Where did summer go?

WOW, I didn't get one post made in September. I only did one in August and 1 in July! What the heck! How did time fly by so fast? I swear my kids just got out of school for the summer. Oh well, this post will be a very brief summary of whats happened in the shop the last few months.

I was determined to get my blue bug ready for winter and it needed a few things. I installed a new axle because the old one had a ripped boot. It had been ripped for awhile and I didn't know how much dirt had got inside the bearing. I priced out the boot and they wanted 37 dollars for 1 boot. I priced a new axle and it was 50 dollars for the whole axle so I opted to just install a new axle.

 I also was able to get my new to me steering wheel installed. I had a neighbor that had a 60's bug a long time ago. He had this steering wheel from it and it had been hanging in his garage for years. He said I would get more use out of it then he would so he gave it to me. I was excited and it looks so much better then the plastic stock one that was on it. Thanks Steve! It will have a good home! I finally installed a stereo in the bug. I was given this stereo also. The guy was replacing it because it didn't have an aux input for his Ipod. I could care less about that so I was happy to take it off his hands. The bug already had speakers so I just threw it in and had tunes. It will be nice to listen to some music when driving.

 My Dad and I went in together on a welder. We both want window well covers made for our houses and I have many multiple uses around the shop for one. I have been having a blast messing around with it. I had to wire my garage for 220 power which I had planned on doing for years so I finally got around to doing that. I had to send the first welder back to Eastwood because it wouldn't feed the wire. They were great to work with and sent me out a new one quickly and it works awesome. I have been welding everything that is metal in my garage and so are my boys.

 The garage finally has a heater in it but I still need to run the gas line, vent and thermostat which hopefully will be done before it snows.

I was sick of there never being anything on TV to watch in the garage so I got a roku for the TV. That has opened up lots of cool channels to distract me when I should be working.

 My neighbor has a 2005 Honda Odyssey that had an airbag light on. I read the codes and it had flagged the L/H #3 impact sensor. That is located on the side wall in the back of the van. You need to remove the side wall to get to it.

 It's the one that the yellow connector is on in the middle of the picture. It's held on by 1 torx screw. Make sure you remove the negative cable from your battery before messing with anything on the airbag system. Your going to have a bad day if an airbag goes off when you disconnect it.

 Here are the sensors. If you have a 2005 to 2006 Odyssey, hope that this sensor does not go bad on you. They are 300 dollars each. Here's the crappy thing. In 2004 they did not have this sensor. In 2007 to 2014 this sensor is 30 dollars. Go figure??? We got lucky on this one because I was able to find one on Ebay for 20 dollars shipped. We were even luckier because it actually worked!

 If you have an airbag or a ABS problem on your car and want to fix it yourself, you will need to invest in a scanner that will read these codes. This is a great scanner for about 200 dollars. It works like a charm.

It wasn't all fun and games this summer. We said goodbye to Lucy, the old international truck. I regret selling this truck already because it was such a good truck that was unmolested and in good shape for it's age. It went to a good home and I am sure I will see it on the road someday. The guy that bought it was going to keep it stock and just drive it.

 I also changed a fuel pump and a vapor canister on my SIL Dodge neon. I didn't get any pictures of that. I did some minor tune up stuff on the bugs and on a rainy Saturday I pulled the blue bug in and did a little work on it.

 I wanted to get my fresh air fan working because that helps defrost the windshield a lot faster. I pulled it off and fixed some wiring to get it blowing again. I figured it was a good time to look at my odometer also. It quit working on me so I decided to pull it out to have a look.

 Take a lot of pictures or mark the wires really good when you do this so you can get everything back together like it was. The speedometer works but the odometer doesn't.

 The glass is crimped onto the housing so gently pry it up to get to the gauge.

There are a few screws on the back that need to come out and the fuel gauge will also come off. I had something rattling in mine when I shook it so I had an idea something was wrong.

 The screwdriver is pointing to a spot where a gear should be. Mine is missing and so this was the reason my odometer didn't work.

I shook it a little bit and the gear came out in 2 pieces. It's a common problem on the newer air cooled bugs for this gear to go bad. I found a guy in Canada that makes brass gears so I bought one and am waiting for it to arrive so I can put everything back together. I like a working odometer because I use mileage for oil changes and tune ups. I also like to check my gas mileage.

 So that's about all that happened in the shop the last few months. This is the next thing on the to do list. We bought a new front door to replace the crappy one that's there. I am planning on getting it installed before the weather gets cold. Hopefully this weekend.

 Here is the winter project. New fenders for the bug. These are the front ones. I am planning on getting new back ones along with front and rear bumpers. Then it's off to paint hopefully. That was why I sold the international. It's going to be a winter project though so I better get the shop heater working. Also on the winter list is to get the inside of the house painted (top priority after the front door) and get some window well covers fabricated. There never is a time where there is nothing to do! That will keep me out of trouble I guess.

So there you have it! The last few months in a nutshell. I will try to be more diligent in posting and have better quality posts in the future. Enjoy Fall while it is here.