Zen and the Art of Vehicle Maintenance

A Thing of Eternity · Post by **A Thing of Eternity** » 22 Jan 2009 17:52

Freakzilla wrote:
Sole Man wrote:
Freakzilla wrote: The middle child? JUST KIDDING! I LOVE YOU SPENCER!
Your wife typed that, right?

Please God tell me your wife typed that.
I don't let my wife on here. You've got to have your own space.

Is there something wrong with loving your children?

Oh wait... I get it... it all makes sense to me now...

Yup.

Robspierre · Post by **Robspierre** » 23 Jan 2009 04:03

Freakzilla wrote:
Robspierre wrote:
Freakzilla wrote: Build me a car that I can hand down to my kids and I'll buy it. Until that happens I can keep a used car running for three years for a few grand.
Toyota Corolla's or Honda Civics. My brother is driving a 96 Corolla with 260,000 + miles on it and is still averaging 45 MPG. Regular oil changes and routine maintenance and these rice burners run forever.

Rob
I hear ya, but how well does a family of six fit in a Corolla or a Civic?

From personal experience, 2 in the front, 3 in the back, two tied to the roof, though the drag cuts down your mileage, and 2 adults or 3 children in the trunk.

Rob

Sole Man · Post by **Sole Man** » 23 Jan 2009 16:29

Freakzilla wrote:
Is there something wrong with loving your children?

Oh wait... I get it... it all makes sense to me now...

YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING!

Post by **Freakzilla** » 23 Jan 2009 16:32

Sole Man wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:
Is there something wrong with loving your children?

Oh wait... I get it... it all makes sense to me now...
YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING!

That, my friend, is the begining of all knowledge.

Post by **Omphalos** » 23 Jan 2009 17:46

Freakzilla wrote:
Sole Man wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:
Is there something wrong with loving your children?

Oh wait... I get it... it all makes sense to me now...
YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING!
That, my friend, is the begining of all knowledge.

Might be the end, too.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 28 Jan 2009 11:14

Update:

The HVAC is working good, seems I had it on "ECON" instead of "AUTO". Too much electronics in that car.

I replaced the spark plug wires, runs like a champ.

Bad news: I have a low oil pressure problem when idling hot. I recently replaced the oil pressure sensor and the oil pump in an attempt to fix that. However the cheap cork gasket I put on the oil pan is blown out and leaking.

Firestone, Goodyear and even the CAddy dealer won't touch it but the Caddy place refered me to a place which quoted me $450 to replace the gasket and the #1 bearing. They say that bearing usually needs replacing so I'm hoping that is the source of the low oil pressure.

Robspierre · Post by **Robspierre** » 28 Jan 2009 16:16

Freak, it may also be an issue with the gauges in the dash. I had that problem with my 92 Silverado 4X4. Unfortunately that isn't much cheaper than what you were quoted.

Rob

Post by **Freakzilla** » 28 Jan 2009 16:20

Robspierre wrote:Freak, it may also be an issue with the gauges in the dash. I had that problem with my 92 Silverado 4X4. Unfortunately that isn't much cheaper than what you were quoted.

Rob

I have no gauges, it's totally digital. That's why I changed the sensor to be sure. That was the cheapest possible fix, tried that first of course.

Besides, if I let it idle long enough I can hear it, it sounds like the pistons rubbing against the cylinders.

As long as I keep moving it's OK, but that's not always possible in Atlanta rush hour traffic.

Sole Man · Post by **Sole Man** » 28 Jan 2009 16:38

And to think this all started becuase you wouldn't wear thermal underwear...

Post by **Freakzilla** » 02 Feb 2009 19:15

This morning I went to the county tax office to get a have a car title transfered from my parent's to my name and a Desert Storm Army Veteran tag, my title was a copy so I left work early and got the original from my parents and just made it back to the tag office in time... to find out they don't take Visa, cash, check or money order only. They had an ATM in the lobby for my tax paying convenience, but it was taken apart and out of order with a technician standing next to it, talking on the phone about the repair bill. So I get to go back tomorrow morning when they open at 8:00 and be late for work again, which I was trying to avoid by taking this afternoon off.

Oh, and they don't have the specialty tags in stock, they will mail it to me in two weeks. Hopefully I won't get pulled over because the old one expired at the end of last month. I have a few tickets I need to take care of.

This standard design just sucks:

A Thing of Eternity · Post by **A Thing of Eternity** » 02 Feb 2009 19:26

I've been living in BC for a year and a half and still have my Alberta insurance and plates. I would get them replaced, but I'm moving back in a couple months anyways...

plus then I'd have to get the inspection done if I changed insurance, not so sure my rust bucket would pass.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 02 Feb 2009 21:34

I drive 550 miles a week through the heart of a metropolis just commuting. In two weeks I'll be lucky if a cop doesn't get behind me once. I guess I need to make a "tag applied for" sign for my rear window and take the old one off. The title transfer gives me a month to get a tag but I've got old, unpaid tickets my license is suspended for. Obama is going to pay for those too, if I can just hide in the herd durring rush hour until I get my welfare check... I mean tax rebate.

So if I dissapear for a couple of days...

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 02 Feb 2009 22:15

I think the way they include the State government URL is pretty tacky.

(Um...you're driving on a suspended license?

)

Robspierre · Post by **Robspierre** » 03 Feb 2009 00:52

Freak carry your receipt of payment with you, the cops out here at least will accept that since New Mexico has a butt load of specialty plates to choose from and they are not always stocked by the DMV's.

