Changing tires - part 1

All recent activities are aimed at bringing the car to a state where it will easily pass the technical examination that is a must for registering the car and using it for driving of course. It is also essential in order to proceed to the next stage of renovation – the issue of car’s body and paint which, let’s face the truth, have seen better days. I do not exactly know how to approach this topic yet and a lot of people is telling me I cannot do it by myself, which is obvious, but it would be nice to at least save some money, do something by myself and learn a new profession :-).

Anyway, what I was about to write is that (only few people know about it) the person responsible for all my latest actions is Piotr. He is my brother’s friend, a veritable treasure trove of automotive knowledge, a person who stretched out a helping hand to a rookie, a great enthusiast and a good spirit. I am totally aware that, if it was not for him, his suggestions, links he sends, checklists he does I would still be like a child in the dark. Thanks to him at least I am not in the dark :-). He puts the necessary structure and order to all my actions. What is really interesting is that he is another Piotr, whose name will be written in golden letters in the history of my Toyota!:-). From this place, I thank him immensely!

After running the car for the first time the plan was to check all the fluids in the car.

Test of the engine oil showed very good results - maximum level, which can be seen in the picture.

There was no brake fluid at all (picture below), that is why I used fluid DOT-4.

 

When it comes to the coolant I am not exactly sure how I should verify its level, but for now it is not that important, because I am not going for long trips in the near future. I will refer to Haynes in the forthcoming days to check it.

The next step was the replacement of tires. With the car I got the following set:
- left front and right front tire - Roadstone (respectively 2004 and 2001),
- right rear - Firestone F-580 (2001) and the left rear Michelin (1995), but the latter was previously a spare one, and Piotr, the previous owner, used it to replace the faulty one. Having two different tires on one axle is something that should be avoided if someone goes for technical inspection. When it comes to TWI (Tread Wear Index) I was only able to find the mark on one tire and it showed 4 mm, so I know nothing about the condition of other tires.

 

I didn’t want to spend too much time on searching for the tires, but luckily Piotr reviewed internet auctions and prepared a list of the offers. We decided to go for the best affordable option - set of 4 Michelin Energy 175/70R13 82T E3B1. Three tires from the end of 2006 and one from early 2007. Tread 3 x 6mm and 1 x 5.5 mm. So far, it is ok - until I can find someone who will sell me Watanabe wheels:-)). I invested some money in two jacks and I could get down to action. Due to the fact that the car didn’t have the technical examination and there was a problem with the air pressure of left front wheel (see first photo below) it was not possible to drive to the mechanical workshop. There was as idea to bring the workshop into my garage, but it would cost me an additional 70 PLN than normal cost of replacement. So I decided on the option to change the tires in the garage by myself and take them to the workshop afterwards. I managed to find one workshop on the way to work and the owner Mariusz was nice enough to stay a little longer. Moreover, it turned out he lives nearby the place I live so he proposed that I should bring the last 2 tires in the evening to him. The effect of my work and the one of Mariusz you can enjoy below.  

The story will be continued in the next post, which is coming soon. Sooner than you would think after my previous performance. Really! :-).

there was air in the wheel, but after my attempt to pump it up a little bit it was sneaking out of the wheel :-)

 rear left wheel

 a front disc and a brake together with a jack!

 a rear drum brake and a jack

 jack at work - the dent on the right is my fault unfortunately...

 a closer look on front disc brake

a front shock absorber

 jacks in action and the car without wheels

 the car with newly placed wheels

 I will have to clean the wheels a little bit :-)

as above