...And Off Again...

It was too good to be true. My often useful wire-wiggle electrical fix was only temporary.

Yesterday, Kim and I had a night out to ourselves. We were going to see a concert on the Eastside, and I had actually planned a back way to get to the venue that would take advantage of carpool lanes on I-90 and a nice windy road along the lake. The weather was also a drop-top perfect sunny and 75. Kim packed up a picnic basket, and I hopped in the Benz and started it up. The oil pressure gauge stuck at zero.

At this point, I'm pretty sure it's the sender. It's s small electronic sensor that attaches to the bottom of the housing where the oil filter sits, and is connected to a wire that goes back to the instrument panel. It's moderately easy to get to. It also happens to be covered in sludge, and there is a gasket that is between the housing and the block that I suspect is leaking. I may end up following the philosophy of '...Well, since you're in there and have it taken apart already...' and look at doing the whole assembly.

I think it's an easy fix, but will take some time and probably involve lifting the car. The part is about 80 bucks online too. I posted a note to benzworld (the best message board I have found for these types of issues) to see what someone more experienced has to say.

The concert was awesome.

Back on the Road

I scratched my head on this one. I did web searches, scanned message boards, talked to the experts. I was faced with a couple of possibilities:

The oil pressure gauge was reading zero correctly. This was unlikely, but Very Bad News if I was wrong about that assumption.

The oil pressure gauge was reading zero incorrectly. This was the likely problem, but meant more difficult troubleshooting

I went back out to the car. I pulled the fuse that was broken before, and turned the key to 'on'. I verified that everything that was broken before (gauges, power windows, blinkers, etc...) failed to work again.

I replaced the fuse, and turned the ignition to 'on' again. That which failed is now working again. I'm even seeing a small movement in the temp gauge. Oil Pressure gauge still pegged at zero.

Pop the hood. Locate oil pressure sender (this is a small electric sensor that sends the signal back to the oil pressure gauge). Of course, it's only mostly accessible from the top of the car. I reached down and unplug, then reseat the sensor. (It's truly amazing how unplugging and plugging something in can do wonders for electronic equipment).

Flip key to 'on' again. Everything seems to be ok, but this time, I see a slight movement in the oil pressure gauge.

Cross fingers. Move key to start.

Engine springs to life. After 1/2 second, oil pressure gauge indicates full pressure.

Exhale.

We seem to be back to normal. I have no idea if my quick wire wiggle did anything, but it's working for now, and most importantly, more good weather is in the forecast.

Well, I guess not

I received my batch of replacement fuses. I replaced the one in question and fired up the car. The tachometer and fuel gauge now read correctly, but the oil pressure gauge is still at zero.

Not wanting to take a chance that the oil pressure is REALLY zero, I shut the car down (and was not able to test speedometer and temp). This will require some more research. I'm stuck. I'll poke around and see what I can come up with. Searches on the message board I frequent says it may be a grounding issue. That may mean pulling the instrument cluster. Supposedly an easy job, just one I've never done before.

The Culprit

the bad fuse is on the left. A good one is on the right, for comparison. The fuse didn't blow, but the bottom piece of metal that comes in contact with the fuse holder broke off. I think that may explain the intermittent trouble on the highway.

It took me three whole minutes to find a complete set of copper replacements on eBay for $10. In the mean time, there's not a cloud in the sky and it's in the mid 70's. The Benz is in the garage under cover. The good news is that this should be a quick and easy repair.

A Milestone

It happened today.

For the first time.

Something that was working properly... broke.

On my watch.

Damn.

I was cruising down 520 towards the Eastside of town. Sunny, 70 degrees. Perfect weather for a drop-top excursion. I took a cursory glance at the gauges, as I was told to do during drivers ed so long ago (Smith System rule - 'Keep your eyes moving...').

No oil pressure.

Mind races and tells me to stop the car (remember the '74 Corolla).

Wait a minute.

Tachometer reads zero.

Impossible... I'm humming along quite nicely in highway traffic, doing at least...

Zero.

Hmmm....

Temperature?

Zero.

I'm sensing a trend.

Fuel?

Zero.

Stop.

Think.

Organize the following thoughts:

Given:
- The car is running nicely.
- Many indicators have failed at once, giving false readings.
Therefore:
- I likely have an electrical problem.

Damn.

I continue on to my destination, all while thinking of a good troubleshooting plan. At one point in the drive, all gauges start to work again. Great.

I tap on the brake approaching traffic. In an instant, gauges go back to zero.

Damn.

I arrive at my destination, I park, then shut off the car.

Cars need a good electrical system to start.

Cross fingers....

The car starts again. Gauges are still dead. Good. Only PART of the electrical system is dead.

I check the lights (it will be dark by the time I head home). They work. I determine that after my engagement, I'll have enough functionality to get home safely, and I do.

