Wrenching Tips: Write on Stuff
Zombeebarians!
Renaissance and Early Modern writers characterized the Vandals as barbarians, “sacking and looting” Rome. This led to the use of the term “vandalism”, to describe any senseless destruction, particularly the “barbarian” defacing of artworks.
Historical perspectives on the group have evolved with time, but their name is still the root word for the act of marking up something that’s not yours. Luckily, your car is yours, so you shouldn’t feel bad about writing down useful info when and where you need it.
We needn’t go overboard like the ZomBee here, but the it’s a great example of the concept. Whenever you need to shout (or wonder to yourself) “hey, what the _____ for the _____?”, you might as well write it down on the _______ in question. If that’s not feasible or aesthetically palatable, there may be a suitable place nearby.
Personally, I love the idea of reference materials or log books (which allow me to geek out about Moleskines, Field Notes or finding the right pens), but in practice I rarely end up updating them, to the point that they’re almost dangerous. “That can’t be right…I’m sure I changed the oil sometime since last March…” (nope).
What functional tatts do my cars bear? Every oil filter gets the date, mileage and oil type written on it. Usually I remember to do this in a way that’s actually legible once it’s installed, too. It seems someone was kind enough to label my Wagoneer’s transfer case for me (hopefully at the used parts depot before it was filled with oil). After a number of rounds fiddling with valve adjustments, I wrote the Falcon’s firing order in the engine bay for easy reference. Lastly (and un-photographed), timing marks on the pulley and/or motor get touched up as well.
When it comes to writing semi-permanently on greasy metal that tends to get hot and greasier, special tools may be in order. My personal go-to is a Liquid Paper/White-Out pen. Because the tip is solid (not felt), it can take the abuse issued from writing on cast metal surfaces or whatever else you car’s made up of. The ink/paint is designed to cling tightly, so flake-off hasn’t been an issue.
Your local welding supply or metal store will likely supply a couple more viable options. A paint marker is about what it sounds like: a heavier duty marker filled paint, not ink. They’re usually available in a number of colors if you’re feeling artsy or bright pink is the only shade that’ll stand out through layers of road grime. When thing get really hot, the hot get going a soapstone pencil (crayon? stone?) gets the job done. Typically used for welding work, soapstone will stay in place and legible no matter the temp. Might be useful for on-site exhaust or turbo crib notes.
Rounding out the options are more typical crayons and markers. Ok, maybe less typical crayons and markers. Hardware or auto supply stores usually carry crayons well suited for marking on tires (critical for rotations or flat-finding). In my experience, a typical Crayola won’t work. Marker-wise, Sharpie makes a few “metallic” pens, which will also get the job done, sometimes in a more controlled manner than the blob/run-prone paint-filled options.
And with that, we wrap up this week’s Wrenching Tips.
Even as I was writing this, it occurred to me I could probably hide tire pressure and lug torque specs in my wheel wells and I should probably label a few key parts of my Falcon’s wiring harness, given how often I find myself screwing with it. What other places should we be tagging with useful information?
[Lead image credit: Chris Hanzel, shooting Pete's Zombee MGB at Seconds Saturday. Monsieur Hanzel would also like you to know the next Seconds Saturday is just around the bend on March 10th]
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On every car that I've had you would have to crawl under the car to see the oil filter (except for the one that has a cartridge type filter). That's why I write the oil change info somewhere else under the hood. I haven't had any problems using plain old crayons either. I pick them up at the back to school sales for 10 cents a pack.
Also works good to write the air filter change on the housing.
If your oil filter is in a location not visible until you are under the car, it probably makes more sense to put a sticker on the inside of your windshield, like they do at the quick-change shops. A lot of auto parts stores give away non-adhesive static cling ones designed for this purpose, or you could always just write on a piece of tape.
Actually, I'm going to work on a predictive graph indicating when the oil life monitor indicates it'll be time to change the 8 quarts of Mobil 1/Napa platinum filter.
Looks like the car 'consumes' about 3% of the oil's life per tank of fuel. 'Bout.
