I Tried to Fix Everything on My Coda, But I Broke It More

[@TVsoup]

As a fellow coda owner I don’t understand! My car is completely reliable!… except for that time that it had a brake leak and the brakes stopped working… or the many times it over heats when I go to fast… or how the eco-meter has never worked… or how the green screen likes to glitch if it’s too hot out… or how the car will think the charge is too low when going faster than 75 mph… or how the key fob will drain the battery in 24 hours so I don’t have wireless door locks… or how the trunk pop springs break loose at least once a month… or some times the car doesn’t recognize that the seat is buckled and it will beep for hours on end while my girlfriend and I try to enjoy our movie date (also you should show off the fact that this car can play movies on the screen. I’ve used it many times on dates) also sometimes the car warning light comes on inexplicably but it usually turns off after a while. Also my Bluetooth doesn’t work, and the aux in is janky. The button to the fold the rear seats down is smashed… on both seats. Sometimes the car takes a while to turn on or will get frozen on the Coda welcome screen. The navigation system voice will randomly change genders. But other than all of that my Coda is perfect! High-key I do absolutely love my Coda, I use it as my daily driver and it’s just a fun car :)

[@agingwheels]

You win the comment section of this video

[@BudMasta]

If this is totally okay for you, have you thought about buying a Ford product? jk a little bit

[@tenchi20229]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo dude. Fucking annoying.

[@zf2029]

Gender fluid GPS lol

[@TVsoup]

@@BudMasta idk… I’ve broken down in more chevys than I have fords… although I will say Chevy makes the better electric cars

[@RonaldFinger]

The complete freedom to do whatever you want coupled with lack of motivation is all too relatable. Oh, and the unforeseen damages part too haha

[@DeviantOllam]

When you first got the Coda, did you ever imagine what an amazing investment in video content subject matter it would be providing? It's like the gift that keeps on giving... giving like a dysfunctional alcoholic aunt or uncle whose bad holiday gifts cause you acid reflux but afford you a never-ending stream of painful stories to tell your friends. 😂

[@trekintosh]

That was the wheego before it died for good (or at least for a very long time.)

[@trekintosh]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo that’s a new way to attempt engagement that I haven’t seen before.

[@lasieboss703]

You wanna talk about it bud?

[@hyperspaced0]

I love that guy 😂

[@ferrumignis]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo Apologies, I inadvertently read your name but you'll be pleased to know I didn't read your profile pic or visit your channel.

[@richieb7692]

I've had a motorbike just like the Coda. As soon as you fix one thing, two other things broke. It was strangely hysterical to start with as my mates took bets as to what would go next. In the end I got fed up, took it to the bike breakers and sold it for the bus fare home and enough cash to get drunk, celebrating the fact I got rid of it at last.

[@MrMatt1120]

This is so relatable

[@adelaideautowashes]

Could I ask what make and model the bike was?

[@EnderMalcolm]

Theory, when the previous owner did a CV shaft swap, they got the shafts on the wrong sides. As we can see, the gearbox is not mounted centrally, but it's not far off, so at a quick glance it would be easy to put the shaft in the wrong place.

[@MiscDotGeek]

This was my thought as well. As soon as Robert said they were the same length, I was like "Ah, somebody used the wrong shaft on one side."

[@sargentscythe]

Was just gonna comment this!

[@aaronlamb5473]

That was my first thought as well.

[@kennedyslightshow]

My thought as well!

[@LambSeed]

That would have been my first assumption, makes the most sense.

[@Ilikecoolmovies]

Don't ever stop making videos, you really have skills and I love your sense of humor and your fast editing cuts are cool too.

[@bryansmith6327]

Follow this advice. You keep making videos and we will keep watching. I would have burned all the Codas long before I got this far.

[@arichansen8527]

The only man on the Internet who can make me watch gruesome garage work for 30 minutes only to reveal anything he actually fixed could have been done in 5 minutes and most of what he thought he fixed was actually broken beyond repair the whole time.

[@zacharyracine1618]

its certainly entertaining, in a messiest way, to all of us who've been there! Myself included. (Last Project being an 86 Volvo 240). Currently have a 66 CJ-5 Tuxedo Park that is likely beyond repair (at least with my current setup - no garage & a tiny workshop)

[@Wesleystewart78]

I agree I watch him to feel better about myself I do the same crap lol

[@rich_edwards79]

@@zacharyracine1618 I have a carbed '82 244DL and it's actually quite a simple, forgiving car to work on (at least, until you get to the electrical system lol). It's nice to see them finally being appreciated as the usable daily classics that they are, for far too long in my country (UK) the only value people saw in them was to smash them into one another in demolition derbies :(

[@zacharyracine1618]

@@rich_edwards79 I miss my Volovo for that exact reason. I could repair everything(except e-) and it never left me stranded... Just couldn't see me at night towards the end of its time with me...

[@HKT-4300]

Your channel has become a bit of a safe haven for me, i'm generally not that interested in cars but your videos are both very educational and absolutely hilarious, and me feeling very lost and demotivated towards life in general hearing you say that it's hard to get started sometimes makes me remember that i'm not alone dealing with feelings like this, thank you for doing what you do, Robert. |Your videos inspire me. and cheer me up when i need it most.

