle, throw a couple valves and the vacuum sucks the antifreeze back into the system. Really sounds Rube-Goldberg, but it worked pretty slick. 2 and a half gallons later and everything was done. The kit also included a hand pump to pressurize the system to check for leaks. I did and none were found. Cool beans!

Sunday, I replaced the HVAC control in the dash. It was working fine, but some of the LED's had stopped working so you didn't know for sure if a button was pressed or not. I read on line the LED's are surface mount and allegedly non-replaceable. The whole unit was a bit over $80 and it took a shade under an hour to replace. Now everything is lit up again - and the old unit is sitting on my electronic bench awaiting verification of whether or not it can be fixed. No idea what the dealer would have charged, but would guess around $300. So between the two jobs, I saved nearly enough to buy a new gun!

I have literally been working on cars since I was 15, ergo 60 years. For all the new things, I don't find them much harder to work on, other than the amount of stuff that has to get moved out of the way sometimes. Generally speaking, the system will tell you which part needs to be replaced, and unlike some parts of old, you replace the parts, you can't rebuild them. The ability to continue to do this stuff myself, is nearing an end and I do not look forward to it happening. Doing it yourself is not only satisfying but it's money saving as well, and you often get better parts. If you go to the dealer, they usually use genuine parts, but aftermarket garages rarely do. My dealer wants $125 to change my oil. I do it for around $50 but I use straight synthetic oil and premium filters. And again, while I'm under there, I look for other issues like leaking shocks, uneven tire wear, etc. I don't have to worry about some parts-changer trying to sell me a new air filter or cabin filter, or some other money grab.

 

[Onomea]

Seems that none of my husbands were handy around the house. I've pulled the squirrel cage blower on a furnace to remove a dead mouse in the middle of the night, replaced innards in toilets, fixed leaky faucets, replaced a bathroom sink (no thanks to the idiot that sold me the wrong flange)
When my fairly new fridge quit making ice I had Service Guard out twice only to have it quit again in a month or two. So, off to YouTube, the fixes were the same as what Service Guard was doing, but, lo and behold! Found one that stated this was a known problem for this model, phone number to call Samsung. Company completely replaced the icemaker at no cost.
Cars, I did keep an Austin Healey Sprite running for about 5 years.

I think most husbands would say, "This is great! This woman clearly can do this better than I can, so no reason for me to interfere!"

My eldest son's wife is the fixer around the house. He's hopeless.

I kinda muddle through, and use YouTube frequently. Last week fixed a doorknob that fell off. This week eying my Mr. Coffee which I think has old grounds stuck in one of the tubes, but per YouTube looks like a pretty straightforward fix.