70 duster: updating, and a no-dough pro-touring makeover
so all has not been well in the world.
i blame murphy. and his law. pictures of the completed and assembled setup, pre AC charging
so, i go to get the AC charged. runs great the whole 30 miles to the shop that i have do my AC work. get it charged up, fire up the compresor, horrendus racket emionating from the compressor. aww crap.
so we figure out that its belt slippage. no biggie. just turn the AC off, drive it down to the junkyarfd to get my glovebox latch, go home, and get a wider and shorter belt. i paid my 75.04 and split.
never made it to the junkyard.
apparentyly i hooked the constant hot side of the circut to my electric fans. therefor, when my electric fans kicked on, it backfed the circuit, turning on the AC compressor and such. burned up the belt, throwing parts of it around the engine bay.
this is the same belt that also turns my water pump. remember that. its important.
so i have minimal tools other than a phillips screwdriver and a pair of pliers for getting my glovebox latch. nothing to swap a belt, no parts store within walking distance. so i call geico for my free towing, and have it flatbedded the 3 miles back to the house.
honestly thought the compressor had locked up at that point. so i called classic auto air rather pissed. i will give lots of credit to the man out there ive been dealing withm greg. very great customer service, and very thick skin,. also willing to help any way he could. id recommend him to anyone.
after the motor cools off, i figure out what actually happened. call greg back, give him an apology, and go down to the parts tsore for a shorter and wider belt.
go out for a test drive, and wind up doing 100 miles. no problems, and ice cold air. life is good. very, very good. im stoked, and rather happy.
i decided since i have AC now, and since its getting close to RTTH, ill daily the car this past week to give it a real good shakedown so i know its solid for the event. dont want to take a car the whole way to pigeon forge, break it right out of the gate, and spend the weekend trying to keepp it together and salvage the weekend. thats just not my idea of fun.
so monday, i only made it 15 miles. then the new belt was thrown. oly noticed it when my AC stopped blowing, and my water temp got to 230. at least i caught it before i cooked something.
belt stayed in the car. still no tools, but im only a couple hunred yards from a shop thats run by some guys in my sunday school class, endy imports.
borrow some wrenches, put the belt back on, fire it up, go up the way to make the u-turn to get to their parking lot, and thrw the fricking belt again. now im pissed. really, really pissed. put it back together AGAIN 200 yards later (from first throw to stop after second throw), so i can go home. i tighten the ever living snot out of the belt, and pray it gets me the 8 miles home. it does, no problem. go to get in my camry that i just replaced an alternatopr in and charged the battery fully so i can get my daughter picked up. im an hour late already.
the camry wouldnt start. battery wasnt holding a charge.
i was beyond livid at this point.
get my wifes car. it needed gas.
finally got my daughter picked up 2 hours late.
when i got downstairs, i took a look at the belt problem. did a nut and bolt check, and came to the conclusion the the pullies were not lined up properly. shimmed the compressor out 1/8 inch to get everything square, and ran it around a little bit. no problems.
so the next day it makes in 19 miles to red cross before destroying the belt entirely. and spattering belt goo and shards all over my engine compartment.
my dad picked me up, took me up to o'reillies to buy another 19 dollar belt. put it back together on the side of the road. 2 hours late to pick up my daughter again. decide toleave the car there and take the CRX home.
dad and i check all the alignments again, and find that the nose of the compressor is pointed down. so i buy a 3 dollar bolt to make a sturdier mount, put it back together, and try it. doesnt even make it the 10 miles to oakboro friday for the cruise in before the belt turned itself inside out. WTF???
so i spend the time at the cruise night fixing my belt. got it back together, and prayed that it would get me home. it didnt.
only this time, it was the belt that drives my power steering and alternator.
ive gotta say, wide 17's, agressive alignmnt, powerless steering, and a small diameter steering wheel dont mix well when all put together unexpectedly. when the belt let go, it ripped the steering wheel right out of my hands in the middle of a turn. that was a seriou oh **** mmoment. i managed to save it from the ditch. it wasnt poretty, but i saved it. did tap a mailbox with my outside poassengers mirror. only chipped the chrome. i got damned lucky.
i drove it home the rest of the 15 miles with no charging system and no power steering. at night. in the country.
when i got to town where there were streetlights, i turned off my lights to conserve electricity to get me home.
got escorted by a cop for the last two blocks. when i explained in my driveway, he was cool with it. probably figured something, which is why he didnt light me up in the neighborhood.
and oh yeah, the water pump/AC belt turned itself inside out and ate itself to shreds too. dammit.
so, heres pictures of where i sit now.
so what the hell is goiung on here????
i really need to figure this out, or cancel ouyt of the event. next weekend is my go/no go date. any later than that, i cant confirm dependability, button up all the little details, and detail the car.
theres gotta be a reason that the belts keep going like this. i think the power steering/alt belt died due to old age. i have no idea about the AC/WP belt other than maybe the compressor is moving around or something.
gove me some ideas, things to check, something. I NEED HELP!!!!!