I've spent the better part of the summer working on improving the car. Making it better. Little repairs, detailing work, light maintenance... Today is the first time that something has gone awry since our ownership commenced in April. A true milestone. A step backward. I was due. It's a 26-year old car. What do I expect?

On the way home, I did some more troubleshooting and made a short mental list..

Works:
Ignition
Lights
Radio
Interior illumination

Doesn't work:
Gauges
Power windows
Turn Signals on dashboard
Any other dashboard warning light for that matter...

I checked my shop manual. There is a common fuse for the things that don't work, so I'll be checking that out. If it is the fuse, what causes it to blow? If not, tracking down a wiring problem will be a bear, I know.

I was just thinking that I hadn't updated the blog in a while and that it would be nice to have something to write about.

Be careful what you ask for...

Back to Civilization

I've been away on vacation for a week. Just got back today. The place we go is fairly desolate, and I made a great attempt to make it a 'real' vacation. I didn't check email, voice mail, or watch TV (except an hour of the Olympics - Equestrian). So, I've spent the last couple of hours catching up on news websites, blogs and my email to try and get a feel for what's happening. What I know:

- Michael Phelps did get his 8 golds (we found out about this one early in the week, but only because we picked up a Vancouver Sun on an excursion to the nearest town.)
- There was another tropical storm/hurricane (Fay). I don't know where it hit land, if at all. We're already to the 'F's?
- There have been a series of metal thefts in my neighborhood. The Benz and the 325 are in a carport. I should check to see if they still have their catalytic converters. (Side note to potential thieves: The houses on all three sides of me are occupied by professionals that work out of their home. You'll be seen.)
- Despite heavy volatility, the DJIA is 35 points from where it was when I left.

One quick story -

We take two ferry boats to and from our destination, and while waiting in line for the second one, I left the lights on in the Toyota for about an hour (while listening to the iPod and using my GPS unit to try and find an alternate route over the border). Ferry loading can be a stressful thing, requiring enough patience so you don't start the car too early and look like a dork, and enough attentiveness so you don't hold people up when it's time to go. As you may have guessed, the battery was very well drained when it came time to load. After a few embarrassing moments, I coasted the car down the ramp in neutral and got it out of everyone else's way. The ferry people bring over a battery and hook it up to your car. They must do this at least a dozen times a day, because the universal disclaimer about injury and damage is actually printed on the back of a BC Ferries business card. They just hand it to you on the spot, make you read it and hook up the battery. I started the car, and by their instruction, revved the motor for a few minutes.

Now, the tricky part. You get one shot to turn off the car, and try to start it back up again. If the car won't start, you don't get on the boat, because they don't want to risk having you block everyone's way AGAIN. Fortunately, the car Gods smiled and the Highlander burst to life. The bad news is that I was in the ferry equivalent of the 'penalty box', the area of the boat behind all of the semi trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles. At least we made it, which made it easier to convince my six-year old that we weren't going to die (her words, not mine).

The Toyota battery is the factory original (10/03) so I may be replacing that one in short order. It's the family car, and I'd hate to see them stuck somewhere. Note to self: move jumper cables to Highlander.

Neat Freak

That's me.

Some will argue, which really comes down to the fact that everyone has their own areas of cleanliness about which they are particular. Kitchen countertops and automobiles are mine. In other areas of the home, I can tolerate pretty high levels of grime, so it really depends on what your cleanliness hot buttons happen to be.

Since I'm holding off on further maintenance for the season, I am spending more effort on the cleanliness of the car. I sometimes half think that it would make a great concours vehicle (an actual contest where judges look at your car, and deduct points for dirt) at a local level. Usually, events will have some sort of 'display only' category, where you can clean it up, bring it to the show, set out the lawn chair, and spend the day and afternoon wiping it down while spectators ooohhh and aaahhh at the sheer square footage of pristine automobile paint. It would be fun for me, but I'm afraid that not many others in my social circle (especially my family) would enjoy it as much as I would, so I haven't had the chance to partake yet.

One great thing about this car - it takes very little time to do a basic wash and even wax. You don't need to clean the roof, and the body is pretty small. Today, a very detailed wash took only 45 minutes. I also have been wanting to clay the car. It's when you take a small brick of clay (duh) and rub it across the body panels (you also use some sort of cleanser to act as a lubricant). The clay picks up all of the microscopic crap that has accumulated (bugs, bird doo, road tar, acid rain) and leaves the paint clean. It sounds weird, and I was skeptical the first time I tried it. Trust me - it works. From this point, you can polish (to remove swirl marks) and then wax. I already polished it when I received the car, so it's really not useful to do it again, so once it was clayed, I just waxed it. I also spent some extra time on the rubber molding, because it was thoroughly disgusting.

Here's a shot after I was done (which looks so good, it's now at the top...)


Here's the cloth I used on the rubber. Gross.


Another shot of the shine...

That's all for now... Enjoy!