Vehicle Maintenace General

[Google.com]

If it was mice in there then don't mess around trying to clean it with everything in place. You will never get rid of the smell that way.
Pull the seats and rip out the carpet. If mice got in to the headliner the rip that down too. Powerwash it out and clean it with simplegreen.
They 100% got in to the HVAC system so pull that apart all the duct work including the heaterbox. Soak all the parts in hot water and clean off with simplegreen. Look for nests and mice shit in the center console. If you see it then that has to come apart too.

Mice are a big problem in my area and I have had to deal with them in cars a few times. You waste more time trying with 1/2 measures rather then just biting the bullet and spending a solid weekend pulling the interior apart. Nothing smells worse then hot mouse piss on a hot humid day

That's what I'm doing. The mice were nesting in the spare tire bay. The climate control computer is damaged but I ran the self check and it was able to tell me that both one of the flaps had failed and the blower motor so I'm just going to rip everything out behind the engine, clean, replace, do whatever then throw it back in. I don't think the guy who owned it before even knew the car had a spare tire bay the floor had all sorts of cleaning supplies littered around in an attempt to clean the smell not realizing he could lift the trunk cover up. I also see nicotine stains in some of the plastic but not too bad.

The easiest clean is from the amazing swedish saab cupholder on the dash failed at some point sending some sort of sugary liquid all over the dash that partially fried the climate control computer. I mean the blower and flaps could be perfectly fine and it's just the damaged computer not communicating with them properly but I'm already in there to replace the dash trim and do some other work so I'm just going to put new ones in.

 

[Nefarious Elliot]

I have added more stuff to the OP. Does anything strike anyone as particularly retarded or absent?

 

[Nefarious Elliot]

If it was mice in there then don't mess around trying to clean it with everything in place. You will never get rid of the smell that way.
Pull the seats and rip out the carpet. If mice got in to the headliner the rip that down too. Powerwash it out and clean it with simplegreen.
They 100% got in to the HVAC system so pull that apart all the duct work including the heaterbox. Soak all the parts in hot water and clean off with simplegreen. Look for nests and mice shit in the center console. If you see it then that has to come apart too.

Mice are a big problem in my area and I have had to deal with them in cars a few times. You waste more time trying with 1/2 measures rather then just biting the bullet and spending a solid weekend pulling the interior apart. Nothing smells worse then hot mouse piss on a hot humid day

I had them build a nest in the AC system, out of sound insulation they got from the rear of the car in a beemer I used to have... it was such a biohazard to be in there.

 

[drammamean]

Google is so fucking useless now I try to look up information on how to fix severe paint damage and it keeps recommending me content specifically for minor paint damage actually the most frustrating shit on earth.

I've found a cheap car I intend on potentially making my first project car. She is a certified beater and frankly disgusting in her current condition.

While I have confidence in being able to steam clean the inside... The outside is another thing. For the cars entire 26 year life it has been left out cooking in the sun and the paint is completely destroyed. What are my options here? I know wrapping is an option but the paint is so bad with all the cracks and bubbles I don't think it'd work and I'd rather not have to resort to wraps.

And before anyone asks yes it is priced appropriately the "I don't want to look at this thing and the neighbors keep complaining. Get this off my property" sort of price.

Plasti-dip.

 

[drammamean]

I need to replace the shocks on my 2007 Rav4 (3rd Gen). It does get taken off road occasionally, so does anyone know of a good replacement, or should I just get OEM? I think I damaged the current ones while on a fire trail, so I wouldn't mind something a little more sturdy.

I want to have a go at replacing them myself, and while I generally trust my mechanic, I'd like to go into the conversation with a bit of info under my belt. And I wouldn't trust the Toyota service guys as far as I could spit.

Define "taken off road." What are your expectations and what's your budget? You could go with anything from a cheap-ass OE style replacement to a lift kit with coilovers and anything in between.

If you're just taking it on dirt trails or something really mild you should be fine with an OE style replacement. I had a look around at TireRack.com and Rockauto.com and there isn't anything special available at either one, you'd have to buy something from a "specialist" like Northwoods Performance.

