My current project is restoring a 286 computer, the first thing I had to do after cleaning the termite nest out of it was mod the Dallas 1287 clock/CMOS module to be powered from a common CR2032 battery by removing the casing with a Dremel to expose the battery pins then grinded the old battery connection away, with a section of double sided tape affixed a CR2032 battery holder to the top soldered wires to the holder, and then to the pins buried in the casing bringing it back to life. I got it to boot once or twice off the old hard drive but it died soon after, so I went ahead and added a floppy drive emulator and a CF card to IDE adapter, but I ran into a problem here, I could get the CF card to be recognized as a HDD and was able to partition it, format it but whenever files where added the file names would show up but the file would not be readable and therefore could not boot from the HDD. After a bit of research I realized that the fault was it the very limited BIOS so I went on a search for a better BIOS, but there was none for the system, after a bit more research I realized that in the era of the 286 all computers were just exact clones of the IBM even if a lot of the logic chips where integrated into a single chip, it carried out the exact same function of the discrete logic and was the same as far as the BIOS was concerned, so I could use a BIOS from any computer and it would work just fine, so I found a Quadtel Enhanced BIOS that had user settable perimeters for the HDD, got a Minipro and a few NMC27C256Q EPROM chips, as I wanted to leave the old ones as they were so at least if it didn't work I could fall back to them, I also dumped the old chips to archive them. I burned the new BIOS EPROMs and popped them into the machine and the system posted! I booted from an emulated floppy and tested it by preparing the HDD again from scratch and writing a few files to it and reading them back, it passed ! last thing to do was install DOS to the HDD and try to boot from it, it worked, now I can boot to DOS 6.22. Future plans are to correct the memory problem as only two of the four simms are being recognized leaving me with only 512 K both sets seem to work, I may just go around this by installing two one megabyte simms giving it twice the memory it had, but we will see, and to see if I can find a VGA card that will work and add a sound card, perhaps one of those new ones I've seen. It's still a work in progress but that's the fun isn't it, if it were easy to fix, it would have been boring. It's come a long way from the system that would just say CMOS battery is low then halt, to a system that will boot DOS and run software.         

The complicated fixes aren't the first ones that come to mind, but rather a couple of Apple products that my sister salvaged from her boss's discards after they were deemed irreparable by Apple Geniuses due to various water damage.  Disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly for an iPhone IIIGS and a new SSD for a MacBook Air and Ta Da... working Apple products, no genius required!

Oh yes, I know that feeling! I am used to be driving "by ear", I'm listening to every noise from the engine or wheels to notice any issues as soon as possible and sometimes I also feel like I have some mental problem...

One time I was sure it is impossible that the car got louder because the muffler is ok and probably I just got used to my second, newer car which is perfectly quiet (new Škoda).

Well... It got louder. I've almost lost intake collector because the gasket was old, cracked, fell out and loose screws of the collector followed the gasket...

I've got an original 1.7 diesel (KY)... With less original but far more functional interior - I've bought mine as a classic caravelle for 8 people.

Mechanical stories are also good IMO. Glad you got it fixed after some great detective work on your part. It reminds me I want to keep an old multimeter and extra long cable in the car for testing purposes.

I recall when my alternator failed one year while driving home (dark winter evening and light rain); the wipers seemed to get slower and slower - when it started I thought I was having a medical problem! As I realised I was OK I then thought the wiper motor or wiper arm was probably slipping and without wanting to stop ( only a mile to go) I kept going....that was a good call. I parked up and went indoors to drop my stuff off. Came back to move my car up the road nearer the house and, like your story, it wouldn't start again. My problem turned out to be a failing alternator so the battery was effectively discharging to the point the wiper motors were slowing down. At that time I guess there was enough energy available to still spark the plugs. I guess the headlights were also a dim shade as well.

Welcome fellow T3 owner!

I own a 1987 T3 which I've converted to TDi, they are great vehicles!

My  most "day-saving" repair was more mechanical and electrical than electronics-related. However, electronics take part in it too!

I own a 1990 VW Transporter. It is my precious weekend car, I converted it into a camper on my own. I do my best to have it prepared for any trip and to repair everything as soon as it shows signs of wear. I know every little bit of this car, because I've restored many parts of it, including some engine repairs, some metalwork and whole camping interior with solar panel, second battery, lights and power lines.