Michael
so all has not been well in the world.
i blame murphy. and his law. pictures of the completed and assembled setup, pre AC charging
so, i go to get the AC charged. runs great the whole 30 miles to the shop that i have do my AC work. get it charged up, fire up the compresor, horrendus racket emionating from the compressor. aww crap.
so we figure out that its belt slippage. no biggie. just turn the AC off, drive it down to the junkyarfd to get my glovebox latch, go home, and get a wider and shorter belt. i paid my 75.04 and split.
never made it to the junkyard.
apparentyly i hooked the constant hot side of the circut to my electric fans. therefor, when my electric fans kicked on, it backfed the circuit, turning on the AC compressor and such. burned up the belt, throwing parts of it around the engine bay.
this is the same belt that also turns my water pump. remember that. its important.
so i have minimal tools other than a phillips screwdriver and a pair of pliers for getting my glovebox latch. nothing to swap a belt, no parts store within walking distance. so i call geico for my free towing, and have it flatbedded the 3 miles back to the house.
honestly thought the compressor had locked up at that point. so i called classic auto air rather pissed. i will give lots of credit to the man out there ive been dealing withm greg. very great customer service, and very thick skin,. also willing to help any way he could. id recommend him to anyone.
after the motor cools off, i figure out what actually happened. call greg back, give him an apology, and go down to the parts tsore for a shorter and wider belt.
go out for a test drive, and wind up doing 100 miles. no problems, and ice cold air. life is good. very, very good. im stoked, and rather happy.
i decided since i have AC now, and since its getting close to RTTH, ill daily the car this past week to give it a real good shakedown so i know its solid for the event. dont want to take a car the whole way to pigeon forge, break it right out of the gate, and spend the weekend trying to keepp it together and salvage the weekend. thats just not my idea of fun.
so monday, i only made it 15 miles. then the new belt was thrown. oly noticed it when my AC stopped blowing, and my water temp got to 230. at least i caught it before i cooked something.
belt stayed in the car. still no tools, but im only a couple hunred yards from a shop thats run by some guys in my sunday school class, endy imports.
borrow some wrenches, put the belt back on, fire it up, go up the way to make the u-turn to get to their parking lot, and thrw the fricking belt again. now im pissed. really, really pissed. put it back together AGAIN 200 yards later (from first throw to stop after second throw), so i can go home. i tighten the ever living snot out of the belt, and pray it gets me the 8 miles home. it does, no problem. go to get in my camry that i just replaced an alternatopr in and charged the battery fully so i can get my daughter picked up. im an hour late already.
the camry wouldnt start. battery wasnt holding a charge.
i was beyond livid at this point.
get my wifes car. it needed gas.
finally got my daughter picked up 2 hours late.
when i got downstairs, i took a look at the belt problem. did a nut and bolt check, and came to the conclusion the the pullies were not lined up properly. shimmed the compressor out 1/8 inch to get everything square, and ran it around a little bit. no problems.
so the next day it makes in 19 miles to red cross before destroying the belt entirely. and spattering belt goo and shards all over my engine compartment.
my dad picked me up, took me up to o'reillies to buy another 19 dollar belt. put it back together on the side of the road. 2 hours late to pick up my daughter again. decide toleave the car there and take the CRX home.
dad and i check all the alignments again, and find that the nose of the compressor is pointed down. so i buy a 3 dollar bolt to make a sturdier mount, put it back together, and try it. doesnt even make it the 10 miles to oakboro friday for the cruise in before the belt turned itself inside out. WTF???
so i spend the time at the cruise night fixing my belt. got it back together, and prayed that it would get me home. it didnt.
only this time, it was the belt that drives my power steering and alternator.
ive gotta say, wide 17's, agressive alignmnt, powerless steering, and a small diameter steering wheel dont mix well when all put together unexpectedly. when the belt let go, it ripped the steering wheel right out of my hands in the middle of a turn. that was a seriou oh **** mmoment. i managed to save it from the ditch. it wasnt poretty, but i saved it. did tap a mailbox with my outside poassengers mirror. only chipped the chrome. i got damned lucky.
i drove it home the rest of the 15 miles with no charging system and no power steering. at night. in the country.
when i got to town where there were streetlights, i turned off my lights to conserve electricity to get me home.
got escorted by a cop for the last two blocks. when i explained in my driveway, he was cool with it. probably figured something, which is why he didnt light me up in the neighborhood.
and oh yeah, the water pump/AC belt turned itself inside out and ate itself to shreds too. dammit.
so, heres pictures of where i sit now.
so what the hell is goiung on here????
i really need to figure this out, or cancel ouyt of the event. next weekend is my go/no go date. any later than that, i cant confirm dependability, button up all the little details, and detail the car.
theres gotta be a reason that the belts keep going like this. i think the power steering/alt belt died due to old age. i have no idea about the AC/WP belt other than maybe the compressor is moving around or something.
gove me some ideas, things to check, something. I NEED HELP!!!!!
Michael