[@dwaynezilla]

On one hand, this Coda is infuriating in how it breaks when you try to fix it. On the other hand it's basically the gift that keeps on giving in terms of KZbin videos because I'm gonna watch these Coda vids until the damn thing is fixed, lol

[@bobcoats2708]

I’m other words, you will be watching videos about this Coda forever

[@pextor]

The wheel bearings are installed into the drums on my Ford Focus, and they are very specific about how much you need to torque the nut that holds the drum on. It's most likely the same situation on your Coda.

[@quademasters249]

This was my thought when I saw him, just impact them on. The fact the inner race didn't stay on the hub suggests they were either never tight enough or that the hub is the wrong size so the inner race bounces around.

[@BreatheHydrogen]

Man, I feel for you. A lot of those projects are really tiring. The bus is never ending, the Weego is long term, Coda is long term... Make sure to do some stuff that's easy so you can get those wins too eh?

[@tarstarkusz]

Oh, boo hoo. He gets 10s of thousands of dollars a month to work on projects he himself invents. Working is a LOT more stressful.

[@KekusMagnus]

@@tarstarkusz this is a smaller channel, I doubt he makes that much at the moment

[@ferrumignis]

@@tarstarkusz Someone sounds very bitter.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@ferrumignis No you big dummy. I am being a realist. Saying you hate your job or you cannot motivate yourself to do your job, when you yourself decide what the job is, is just being a putz. I'm sorry, but a lot of youtubers are just big babies. They have an enviable life and whine about it. He COULD just stop making youtube videos if he hates it that much. I like the guy. I wish him well. I hope he continues making youtube videos. But goddamn it, don't whine about your privileged position.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@KekusMagnus 250k subs. Commercials. Patreon (he doesn't show how much he makes from patreon). He is making, at a minimum, 10k a month and it's probably more like 20k a month. 120k isn't rich, but it ain't struggling either, especially when you don't have to go to work.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

As for that door actuator, it always amazes me that manufacturers use plastic parts in places where extreme repetition and/or stress would seemingly call for metal all to save a few cents in manufacturing. Like, a metal version of that gear would have cost, what, 10 cents more? I've seen this kind of short-sightedness lots of times, including on this channel with previous projects! [edit: From manufacturers, not you!]

[@kristoffer3000]

Capitalism is a bitch.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@kristoffer3000 It can be, but these types of super cost-cutting can end up shooting manufacturers in the foot and give them a reputation for poor quality. Seems to me it would probably be worth it to bite the bullet and spend the extra 10 cents on the metal part.

[@kristoffer3000]

@@JustWasted3HoursHere They spend quite a lot of time, effort and money to make sure they hit the right ratio.

[@greggv8]

@@kristoffer3000 look up the history of the Trabant in East Germany. The communist government refused to ever allow any changes to upgrade and modernize the car, despite the several times people at the factory built a prototype to show what they could do. All of them were kept in a room at the factory. The government also refused to allow any major repairs, overhauls, or replacements of the factory machinery. Whenever anything would break down they could only do the bare minimum to get it to work-ish again. The waiting list for people authorized to buy a car to actually get one grew longer and longer. The quality of the Trabant got worse and worse, to the point where new ones would often break down mere blocks from the factory exit.

[@rogerwilco2]

The first owner is the one that buys new cars. As long as the car survives until it is sold to a second owner in a working state, most manufacturers don't care what happens after that. Only a few manufacturers (used to) build their cars to last, assuming the first owner would drive it possibly for decades.

[@myrlstone8904]

There comes a time when the Robin (3 wheeler) and Trabant seem modern reliable engineering marvels when compared to the Coda.

[@stevethepocket]

The fact that they didn't have mechanical components made of plastic probably helps.

[@Zeem4]

I'm kind of obsessed with Reliant 3-wheelers (Regal, Robin and Rialto), because they're almost the absolute bare minimum required to be a functional enclosed car usable in modern traffic. They're a work of engineering genius, if only because they only weigh about 420kg (926lbs).

[@stamfordly6463]

@@stevethepocket Indeed. Think on this: The electric sodding handbrake mechanism on the Discovery 3 and 4 has plastic cogs and worm drive. On a part that costs 300-400 quid, is an utter bastard to get to and remove and is a Test fail if it is broken.

[@MaxMicron]

I mean if you look at the historical context Trabant is definitely an engineering marvel. Eastern Germany had the lowest production capabilities and the greatest deficiency of raw materials of all the communist states and it still made the most reliable and most practical small car in the communist world

[@Zeem4]

@@stamfordly6463 Haha, I've just looked that up and it's basically identical to the unit in my 2005 Renault Grand Scénic. That one failed and cost me £140 for a motor and cables to fix it. That car currently has the spare wheel in the boot because it's meant to be held up by a ridiculous cable winch under the floor which broke. I like the car but it's full of unnecessary complications like that.

[@scott8919]

You have the patience of a saint. I can barely change my own oil without wanting to throw something, let alone fix everything wrong with a Coda.