My recommendation is to save yourself some headaches and get the spring/shock as an assembly. Disassembling the assembly itself is actually quite dangerous as the springs are under a lot of tension and the tools used to compress the spring are a huge pain in the ass to get right and even if it feels like you have it set correctly they can slip and potentially blast you in the face. You could literally be killed. Never mind how much a pain in the ass the process is. If you buy the assembly all you have to do is swap them out, it will save you hours of labor.

KYB supplies the shocks to Toyota that came on your car. You can buy their shock/spring assembly and be done with it. The quality will not 100% match what you would get from Toyota but it's much cheaper; comparing the prices at Toyota Parts Deals (these are genuine parts and yes I've ordered from them in the past) vs the assembly at RA, it costs the same for just the shock as it does for the entire assembly and you would need to add the shock tophat/mount which is another $100. The biggest downside to the KYB assembly from RA is there are complaints about the tophat/mount quality but it's up to you to decide what is worth it or not. IF you wanted to save even more money you could get the FCS brand assembly from RA, they have a good reputation and are an OE manufacturer (just not for Toyota).

 

[drammamean]

I have added more stuff to the OP. Does anything strike anyone as particularly retarded or absent?

I only glanced at it but in the spark plug section I would add clearing the spark plug well and surrounding area with compressed air so no debris falls into the engine when replacing the plugs.

More importantly when changing fluids, you MUST loosen/remove the FILL plug BEFORE draining the fluid because if you drain the fluid first only to eventually find out you can't fill it with fluid you are FUCKED. It's also a good idea to clear and grease, dirt and debris around the fill plug first so nothing undesireable gets into the component.

 

[Sneeds]

I’m thinking of getting an 80 series Land Cruiser, it has 200k miles and it’s in pretty good shape and no rust in the frame. The seller states it has an Oil/powersteering leak. And I wonder if it will be DIYable

 

[No. 7 cat]

Changed the fanbelt. I kept having to adjust it, for it was a bit worn, so no squealing now.

 

[Nefarious Elliot]

I’m thinking of getting an 80 series Land Cruiser, it has 200k miles and it’s in pretty good shape and no rust in the frame. The seller states it has an Oil/powersteering leak. And I wonder if it will be DIYable

U rly have to be careful in private sales. But, changing an oil pan or valve cover gasket is probably pretty ez pz on that vehicle. A power steering line could get ur hands dirty, though. It is an opportunity to flush out the PS system though, which people usually neglect.
It's an iron inline 6 with enough main bearings, so it'll probably last as long as you are able to maintain it, which should be pretty easy even if it blows up given the motor is also used in forklifts and such and is designed for easy rebuilds.
The only problem is that it's slow... and the oil filter is in a weird spot.

 

[Leylon Sneed]

Ya, the prep is my main concern mostly with how on earth you properly get the old paint off. Which is another thing Google refuses to help me with because it thinks I'm referring to vandalism.

Sanding is the best way, you can build a sanding/paint booth out of PVC pipe and 1 mil plastic. Put an exhaust fan and just run the exhaust thru a barrel of water to keep it tolerable inside. Wear a respirator. Masking for paint is probably going to be the most tedious part, there's all kinds of nooks and crannies. You don't have to take it all down to the metal, but at least down to primer, and it's going to take forever. Bondo is your friend, you can use hydrochloric acid for light rust, take everything off (trunk, hood, bumpers, doors) pull the seats out to clean them, it will save you neck cramps, plus you have to get under them anyway. You're going to need to basically disassemble it depending on how bad parts are, and you wouldn't know how bad some things are without disassembling them.

Good luck

 

[Google.com]

Thanks for the advice.

After owning it for a bit and starting to pull it apart I don't think the paint is actually as bad as I thought. There was a lot of moss and shit covering the car but after I got that off there is only two bits of bare metal. I'm thinking that can probably get patched somehow in a way that looks alright if you dont look too close.I got the interior half stripped I am waiting for parts to get the front seat out and some other work. It is starting to smell not terrible as I take more parts out so that is a plus.

One thing I am curious about is should I strip out the onstar system while I am here? Now that the 3g networks it connects to are down is there any risk of it fucking up and doing some weird safety/immobilizer bullshit?

