Got the new rear toe arms for the build today!

Crossfire toe arms

 

Well today i got to put another set of 02 sensors in. I knew better when i bought the cheap ones. I now these cars don't like anything other than bosch. Tried to save some money ended up coasting me more.

 

Twice in my life I've 'fixed' vehicles whose owner(s) told me a mechanic said the engines were 'toast' by simply doing a modern tune up with OE parts. A modern tune up (to me) is installing a new air filter, spark plugs & coil(s). One was a 20+ year old pickup & the other was an early 2000's Volvo with the turbo 5 cylinder. Similar to your tale the Volvo had previously had no-name Chinese coils installed which the owner said only made the car run worse.

 

I like those , where did you get them 😎😉

 

The 'Car Wizard' inspected a customer's E320 Sedan (M112 engine) and shows how to check your water pump for shaft-play, inspect for loose suspension parts and how to visually tell if any of your motor mounts have collapsed.

 

Here's a link to the website where these are listed for the M-B R170 SLK320 (same car as Crossfire): Click

 

I made it home from work early to clean my car chassis on this beautiful, sunny, 65F day. But I felt light-headed & nauseous suddenly which only means 1 thing FOR ME, an elevated heart rate. Sure enough, my heart-rate was 170+ while at the same time my blood PRESSURE was really low. That means my heart was having shallow, unproductive, but rapid contractions... something I am not unfamiliar with. I took some metoprolol to bring my heart-rate down and right this moment my blood-pressure is 129/68 with a heart-rate of 67 and I feel much better, so I'm gonna go clean the car chassis. I had a heart attack in 2012, my older brother died of the same thing when he was 29 just like my grandfather did at age 39. I sure hope this is not my last post! (kidding, but also not kidding)

 

Spying my next door neighbor reaching across her windshield In a soapy sponge bath gave me pretty much the same

 

Scary stuff! Glad that you are still with us. Sounds like you have a good understanding of your medical problems and are able to motor through them and not let them control you. But still, when it is happening and you wonder if this is it, it is very scary. Thanks for sharing. All the best to you.
Jim

 

Installed steering dampener!

 

I did the exact same thing a few months ago, installed a fresh steering damper. It was a little scary when you have to turn that steering wheel while on the Rhino Ramps, but it worked out, turned it just enough to get to that freaking nut. I considered turning it upside down, but then realized that bolt is located in that position so it doesn't fall out should the nut work its way out.

I am using the 16,000 lbs rated Rhino Ramps since I originally bought it for my RAM Rebel truck, but really happy with the durability, especially when having the turn the steering wheel with the front of the car on them.

 

Right!? I needed just about 1/2 inch to get the bolt off - i so gingerly turned the wheel to the left, hoping the ramps would follow along.... and the did! A bit scary doing that for the first - and probably last time@! thanks so much for your note!

 

In your opinion is it a job best done on jack-stands instead of ramps then?

 

Thanks for the concern. I take lisinopril & amlodipine daily. When my blood pressure goes really high I take clonidine and when my heart rate is too high I take metoprolol. I always have a sphygmomanometer at the ready because although I know what tachycardia or high-blood-pressure feels like the machine tells me how far out it is so I can properly medicate. I can always normalize my situation in an hour or so and go about my day.

It's rainy out today and will turn cold by Friday but YESTERDAY was just PERFECT!!!

 

You really are in control of your medical situation!!
Your pictures made me jealous of your weather. We are under a heavy snow advisory. It is coming down big time right now.
Don't think you are interested of a picture of my car under the car cover in the garage or a picture of the snow outside!

 

If I were you, I would supplement those jacks with jack stands (unless the both of them 'lock' in multiply segments). Just saying...


.

 

Thats the first thing that popped into my mind. Where I lived years ago I had a neighbor who's son was in a wheel chair. He was like that because he was working under an old pontiac lemans and the jack gave out. He finally walks now but it took 25 years to get to that point. I never gave it much thought before meeting him but it stuck with me to this day. I at least make sure I have a tire under the car if a jackstand isnt possible. I put at least something under that to keep from getting smushed.

 

Yeah I probably should have done so.

 

I dont even trust jackstands to be honest. If I have it on jackstands I have a jack there too I figure the jack gives more side to side stability than the jackstands do. But a tire is honestly probably the ultimate safety net. At my old house I kept two different size truck wheels as my lifeboat safety measure. People would visit and ask why I had a tire up under the car not even touching anything while I was working on it.

 

When I HAVE TO remove a wheel I do slide it underneath. Usually I can get away with using ramps on the rear so this doesn't apply to me very often, but try this sometime... Many cars are designed to support themselves (BALANCE) using only 3 of the 4 jacking positions. It's a safety thing in case a jack fails. I also long ago stopped buying the cheapest jacks I could buy.