[@MagikAram]

Fellow Missourian here, your Odometer in Missouri only needs a permanent tag affixed near the VIN tag in the doorjam denoting the odometer change. That is, assuming you have to take the Coda to a safety inspection for registration soon...

[@AlexYeryomin]

I still can't decide whether this channel is about repairing cars or a nonstop comedy... Love in any case!

[@roguecthulhu6002]

also, that cracked/broken lock thingy looks like the perfect test case for some 3D printing action!

[@lasskinn474]

the cracked one could be fixed with just some abs-acetone slurry. ..which you'd only have if you were into 3d printing, but it's pretty handy for abs print glueing.

[@danam2584]

I agree! I would have thought Robert had one of those in his arsenal. He could also improve the design a bit.

[@ouch1011]

Holy balls that drive motor is massive! That is substantially bigger than the 160kw rear motor in my Ioniq5 and, going from memory, I’m pretty sure it’s bigger than the rear motor in my old Tesla. I’m guessing it must not be liquid cooled, so it needs the mass to keep from roasting. A while ago, there was a widespread issue with aftermarket Subaru front axles being manufactured about 1/4” too long. It caused really odd problems, from a vibration at idle, to clattering around corners to an absolutely horrendous crash over bumps. All of it was caused by the inner CV joint bottoming out. The first time I ran into that it took basically a fully day to figure it out. The second (and subsequent) ones that came in were much faster to figure out.

[@ZGryphon]

Don't be too hard on yourself--if the car's drive train is so tragically maldesigned and poorly built that it's actually _possible_ to break it the way you think you broke it, I would say that takes the whole thing firmly out of the your-fault zone. Suggestion: Add a label on the driver's doorjamb, near the plate that shows the recommended tire pressures, with the same information as the one you put on the back of the gauge cluster. Makes it harder to forget you did it at some distant future point. :) (This is the position required under Maine law for odometer disclosure labels; I don't know whether Missouri has a similar law, but it seems like a decent idea either way.)

[@creaslin]

Hard to say. Michigan titles have a box you can check when selling the car to indicate the odometer is inaccurate and another if it's exceeded it's mechanical limit(IE "rolled over")

[@ZGryphon]

@@creaslin (nod) Maine has that too, plus the rule about putting a label on the doorjamb. (I think our car registration forms also have such a form on the back, since they also record the mileage for some reason.)

[@King_Flippy_Nips]

you can have the odometer properly adjusted at a dealership or garage that is licensed to service those cars, they will have the proper software to access the cars ecu.

[@bwofficial1776]

@@King_Flippy_Nips Coda's long dead and gone.

[@ZGryphon]

@@King_Flippy_Nips When was the last time you saw a Coda dealership?

[@KingSobieski]

I worked for a startup EV company that used the same uqm e gear setup. We sheared a lot of half shafts and blew up a lot of cv joints and once all that stuff was fixed - they started to shear the differential pin, etc etc etc. we put a lot of different parts from different suppliers in a lot of cars to meet deadlines. We had used the mushy ICE motor mounts and I blamed that for all the driveline failures since every time the pedal was pushed the motor assembly would twist way back and eventually maxed out the trans mount and make a big knock noise.

[@TheTomco11]

If I had to guess I would say when it was converted back, it was fitted with two long shafts rather than a long & short. Then whenever you go over a bump, the long shaft is getting smashed into the gearbox which eventually broke the mounts

[@raven4k998]

well he's learning at least why wheego and code went out of business cause making a quality car is so hard

[@fergusoddjob]

also you can see the casting quality doesn't look great when he shows the broken mounting stud.

[@andrewberry1572]

This is exactly my thought.

[@raven4k998]

@@fergusoddjob well it's a chinese car what do you expect?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheWinjin]

God your jokes just crank me up. The intro, the "I know the problem Coda has with joints... There are no joints! Sorry :(" and the "This shaft is too long. Please try to behave yourself". I'm just five minutes in and I already laughed like ten times. It's golden. EDIT: Ok so I finished it and "I don't know what I'm complaining, I'm getting an ice cream anyway" got me smiling for good. Love your videos!

[@brettneale]

5:54 Maybe the shafts were the right length all along, and instead the entire GEARBOX is not in the right spot laterally in the car? If it's too far to the right, the right CV tripod will be deep in the CV housing and the left tripod will drop out. It doesn't make any sense for the shafts to be the wrong length.

[@danielmount8918]

My thoughts exactly.

[@HowToSpacic]

With the build quality of that vehicle I wouldn’t even be surprised lmao

[@Bartosh.S]

exactly , specially that is was loose in the first place.

[@ferrumignis]

It would make sense if the shafts have been swapped to the incorrect sides at some point. It's a bit concerning to see the entire motor/transmission unit solidly bolted to the car though, I'd have expected it to have rubber mountings.

[@Clough42]

@@ferrumignis This was my first thought. One is slightly too long, and one slightly too short. Of course, I don't know what the lengths are, so I could be totally wrong.

