More than a year later, you may be wondering "Is that car still going? Does he still have it?"
The answer is yes and yes. I apologize for the hiatus, I pretty much got the car working to the point shown in the previous post and ever since then I've just been using it, with no issues. Granted, I have only been driving it all of a couple times per month to take recycling out or for hunting or other dirty jobs, haven't hardly put any substantial miles on since last post, but it still just starts up and goes even when I let it sit for a couple weeks.
My cousin asked if he could buy it off me for his first car. I told him he'd be better off finding something in a little better shape. It's one thing to occasionally putz it around up here in the sticks, down in the cities where he lives I don't think it would last one week of daily driving. Hard to say for sure though. Then there is still a long list of little issues..
I've been working from home a lot lately and long story short decided to sell my 2017 daily driver Jeep and just make this old CRV my main car for... however much longer its wiling to go. I typically only leave the house a handful of times per week, usually on optional trips where if the car doesn't want to go then I can usually stay home without issue. I don't go more than 10 miles in any direction from my home in this car. We still have our 2020 Jeep that my wife is driving, that is all we use for road trips and general transportation when we are both going somewhere together. "Why have two Jeeps with payments?" I figure I can save about $400 a month if we go down to one Jeep and just see how far this CRV gets me for those days I have somewhere to be.
I can hear you guys already:
Indeed, it might not end well. It might blow up after a week of gentle local driving, but then again it might just keep on truckin. Worst that can happen is I need to find another decent beater without a payment for a few thousand, and I'd still come out ahead compared to making payments to finish the 14k I owe on the 2017 Jeep. If this CRV just lasts through the end of the chip shortage I'm sure that will be good enough. Gives me time to save for some other fun new car.
I've got a to-do list to get this thing into daily-driver condition, though.
I've still been turning the replacement ignition switch with a screwdriver... time to put that where it belongs at the bottom of the ignition lock cylinder! I might throw a cheap remote start kit on while I'm monkeying around with those wires though, would be nice for winter.
My wife was kind enough to vacuum it out for me, removed a few acorn shells from the glovebox and beneath the rear tray. Hopefully the critters haven't been in the airbox again, I already changed that cabin air filter a year ago and I'd like the defrost to work this winter...
Borrowed an ozone generator that probably just finished its second 30-minute cycle to freshen up the inside a bit. Didn't smell too bad but it smelled like a car that sat more than it was driven.
My friend up the road has a hoist in his garage and I have a few things to do if I can get an afternoon in on that;
- Install new swabar end links on all four corners
- Patch a small exhaust hole back at the muffler
- Throw some cheap spring coil spacers on the rear springs (they are a bit saggy and my oversized tires rub a bit when loaded down)
- Brace the universal hitch receiver that I installed (not used for towing, just for a cheap cargo rack I haul deer on)
If I have time I might also change the rear diff fluid and address a cracked CV boot in the rear. I don't really want to put new axles in the back but might have to, unless anyone here has a recommendation on a good fitting split boot I can just cram on there quickly and let ride. From what I understand those often don't work for most people, but its tempting.
I hope the AWD still works since this is northern Minnesota, but I should be OK either way since the tires I put on are still like brand new. Probably not even 1k miles on them yet.
I did do one itty bitty mod that I can't remember whether it ever got posted here or not. I popped out the wire harness between the factory radio head unit and the optional CD player, cut the line-out wires from the CD player and spliced them into a standard 3.5mm headphone jack that I drilled a small hole in the dash to mount. Now I have an aux input on the factory head unit with a $9 bluetooth receiver plugged into it
works perfect, the only catch is that you have to have a CD you leave in the factory CD player to trick it into thinking its playing something, otherwise the head unit doesn't pick up the signal. The front door speaker wires are in bad shape, speakers cut out when you open and close the doors so I need to address that too, but basically I got bluetooth on the factory radio for $9 so I can take a phone call on the road or listen to some tunes.
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Its going to be interesting to see how this plays out, especially when it hits the real cold part of winter. Better swap some fresh oil in the motor one of these days too, not sure that's happened since 2020 but again, hardly put 1000 miles on it either so... its fine
I'll keep you guys in the loop.
