Dexter has been through quite a bit since my last entry in July.
On 17 July, Dexter received his second bath.
On 23 July, his coolant system was attended to with new hoses all around and new fluids. Also Dexter had his long over due oil change. The old cartridge oil filter system was missing a few parts, so we MacGyvered a new spring and pressure plate and now it’ll work just fine.
On 27 July, the replacement Dynamo was itself replaced by an alternator (which also made the new voltage regulator redundant.)
On 29 July, I picked up Dexter’s new California number plate: DXTER (DEXTER was already taken, probably by some guy named Dexter driving a left had drive car…)
On 4 August, I replaced the voltage stabilizer – which the only purpose it has right now seems to be to make the fuel gauge work properly (instead of being a quarter of a tank higher than what it is…)
On 6 August, I managed to get the odometer exercised and the speedometer cable replaced (as the previously new cable snapped.) Though I would soon discover that the odometer would get stuck at the X99.9 mile mark.
On 29 August, the crankshaft pulley split and Dexter had to be towed again to my parents and was replaced by a new one with a harmonic stabilizer. Also, I took the opportunity to replace a couple of gaskets (heater valve and valve cover) plus the fan belt – which really didn’t need to be replaced.
As odd as this sounds, Dexter managed to go maintenance free for quite some time. I did finally get his fog lamps going, and he was washed a few more times:
Bath number 4 (no pictures from number 3):
And bath number 5:
Then on 21 November, I received a replacement speedometer and installed it. Unfortunately, this speedometer was the wrong turn ratio for my little 10-inch wheels.
24 November, I performed another oil change. This time I used a heavier weight oil to help with both the leaking and the pressure. Coincidentally, Dexter started to behave differently after this – misfiring several times, and being generally uncooperative in acceleration.
Therefore, on 3 December, I replaced the plugs, ignition coil, ignition wires, condenser, and points. Though, like the last time I changed out my ignition wires, my radio fades the faster the RPMs. Must find a better fix than swapping out the main ignition wire back to the original one. I also received another replacement speedometer. This one is the correct turn ratio, and after a few mile the odometer seems to work – only time will tell…