I worked on cleaning the the power steering box tonight. Sucker is filthy. Trying to use engine degreaser and a wire brush to remove most of the crud. I checked the steering “slop” or play as it is sometimes referred to. It seems to be tight and no adjustments necessary.
It may not even be necessary to do all the cleaning since the steering box will be hidden below.
I pulled the coupe out for a ride today and it was pulling severely to the right. I pulled over to give it a look and found the right front tire pulled out of the head and no air! I was able to hobble back home and pull the wheel off. I also found that I have a security bolt on each wheel. Luckily I noticed that the security bolt key was in my glove box. I was able to jack the car up and remove the tire.
After inspecting the tire I couldn’t find any indication of an object piercing the tire so I took it over to the Pepboyz auto center. They performed three dunk test and searched for bubbles indicating a hole. None to be found. It’s possible that the bead dislodged during a severe hit of some sort and slowly loss air. I will check the other front tire for proper air pressure.
I need to keep an on this as I ride around without a spare tire. I always figured I’d just get the car towed home if it was disabled or had a flat tire.
I have most of the parts to do a full power brake and power steering upgrade this winter. After trying a mock up run I discovered the bolts were not even the same. The power steering bracket from the 351 Cleveland is 5/8″ and the 302 head bolts for mounting 9/16″. I’m going to have custom brackets made and the bolts fit properly into the head.
I’ll have to clean up the steering box before doing the installation. I checked the play between the rat joint and the pitman arm and there is no discernible movement. I was planning on adjusting it but it’s not necessary. I think I will try brake cleaner or the engine degreaser in a can that’s available at the local auto part store.
I’m totally impressed with the Prius and the gas mileage it has been getting. I’m getting about 50.5 miles on a gallon of 87 octane gas. That’s very impressive and helpful since the there has been a recent gas tax increase.
I’ve been using the ECO mode exclusively. I tried using the power mode but it’s not necessary in the flat lands I commute in daily.
Caught the last Goodguys Carshow of the season. The swapmeet was the best of the year. Weather was great.
I bought one of those drive in theater speaker boxes you use to listen back in the days. The first challenge was opening the thing up. It used the security screw heads which make the case tamper proof. I had to use a dremel tool cut out the center section which then allowed access to the tamper proof head.
So why I am messing with this speaker? I plan making a theme car display the next time we have an opportunity to participate in a car show like the this past summer at the Lincoln Center Live event.
Well, shit I’m impressed. This is the ultimate in commuting efficiency. My first tank of gas I? was able get approximately 50 miles a gallon. That was without using the Ecco mode the first few days. To be more exact I? went 456 miles on 9.05 gallons of gas. That’s a bit over 50 mpg.
As far as comfort it’s very comfortable. I? like the fact the previous owner tinted the rear side heavily but left the front windows at 35%. That will keep the cops from pulling me over for a fix it ticket.
My commuter mobile only came with one smart key. I went to have my oil changed and asked the service guy what it cost for a spare made with all the functionality as the master key. He quoted my $400! Not including taxes! WTF!! I’ve never heard of a car key or any type of key that cost so much.
Today we picked purchased a new to is 2015 Prius 3 from a private seller. After researching around it was the best deal out there for us at this given time frame.
Had to make a change using the blogging software. The WordPress application for the iPhone stopped working for some reason.
This replacement application seems to be working fine.
I also performed a test photo upload with the desired resolution and it seems to have successfully uploaded.
