Toyota m/c change = 2 hrs

[sargentrs]

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my truck? My new DD, 1990 Toyota Camry. Bought 4 months ago for $1200 to drive while I'm rebuilding my truck. Anyway, master cylinder went bad so had to replace it. Master cylinder change...no problem...30-45 mins including bleeding the brakes, right? But NOOOOOO, not on a Toyota. The m/c looked like a toothpick with a tea cup on top of it. 2 spaghetti strand brake lines and 3 nuts on the booster....3 nuts! WTH!? And to top it off you can't get a socket on any of the nuts, have to use an end wrench. Not even a box end! 1/8 turn at a time. Came off in about 30 mins. Then another 20 mins for clean up and bench bleed. Then reinstall.......what a PITA! Had to leave my hand flat and couldn't get more than 2 fingers on any of the mounting nuts. Took 20 mins just to start the brake lines without cross threading. Then actually had to get the floor jack to get it up high enough to bleed the calipers. Whoever designed these little tinker toys obviously did not have a 6'-2" fat man in mind. Well, at least I've got brakes now. Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

[Ranchero50]

I thought this was vacation time to work on the bump?

[sargentrs]

Nah, that was 4/18-4/22 and coming again 7/4-7/8. This was "have to" kinda thing. Gotta get to work to fund the build! About got the frame stripped down, just got brake lines and such to take loose then be ready for cleaning. Should have it clean and wire brushed by July so that week's vacation will be POR-15 and painting the frame. Then start cleaning/painting parts for reassembly. Work related crud is really cuttin' into my personal time.

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

i've worked on worse. i have to work on these things M-F 8am-5pm

[fordman]

my wife has smaller hands than i do. i sometimes volunteer her for small hard to get to stuff. i mean all the work. i just supervise. unless the nuts or bolts are tight. then i break them loose with myself. then i let her finish them sometimes.

[sargentrs]

My wife won't do that kind of thing. Might break a nail. The worst was when I dropped one of the m/c mounting nuts. When I'm working on the bump my granddaughter likes to "help" me by playing with my tools. She's 5 now. She'll set her up a little work bench and grab some tools and "fix" things like her pawpaw. When we're done she'll ask me "Pawpaw, where's the GoJo?" Her favorite tool is my magnetic pick up. After dropping the nut I spent 15 mins trying to get my big hands down in there and then another 10 mins trying to find my pick up. She had "put it back", in my tool box, in the bottom, under the hammers and stuff.

[390Nut]

My wife won't do that kind of thing. Might break a nail. The worst was when I dropped one of the m/c mounting nuts. When I'm working on the bump my granddaughter likes to "help" me by playing with my tools. She's 5 now. She'll set her up a little work bench and grab some tools and "fix" things like her pawpaw. When we're done she'll ask me "Pawpaw, where's the GoJo?" Her favorite tool is my magnetic pick up. After dropping the nut I spent 15 mins trying to get my big hands down in there and then another 10 mins trying to find my pick up. She had "put it back", in my tool box, in the bottom, under the hammers and stuff.

Got her off to a good start!

You think the M/C is bad on that camry, try the fuel filter on an 88 corolla gt-s. two clamps, two bolts. easiest part was disconnecting the fuel pump to release pressure on the lines.

Down on the fire wall, and you really can't get to it from the top easily, and you CANT get to it AT ALL from the bottom of the car. Wasnt so bad trying to get it out, only about 20 minutes.

Putting in the new one is another matter entirely. you cant hold the bolts in place because you literally have to bend your arms BACKWARDS at the wrists to get TOO the bolts (tried grease, but not enough room to manuever around so you end up bumping the bolts back out anyways.)

Finally ended up putting a spot of solder on the bolts to hold them to the fuel filter long enough to get them started. Never did put hose clamps on the lines, as much force as it took to get those hoses on the filter, I figured they wouldn't ever leak. Never did, either.

guess thats what I get for not removing the intake and fuel injection system...

[flyboy71]

They make it look so easy on TV but then again you didnt have a commercial break or two to bring in 5 extra crew members and spend those 2 hrs before you came back to the show.

[sargentrs]

(tried grease, but not enough room to manuever around so you end up bumping the bolts back out anyways.)

I went back and reread that and got what you were talking about. On my first read I thought you meant you greased up your hand to squeeze it in there and thought "Why didn't I think of that?". Then I see you meant to hold the bolts in. Good idea though!

[390Nut]

(tried grease, but not enough room to manuever around so you end up bumping the bolts back out anyways.)

I went back and reread that and got what you were talking about. On my first read I thought you meant you greased up your hand to squeeze it in there and thought "Why didn't I think of that?". Then I see you meant to hold the bolts in. Good idea though!

Almost did that, but there was room enough to get my hands down in there, but from one angle only. that car sat pretty low to the ground, and the only way to reach was from the very front. I was literally laying down on top of the engine compartment to be able to get to the danged filter, and because of how everything was setup, it was a backwards nightmare trying to get it installed.

Like I said I wasn't going to take off the fuel injection and the intake manifold just to change a fuel filter (what the manual tells you to do).

[forrestbump]

...because I'm a "Nice Guy"??? I fixed my Ex's new Boy friend's Infinity's cooling system. 240,000+ miles on it and never been taken care of...the usual story. Anyway I think the entire car was built around the thermostat (it's NOT replaceable, you get the inlet neck with thermostat built-in!)

I agree that American "Fat Hands" were NOT thought of when the car was engineered. The parts costs...OMG, $49.87 for a thermostat? You're kidding me right?

When I needed a break from working on the Infinity, I opened the hood of my Bump and just felt at peace with the world! I could see everything, get at everything and easily fix everything and not break the bank to do so. I needed that after working on that Infinity!

[sargentrs]

When I needed a break from working on the Infinity, I opened the hood of my Bump and just felt at peace with the world! I could see everything, get at everything and easily fix everything and not break the bank to do so. I needed that after working on that Infinity!

Or Toyota, or Honda, or Lexus, or VW or.....[insert name of import here].

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

German cars are the worst by far . Certain year jettas/passats you have to remove the front clip to replace a serpentine belt or timing belt. i probably have a picture or two of that process

[390Nut]

People can and do knock the import cars (I do myself), but I liked the Toyotas I've owned, all have been very reliable and long-lived, and the 2001 Solara I own now is no different. i had 300,000 miles on the GT-S before I started having some issues, and the only reason it died on me is because *I* didn't replace the front main seal when it started leaking. That was my doing, and it cost me compression on the #1 and #4 cylinders when it blew out at 70mph. That particular engine (the 4AGE) is pretty darn stout, and and with proper maintenance lives a long time. FWIW it is the same base engine they use in the Formula Atlantic race cars; 1.6L engine putting out over 240hp in a 1260 lb car. 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. 150 hp per liter.

To put that into perspective, a 390 built to the same level of tune would be making 960 hp.

[sargentrs]

I'll have to admit that when I decided to rebuild my truck, and started looking for a DD to replace it, I went straight to the imports. Considered a Ford Escort but the Toyota kinda dropped in my lap so I jumped on it. Really doesn't matter that much anymore as there's very few, if any, vehicles that are 100% American anymore. While they may be "built in America" a lot of the parts are imported. At 1990 this is one of the newest vehicles I've ever owned. I try to stick to the late 60's - early 80's vehicles when I'm looking for a ride with <= 1976 being the preferred models. Getting harder to find a running used one of that vintage and gas mileage is never really considered. I'll probably always have an "old American iron" and a "new international plastic" vehicle in my garage.