Wasted Days

[stomachmonkey]

Friday,

So we closed the office early on Friday, the wife had errands to run and it was not snowing or raining and was actually above 40 degrees in NY, woo hoo.

Time to get in that oil change and replace my failed oil pressure sending unit.

Stopped by my wrench to ask what size crow's foot I need for the pressure sending unit and he lends me his custom shaved down wrench, love those guys, (shameless plug coming) RPM Racing In Huntington NY, they're the best.

I'm always amazed at the amount of oil that comes out of these things, it's like being on the wrong end of an elephant on holiday in Mexico if you get my drift. Happy to say I only spilled a few drops. Wife gets back and puts the 8 month old in for a nap and takes the 4 year old food shopping.

While the oil is draining I tackle the sending unit, custom crow's foot fits like a glove but man is this thing on tight. Is that the baby crying? Turn on the monitor and he is screaming his head off and I'm filthy.

OK, let's put some oil in this thing and button it up. Dump in a couple of gallons of oil and fire it up so the temp comes up and I can top it off properly, kid is screaming like a banshee and I figure i've got maybe another 5 minutes before the neighbors call the cops and they haul me away for child neglect. And then it starts to rain.

Look under car and what the hell is that huge oil leak? Sending unit was on so tight that instead of it breaking loose the block it sits in came loose so now the car is dumping oil everywhere, so much for my clean driveway. As I'm putting everything back together the female end of the wire for the sending unit falls off the wire, corroded. GREAAAT.

Screw it, run inside, change clothes and clean up to deal with Jr. Naturally after I sit down with him the sun comes out and he falls asleep.

Wife gets home, hand off Jr. and head back outside. Now i've got to take the AC compressor and bracket off to tighten up the oil line and stop the leak. Figure I can get to the sending unit or remove the block that it sits in if the bracket is out of the way. If only it where that simple.

To make a long story short I fixed the leak and it's going to RPM to get the sending unit changed.

Saturday,

So for the last week or so we've had this odd smell in the house. I figured something crawled under the house and died and now that it's getting warmer mother nature is doing her thing.

My house was rebuilt form the foundation up 9 years ago, the foundation was also extended to make the house larger so under a part of the house I've got a crawl space inside a larger crawl space.

Go under house and make my way to the "old" section. Why do I hear dripping? Peer into old section and it becomes very clear very quickly. Main waste pipe has broken and everything that should have been going into my cesspool for the last week or two is has now created a several inch deep lake under my house. Oh *****, literally.

Explain the situation to the wife, tell her I'm heading to Home Depot to get a pump and some hose. Can't fix the pipes until I get rid of the lake. She says call a plumber or cesspool service. Try finding one on Easter weekend. So I manage to get someone who tells me they will come by this afternoon and start pumping. Pack the wife and kids and send them to the in laws.

While I'm waiting let me tighten up my front wheel bearings and replace my shift coupler bushings. How exactly does one get the grease cap off? Cause I tried and could not get them to budge. Screw it let me do the coupler. Turns out PO stripped the allen bolt hole on the coupler. GREAAAT. Looks like I'm drilling that out one day.

Cesspool guy calls after letting me wait for 6 hours. Trucks are full and the dump is closed so we will see you Monday.

I guess it's a good thing that I got rid of the guns when my daughter was born because I really feel like shooting something right now.

I'll have to settle for kicking the dog.

Oh yeah, I'm outa beer and also need to use the bathroom, which I can't.



Scott

[david914]

Can't use the bathroom, eh? Good thing you're outta beer.

[ischmitz]

can only get better from here, can't it. Happy Easter,
Ingo

EDIT: it could be worse. Picture you would be living in a mobile douple-wide with easy access to the neighbors jon and could move the thing out of the way to drain the see and fix the plumbing.

Then get in your Honda Accord that hasn't broken down in the last 18 years. No project to takle ecxept the trip to Jiffy Lube every now and then. Now that would be painful.

[lateapex911]

Jeeeez, that is a rough couple of days.

When things like that happen to me (and they do!) I do two things: Blame myself because EVERTHING is avoidable, then when I'm really depressed, I think about how I may be a scmuck, but look at all the other schmucks worse off than me! Wow...what am I complaining about! Attitude adjustment.....

Nonetheless, you have my sympathy!

Now remember methane is flammable, so no going into the house for a smoke, OK?