Time for an update...
The Saga of the beater...
When I bought the car, that radiator had a tiny leak. I topped it off every other day. Some a*shat had filled the radiator with black pepper to try and stop the leak... effectively clogging about half of the radiator. With the radiator 1/2 clogged, I couldn't use my A/C. Last week, I bought a nice Griffin 3 row aluminum rad from a friend. I decided that I would install it Sunday. I figured while I had the system opened, I might as well replace the water pump too. Cheap insurance, right?
Sunday-
12:15pm- Open Shop, Pull car in, drain coolant. Pick up tools while coolant drains.
12:40pm- Remove old, leaky, 1/2 clogged radiator. Remove fan shroud and fan.
1:00pm- Remove brackets attached to water pump.
1:10pm- Remove bolts from water pump. The very last bolt (closest to driver side) breaks off in the block. Cursing ensues.
1:45pm- Finish off 3rd beer, gather my composure, find tools that I threw when bolt snapped.
2:00pm- Start removing harmonic balancer. Its never been off, so that's lots of fun.
2:30pm- Remove timing cover
2:45pm- Try to remove whats left of broken bolt with vice grips after heating block with torch.
3:00pm- Throw vice grips into woods beside shop. Curse ford engineers and their water pump studs.
3:10pm- Weld nut to remainder of broken bolt
3:11pm- Break remainder of broken bolt off flush with block.
3:12pm- Open beer, contemplate burning whole shop down.
3:30pm- Regain my composure, begin drilling out broken bolt.
4:00pm- Achieve holt in bolt big enough for "Easy Out".
4:01pm- Break "Easy Out" off in broken bolt. Curse all of humanity, contemplate jumping off roof of shop. Decide on bottled water.
4:30pm- Begin using Carbide burr to remove broken "Easy Out"
6:00pm- FINALLY Remove last bit of "Easy Out". Re-commence drilling broken bolt.
6:30pm- Finish drilling out broken bolt. Chase threads in block with thread tap. Double check that new bolt threads into hole.
6:40pm- Reinstall timing cover. Begin praying that it doesn't leak.
7:00pm- Reinstall harmonic balancer. Drink beer, think about what an awesome mechanic I am.
8:00pm- Tighten up new water pump, install fan/shroud/belt, drop new radiator in, fill/bleed system. I'm the man.
8:30pm- Test drive, close up shop. Go inside and plead with wife for forgiveness for "2 hours top" job taking 8 hours.
Monday-
Drive car to work and back home, all is well. A/C blows nice and cold, temp gauge stays nice and low.
Tuesday-
Drive car to work. No leaks, life is good. Leave work, drive 20ish miles back to town. Go get the boys from school. Leave the school, car starts stumbling and dies. Remembering that the kids are in the car, I withhold profanities. Catch a ride home with a friend. Get wife to take me back an hour later... damn thing fires right up. Go home, say to hell with it. Go inside and sit on the couch.
Wednesday-
Drive car to work, all systems go. Leave work early, drive to the shoe store 25 miles away to get new work boots. Drive back to town from shoe store (35 miles), everything is hunky-dory. Go get my hair cut. Leave barber shop, car begins to stumble and dies while sitting at a busy red light. More obscenities. Push car through traffic and into parking lot. Call wife to come get me.
Wife is not happy.
She arrives, takes me to parts house where I buy TFI module and tool. Replace TFI in parking lot, car fires right up. Head home at high rate of speed. Pull in shop, readjust timing and idle. Leave shop for test drive, immediately smell antifreeze. Damn heater hose at the firewall blew out. Borrow unhappy wifes car to go get new hose. Finish up right at 9pm.
Thursday (today)-
Car seemed happy on the drive to work this morning. I guess we will see if it dies again in the heat this afternoon. If it does, I very well may just set it on fire.
Wish me luck lol!