[@michaelheimbrand5424]

Here´s a tip for those power windows. Just because I know you´d love to take those doors apart again... I am the proud owner of some Citroën XM´s. (You need a couple of those too, I promise). They have roughly the same kind of window regulators, but there´s a problem. The early generation last forever (my oldest is from 1990 with four working windows). And the facelift cars needed replacing/repair every 3-5 years. The reason: Early cars runs the cable on TWO "wheels" and had some grease on them. The later cars was like the Cod. Wheel on one side and slider thingy on the other for the cable to slide on. This and a lack of lubrication made the cables to wear down and snap. When greased up they last pretty good. Yeah, they replaced a wheel with a thing that makes friction and then skipped the grease. And Coda was just as "smart". So enjoy taking those doors apart again, I feel you brother. Been there...

[@eerikhm]

With the odometer, you could find someone who has experience with SMD components and swap the memory chips between the gauge units. Then you will have a working gauge cluster with a correct odometer reading. Regarding the drive unit, it looks repairable if you find a decent welder (we have seen you weld... aluminium is not forgiving) With the video display, I would check first for an output signal from the LMU. It's possible that they have used coax cable for the video signal and the cable has either broken or deteriorated badly.

[@SianaGearz]

I wish i could read the top on the KU2, that's the only vague candidate and honestly i don't think that's it, i think the eeprom is internal to the Freescale. Also i feel like when having two of these at hand so you can use the working one instead of the service manual for testpoints, just repairing the faulty one might just be the ticket. If you're lucky even just the faulty one alone gives enough clues when probed but two make it so much easier.

[@Wooble57]

it also reads low, so he just just run it for 1000m on his lift or something. tbh though, who cares about a 1000mile difference?

[@alexbrown1050]

@@Wooble57 seems like 1000 mi is probably the longest you'd warranty this car for

[@Josh.Davidson]

Yes this. He could also just swapped the good motors into the current cluster.Usually the motors go bad.

[@ailivac]

@@Wooble57 Put it up on jackstands with a brick on the pedal, Ferris Bueller style

[@treelineresearch3387]

I'm guessing the problem with that gauge cluster is there are sensors, probably either electrical contacts or optical, that are dirty. It looks like a flattened 2 phase stepper motor that uses dead reckoning steps to position the gauge, if it's not getting positional feedback from one or more of the sensors at startup it doesn't know where they are. This also would cause the pegged speedo if it's trying to servo the needle up to the "max speed" end stop as part of its startup routine, but it's never getting the signal that it's arrived. Might be fun to see if they locked the firmware on that Freescale controller, I've found PICs in the wild from megacorps that didn't have the read protect bit set.

[@outsider344]

Oh god. This is giving me flashbacks to so many fixes I've had to do on old cars I've owned. The one where you drove that spline in backwards especially...

[@Juntasification]

This is not even old. Just a complete pos of a car I've ever seen.

[@Varasalvi2]

Watching you work is so relatable, silly mistakes and lack of foresight. I'm sure most creators have similar issues to greater or lesser extent, but you choose to show them, which i love Also that lack of motivation issue hits close to home. Like you, It's just about getting started that's the issue. I like audiobooks and podcasts and i have set a rule that i'm only allowed to listen when i'm doing something productive, like working out or doing any of the many projects in the workshop i have trouble motivating myself to do.

[@katanamd]

Is it possible the left and right shaft were swapped, making one too long and one too short?

[@LeglessWonder]

That was my first thought too. One too short and one too long, by what looks like about the same distance

[@TheStuartstardust]

..could also be the transmission side shifted. Or the loose bolts enabling the side shifting.

[@ArduinoKing]

If the part labeled KU2 is a EEPROM, then it is likley where the odometer info is stored inside the cluster. You can swap it with the original cluster top get the odometer reading the same. if it is a eeprom, then the part number should be 93C56, 93C66, 24C16, RH86... etc. Google the part number on that IC to see if it is a EEPROM. If your good with soldering, take a photo of the orientation of the IC, flood the 4 pins on each side of the IC with sodler and then use two soldering trons to heat up both sides at the same time, and lift the IC off the board. Use solder wick too clean the excess solder off the board and IC. Then swap them between the clusters. Carefully lining it up and getting the orientation correct. Tack a couple of legs to hold it in place, and then solder the rest of the legs. Use plenty of flux. Clean the flux afterwards with IPA and a toothbrush. Use a paper towel to wipe off the excess solvent. And then your other cluster should read exactly what your old one did.

[@moistbrain9297]

I don't think I've ever seen someone rebuild a CV axle before, this is pretty interesting

[@jasonnoteboom4489]

You can save the scrap axle/CV (backwards installed inner star). Get a piece of black pipe with an ID just slightly larger than the axle shaft, and longer than the axle shaft. Stuff rags into one end, axle into the other end with the pipe against the CV, and slam on the ground. I learned to do this on Toyota birfields.

[@Crazy_Borg]

The gearbox mounts shearing off just by a quick test drive? I doubt that, but when you look at the breaking point once you pulled the engine out (and we all know you are going to...), the percentage of smooth surface to rough one may give you an estimate over how much time this happened.

