Yesterday was one of those days that your start early, you go full tilt and when you look back, ??? What the hell did I really get done?
I was up early, checked a little email and then off to get the Jeep to the repair shop. This has been a continuous problem and sore spot with me. Last trip home the “check engine” light comes on. OK, I take it to the repair shop and they hook it up to the “electronic wizard” (a small box that reads engine trouble codes and tells us what is needing checked). It has a problem with oxygen sensors. Oxygen sensors? Hell why sense that, the air has about 7% to 8 % all the time right? Just suck more air into the engine and push it out the tailpipe. Well with all the new “regulated emission controls” we have more sensors and measures and computer controls on cars today that get worse fuel efficiency than the old stuff used to but we are making progress right? Anyway, we set it up for a return visit and they replaced the sensors. Well that worked fine for ….. a day or two then the light comes back on. Take it back and it is still the same thing? He says, lets reset it and see if we just didn’t get it reset right? Ok, sounds good to me. A few days later it has the same problem so we go back and the little magic box says bad sensor and it is running horrible so I guess we got some bad sensors in the replacement so this is “warranty” type stuff. Ok, I have to leave it to be done as I was going back to the “sand-box” and the family picks it up later, parks it in the shop for my return. I get back and the light is still on, now what the HELL is going on here? I take it back, although it is not running bad, but need that annoying light turned off. It now shows 3 new codes all related to the “oxygen sensors” so we set to take it back yesterday to check it out. Turns out it was a fuse out for the heating elements on the sensors. OH by they need to be heated up to measure what should be there anyway? When I got the call it was done the mechanic explains that they had checked the fuse according to the book before but it appears on this particular jeep that is not the correct fuse, they found the correct one and it was blown and replaced it and it all worked and no light. We had a similar problem with replacing the Air conditioner compressor clutch last summer. The one in the book was not the one on this model. I have a unique unit. Anyway, as of today it is fixed and runs ok, More on this later.
If I was interested in doing my own repair, like the old days, I would get me one of those but I am at the point in life that I would rather just hire an “expert” to just “fix-it”. Strange how that works. I now can look back and see all those times I was “saving money” by doing the repairs myself. I did save a few bucks doing them, but in most cases it took me 5 times the amount of time, several more trips to the parts house, aggravation to unknown limits, busted knuckles, scrapped hands, aching back, and other various things to get the same thing done in way less time and way less pinches, pulls, and mental anguish. The only difference in most cases was few dollars more. Now I am not advocating that everyone look at this way. I think there is a need to know and understand how to do things yourself. I also think that there are things that you can do that will save you a lot of money, but there are some things that by the time you get the special tools, the special parts, use of the needed time, etc. you should have just paid the expert to get it done. The big trick, learning enough from past experience to make the educated guess on when to do it yourself and when to hire out.
While I was out, in the wife’s car after dropping off the Jeep, I got gas for it. Then I had several calls from home and work? Seems the management back over there is in a real tizzy about getting the monthly ticket signed and there are several problems with the way things are and my relief has to make a trip to the main office to discuss and get it worked out. I told him I would head home, he could call me there and we would talk over the issues so he could be prepared to get things – fixed or screwed-up? After this one hour phone call I went back to town for lunch, then back home again to get another of the little projects worked out.
At home I started on the mail box lock replacement. Like I said above sometimes you need to hire someone to do things and other times you do it yourself. This one I tackled and it took me over and hour to do a 5 minute job. I already had the new lock but as things turn out, it was bigger, longer, didn’t have the correct locking tab for the box, etc. I had to file out the hole on the mail box so the lock would fit in it, then I had to find the old lock to use the tab off it on the new one as it was bent in the proper amount. I had to find an extra “shim” nut to make up the rest of the lock distance and after that had to file out the tab to fit on the new lock square piece. But with attitude and perseverance I got it done and it works good now. Although I have to go get some more keys made. Once that chore was done we started on moving the security/internet camera from the back porch to the front of the barn that shows the drive and parking area. I wanted to test it first and see if the wireless would work from there so I would not have to run the extra network cables. In the effort I find that the added power box (remember the one from a few days ago) was yet a long ways from the final place to put the camera so we used the extensions I had bought for it the first time to get power up to the far top corner of the barn. It actually was a better spot for the camera as it will be semi protected and probably will not need a full cover put on it in that spot? It wasn’t all that easy as we had to use the tall ladder – the spot we put it is 14+ feet up. We also had to drill a hole through the wall to get the power cord out to the camera and I didn’t want a lot of cable hanging out there either. It works fine shows what we want to show and is far enough removed that it can not be messed with easily. Here is a webpage that updates the pictures from the cameras – WEBCAMS
After this little chore I got the call the jeep was done but I didn’t have time to pick it up and the wife and get home, change, pick up the neighbor,make a rush back to town for the Men’s BB game at 6:30PM so we opted to get the Jeep after the game. That was not exactly a good decision and the place we parked was not actually a good spot, but it is what we did at the time then with 20/20 hind-sight we can really see – boy that was stupid. In shore detail, we parked in a lot where we were in the middle. it was easier walking to the entrance but when we got ready to leave, we were in “grid-lock” trying to get out. We sat there in line for 30 minutes waiting on something to move, one way or the other. But by the time we got out of the parking lot, the traffic was pretty much gone and we made it to the repair shop, got the jeep and then home. After all this, It was best that I not write this note as I would have probably said a few more words that I shouldn’t… Besides all that the Men lost their game and so far this year, I am not sure they look like they are improving?
Tomorrow, the repair guy comes for the Geothermal unit as it has quit working on the heat pump side and the electric meter is spinning so fast you can’t read the numbers on it trying to keep heat going? I am sure I will have other things to focus on as well. I sure would like to get the radio in the shop hooked up before the cold spell hits next week? – WD0AJG