 

[OrionBalls]

I am having difficulty locating a passenger (right) side exhaust manifold for a 3.9L V6 1987 Dodge Dakota. Driver's (left) side replacements abound. Does anyone have any ideas or places I could look that I'm not currently thinking of?

Junkyard lol

Found one pull-it about 50 miles away with no pictures. I will go there if I have to, even if it is a fruitless errand. But I was hoping for a different suggestion?

 

[The Stranger]

I am having difficulty locating a passenger (right) side exhaust manifold for a 3.9L V6 1987 Dodge Dakota. Driver's (left) side replacements abound. Does anyone have any ideas or places I could look that I'm not currently thinking of?

Junkyard lol

 

[Yandex Captcha Solver]

I am having difficulty locating a passenger (right) side exhaust manifold for a 3.9L V6 1987 Dodge Dakota. Driver's (left) side replacements abound. Does anyone have any ideas or places I could look that I'm not currently thinking of?

Found one pull-it about 50 miles away with no pictures. I will go there if I have to, even if it is a fruitless errand. But I was hoping for a different suggestion?

Junkyards, eBay, and Rockauto are my go-to options. I'll usually check Amazon as well with a part number that I got on another site.

Found this Doorman part on eBay that should work. Or if you want to go down the Amazon route they have one for about $25 more. I'd double check this is the correct part though.

 

[OrionBalls]

Junkyards, eBay, and Rockauto are my go-to options. I'll usually check Amazon as well with a part number that I got on another site.

Found this Doorman part on eBay that should work. Or if you want to go down the Amazon route they have one for about $25 more. I'd double check this is the correct part though.

Thanks! Those are both driver's side, though. Owell, worse comes to worst, we can do a Hemi swap, but I'm not sure I'm ready to drop that kind of money, at this moment. There are other things that require more immediate attention, like the thinning spot in the frame. I'll gladly do anything on this baby, except frame work. I go to see the welder, tomorrow.

 

[Yandex Captcha Solver]

Thanks! Those are both driver's side, though. Owell, worse comes to worst, we can do a Hemi swap, but I'm not sure I'm ready to drop that kind of money, at this moment. There are other things that require more immediate attention, like the thinning spot in the frame. I'll gladly do anything on this baby, except frame work. I go to see the welder, tomorrow.

My bad, saw the driver side comment and skipped the part that you need the passenger. Not seeing any doorman replacements with a quick search.

You can also use https://www.partshotlines.com/ I'm seeing quite a few passenger side ones available but you'll have to be making calls to junkyards to get quotes etc.

 

[The Stranger]

Thanks! Those are both driver's side, though. Owell, worse comes to worst, we can do a Hemi swap, but I'm not sure I'm ready to drop that kind of money, at this moment. There are other things that require more immediate attention, like the thinning spot in the frame. I'll gladly do anything on this baby, except frame work. I go to see the welder, tomorrow.

Apparently that engine was used on Dakotas, Rams, and Ram vans for over a decade. Just go to a junkyard (there will be dozens of that engine there) and ask the owner what it'll cost if you go remove it yourself.

 

[OrionBalls]

Found the part (fairly locally) from some very nice people that I know! Next task: changing the front wheel hub assemblies, this weekend. Parts came in yesterday. So excited! (Do not judge me.)

 

[Biggest Bubba]

Found the part (fairly locally) from some very nice people that I know! Next task: changing the front wheel hub assemblies, this weekend. Parts came in yesterday. So excited! (Do not judge me.)

Make shure to use anti-seize or grease when putting it back together, if its a project your probably going to have to take it apart again at some point. Also use lots of heat MOPARs love to have bolts snap or break.

 

[Nefarious Elliot]

One thing I am curious about is should I strip out the onstar system while I am here? Now that the 3g networks it connects to are down is there any risk of it fucking up and doing some weird safety/immobilizer bullshit?

Afaik it's basically inert at this point and you run more risk fucking with it, but no stout guarantees that you can't get vault 7 rc car'd into the thin side of a concrete jersey barrier.