[@TheHonestL1ar]

The Coda doesn't have an engine... Normally I'm a big proponent of specifying "engine" instead of "motor", but it's actually wrong in this particular case.

[@King_Flippy_Nips]

2 bolts sheared off not the mounts, he should just be able to drill them out and retap the holes, or he could just replace the motor since i'm assuming he has at least 2 more in other spare codas he has kicking around

[@Crazy_Borg]

@@TheHonestL1ar Well, the Oxford English and the Merriam-Webster dictionaries have a different opinion upon if an electric motor is an engine or not, so this is clearly debatable. One claims an engine is a machine that transforms "fuel" into motion (which an electric motor doesn't), the other if it transforms power into motion (which it does). On the other Hand, I should probably edit my post, before people think he tries to pull a locomotive or a bloody fire truck out of his CODA....

[@marcusborderlands6177]

@@King_Flippy_Nips the mounts sheared, not the bolts

[@listerine-pr5lt]

There are people who make money out of their skills to finish the jobs and here you are trying to make money out of your failures and it goes on and on.

[@TheHearseAroundJimThorpe]

I guess you’ll need to weld new points on the drive unit. I now understand a bit why my old tech high school had a mandatory crush after they were done with the cars.

[@digitalrailroader]

Also, if the cars were donated by the manufacturer, there usually is a clause in the donation contract that stipulates that after they have served their purpose for education, they are to be returned to the manufacturer to be destroyed.

[@TheHearseAroundJimThorpe]

They were used cars that we had but the school didn’t want to take a chance.

[@warmstrong5612]

"What am I gonna do, break it more?" Famous last words.

[@roguechemists2781]

I always know my day is about to get better when I see a new Aging Wheels video has gone online!

[@steveg5122]

Somehow the drivetrain of the wheego is more reliable. But...considering what this coda has gone through it may not be the most fair thing to compare, but it is kind of neat.

[@Phiyedough]

This reminds me of my Ford Fiesta adventures as part of miss-spending my youth. I had a Mk1 Fiesta 1300 Supersport which looked good but was slow. I fitted a stage 2 tuned 1600 engine and that made it a fun car. Then it got stolen and recovered with the alloys, seats etc missing. I then had the bright idea of putting the good engine into a Mk2 Fiesta (which only looked like a facelift of the Mk1. Trouble was, Ford had put the engine further to one side of the engine bay on the Mk2 and I ended up making custom length driveshafts.

[@ferrumignis]

Bet you wish you still had the supersport! They are very rare now, thanks to so many being written off by the invariably young owners, and the typical Ford rust problems back then.

[@EricGoesToShopClass]

You have unintentionally mimicked the entire Coda development process in one video. Highly intelligent, detailed, and badly from spare parts.

[@neino36]

I'm 3 min in but I have to say that it's a joy watching any of your videos. They're so well edited, so funny and so informative! I absolutely adore your sense of humor. Thank you.

[@darkstride7081]

I know working on this car might have made you question your life a little lol but this whole video had me laughing my ass off. Every video you make is funny as hell, really well produced and very original. Your style for all these videos makes me super excited when I see one in my notifications. You do awesome work man and you genuinely help people out. Can't wait for your next video!

[@Martin42944]

It is entirely possible that you are the only KZbin channel left where I actually listen to the ad reads. Go ahead and tell truebill that. Then tell them they should pay you more so you can buy more Codas.. or Yugos... or other semi useless cars.

[@annyone3293]

I love his way of fixing unfixable with a hammer.

[@Matikz007]

24:05 "Hopefully it wont be too bad" *sound of bees*

[@RachelWolfe]

Sending hugs! I too struggle with motivation... supremely so, but I want you to know that even in frustration you are such an incredible host. I'm sorry this car is such a problem child, but I hope we all can be that much more satisfied if it gets back on the road. Oh, and those grease sounds were AWFUL! I love it.

[@chadcountiss5290]

Wow, did they ship every single Coda with a different, bespoke set of CV axles?

[@digitalrailroader]

My theory on how the window regulators on your back windows broke is because of lack of lubrication in the window tracks; with how slow they were to close when you reinstalled the regulators lends credibility to my theory.

[@ferrumignis]

They were very slow. I use silicone spray for lubricating window runners, doesn't rot the rubber or make a horrible greasy mess.

[@digitalrailroader]

@@ferrumignis I do the same thing; especially since the side windows in my Buick Lucerne are laminated for noise reduction.

[@knurlgnar24]

That sort of setback can be motivation breaking, I feel for you. What positive I can say from that whole experience is that it made for a GREAT video. I hope you are able to get it sorted out though I'm honestly not sure how it's possible. Usually the only fix to a broken cast aluminum housing is to get a new housing. Maybe someone with more welding knowledge can correct me - I hope so!

[@vibingwithvinyl]

22:09 I've used staples or something similar. Just remove the part, superglue it back together and then press couple of staples across the seam with a soldering iron.

[@Paul_Lane]

I find it refreshing how you are very open with you feeling/mental health. Many of us deal with the same issue, lack of motivation was highlighted in this video, but seem to feel we suffer alone. Thanks for putting light on this. As for the car fix I completely understand as I have issues with cars I work on that seem to have no fix, mostly electrical. Great video as always.

