Today I thought I would replace my OD, but I couldn't get the drive shaft bolts and/or nuts to budge. So I decided I would just tinker with the car with small unimportant things that I have to do.

A few weeks ago, when I got the car seat covers I talked about on here, I also got one of those small dash clocks. So I decided I'd finish the install of it.

First thing I did was take out the clock. Simple, right? I knew to keep an eye out for the 3 rubber feet thingys, to make sure they don't drop. And what happened? One dropped. It was NO where to be seen. Because I was in the process of tinkering with the gearshift boot, it was halfways disconnected. So I figured maybe it fell down that, and was under the car.

Nope.

I lifted up the floor-mats, nothing. Under the seats...nothing. In the BACK of the car, nope.

Then I figured I knew it would be somewhere in the car, so I shouldn't worry. So I finished taking out the clock but I couldn't find the correct wires for it. I figured that meant I needed to take the dash console out, so I did. After taking that out, and not finding anything, I went back to my computer and checked here. I found, luckily, someone had a similar post already on the front page. Clicked it, and found out there were 3 wires that plugged into it, green, red and black. Quickly glanced over the link that was provided here, and scribbled down the diagram and rushed out to my car. Couldn't find those wires.

Went back to my computer and did a google image search for it, and found an ad for clocks and saw the rubber feet and the wire that is necessary for the clock. I all the sudden have an epiphany...I swear that I knew of a wire that looked exactly like that one that I had crammed into my door pocket on the passenger side.

Looking back, I had no idea what it was, but I still kept it. Anyways, lo-and-behold, it was there. But I didn't know what it was going to connect to, so I returned again to my computer and looked again at the link provided here and this time, go figure, actually read the post. OOOOH...the wire goes from the Tach to the clock...makes sense..

I return to the car, this time intent on finding that damn missing rubber footing thing. Turn the corner to my drivers side and guess what is staring me right in the eye? The dang rubber foot thing, right on the floor...in plain sight. So I pick it up, and place it on the dash board inside of the frame thingy for the clock, convinced I'll remember. After all, I JUST placed it there and it's with part of the clock.

Not 2 minutes later, once I gathered up the other 2 feet, I could not remember where I placed it.

so I looked..and looked and looked...and them looked on the dash board by the glove box. I think some of you might be seeing where this is going.

As I go to grab it, it slips through my hands and down, you guessed it...the vent.

Argh! Almost expecting that to have happened, I calmly get get up grab a flashlight and look down. Good, it's not that far down. I can grab it with one of those grabber rods. I go to grab one and, yep, you probably guessed it...shoved it down even further into the vents.

Figuring that because I have that vent closed right now (I looked), It couldn't have gone too far down. I take out the glove box, and see that I can't just easily separate the vent tubes. So I begin to disassemble vent system (just like I had done when I replaced the heater blower motor)...

I don't feel or hear it in the housing, so I figure it went down into the vent towards the back. I disconnect it from the fan shroud, and start to realize that the vents for the floors are closed too. So it MUST be in the shroud area.

I start to take apart the shroud, removing clips, unbolting the dash supports so I have a little more leeway...and I remember to clog the rear-vent line. After probably 35 minutes of wiggling the whole thing and convincing myself that maybe I should just find a stick of dynamite instead (and removing the upper vent system anyways) the dang foot FINALLY pops out.

I put back together everything (which is easy, once you've done it as many times as I have) and safely put the feet together in a place no where near a vent or floor or ground....I put it in the slot for it in the dashboard, and put the dash console back in with the wiring etc...and connect the clock and finally fasten everything back together inside my car. I re-connect the battery, and turn the key to turn on the interior lights, etc..

The cd turns on (I haven't heard my radio in a long time....:( ) and look patiently at the clock.

The kicker of this whole 3 hour experiment?

The clock doesn't even work, and I still haven't gotten my OD off.

Sounds like this hospital humor: "I don't know what happened, they were OK until we started helping them" I am pretty sure we all have been down that path. However, just think of all the times it has gone well.

That reminds me that once on a sunny Sunday I had nothing to do and thought that may be I should try the temp sensor I had grabbed from the JY and may be that will resolve the long standing "rich at idle" err code. I lost the copper washer in the process and disassembled the whole intake side looking for that. A 10-15 minute job took 3-4 hrs.

Keep it up.






--
DD-1990 240 DL SW M47II FI 3.1 234 K miles

EVEN THOUGH MY RECENT 'NO START' 'ADVENTURE' WENT SORT OF SMOOTHLY..(HAD A CORRODED #12 FUSE), MAN, I FEEL YOUR PAIN........
--CARLOS

I've got a couple of T-shirts in my drawer just like the one you generated today. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. I hope your next go 'round goes more smoothly!

Been there, done that, and more.... Everyone has heard of Murphy's Law.

Shaughnessy's Law says that Murphy was an optimist!

Shaughnessys law...hehe..I needed that tonight. Thanks

Maybe it is something about the 240 model? My day had a similar "ring" to yours...

I've been tracing some issues myself and I just encountered a fuel leak on my fuel rail. The other issue has been no start and rare stalling. My diagnostic computer wasn't working, and that seemed to point to an issue with the FI fuse up on the inner fender - which could explain most of the problems I've had.

So, I pulled the FI fuse assembly, found it was all cruddy from being under the PS reservoir. I realize that it comes apart with a couple small clips so I can clean it. I undo the clips and promptly drop the entire lower half of the holder between the battery and air filter box. I feel around crawl under the car and feel around, and can't see it or get to it.

So I decided to remove the air-box. There were dead bugs in there anyway. But the dang box will not come out. After 15 minutes of futzing with it, I ended up disassembling the air box, unbolting a small bracket that hold the mass air flow sensor, pulling duct work, and unhooking part of my radiator, before finally freeing the filter box. I actually find the fuse holder quickly once the box is out of the way and manage to get it back together.

There was no corrosion to speak of on the fuse or holder.
The diagnostic box still doesn't work.

I then pull the fuel rail, thinking I can swap it with an identical spare from an old 740 I used to have. Once I get the thing off, I realize that the 740 was just a little different but in a very important way. So I decided I will solder the leak until I can get the fuel rail replacement. Except after the adventure of removing the rail and the injectors and cleaning those parts (and everything around them - including the injectors and ports), I can't find the leak.

So I clean and solder the joint closest to the "wet spot" where I think the soldered fuel intake is connected.

After the adventure of putting the rail back on, buttoning everything back up, and starting the car, I realize that there were two pin-hole leaks (not where I was soldering) that are still happily sending a fine, high-pressure spray onto my fast-warming intake. Shut down the car before it catches fire.

By this point it is too late to head to a junkyard and they don't have many late model 240s around here anyway...

So... whole day gone, nothing really fixed or solved.
Whats sad is that I planned to go out there and figure out how to remove and replace the Crankshaft Position Sensor before my replacement arrive. I never even got to that.

Misery loves company, eh?

I will say that I've got one of those clocks myself. It works, but I've never bothered with the feet. It stays in fine w/o it.