Not The Best Day So Far
2/28/2

Crapity crap crap. And it sure isn�t a day where it would be productive for me to listen to Rage Against The Machine. But I did on the way into work.

Aisai�s new 626 got out of the shop, again, yesterday. Rather than going in for some routine maintenance like last week when we got the timing belt fixed, it went in since there was a �knocking� according to Aisai. They changed out the front bearings and power steering pump.

Now, the power steering pump, yeah, I�m all for that action. The loser who put the transmission fluid in it should be drawn and quartered. And then peed on by mooses. And eaten by crows.

Transmission fluid has a different coefficient of thermal expansion than does power steering fluid. It�s about three to four times cheaper too. When a person�s power steering pump starts to leak, as Aisai�s had, people who are cheap will listen to their buddies at work and add transmission fluid. Then as the transmission fluid expands under heat, it will rupture the seals of the pump. And you need a new pump.

We were in that situation because the previous owner was a one of those kinds of people who would do that.

In the last two weeks, we�ve spent just a little under $2000 on Aisai�s new car. The Camry sold for $1200 and we only had around $700 in savings. I decided that I�d drive the 626 to see if there was any knocking.

I cranked it and it was nice and quiet. I put it in gear and it made a ticky, razzy noise. I backed out of the garage and slowly went down the road listening to that noise and then took the right headed to the park. No knock noise.

Aisai had said that it did it most when she was turning.

I go down to the park�s parking lot and do some doughnuts, slowly, and get no knock or extra sounds. Then I decide to go home. All this time I had been driving very slowly, but now I wanted home.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!

Under acceleration, the car feels like you�re hitting the engine with a sledgehammer.

Now...let me tell you this thing. When we got the car back last time, when we were looking at the engine for some reason, oh, the razzy noise and Aisai said the knocking, I noticed that there were two washers sitting toward the back of the engine bay near the hood hinge.

I don�t think they reattached one of the engine mounts when they did the timing belt. I�m sure I�ll know by the end of the day.

And when I get in my car, my CD player rejects four CDs that I know it has liked before. I try a CDR mix. Try it again. Then try Moby � Play. It grrrs at all of them and spits them out. Then I try, of all things for my lousy, angry mood, The Battle of Los Angeles by Rage Against the Machine. Grr ggrr...ok. I took it.

[Later]

The internet was down when I tried to post this and, really, the CPR/AED class was exactly what I needed. Got me away from the things at work that had been bothering me, made me focus on life and death stuff so that my perception of the 626 isn�t that bad.

It�s at the shop. I called Aisai at break in the class and asked her if she mentioned the motor mount. She didn�t. I asked her to call. As it stood when I talked to her they couldn�t get the car to do it and she�s probably with them now driving the car trying to get it to do it�s thing.

The new Survivor starts tonight. It makes me feel like exercising.