Detailed the MSM. This week I will service in preparation for vacation. Two weeks of no voice mails, no hurries, no worries. Just me, my beautiful wife, a cool car and the open road! And American Express. Don't leave home without it.

 

Sweet. Have fun!

 

New catalytic converter! I need to get rid of the P0420 that has hounded me through the last two years because I need to get emission tested by the end of the month.

 

Thanks Six! We are packing up right now.

 

I'd forgotten how much fun it is to crawl under the MSM when it's on jackstands. In any case, changed to the Motorcraft Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid. Just for info, the fill and drain plugs are listed as 24mm, but I had better luck using a six point 15/16" socket. It's a smidgen "analog engineering term" smaller than the 24 mm and seemed to be less prone to slipping.


I was too lazy to remove the console, so I filled it using a funnel and a length of silicone tubing.


Now I just have to reinstall the chassis braces.


The silver one had some rust, and the insulation on the upper surface was in miserable condition, so I removed the insulation, cleaned all the metal surface with brake cleaner, followed by rubbing alcohol. I then filed off the rusted areas, and primed all of the metal areas with Rustoleum primer. Two coats of silver Rustoleum paint followed. Thermotech insulation was used to replace the factory insulation. The adhesive backing made that easy. I used most of a 24" x 36" sheet.


The larger heavier black brace got a similar treatment, except I kept the factory insulation, and used black paint. After the brake cleaner, alcohol, primer and paint.... I was in a very good mood!!


For info, the little bolts that go into the silver brace should be torqued to 24 to 33 ft-lbs; the bigger bolts in the black brace should be torqued to 68 to 86 ft-lbs. That in the same range as the lug nuts that hold the wheels on. I suspect Mazda expects that brace to do a fair amount of work!

 

Smoked a red 575M Ferrari on a five mile stretch of highway. Of course it was HWY 1 in CA, the road was clogged with motorhomes and the lady driving the Ferrari may not have known we were in a race.

I can always argue that she turned off because she was losing. She may have reached her destination, but we will never know. My story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Cap'n Bwana: You're an honorable man. No question you smoked the Ferrari.


For my part today.... Sigh.....I had my mechanic finish the oil change I started. I managed to turn the originally slightly damaged hex head on the drain bolt round, after trying to remove it using six point sockets, penetrating oil, GripTite sockets, and ViseGrips. Oh.... I also remembered several words I had almost forgotten


He welded an old lug nut to it and finished the oil change. Somehow, using equipment I didn't have feels like cheating


I did install a replacement drain plug with a bigger hex, and I'll likely use the GripTite sockets on it in the future.

 

Thx CharlesE!

 

Also Thx CharlesE for the tip about welding a nut onto a rounded bolt. Ideas like this can make you seem smart when one of your friends is in a jam.

 

Washed off the last of the road crud, vacuumed out the French fries from vacation, fueled up, changed the oil, waxed it and put the car cover on the MSM. Then I put it to bed until next weekend.