Rich's Service Part I

Rich's Service (619-222-4684) is a necessary part of Indy's life. Some things are going to be beyond our ability. We took Indy in for an inspection and repairs on Wednesday (Dec 22). We couldn't get it in first thing in the morning because the battery had died and once it got to the mechanic it wouldn't start. So instead of looking at the knocking noise, they started with the electrical charging system.

Since this is a holiday weekend, we opted to pick her up after only half the work was done as the axel issue is necessary but wouldn't lead to additional problems if we drove the bus just a bit until Monday (home 5 blocks and perhaps 5 miles to the Point Loma tide pools on Sunday.)

The details:

* Repaired wiring to charge system
* replaced alternator and regulator
* recharged battery

That was the reason the battery died. I still have to track down the electrical drain though just to make sure.

We also had the mechanic perform a "before trip/sale checkout" inspection:

1 Compression readings 

    1) 120 2) 125 3) 115 4) 125

    Condition of plugs: OK

2 Check for oil leaks

    valve covers? (BOB-- not sure)

3 Brakes

    Lining: front 70%. rear 30%

    Rotor/drums: frontleft min. frontright min. rearleft max. rearright max.

4 Suspension/steering

    Ball Joints:   Boot cracked 

    Tie rods:      OK

    Steering gear: OK

    Struts\Shocks: OK

5 Lights

    right tail light and high beams inoperable

6 Wipers

    low speed only

7 tires/wheels

    lf OK. rf OK. lr OK. rr OK. spare/jack/lugnut OK

8 Glass

    windshield crack (BOB -- being replaced Wednesday)

9 Body/Paint

    dents: some

    rust:  some

    old body work: some

    overall: fair

10 Interior

    dash: fair (BOB -- something we might eventually replace)

    carpet: fair (BOB -- easy to replace)

    seats: fair (BOB -- we hope to reupholster)

    overall: fair

11 Heater/AC

    defroster: OK

12 Smog (BOB -- smog check on Monday/Tuesday)

    EGR OK. Air pump OK. PCV OK. Air filter OK

13 Belts OK

14 Hoses OK

Overall impression -- OK to fair

Recommended Service:
* rear axel (BOB -- that's part 2. and explains the knocking)
* left tail light (BOB -- perhaps just a missing bulb?)
* signal switch (BOB -- previous owner rigged something)