Which came first; battery grew a bad cell, or alternator overcharged?

Thanks for clarifying the correct values on this operation, Joe.

BG

* Both of us suspect the vast majority of Do-It-Yourselfers do not bother
with a torque measurement, anyway.

Joe,
I just bought new front brake rotors for the Buick 1998 LeSabre, and in researching prior to the operation, have come across advice to prepare the rotor surfaces by removing any anti-rust coating on the rotor surface.
Although I never have read disc rotor anti-rust coatings could create an issue with the pad surfaces (ceramic), is there any validity to the suggestion to use 150-grit sandpaper to remove the film?

BG

Excellent, logical advice, based on experience (or somebody else's).
I tend to trust experience.

Joe,
I hesitated to ask you another question, because I already have posted the question for general pickup (not wanting to overburden you). But after two days, no one has picked up the question below--
=================================

Working with the car listed above, I was all set to remove the wire wheel cover from both front wheels and begin the operation.

Using the special Buick tool to remove the cover, I had no problem with the passenger side wheel. But when I moved to the driver's side, the tool did not seat itself properly, and the does not move all the way inside the tool channel, for some reason. (See photo, below, of Buick OEM removal tool)

Of course, I made sure the raised post on the tool was exactly positioned over the cover's tool channel pilot hole before attempting to un-thread the plastic nut.

Because the tool kept slipping out of the hole, I halted operations until I had a better way to remove the driver side wheel cover's plastic nut.

Any suggestions on how to use the GM tool on a wheel cover whose tool channel does not permit me to seat the tool properly?

(To loosen the plastic cover assembly nut, I have sprayed the area with isopropyl alcohol, hoping it would penetrate the plastic nut threads. Liquid Wrench may work, but both the wheel nut and its threaded hub are of nylon, so I am not sure that would help.)

Photos are attached (from left to right)--

Photo 1-- shows plastic wheel cover unlocking tool. Note raised post on off-center/eccentric tool shaft.

Photo 2-- shows overall wheel cover assembly

Photo 3-- shows wheel cover assembly, with shaft for insertion of wheel cover tool. Note the shaft has the same off-center/eccentric shape to match the tool.

Photo 4-- shows nylon/plastic nut to fasten the plastic wheel cover assembly. This nut was removed successfully from the passenger front side but was re-threaded to show nut dimensions.

Removal of the driver side nut is the current problem, because the removal tool does not enter fully into the tool hole and slips out. I risk tool deformation if I continue to apply greater force to the tool.

Joe,

I finally un-threaded the plastic nut fastening the wheel cover. The green plastic security tool (photo 1, above) is designed supposedly to prevent theft of Buick / GM "wire" wheel covers, but effectively prevents the owner from tire maintenance / repair, and access to the front brakes.
The plastic wrench is not particularly sturdy, and stripping its tiny plastic post could prevent roadside tire replacement. Do you know of a sturdy metal equivalent to the GM wheel cover wrench?

Thanks, Joe!

And, yes, I had posted this separately, but the post had brought zero response.
So, my familiar route of checking with you was a backstop, in case I was unable to do anything with the plastic nut.

It so happens I had planned to use NeverSeize on the plastic threads, if I ever managed to solve the wheel cover wrench problem. Unexpectedly, the wrench finally turned the nut-- but not without more damage to the wrench pilot post, as I had anticipated.

The wrench is labeled "PA66 CAV4", a wheel cover lock wrench. The search probably will require several days, but with sustained effort, something may pop up.

So, I'll let you know what I find-- this could benefit many others on this forum, as you point out.

BG

Search of eBay brought a few possibilities, but a refund from Seller is conditioned on whether the tool is "mounted" on the vehicle. Since mounting / use of the tool is the only way to establish it works, there is effectively no refund offered.

A visual inspection might suffice, but I prefer to wait until a more reasonable eBay Seller appears. There must be more than a few PA66b CAV4 metal wrenches circulating.

As a backup plan, I may take my green plastic original wrench to a machine shop, and have one of their more skilled staff make an aluminum copy. That should not be as hard as it sounds, but matching the eccentric placement of the shaft could make it an extra-cost job.

I'll let you know what develops.

BG