Lost weekend

what a WASTE of time.

Started doing some simple fixes on my truck (88 f150). Low beams were shorting out finally decided to fix it.

Took a long time to find it. Had to pull connectors - move stuff - trace everything out -

found the problem - a worn wire, kind of deep in the fender area...

Got it all patched up - and was proud of a good (albeit overdue) fix.

Went to move the truck - cranked, but wouldn't start. Not getting any spark at all.

The truck HAD been running like a top.

OBVIOUSLY it was something I just did - some connection I broke - or some connector I separated - or ... something.

Spent the rest of yesterday and all of today trying to figure out what I broke.

More scientific tests pointed to the ignition module, but couldn't believe it was that - but - finally pulled the distributor - removed the module - tested it - all well within spec as expected...

AT my wits end - finally decided to try a new module anyways - $55 later -

popped the new one in - put everything back together...

Truck fired right up.

WHAT are the CHANCES an ignition module would DIE - right WHILE I'm doing electrical work.

I had the battery disconnected the whole time I was working on wiring harnesses, etc. I can't see how I could have blown the thing myself.

I think it just decided to die NOW.

had I not been assuming it was headlight work that caused the problem, I probably could have fixed it in 1 tenth the time...

SOOOOO frustrating.

BUT - my trucks working again so I can't be too mad. Was worried there for a while.

I had a rough Saturday, so I treated myself to ...the chance... of having a good time in Orange... it was! You should have went too!

I was actually thinking about it!! It was a rare weekend of NO responsibilities whatsoever.

But figured I might as well just fix that little headlight problem and get something CONSTRUCTIVE done first before doing something fun...

man oh man ...

I guess on a positive note, I had the truck parked and ready to be worked on.

It COULD have happened driving around in ORANGE!

After 150k miles without a problem, one day I drove my truck into the garage and it turned off as I grabbed the key (but didn't turn it). Ignition module died. I figured "what are the odds"? Right next to my tool box and everything.

these ignition modules must be pretty smart.

I had an Olds 88 once that quit on me a half dozen times. Let it sit for a half hour and it would start right up and run fine.

After it had done it a few times, I noticed it just did it in situations when it would get hot under the hood, idling in a bank driveup line, etc. There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground the next time it did it, so I jumped out, grabbed a handful of snow, and held it under the ignition module til the snow melted. Got back in the car and it fired right up.

Problem solved. The module was even still within a three year warranty.

Wife"s Buick has had a faulty fuel gauge for months. I told her to set the trip odometer to zero on every fill up and get to the gas station when it hits 300 miles which is about right for city driving. Well, it made her nervous so I fixed it this past weekend. It was easy to remove the fuel pump and put back in the car. The trouble was the retaining ring with 3 slots that line up with the three tangs. I even made my own special tool to fit the outer groove in the retaining ring. Nothing doing, 2 of the tangs fit right in the grooves but the third was not about to fit through the slot. Tried everything I could think of. Finally used a small vice grip and got the stubborn tang through the slot and clamped it so it couldn"t move then lined up the other 2. This was an 8 hour job just to get that retainer back in place. The other work took about 30 minutes. I"d like to meet the engineer who thought that one up!

Yeah, it seems every time I work on my cars/truck, I say the same thing about auto engineers. But, this past weekend......

I needed an oil change in my 2012 Nissan Sentra and decided to do it myself. Kind of cringed when I opened the hood, having never had a foreign car before. Expected the engineering to be foreign to me as well.

What a surprise, the oil filter was right up front where I could reach it from the engine compartment. The drain plug was easily accessible. Jacked up the car and hardly had to crawl under the car to get to it. I took off the filter expecting the usual gush of black oil, but it was empty, because it was mounted horizontally in the front and jacking up the car drained it back into the system. What a pleasure. Literally took 5 minutes to change the oil.

keep a extra in glovecompartment