Well back in late November of 2025 I had to make the hard decision of getting rid of my little Fiat 500 and look for another car as the Fiat needed a CV Axle, which was very difficult to find. I absolutely needed a car as fast as possible and settled for a 2012 Toyota Yaris. Fast forward a few months and although the car has been pretty reliable it suffers from some neglect and needs some TLC. The exhaust gasket after the exhaust manifold leaks, a common problem. I ordered the gasket and installed it about a week ago, only to realize it wasn't the right gasket. Ordered the correct genuine one, something I should have done in the first place and waiting for it. As of this morning the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with the ABS, Traction Control, brake icons, most likely a bad ABS sensor of wire harness, still to be determined. I don't want to give up on this car. Wish me luck #diy #car #automotivediy #homemechanic #homegarage #toyota
#HomeMechanic
So I ordered two more tools:
Tire Glider (the red, small thing)
Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack (the big black thing)
Tire Glider claims to make installing tires tireless and my friend confirmed it worked well for him. Another friend told me it didn't work for him because it simply didn't glide on the rim because the tire was just too tight. And it was exactly what happened lol maybe spraying so.e soapy water on the rim and tire bead would help...
But the bead Jack totally worked. When the tire bead is that tight, all that matters is leverage! (Or if you have iron thumbs and arms)... This thing worked like a charm. It is bigger (so only useful at home) so there's way more leverage.
#BikeToot #bike #BikeRepair #BikeMaintenance #BikeWrench #HomeMechanic
I've since reindexed the rear and front derailleurs. Shifting is back to normal. I've noticed other issues though.
The front and rear wheels are no longer true and have some pretty visible deviation. They can only spin freely if the rim brake quick release is open. The rear wheel is also making some kind of rubbing sound, as if rubbing against the brakes, but as far as I can visually tell, they it isn't.
The chain also sometimes rubs against the front derailleur in a certain gear and when under load. There is no creaking sound, so I don't think it's the bottom bracket. Some say it's frame flex. My bike is aluminium. I don't know how flexy that is.
The rear rim brake calliper is also gunged up and does not return to its original position after closing. It looks pretty dirty though. But since the calliper is from Tektro, I decided to spend 20 bucks to get a Shimano 105 calliper. The tektro one can then be used for learning purposes!
So here are a few things I tried:
1. Thread the pedal in from the other side. The pedal went in halfway before it got stuck and I think I damaged more threads removing the pedal now.
2. Bought a set of socket wrenches (since I didn't know all I needed was a 15mm one) and tried to take off the crankarm. If I could take it off, I could order a replacement crankarm. Why would you buy a new crankarm if you couldn't replace it, right? Well, the socket wrench set, the second cheapest on Amazon, sucked ass. They were made of soft metal and the 15mm size was more like 15.2mm. The wrench rounded out after a few tries...
3. Took it to the LBS. The shop owner said he won't fix it because he didn't want to take responsibility of what happened to the bike. Told us to return and refund the bike instead. My partner loves the bike, so no can do.
4. I bought what looked like a decent crank removal tool. I could tell it was better because it was heavier, so properly denser, harder metal. Plus, it came with it's own wrench, which socketed in on all 6 sides of the hex-shaped tool. This did the trick, since I now had enough grip, leverage and stability to undo that crankarm nut and remove the crankarm. It wasn't easy though and took me 15 minutes of wrenching with all the strength I could muster whilst half-kneeling.
tldr: I removed the left crankarm of my partner's city bike.
Gave my new-to-me 90s winter bike (see https://mastodon.social/@nikcorg/111324944622045466) some TLC and killed my Park Tools pedal spanner in the process. Thankfully everything else opened up nicely and didn't appear too neglected. Still miffed about the pedals not budging.
Also, who the hell thought cantilever brakes were a good idea? Absolute pain to adjust.
What an absolute bitch of a job this turned out to be. An hour (normally) or so's task made into a couple of days; applying release spray a couple of times per day and much straining at a breaking bar lol. I'd decided to DIY after losing trust in my local mechanic who emphatically told me Mazda 2 rear struts + mounts aren't the same as Fiesta Mk6, they're a dealer part only...2 weeks wait! They're marked 'FoMoCo' FFS. #Mazda2 #HomeMechanic
#ClassicCars #Cougar #CarRestoration #HomeMechanic #DIY #TroubleAndToil
The whole (mostly) thread on the Cougar is here.
https://mas.to/@oldmeanroy/109616494759235586
Today I've spent the whole morning trying to find Goodyear 215/60R14 tires. I have two with good tread though they're quite old.
Finally had to resort to calling Goodyear corp number.
Wating for a callback from the nice rep who is checking for me.
As a last resort I'll have to buy 4 of a different brand. BFGoodrich still makes them.
Front wheel trued, rear wheel turned into a disaster. Several nipples had seized and ended up being rounded. Grabbing with wrench made them disintegrate when turning.
Managed to get them out with sheer stubbornness, but need to wait for spares to arrive to complete the "quick and painless" job.
This cheap winterbike really isn't.
And now on to our old lady called “Ella” or “F*****g Ella!” as she is known reasonably often. 1979 T2 Bay Window. We thought about selling her once and told the three wee ladies. There were tears and snotters and an immediate mutiny. So, looks like we’ve got Ella for a long time to come. Any other Vdubs out there?
#VWcamper #vanlife #campervan #ella #roadsiderecovery #homemechanic #vintagecar
Found an absolute bargain in a cycling bric-a-brac charity sale on Friday - a set of Prime Doyenne Aero Handlebars. Fitted them on Saturday - the bar tape cost 5 times as much as the bars 😂
It's not an upgrade I was planning but I can already feel the difference, mostly in my riding position. I also angled the hoods in a little and that's WAY more comfortable.
#cycling #homemechanic #bikefit @mastobikes
