I have a couple of jobs I have been doing - suffering from rheumatoid arthritis has meant I have had to find "easier" ways of doing some jobs - and I thought they might be of value to others as well.
First was bonnet gas-struts - compressing them that little bit to get the pin in. I tied a piece of electrical wire (the type of multi-strand wire found in a 944 wiring loom) around the top, and with the new gas-strut fitted at the bottom, looped the wire around the bottom pin so it effectively worked as a pulley - rougly half the force necessary to compress the gas strut, and more importantly, nice and easy to control its expansion to the point the pin would go in at the top.
Today having to start looking at the belts again, I determined I would have to do something to make it easier to compress the timing belt tensioner - basically make up a "special tool". Looking at it, thinking about where and what features I could use I found two holes... ah-ha! I thought - a simple pin spanner, nice and easy... then I thought... and compared it to the pin-spanner I made up for the balance belt pulleys - it fits perfectly, obviously designed with exacvtly that in mind (the orientation of the holes gives that fact away)... so, it makes double-sense of making up that pin spanner if you do you own belts, oil seals etc...
Anyone else any such tips to share?
Regards,
Tref.
First was bonnet gas-struts - compressing them that little bit to get the pin in. I tied a piece of electrical wire (the type of multi-strand wire found in a 944 wiring loom) around the top, and with the new gas-strut fitted at the bottom, looped the wire around the bottom pin so it effectively worked as a pulley - rougly half the force necessary to compress the gas strut, and more importantly, nice and easy to control its expansion to the point the pin would go in at the top.
Today having to start looking at the belts again, I determined I would have to do something to make it easier to compress the timing belt tensioner - basically make up a "special tool". Looking at it, thinking about where and what features I could use I found two holes... ah-ha! I thought - a simple pin spanner, nice and easy... then I thought... and compared it to the pin-spanner I made up for the balance belt pulleys - it fits perfectly, obviously designed with exacvtly that in mind (the orientation of the holes gives that fact away)... so, it makes double-sense of making up that pin spanner if you do you own belts, oil seals etc...
Anyone else any such tips to share?
Regards,
Tref.
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