Rob

Post by **Freakzilla** » 03 Feb 2009 08:18

SandChigger wrote:(Um...you're driving on a suspended license? )

Yes, it was suspended about a year ago for being late on a child support payment. I had a garnishment from an old credit card and couldn't pay it on time that month. The kid is now eighteen and paid for, I have my reciept for that.

But once you catch up on the child support, they don't unsuspend your license, you have to go wait in line at the DMV for a day to pay their $110 re-instatement fee. Not only that you have to pay whatever outstanding tickets you have, but you can't pay for them there. You have to go to the county courthouse where they were issued. Mine are scatter among three counties. So I have to go to each one, pay the fine, and get a note from them to the DMV, saying it's ok by them to get my license back.

Mainly I haven't had the money but I haven't had time either. I've been hoping to pay for it all when my tax returns get here. It's been a two day event so far just to get a tag, it'll probably take me a week to pay three tickets and get the letters. It's not the expired tag I'm worried about, I have two tickets for an expired tag when I was trying to repair the emissions on my Ford Windstar myself. You must drive a car through a few cycles and so many miles before the check engine light will come on, otherwise when you test the emmissions it says "not ready". If you explain that to a cop they tell you to explain it to the judge. I have one other ticket for running a red light. So if I get pulled over they will most likely give my a free ride to the courthouse to make sure I pay for all those.

I guess that will be my vacation.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 03 Feb 2009 08:55

Well ... more than I probably needed or wanted to know, but yet another one of those stories that makes me glad we aborted.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 03 Feb 2009 12:06

I got my veteran's tag, tax tag and title, they gave me a temporary tag so I should have to be too worried about getting pulled over. I'll try to keep it under 20 miles per hour over the speed limit.

The whole child support thing is a sorted story. She was 14 and I was 17, her parents tried to blackmail mine, who threatened to sue for custody. I didn't hear from her again for eight years when I got a summons to child support court. I've paid child support since until he was 18 except for that one instance. They try their damndest to stick it to you though.

Anyway... I'll get the thing with the license straightened out when I get my welfare check*.

Oh, I got a quote to put a new #1 bearing and oil pan gasket for $427, hopefully that bearing is my low oil pressure problem. The Cadillac dealer refered me to them.

*New terminalogy, formerly refered to as a tax rebate.

SandRider · Post by **SandRider** » 03 Feb 2009 13:46

another reason to escape the cities and go rural, when possible.

I know every county deputy by his first and middle name - most of them
played football, I know their daddies ....

There's a couple of town cops I've not greased up yet, but being a
"local character", they mostly know me on sight.

Instead of "Please step out of the truck" I get alot of "G-ddamit, are you alright ?"

Post by **Freakzilla** » 03 Feb 2009 13:53

SandRider wrote:another reason to escape the cities and go rural, when possible.

I know every county deputy by his first and middle name - most of them
played football, I know their daddies ....

There's a couple of town cops I've not greased up yet, but being a
"local character", they mostly know me on sight.

Instead of "Please step out of the truck" I get alot of "G-ddamit, are you alright ?"

But then I'd have to give up my nice, cozy desk job for something like... working on windmills.

I usually try to keep everything up to date, I've just had a few extra, unaccounted for expenses.

SandRider · Post by **SandRider** » 03 Feb 2009 13:56

they got desk jobs in town - ain't sure what-all they do .....

Post by **Freakzilla** » 23 Feb 2009 11:10

GOD DAMN IT!!!

I go to do my rear break pads last night and broke a caliper bolt... broke a bolt extractor in the caliper bracket... ordered caliper bracket ($40 next day www.rockauto.com

)... reserved rental car... hit the showers...

I reserved a car for the week, hopefully that will give me enough time to get either the Caddy and my van road worthy.

Eyes High · Post by **Eyes High** » 23 Feb 2009 13:08

I feel for you man. I thought we were having problems wiht our vehicles, but i think you have us beat. OUCH.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 23 Feb 2009 13:39

I learned a lot about car engines and auto-maintenance growing up watching my uncles—my mom's three brothers and her sister's husband—working on theirs. (The three brothers were drag racers until a wreck nearly killed one of them.)

I learned to use mechanics.

(Hang in there & good luck!)

Post by **Omphalos** » 23 Feb 2009 14:26

SandChigger wrote:I learned a lot about car engines and auto-maintenance growing up watching my uncles—my mom's three brothers and her sister's husband—working on theirs. (The three brothers were drag racers until a wreck nearly killed one of them.)

I learned to use mechanics.

(Hang in there & good luck!)

I was getting ready to do the Volvo's brakes when the wife totaled it. I HIGHLY recommend that as a great way to eliminate the problem.

Post by **Freakzilla** » 23 Feb 2009 15:19

Omphalos wrote:
SandChigger wrote:I learned a lot about car engines and auto-maintenance growing up watching my uncles—my mom's three brothers and her sister's husband—working on theirs. (The three brothers were drag racers until a wreck nearly killed one of them.)

I learned to use mechanics.

(Hang in there & good luck!)
I was getting ready to do the Volvo's brakes when the wife totaled it. I HIGHLY recommend that as a great way to eliminate the problem.

I've got two I could crash into each other.

I rented an '09 Chrystler 300, sweet!

J A C U R U T U

Zen and the Art of Vehicle Maintenance

Re: on Freak's childrens

Re: on Freak's childrens

Re: on Freak's childrens

Re: on Freak's childrens

on Freak's problem