On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 11:39:34 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi Harvey was interesting to read your post as cars are quite a good example of things where you can save a great deal of money repairing or replacing parts.
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>We all know that car makers increasingly use factory made assemblies to make cars quicker and cheaper to build and if a fault occurs you have to buy an expensive complete assembly because individual parts to repair it are not available even if one wanted to do so.
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It's similar in electronics:
far enough in the past, you get things that are very repairable, but
the parts are not necessarily available. Then you get a trend where
the parts are easier to find, but start to be custom. From there, you
get complete custom parts, and expensive if available.
>Although I bought my mini lathe and mill primarily and originally for model engineering (live steam railway locomotives) they spend a great deal of time used to make repair parts for myself family and friends.
Mine was bought for electronics. I got a unimat lathe while I was
still in college, and other than everything being (and needing)
adjustable, it did well.
>
>I do my own car servicing and repairs and having the machines does help. Most cars require special service tools (many because everything is packed so tightly together you cant get a conventional. wrench, screwdriver or socket in place but also things like locking pins), and you can often make these for pennies.
The Saab is now at the point where I've decided to keep it, and do
some minor customizing, which means fixing stuff like this. Two door
locking modules and a key module meant a lot of expensive garage time.
Harvey
>
>I just replaced the timing belt on my VW Golf yesterday (saving about $350 in labour charges) and made most of the tools myself with material from the scrap box.
>
>Gerry W
>Leeds UK
>
>To: GrizHFMinimill@yahoogroups.com
>From: GrizHFMinimill@yahoogroups.com
>Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2015 18:48:31 -0400
>Subject: [GrizHFMinimill] Fixing a Saab 9-3 with the lathe
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> Generally, most of the things that go wrong with my car (such as key
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>locking mechanisms and door lock mechanisms) are things where I need
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>the original parts, and a local repair garage specializing in Saabs
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>manages to fix the problem (insert large amounts of money).
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>However, the rear window regulator (raise/lower mechanism for those
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>who haven't had to replace one) broke.
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>The mechanism has a small carrier that runs on a vertical brace that
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>attaches to the window glass itself. The motor drives a drum which
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>pulls a steel cable over a top pulley to pull up the window, and when
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>run in reverse, using a lower pulley, pulls down the window.
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>In the two scenarios I've seen myself, the top pulley (made of durable
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>precision machined plastic) shatters due to stress and temperature.
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>Insert at least $150 for the mechanism, hoping the motor is good, and
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>then we see if the garage puts it in or we do.
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>This actually devolved into two scenarios, one on a 1989 Ford Probe GT
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>(really liked that car despite the numerous problems). That got
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>replaced by a screen door roller (ball bearings) that had the right
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>diameter. Drill out the swaged in center and put a 1/4-20 bolt in,
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>using locktite, and you're ok.
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>2007 Saab 9-3... mostly GM-ized (another discussion entirely).
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>Regulator is available, maybe, sometime in December, at least 200
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>dollars (without motor which was OK), and then another 100 dollars in
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>shop time to put it in. Same plastic upper pulley.
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>Solution: make replacement pulley from aluminum. Drill out swaged
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>post that held the original plastic in place. Construction was swaged
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>post, bracket, spacer, pulley.
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>Make swaged shaft from steel to fit spacer. Assemble post, pulley,
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>and spacer onto bracket. Pound the heck out of the swaged post to
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>fasten it in place. (note to self, thinner wall might be better).
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>Take steel cable and get rid of kinks made by previous pulley breaking
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>(straighten with pliers, compressing cable. hope that no strands
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>break). Watch YouTube video showing how to manage to get the cable
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>strung on something different, but it involves oddly shaped green
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>pulley that was designed for restringing.
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>Install in car, making sure that pulley is lubricated, and that window
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>sled moves up and down properly.
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>Put door back together.
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>Call local Saab service people to see if they can reset "Alarm system
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>failure" because the car was run with the locking mechanism removed.
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>They can.
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>Promise to show local people how to fix this and what they might need
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>for a lathe if they decide to go this way.
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>Save several hundred dollars in not-available parts and shop fees.
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>Enjoy adult beverage in celebration.
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>Harvey
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Posted by: Harvey White <madyn@dragonworks.info>
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