[@projectfanboy]

When you fix the gearbox can you stick the 1 remaining bolt to your wooden wall as the hero bolt of the Koda.

[@biglakewheeler]

Buy the stepper motor kit for 2000-2007 Chevy trucks. Solder them in. Same stepper motors and same exact issue. I’ve done a few dozen and they’re crazy easy to swap. Fix the correct cluster for the rig. It would be a great video even

[@biglakewheeler]

For the gauges that is

[@jackielinde7568]

Robert, You're going to want to contact Misouri's DMV (or whatever the hell they're called.) and get the title amended to reflect the odometer change due to the cluster swap. This way, should you want/need to sell the car later down the road, you won't get a bunch of feds at your door. As long as you're honest and upfront, you shouldn't get charged with rolling back the odometer. Also, I've had issues with Speedos dying, albiet with gauge clusters on a 1981 VW Rabbit Pickup. The really weird thing is that it was the speedometer itself that broke, because the odometer would continue to roll. So, there was a point in time I would gauge my speedy by logging the change in odometer readings against a clock. (Yes, MATH.)

[@crazeguy26]

or not check mark the mileage on the title. if he don't plan on selling the car all he it's has a 1000 more mile.

[@tazbertdt]

What I like about your videos are that you show warts and all. Disaster and success. There's no BS, just normal wrenching. Love it. :)

[@SimpleElectronics]

The piece of plastic above the door rods was likely an anti "slim jim" measure - pretty much every car made after 1006 has some sort of tamper-resistance there.

[@P99AT]

1006? You mean to tell me Pope John XVIII had a car?

[@davidhaywood8029]

I think he meant 1066 -- it was one of those new Norman Conquest regulations...

[@greevous]

Absolutely love your videos, you show the real side of home automotive repair with brilliant humor including the times where things don't go well.

[@888johnmac]

those door lock parts look ripe for some 3D printer replication ( possibly with a stronger plastic ) ... and for the drive motor/gearbox mountings .. i see a ' learning to TIG weld ' series coming soon

[@MoparNewport]

15:39 yknow, i think i have an inkling why that wheel bearing fried. Bearings dont reacr well to impact guns. 32:00 your wisest move is to fully remove the gear box to inspect, externally AND internally, for damage. Hint - theres gonna be a lot of damage.

[@LEP-kn2to]

How is it that a Reliant Robin and a Trabant are your two reliable old mules? You know you have a gloriously deranged car collection when those are the two golden boys. Its a good thing you spent all that change on the Polestar so you can go have some fun with an electric car that was designed by a company who knows what its doing.

[@zeon5323]

Wow! I'm So happy Coda collapsed before they delivered the car I had on order.

[@groundzero_-lm4md]

Seeing how all these cars have reliability problems makes me appreciate how Toyota can sell the Corolla for just over $20,000. It's amazing how the Corolla is so reliable despite costing relatively little. They even put port and direct injection so that the intake valves would be cleaned.

[@raven4k998]

pops the cv shaft out and the cars starts bleeding she's a goner sir🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@CS-oo6hs]

That’s a nice touch. Do you want to know what VW UKs answer to concerns about carbon buildup on the intake valves was? A fuel additive. Yes, the dealerships would sell a fuel additive to owners who were concerned about carbon build up. *In a GDI engine, where the whole reason for carbon build up is that fuel goes nowhere near the valves anyway*. That’s like getting someone to buy a leg of salmon. I think they may have added port and direct injection later, but I’m not sure.

[@raven4k998]

@@CS-oo6hs it makes sense I mean why copy other car makers ideas that is just to easy take nissan with the leaf it's biggest problem no active cooling on the battery pack why cause the cooling system is to expensive yet replacing battery packs due to heat damage is not and how can other car company's afford to throw in a cooling system for the battery like even ford does that one easily

[@groundzero_-lm4md]

@@CS-oo6hs It's basically an open secret that the port injectors are for cleaning carbon and no other reason. The engine can run with only the port or direct injector which is nice in case one has a problem the engine can still run completely fine but it will throw a check engine light. Toyota should still be commemoratived for installing an extra set of injectors just so that reliability is as good as previous port injected engines.

[@jondough76]

You choking on your spit kind of made my day. Thanks for the entertainment!

[@TheRealCharlieSuper]

If the door lock breaks again, and your feeling adventurous, you could try to 3D model and print the part that keeps breaking (redesigning it in the process, potentially making it stronger, because a factor of safety of 0.9 is ridiculous). To further explain Factor of Safety (for the curious); say your shelf supports 50 lbs and has a Factor of Safety of 2 - this means that the shelf can support 100 lbs (theoretically) before failing catastrophically. This is no way meant to say "put double the max weight on your shelf" - that's just a recipe for injury, cheaper products have a smaller factor of safety to save costs - overengineering crap is expensive and often wasteful. In terms of the Coda, the locking mechanism was under-engineered, it couldn't withstand the forces involved in locking and unlocking.

[@FHolloran]

I really appreciate seeing failure. It’s not often enough that you can communicate the real but necessary process of learning. Doesn’t hurt that it’s so well presented, either.