Last winter the V-belt, which is running the coolant pump and alternator got a little squeaky. However, I thought it's just cold because it never got noisy when the engine was hot. Then I've forgot about it. A few months later, in August, we were travelling across Poland for an old VW meetup. Somewhere in a middle of nowhere I noticed that my temperature gauge is slowly going down. It was a little worrying but hey - a little colder is better than too hot! I thought that maybe the thermostat broke and the weather is cold so the engine is cooling too fast. I pulled off to a gas station to fuel up the car and check if there are no leakages or other worrying signs. And... that was a permanent stop. I wasn't able to start the engine and drive away from the gas station! All lights were on on the dashboard as they should but the engine wasn't starting. At first I though - battery! But I thought this isn't possible as the battery was bought just a few months earlier (pandemic lockdown killed my previous battery). I pushed the car to a parking, unloaded all things from the space above the engine (engine in this VW is in the back and space above it is the main trunk of the car). I started looking for the problem. I didn't have my multimeter, just a probe with a light bulb. It seemed that there is voltage. I started looking through the wires...

I've spent 2 hours on the gas station, I've cleaned ALL contacts in the car - fuses, relays, ignition switch, dashboard connectors. I've replaced relays in the engine compartment. I've even replaced a few old wires in the engine compartment! I disassembled big part of the car electronics, including radio and cigarette lighter, because I suspected that there may be a short-circuit somewhere. And nothing.

In the end I tried to start the starter by connecting it directly to the battery. As soon as I've connected it, the light on my voltage probe went out and there was no action from the starter. I had the problem - the battery or the starter! I disassembled the battery and replaced with a second battery, which is far smaller and which I use to power basic loads while camping (diesel heater, phone charger, radio) but it is enough to start the engine. The engine started. I muffled a few very inappropriate words thinking about manufacturer of the dead battery. As I had the enigne compartment opened, I noticed that the V-belt is working somewhat strange... It was... wobbling (?) on the wheels. I stopped the engine and inspected the V-belt. This was a horror experience.

The V-belt was extremely damaged - missing many teeth, very stiff, the rubber was cracked in many places. I think that the only thing that kept it together was the fact that it was an original Gates belt with reinforcement inside...

As the belt was sliding during travel, the alternator wasn't working fast enough. However, the engine was warm and it wasn't squeaking. Old diesel engine has got huge power needs so the sliding V-belt wasn't providing enough power to keep the battery charged. After a few hours of such driving the battery got weak, when I turned the engine off at the gas station it didn't have enough power to start again. That's why the temperature gauge was dropping - it is thermoresistor based and dropping voltage seemed for the sensor as rising resistance of the sensor!

After 3.5 hours, with new battery and V-belt, nice amount of money poorer, I was able to continue my travel...

What did it learn to me? To replace the V-belt as soon as you hear a first squeak. It's not cold. Or maybe it is. It doesn't matter. It easier to replace a cheap V-belt when you have time for that that to replace it on a lonely gas station in a middle of nowhere. And this concerns not only mechanical issues - don't wait until something breaks. Replace as soon as it starts to behave strange! And never cross out first idea as ridiculous - if I didn't say that the battery is new and this couldn't be a problem with it, I would track down the problem in 20 minutes, not two hours! At least I have all contacts and relays cleaned!

I soldered the pads of my Nintendo Switch joycon to a breadboard and used that to set up tool assisted automation for various games, like Pokemon and Breath of the Wild. I've also done repairs to my laptops, tvs, xbox, and ps4.

My best fix wasn't really an electronic fix at all but it was the one thing that really made my wife come onboard with all my electronics craziness so it's worth a mention IMHO.

My wife and I own a quarter acre of land with our home.  As you can imagine, mowing that much grass can take several hours with a push mower so we bought a second-hand rider several years back.  Since this cut our mowing time down to an hour or so, the push mower was retired the following year and we got rid of it.  Late in the summer last year the steering linkage on the rider began skipping teeth and threatened to put our mower down for a few weeks or even the rest of season.  Can't mow if you can't steer.   After tearing it apart, we discovered a nylon bushing sleeve had cracked and was no longer holding the gears together tightly. 

This simple piece cost nearly $50 to order and would take 2-4 weeks to arrive at the local repair shop as it's not a commonly replaced part. We ordered the part and we were going to just wait and try to figure out a mower we could borrow to finish that weekend.

While discussing options to finish mowing that weekend, I did a quick browse on Thingiverse.  I quickly found the correct part someone else had modeled and posted and after a few hours of 3D printing in ABS, we had the mower back in working order and were able to finish mowing before it got dark.  We later replaced the bushing with the nylon one we ordered but I think it easily could have survived a few years worth of use.

My wife's eyes no longer roll back into her skull when we talk about buying new "toys" and she has come to enjoy having me build her strange little things like magic mirrors and water sensors, lol. 

istihegyi  That is a great story of your colleague!  That is incredible craftsmanship.  I am also amazed by people with that kind of talent.  Thanks for sharing the story.