What did you do to your S-Series today...

[cujoe_da_man]

Finally got around to replacing lights in my HVAC controller. Bought a new soldering iron with a controlled heat option, a couple different de-soldering items. The one I ended up using was a solder sucker, didn't try the wicking ribbon yet. The solder sucker was a cheap one, but it still worked really well.

I pulled the old lights out and then attempted to solder the new ones in. It wasn't a terrible job by any means, but I still have some things to learn with soldering. I can count on one hand the amount of things I've had to solder in ten years.

One issue I ran into is two of the leads became delaminated from the board. Thankfully I was able to solder the lights in, so I dabbed a bit of epoxy on them to hold them in place. It's high temp stuff and hardens like plastic, so no problem with melting it (just something I had laying around from another project).

Not my best work, but now I have a fully lit HVAC control

[lanxer57]

I drove it, listened to the noise it was making, dumped a quart of ATF in it (the dipstick was in the middle of the area that looks like this ####, and not above it), drove it again, still making the noise, and than crashed it. It suffered only minor cosmetic damage, and made it home, anyway, I discribed the noise here:

Originally Posted by lanxer57

I suspect the noise it is making to be the torque converter, or otherwise transmission related. It mostly seems to manifest when accelerating, decelerating, or increasing throttle to go uphill. All things that I would expect to put stress on the torque converter. It also makes this noise when stopped in any gear, including reverse, park, and neutral. It is a "grinding" noise, and sounds like an electric cutting tool. Drill? circular saw? It is also not low on transmission fluid.

https://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sh...=269256&page=2

[Moheganson]

I replaced the odometer gears in 2017 with ones from Odometer Gears. Last month, the odometer started logging seven miles for every mile driven. Found a 1993 junkyard cluster in Boston. Swapped it out but guess what, the gears were broken....

Took the good odometer out of my failed cluster, put it in the junkyard cluster making sure to use the motor on the junkyard cluster and all is now well.

My 1994 cluster has slightly different marking on the fuel gauge near the "E" one solid yellow line, the 1993 cluster has a series of dotted lines indicating that there's probably only a gallon or so left in the tank.

NAPA gold batteries aren't what they used to be. I had the first three fail in a year which is crazy since this car is a daily driver. They made good on the warranty four times. Most recent battery lasted for three years, it failed last week so I replaced it with a DieHard Gold (Johnson Controls). Should last for at least seven years.

[Mister_Cee]

Nothing major but I got rid of an irritating squeak in the liftgate of my '96 SW2 by putting silicon on the latch mechanism and I had a worn carpet area beneath the clutch pedal fixed and covered with a kickplate so that it doesn't wear through again.

[Sid]

Originally Posted by Moheganson

NAPA gold batteries aren't what they used to be. I had the first three fail in a year which is crazy since this car is a daily driver. They made good on the warranty four times. Most recent battery lasted for three years, it failed last week so I replaced it with a DieHard Gold (Johnson Controls). Should last for at least seven years.

Seriously? I've never had a car battery last 7 years.

[Signmaster]

Originally Posted by Sid

Seriously? I've never had a car battery last 7 years.

The 16 1/2 year S Series battery!

I don't expect this to ever happen again in my lifetime.

[Waiex191]

I'm cleaning up some dirty and rusty junkyard steel wheels. Tyred of leaky aluminum rims.

[Waiex191]

Originally Posted by Waiex191

I'm cleaning up some dirty and rusty junkyard steel wheels. Tyred of leaky aluminum rims.

[Waiex191]

Steel rims, new tires, and hubcaps.

[Sid]

Wash and quick wax with liquid ceramic wax.

[SW2outoftheblue]

Lets see...

1. Put new shoes on it and less than 100 miles later reverse leaves the chat.
2. Tightened the input shaft nut, reverse works again!
3. Sloppy DS inner/outer tie rod replaced
4. DS CV shaft replaced after I put it into gear without the strut holding the knuckle in place, so the knuckle moved and allowed the axle to spin and destroy itself... oops.
5. Booger "welded" some angle iron into the hole under the DS side of the front subframe.

All's well and she drives again! 2-3 is a bit soft and flares slightly when warmer so idk, we'll see.

[Moheganson]

Originally Posted by Sid

Seriously? I've never had a car battery last 7 years.

Yes, I've had a couple last that long in daily drivers and they've all been Johnson Controls (DieHard, Interstate, etc.) batteries.

I did put a high end Interstate in a 1986 Jaguar XJ6 that I do not drive regularly and it didn't last seven years....

Oh, I have a garage so that helps. Definitely adds longevity to a car battery.

BTW, very nice looking car Sid!!

[lanxer57]

Got it out of deep snow by wedging concrete landscaping bricks (the kind used in garden boundaries) under the front tires. I somehow did not throw the diff pin in the process...

[SW2outoftheblue]

A couple of electrical bodge mods!

1. Two relays installed for headlamp switch. One cuts marker positive and one cuts headlight ground, both are triggered on ignition RUN so if not in RUN the lights can't be left on.

2. Relay installed on cigarette lighter to cut positive, triggered on ignition ACC and RUN so I can do things like charge my phone while on ACC but not forget to turn everything off when leaving the vehicle.

3. Bodge wire from hatch switch circuit on the IP/body connector behind the driver kick panel to the driver-rear door switch. Now the hatch light turns on when the doors are open, and dome light when the hatch is open. MORE importantly, the RKE module now sees the hatch opening as a door opening and will alarm if armed. The doors also now run the hatch idiot light so if the dome light is set to off I can still know a door is open.

4. I'm thinking about doing a few more bodges to get the low beams and backup lamps to light while the dome light is on with ignition off, like follow-me-home lights, which would be nice because I work late and am always home after sundown no matter the season.

[Waiex191]

I used it to jump start a coworker's japanese minivan.

[StarLady]

A couple of days ago:
New transmission fluid (Valvoline Dex/Merc ATF) and filter (NAPA part # ATP 17795).
Because I had to: http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=273397

BTW, I'm very happy that this NAPA filter is red like the originals, and it matches my car.

[lanxer57]

Put a bumper cover, and hood on it. They are blue. Check out that peeling clear coat. The bumper cover had to be removed earlier because it was disintegrating.

[JustChrisThanks]

New upper motor mount, figured mine was shot but didn't realize how bad it was. Took about 20 minutes, now my passenger side mirror is no longer vibrating like crazy lol

[JustChrisThanks]

When I bought my wagon, it only came with a key, previous owner said they never had a fob. Ordered some fobs after learning my car has keyless entry and an alarm already built in (thank you fetchitfido and DrvLikHell). Arrived today and they took about 45 seconds to program

[JustChrisThanks]

Hood struts-

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=182388

Super quick, cheap, and very easy.