[@ssj3gohan456]

I don't think a short test drive can break something like that. They must have been bad to begin with. Regardless, this is weldable and a pretty cool welding project in general! Lots of little things to take into account when welding cast material.

[@JTKK9]

of course it can broke like that in this short time. 1 spin its enough and propably not a weldable alloy

[@JasonWW2000]

I doubt it can be welded without ruining the inner components.

[@Steven-yl4lg]

Advertisment: " Learn from my mistakes - so you don't have to" .. Love this channel. Correct amount of comedy seriousness. Perfection really

[@timberinternational2377]

Based on the build quality of that chinese chassis, coda was doomed no matter how well they sold. People would have been lemon law filing on every single one of those cars when they began disintegrating before 5000 miles.

[@Clough42]

It's also possible that the mounts broke first, allowing the unit to move, causing the CV issues. If the inner CV joint were separated and hung up on the outside of the housing, the acceleration torque almost certainly would have spun it loose and caused significant visible damage to the edge of the housing.

[@RichieRouge206]

Really enjoy your videos regardless what the subject is - your enthusiasm, skill and very likeable nature make the videos interesting, light hearted and very informative. Keep up your good work Rob!

[@d.o.a.garage]

Trubill better be paying you good because yours are the only ads I don't skip through.

[@chriswitmer9754]

RE: the speed-o-meter: I'm not sure about your jurisdiction but I'm sure where I'm from I'm pretty sure a non-functioning speedometer will fail the safety inspection; whereas an odometer discrepancy is just something you need to keep in mind when renewing your plates.

[@kristoffer3000]

Loving the look at some of that legendary American engineering and quality I've heard so much about!

[@gannas42]

About the sponsor... HOW IS THIS A PROBLEM PEOPLE HAVE?! Okay, I got it out. Thanks for sharing your trials and personal growth with us. 😄😉

[@llaughridge]

You know the people with thousands of unread emails in their inbox? The ones who can't be bothered to unsubscribe from lists/notifications and delete spam so they ignore it all? Those people. /inbox-zero FTW

[@forresthoffman489]

The fact that you keep your mistakes in the video is probably one of my favorite things about you! Especially 17:28 I can relate to that ALL to well!

[@adammcallister2260]

I love seeing this car. Looking forward to more! At least your spares supply is plentiful, too.

[@JohnBodoni]

Your struggles with this infernal device are a content gold mine. We live vicariously through you.

[@WayneMoyer]

At some point one of the Coda's is going to be down to its old Mitsubishi former self.

[@tjs114]

I remember when Coda was attempting to sell these cars in California. I say attempting because I went to one of their 'events' and they brought 6 cars to test drive. One wouldn't start, another overheated after 1 person doing an incredibly mild test drive around the lot, a third suffered some sort of 'failure' and had to be put back on the truck to be taken away and the fourth wouldn't go into gear. These were their promotional cars for events and 4 out of 6 failed outright. The one I got a chance to drive felt similar to a 30 year old VW bug on a dirt road. They were junk from the word go, and you're trying to get one operational? Well, bless your pointy little head.

[@theterriblegamer1228]

This might be the most depressing Car channel I have seen. It seems like nothing ever gets fixed completely. It's great.

[@markm0000]

Learn to love it

[@markm0000]

Extremely relatable

[@TheDistur]

Ouch lol

[@RNCHFND]

The fact that this is his day job, it's kinda sad

[@watsgoinonhere1]

In my (limited) experience, JB Weld doesn't stick to plastic very well, even the plastic-weld kind. Now, I have no idea what kind of plastic is in your door lock (or any, for that matter), but when I have fixed plastic parts in my car, hot glue was always the winner. plain old dollar store hot glue. Fixed the plastic aesthetic parts of my seats, they've broken since, in unrelated areas. Fixed the clip that holds the sun visor closed, that lasted for a few months of light use. I never expected it to work so well. Not to mention it's stupidly easy to come by, "dries" really quick, and, while it can burn if you're not careful, is easily molded with the tips of your fingers.

[@andywood6376]

Watching Robert pull more and more Coda pieces to try and fix this one- Skinner: Well, I was wrong; the lizards are a godsend. Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards? Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards. Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse? Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat. Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas! Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

[@stevethepocket]

My favorite thing about that scene is that somehow it's the only warm-blooded species in the equation that can't survive the winter.

[@Davermooner]

Hey Robert, I just wanted to express my admiration. I started following you somewhere between the Trabant engine rebuild and when you completely overhauled the workshop(filled in the giant hole, installed lighting and AC, etc...). I was also here when you made a video about the fact that you quit your job and will try to make a living out of this channel and what a huge leap of faith was that for you(naturally). I get that you have problems with procastrinating, we all do and your technique to overcome it is a clever one for sure. It's always a treat to see the notification that you've uploaded a new video on either of your channels. It's unbeliveable what you've accomplished in the last few years and I hope you'll keep making these absolutely marvelous videos on your channels.(Only if you still enjoy it of course.) I have a huge respect towards you and towards your capability to carry on and get things done. Keep on keeping on! Best wishes from France

[@atkelar]

I would love to see a - sort of - hidden camera skit... trying to sell the Coda that collects all the bad parts to a used car salesman... "Oh, there's just a few minor issues..." 🤣

[@Bennyboy-dog]

The entertainment value this guy provides is amongst the best ever. Perhaps deserving of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor?

