1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Anyone have experience with the Craftsman tool that's supposed to be good for screws with stripped heads? Here's the story of why I need to know.
The victim - 94 9k CSE nonturbo. As I pulled into work yesterday after my 1.5 hour commute I noticed the battery light flickering. Oh, crap, I think - I have to make it home or get it fixed in a town where I don't know any mechanics. I hope for a revival and start it up after work - cranks & fires fine, 13.8 or so volts, a little jumpy but nothing that's worrying me. So I'm about 1/2 hour into my ride home and WHAMMO the voltage drops to 11.9 with no warning whatsoever. Off go the radio, seat heaters, A/C, foglights. The headlights have to stay on though - it's very dark and raining hard. I curse all the way home as the voltage slowly drops, and I pull into the driveway with 10.9 on the EDU and nice dim headlights. Pepboys of all places has the voltage regulator so I run out in the Wife's car to get it, reach up through the wheel well and no dice. Pull the inner fender liner and still no dice. Pull the false bulkhead, grab my mirror and I can see the voltage regulator and its phillips head screws. Get a screw driver on one and it turns no problem. The other one is a bit stuck, careful now, not too much force...DAMN! Starting to strip the head on the screw. What to do! I'm sure as heck not pulling the alternator myself - I don't have the right tools and I'm not messing with the P/S pump. The local import repair shop can probably take a look at it today but I have to work. Arrgghhh!!
I bought this car with a full dealer service history thinking I was golden - boy was I wrong! Motor mounts, a ball joint, control arm bushings, anti-roll bar end link, brakes, climate control fan, thermostat have been replaced. I need to do outer tie rod ends, the other ball joint, front main seal. The DI cassette will probably fail sometime soon on me just because. I just this weekend replaced the passenger side rear view mirror after I smashed it on the garage - not the car's fault but I found a broken weld on the window track so I can't put that window down. I'm a wee bit frustrated at this point - the car is in fine cosmetic shape really and runs fine but I don't have the spare cash to keep dumping money on little problems, and with 175k miles they will only continue to crop up. I beginning to think I'll sell it and buy something else, but then I'll just have a new set of unknown problems.
Help!
Scott
posted by 198.81.2...
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