I hate to blog about practical things, so I’ll evade this one as much and as long as possible. I saw some smoke or steam coming from under the hood while parked at a notorious, hatefully long traffic light this afternoon.
“No, not here!” I moaned, along with many forms of "goddamn", and then I waited and wailed and waited for the light, then waited as if for Xmas for the cars in front of me to fucking get in gear and move! I was close to home and thought I could get there! That was my preference. No wreckers, please!
When I got near my brother-in-law’s house, there was no more smoke, so figured I could make it the couple of more blocks to get home. I did. I raised the hood and observed, but saw nothing. Then I thought, “Duh, better turn the engine on!”
It still seemed okay, so I started to put the car in the garage. But, Steam again! Ratshit. There is something leaking down there where I can’t see it. I can see a drip-drip-drip under there, but not what’s leaking. It’s clearly water, and the radiator showed low after I let it cool to check it. I only ever go on short trips, so I hope I didn’t burn anything. Meanwhile, whom do I know who isn’t too fat or old or both to get down low and see what it is? Even if I have to eventually deal with a real mechanic, I’d like to get some idea what’s going on beforehand.
I’ll kill time. Maybe I don’t need to go on any fucking short trips for a while. Oh, my, our addiction to our cars in America—in combination with alcohol, it does more damage than drugs.
It’s all better (or less bad) than a toothache or a car wreck, I guess, but Jesus, I’ll hate this shit, I know I will.
Aren’t They All Special?
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Although I’ll have to admit that I was obsessed with getting good shots of
the Gambel’s Quail and the Curve-billed Thrashers, I certainly didn’t
ignore all...
21 hours ago
Cars suck. Not having a car sucks more. Here's hoping you get off cheap.
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I leave fixing things to the very last minute, too. Hate the thought of a bill, prefer the wonderful feeling of having a potential bill hanging over my head.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hate that insecure feeling you get when something goes wrong with you car in a busy or strange place. Makes you promise yourself to never leave home again!
ReplyDeleteI would check two places... The hose connection where the water runs into the top of the block and your water pump to make sure the seals aren't leaking. You can sometimes buy time by purchasing Never Leak at Wally World and putting it into your radiator. Sometimes that will buy you almost a year before you have to fix something. If it is the water pump though... sigh, grin, bear it and open the wallet.
ReplyDeleteBet it's a water-pump seal, they generally leak only under pressure. Should, or will, be followed soon by a screeching noise, from the bearing, which CAN, and usually DOES, lock-up just as soon thereafter.
ReplyDeleteTurn your radiator cap one-forth turn left, to the safety lock position, to stop it from building pressure---while you are on your way to the mechanic, that is!!!