Yeah, I'm a car/computer geek. I've kept a log book for every vehicle I've owned since the first back in 1985. The RX300 has an onboard maintenance notification system which is nicely adjustable (time/miles) so I don't need a written one for it.
i seem to remember that those oil monitors are fairly smart these days. I know it is partially (maybe only?) based on number of total engine revolutions. It might take into account cold starts, engine temperature, ambient temp, and throttle position/throttle position changes too.
Yep, they're pretty good. All of what you mentioned is in the calculation, AFAIK.
I'm tempted to send my next oil in for analysis, to see just how close it is. I want a 10% cushion, just 'cause. I've never had an oil-related engine failure…but I don't want one.
It gives me about 12K miles between changes, which works for me, as I do 10K on everything else, without the monitor. Well, the motorhome sees 15K mile changes, but that's Cummins' spec and it holds for freakin' gallons of C4.
I like this tip. The technique is an important part of the process of replacing u-joints on a driveshaft that must go back together the way it came off in order to retain its balance.
Yup, I used my kids' sidewalk chalk. Works great for short durations like this. Incidentally it was not mentioned in the green books to do this, so that's a good tip on it's own. I did not know, the friend that was helping me had done it before and knew. I got lucky there.
Funny–I use exactly that liquid paper pen. Lasts forever if you get the grease off first. I've got ticks in my Chevy truck for installing the distributor that've been there for ten years.
For wiring and vacuum hoses I do something different. I left my electrician career with a bunch of half used books of Dottie numbered wire markers. The first time I did a major engine tear-down I marked both sides of every single thing I disconnected. I think I counted up to 29 on that one. When I went to reassemble, I just counted down in order.
My technique has since evolved. Had to figure out a way to get the numbers to stick when the wire was greasy. Didn't always use numbers in order, or sometimes figured out that it was easier to put stuff back together in a different order. Mostly I just keep track of what numbers got used on a particular job and then make sure all of 'em get reconnected before I finish.
After a couple bigger jobs, though, I really don't have to use any new numbers at all, as the old ones are all still in place.
<img src="http://www.weblube.com/TapeOnWireMarkers.jpg" width=400>
I wrote go baby go on my piston tops when I assembled my rabbit's motor.
I will say that paint markers are great for additional timing marks. On my old 1.9td i had a gas flywheel with a painted on tdc mark. As well as on the cam gear and injector pump pulley. Just made replacing headgaskets after a couple weeks of 25 psi that much easier.
I love that. It'd be awesome if there was some mineral in the ink that, when mixed with combustion, caused the words to be etched into the piston.
I'll check when I am no doubt forced to tear the motor down in a year ar two.
Not that I doubt my skills or anything, this is just the first bottom end I've done on my lonesome.
Please assist your elderly relatives who still drive.
<img src="http://www.smartpartsgermany.com/images/Stop%20and%20Go%20Pedals%20smart%20fortwo%20450.jpg">
I have a mind like a fucking steel trap. It is all up there, but difficult to access.
I actually use a log book tucked into the back of the Chiltons/Haynes repair manuals. The manuals are prominent on the bookshelf in the living room, so they are pretty accessible.
I use aCar on my phone. Not only does it keep a record of all the relevant details, it will send me reminders that routine maintenance (tire rotations, oil changes, battery checks, etc.) are due in a pre-set number of miles or days.
<img src="http://www.zonewalker.com/images/screenshots/screenshot-06.png">
<a href="http://www.zonewalker.com/acar” target=”_blank”>http://www.zonewalker.com/acar
Oh man, you are overdue for suspension systems for you Opel!
Looks like a solid tracking app. I will check it out.
I'll get right on it!
<img src="http://lowrider.free.fr/eastriddaz/Dscn0928_.jpg">
I bought a Brother P-touch labeller. Much easier to read and generally won't rub off (the adhesive is strong with this one). I mark windshield wipers (though that gets stuck on the windshield) and battery replacements, among other things.
My father-in-law was a research chemist. Absolutely everything he ever touched had some sort of instructions written on it. Not only is every single box in their basement and garage accurately labeled, but all around his house are little notes, written on everything.
- The homemade ladder holder in the garage rafters has "This side in first and out last" written on one crossbar.
- "Two AAA batteries" is written on the front of the smoke detector in their basement, so you don't have to take it down to discover that it's the only one in the house that doesn't take a 9-volt.