[@theowinters6314]

Speaking from a purely layman's perspective, my first thought about the CV shafts being to long on one side and fallout out on the other was that they had been switched around. The fact that the other right side shaft you pulled out was a little bit shorter kind of backed that up. I suspect that probably wasn't the actual problem, but that would be my first guess.

[@joedunn1109]

I had the same thought. But it's wrong. If the shafts could be put in on the wrong sides, the splines would have fit in the hub, and he wouldn't have had to order new shafts.

[@Coinfindr]

i was thinking the same thing

[@paulnorton5670]

Join the club, I used to live with ' murphy's law - until I stopped doing repair work to anything! I admire your enthusiasm.

[@procrastinatingnerd]

If it helps any, I don't think you broke it. I think, since you said the whole front end was messed with before you, I think the bolts were probably never tightened and since the drive unit was able to move, the mounts kept getting slammed back and forth for who knows how long and they broke.

[@jonalowe]

I find it interesting that Rock Auto has parts for a Cord and a Cisitalia, but nothing for a Coda. That ought to tell you something.

[@Cragified]

Oddometers do not have to be accurate beyond a certain age. The owner must merely note the miles off actual on the registration paperwork and title when transferring it. Swapping in salvage clusters is a legal method of repairing clusters. Also, with this style cluster usually the issue is the solder joints at the pin connections on the back crack and you just need to reflow them to restore function.

[@Karreth]

Good suggestion, that would explain why the fault was intermittent too.

[@TheDisabledMechanic]

Usually when the half-shafts take a 💩 it’s 85% of the time the outer (wheel side) CV joint. The inner section is way stronger than the outer but doesn’t have nearly the ability to transfer power at tight angles that the outer one can. Thank you for the video, I love watching them so I can dream about when I would do crazy projects like this. I was an automotive and heavy line diesel mechanic for 15 years and absolutely loved it. Now that I am disabled (2 spinal fusions and fibromyalgia) I watch your videos to remember the good times. Take care and thanks again.

[@89RASMUS]

As a bit of comfort, I don't think you broke the gearbox. It looked squiggly even after the tightening and before the test drive. I'd guess the previous "mechanic" used the too long drive shaft and then immediately cracked the gearbox at the first bump. Get an incredible amount of push power with those lazy angles. Guess it's about to follow the same theme again too. Swap it for the drive unit in one of the other ones. 👌 The alternative is taking down the original one and welding. But, trust me, cast aluminium (yes, that's the right name) is absolute garbage to work on. If you've got a spare, use it. Cheers.

[@KanawhaCountyWX]

His other units don't have stock gearboxes, they have broken CVT transmissions. Unless he's able to source one from a fourth dead car that somebody else owns, I think he's going to have to weld it.

[@ReverendTed]

It's also possible the CV joints started misbehaving because the drive unit broke loose. Maybe? This reminds me of a washing machine I "fixed" once, repeatedly. The control mechanism started malfunctioning, discovered it was dented by the drum during unbalanced spinning. I replaced the control mechanism. Then it started leaking during fill; discovered the detergent dispenser was cracked by the drum during unbalanced spinning. I patched it with JB Waterweld. Then realized I should probably see why the drum was so unbalanced and discovered the shock absorbers were broth broken off. I replaced them. With the shocks replaced, it became apparent that the main bearing was cracked. That's when I called it.

[@leifhietala8074]

Never has been so much effort been lavished on a car so worthless. I commend you.

[@jc_nilsson]

I'm just glad I'm not alone being that clumsy. For real, if I started a KZbin-channel with cars it probably look a lot alike yours except I would've given up a long time ago. What I wanted to say is: Keep doing what you are doing, I love every second of your videos and I would've never heard about Coda if it wasn't for you which is just fascinating! I actually would like owning one now (now that I know which flaws to expect, haha) Thanks for good content!

[@dizee271]

I'm not a car guy or very handy with anything like this, but i can't stop watching these videos. Super interesting and very entertaining!

[@simmadpaul2880]

I love the fact you show all of your mistakes. I have been buggering around with cars since I was 16 and I have made many many mistakes along the way. This is DIY at its most honest. Thanks :)

[@silmarian]

Have you checked the green screen cable for continuity? It may just be the wire.

[@jamyers1971]

Now YOUR videos are an actual Reality Show, which is why theyre so good. Keep up the good work!!

[@ByWire-yk8eh]

Great videos. Plastics are very hard to glue unless you can find a solvent glue, and many plastics just can't be dissolved. And solvent welds are usually weak unless the joints are specially designed to be solvent glued as in the case of PVC and ABS pipe. A better alternative is to use heat welding. There are a lot of KZbin videos showing how folks use soldering irons to melt the plastics back together. They also use added plastic and some metal wire to increase the strength of the weld. Try it!