RX300 Shifter Bushing

 What is more unnerving than Transmission Problems?  When the transmission starts doing something weird and the repair costs start circulating in my head it gets me thinking this may be the end of this vehicle.  But, as the initial reaction starts wearing off, I start analyzing the issue, and look at it rationally I realize that I picked one of the vehicles with the best reliability.  So, is it really that bad?

The first symptom happened at the grocery store this morning.  I shifted into reverse to back out of the parking spot but the engine just revved instead of moving the Truk, *not* in gear.  But then the transmission fell into reverse and the Truk started moving with a klunk.  Right as this happened my mind is already spinning with WTF is it now?  Then I didn't have any problems until the next time I drove the Truk.

The next time I drove the Truk everything was fine until we parked at home again.  I shifted to park, but the transmission was still in reverse.  At this point the shifter was doing nothing.  I could move it to any position, but the actual transmission remained in reverse.  I wound up shutting off the Truk in reverse, and setting the parking brake to keep it in place.

When the Truk is in gear it runs completely normally, and the issue is in shifting to the gears.  After pondering this for a moment I figured it must be a shifter issue, and not the transmission.  Then I dug into the diagnostic materials, and found some common problems.  It turns out this is a problem with a lot of different makes and models.  The automatic transmission shifter bushing issue is pretty common, but I have never had it happen to one of my vehicles.

The repair is fairly easy.  You have to get to the base of the shifter.  So, you need to remove the trim around the shifter.  In this case you can get to the linkage by removing that one trim piece.  In front of the shifter, and down a little you'll find the linkage.  Then it is just a matter of removing what is left of the old bushing, and installing the new one.

Iron Pan Refurb

 I've had this 14 inch Lodge Fry Pan since the 1990's.  So many foods in a couple decades.  All they typical stuff like Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, and Fried Chicken, but also many other things like Pan Pizza.  Well all the diversity has left it with a really thick layer of seasoning which is kinda funky.  It doesn't smell bad, but there is something I don't like about it.  Maybe its the mixture of spices, or fats give it a smell I just don't like.  So I decided to refinish the pan, and remove the seasoning layer.

 

 

I researched this a lot before doing it.  There is an abundance of opinions about cleaning, seasoning, stripping, and then maybe polishing an iron pan.  I really do not want to resurface the pan.  I like the rough texture of the Lodge Iron Pan because I think it helps brown the meat in a searing process.  Want I want is to strip all the carbonized fats from the surface of the iron, and then lay down a new, fresh layer of carbonized fats on the freshly cleaned iron.  Easy right?  LOL! 

 I started with this little stripping wheel.  It is a Non-Woven Mesh Abrasive.  You use a junior version of this at the kitchen sink, the Scotch-Brite pad.  Non-Woven abrasive a popular in industry for all kinds of things.  At the hardware store you find them for tasks like stripping paint.  So the carbonized fats that are stuck to the pan are very similar to the polymers that are used to make paint.  I had this tool available and thought I would give it a try.

The carbonized fats from the pan, the seasoning, are very sticky, and were building up on the abrasive wheel.  The tool was becoming ineffective because of the buildup, and I was not able to clean the wheel very well, so I found another one.  This one is considerably bigger, but that worked to my advantage.  

 

I had removed most of the seasoning layer with the smaller wheel.  The bigger wheel was more effective at getting down to the metal.  I was able to make the pan bright and shiny, but not resurface the iron.  I'm looking to preserve the texture of the pan, and not machine it.  And I think that worked good. 

Now we have to re-establish the seasoning layer.  There are so many suggestions out there about what oil to use to season your iron pan.  I think the two factors that are important to me are the smoke point, and the stability of the oil.  I am sure I do not want to use an oil that will go rancid.  So we can scratch most organic animal, and plant oils.  You might want to pick an oil that is used to finish cutting boards.  But there is also the heat factor, we're going to cook in the pan.  So I would want an oil with a high smoke point.  Other factors are cost, and availability.  You picked something, does your local store have it?  If they do, is it expensive?  So, after all the factoring I picked Avocado Oil, cheap, plentiful, high smoke point, and resistant to rancidity.

 Seasoning is a process.  There is an initial seasoning, but then it keeps going every time you use the pan.  You'll have to oil the pan before using it.  Then wash it, and oil it again when it is waiting to be used.  I like to cover the iron pans when they are not in use.

For he initial seasoning I coated the cooking surfaces of the pan with Avocado Oil, and then wiped off all the excess oil.  Then I put the pan in a 450F oven for an hour.  Then pull the pan out of the over, and let it cool.  Then for the second coat of oil I fried a pan of Bacon.  The pan looks much better now, and that weird smell is gone...