- One of his hand drills has "Push in hard while turning or gears will skip" engraved in the plastic handle with a vibratory pen.
- A little card is taped inside the cartridge door on his old inkjet printer with instructions for running the cleaning cycle (which is a non-intuitive sequence of button pushes outlined only in the owners manual.)
- I ran across a long, hinged metal rod the last time I was in their garage. It had a post-it note taped to it "Jack Handle For Grand Cherokee," a car that was sold off about 8 or 9 years ago.
He's been dead about a year and a half, and was in a nursing home for about five years prior to that. Yet, I am still finding new little notes that are cleverly helping me with household tasks for my mother-in-law. Thanks, Al. I miss you lots.
For timing marks I like to smear silver anti-seize on and then gently wipe the surface off with a rag leaving behind what was pushed into the index. It's quick and that stuff really shines under a timing light.
(Yawns, rubs eyes, notices lead pic) "Well good morning beautiful!" Heh-heh–heh!
I've got my most-often-used motor specs written on the underside of my hood, with things like spark plug gap, the order of which valve to lash when another is open, head bolt torques etc. It makes doing things quickly a lot easier and less prone to mistakes. You can know every part of a car and memorize every spec, but in the race pits when people are running around like chickens with their heads cut off it is all too easy to get distracted. Having a quick reference really helps to re-focus and keep things moving while making sure it's right.
I also have tire pressures on each fender so anyone on the team with a free hand can check them, plus each pit-station on the car (front, rear, left/right side) has a small cheat-sheet of what that crew member is responsible for. It has cut our pit stop times down by at least 2/3rds.
The writing on the dash in the lead photo serves as an instruction manual for all the n00bs. Nearly everyone who drives it is a newbie to both the car and racing, and in this car strategy and staying out of trouble is more important than going fast. We can't win on speed, but we can keep turning laps while others sit in the penalty box and/or waste hours swapping motors/repairing damage. "Slow down, check gauges, watch mirrors and flag stations" are what keep us out of trouble. When something bad happens, one of those rules was not followed.
On a related note, I find it interesting that I leave the car outside on the sidewalk with instructions on how to steal it, and yet it is still there every morning.
<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/409543_3166119793331_1275492112_33339429_252071145_n.jpg" width="500">
Yeah, there's a risk to car theft which is too high for even the crackiest of crack heads.
I left a 1980 F-100 in a college parking lot (1987), running, key in it, windows down, for 90 minutes 'cause I needed to take an exam and I could not find a parking space I could roll-start out of.
I really wanted this truck to find a new home, didn't care where.
Came back from my exam, there it was, idling quietly. Well, as quietly as the 'big 6' (300CID) idled.
In fact, unless it was raining or winter, the windows were never closed. The driver's window was broken for at least three months one summer. Actually, I think it had the broken window at this particular time.
Hated. That. Truck.
"people are running around like chickens with their heads cut off ". Sounds like a plausible Lemons penalty.
At present, the bracket holding the accelerator pedal to the floor of my 850 is broken, so I have a hand-held ratchet strap tied around the pedal. It makes shifting rather slower – yes, it's a manual – and means that unless I'm concerned for my factory tape deck or less than fifty cents in change, I can leave my doors unlocked everywhere. If having to row your own wasn't enough of a deterrent, I can imagine what sort of effect having to pull a rope to accelerate has.
Oh, and I broke the little bracket by pulling up on the stuck pedal with the toe of my boot – the throttle, well, it does that every so often. Have fun, thieves!
My MPV's glove box is the size and shape of a file folder. And handily enough, it contained a file folder with every single receipt issued in its 18 years of life, down to the sales receipt (original owner sprung for the dealer undercoat!). I have since appropriated the concept for my other vehicles, using a plastic folder/pocket deal in the map pocket. Since I DIY everything, I just take my parts reciepts and write the mileage/date on them. If I have to print out a how to or a section of the FSM, that bit goes in the folder too.
I really try to be anal retentive about everything, but it's not my personality, so this keeps all the info in one place without having to fastidiously curate it.
I write on a lot of stuff when I wrench. Here's a tip: use the paint marker to mark the size and location of wheel weights. When they get flung off, you can just pop a new one on without having to mount the wheel in a balancer.
<img src="http://pangea.stanford.edu/%7Eschmitt/images/wheel_weight.jpg" height="360/" width="480">
As it turns out, I sometimes forget to do this. I went outside to photograph the wheels I most recently had re-shod (a Peugeot, which I also figured would be good for my Hooniverse cred), and not only did I forget to mark the wheel weight locations, but three of the wheels have already lost their weights. So the photo is from my Buick. I guess I'm going back to the tire shop next week.
For any non-welders reading the site, the welding shop carries soap stone pencils because you cannot burn it off with an Oxy-Acetylene cutting torch. You mark your steel with it, and you can still see it with your welding goggles on when it's illuminated by the torch, and it does not get burned off (well, it goes away if you cut right on it, but that's more a matter of cutting the steel out from under it). It's basically a talc stone. They work great.
I use sharpies (permanent markers) for temporarily marking steel parts. Yes, that's right, I use permanent marker for temporary marks. It only works on relatively clean surfaces (don't have many of those in my engine bay…), and acetone will take it off very quickly.
I have a maintenance notebook and I have taken to making margin notes in my Chilton. I've been sorting bolts by using ziplock bags with blue tape and sharpie labels. It's been working really well.
I'll have to invest in some of these other implements, though. Good tip.
I like how the race car in the lead picture was used to chauffeur Flava Flav in the past!
Yo, booyyyyyiiieeeeee.
I usually write the mileage and date on my fuel filters. However, with the Metro, I have been keeping a maintenance log in my (tax writeoff) mileage log when I do any maintenance. I recently decided though that I should keep a separate maintenance log for it and have started transcribing all of the data from the last year (about 30k miles) to the new book. I figure that keeping the log in the glovebox will make it easier for me to track what is done and when as this thing sees a lot of maintenance due to it's role as a pizza car. Being able to see when the last time the axles, etc. were done lets me know when they are due for replacement.
I asked my wife for a bottle of ugly nail polish, and that's what I've been using. I'll have to remember the liquid paper pen idea.
Do you know what doesn't work? Marking the position of your outer tie rod ends with a sharpie, and then deciding just before installing the new ones that it would be a good idea to clean the threads with a blast of brake cleaner.
That's where keeping the original grime on, or wrapping a length of tape right behind the nut helps you dial it back in to the original position. Suspension alignments are for pussies.
Great post, and some fantastic comments and additional tips. Not much to add to all that above, but here's a thought or two:
You can make enduring, permanent marks by scribing a mark or hacksawing a little nick. This can help keep things lined up or distinguish between multiples of the same thing, if you do it so they only match in the correct order/position. Same with a quick squirt of spray paint. Make sure you're dead on, before making that permanent mark, two or three of the m in the same area will just be confusing.
Tag things with contrasting colors or other distinguishing marks. Very helpful when dealing with a snarl of identical black wires
Use contrasting paint to pick out notches, or highlight the firing order, etc. Filling the crankshaft pulley notch with white grease pencil really helped me, when all I had was a weak neon timing light.
Make marks, or wrap pieces of tape, hit with spray paint, etc, before disassembly, if you're going to be returning adjustable assemblies to their earlier positions. So emergency brake lines, clutch linkages, throttle cables, suspension links, etc. You can't always rely on the dirt and corrosion to stay put long enough for you to put it back precisely.
Back in the day I kept a little notebook and occasionally scribbled down date, mileage and service done (if any). It was managable with the two older cars (one in the front of the book, and one in the back) but then I got the motorcycle and then the Challenger.
Now, I keep track of maintenance schedules using the app Car Minder on my iPhone. Here's how the Challenger's doing today:
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/534t3r.jpg" width="300">
If something gets within a time/mileage threshold the traffic light on the left side will go to yellow, and then red once it's past the defined time/mileage.
I keep the mileages up to date by using its gas mileage recording mode. Here's the Dakota's recent history… thirsty, eh?
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/fx3z2c.jpg" width="300">
Looks like I have to check that one out. I noticed you can set the app to use proper units like "kilometers" and "liters" also