Oh O 2......

And the saga continues........

So...now you know I have the car home and safe and sound....but what transpired next just wasn't fair to me how it all turned out. The following day after having the car towed and placed on the curb side, I decided to try to 'crank ' her over and low and behold....vrrroooom away it runs and pretty good to boot!
Well...astatic I am...and thinking a bit of good fortune is on my shoulder. Oh ya....right ...lol !!
I knew it had an 'overheating' problem so I figured I might as well take care of that issue and do what has to be done. That should eliminate my situation that got me to this point.....right ???? I shuttle off to my neighborhood auto parts store and pick up a new thermistat figuring the original is just too crudded up and not functioning properly. After about a few hours and becoming 'dirty and greasy'..I manage to get to the point to put water into the radiator without it leaking anywhere except for a small tiny spray coming from the bottom hose of the 'fill container' to the radiator and heater system. Now...I don't know if you are aware of how these 'closed systems' work...but they seem to run the water around backtracking thru all kinds of metal tubing and balanced pressure designs. Unlike the older vehicles... water in water out of the radiator. Well....that little 'leak'....particularly under pressure is really a nightmare to correct because the joint is only held in place by a small pressure type spring clip. Every time the engine shakes....that bottom hose is 'praying' to remain in place for there is nothing else holding it. Now that you have that mental image in your mind.....I cranked over the car..and wow....I didn't know this car had a 'geyser'. Yup...you guessed it ...that bottom hose let loose. Water srayed everwhere......it was awesome ! However, it didn't help me none...lol....
Well after the passing of about 5 hrs of constantly trying to keep that hose connection in place after each starting of the engine....I manage to succeed.
You probably know I felt pretty good after I made the repairs for the final time and again the engine started without too much trouble except it took a few more revolutions for it to catch and one thing this car did very well was to start on only a half a crank.....Well it used too ! I didn't think that would be too much of an issue even it it remained to be a hard starter....lol
Ok...now the car is running and I decided to let it do it's thing for about 15 mins to allow some pressure and heat to build up. I couldn't ask for anything more.....running smooth..and rather cool...heck ...even the radiator fan was working ,kicking in quicker than before. I had it 'made in the shade'. Well, cutting to the chase, I took the car around the neighborhood feeling a might smug.....Another job well done....or so I thought !
I backed the car into my driveway after a few spins around the block and went into the house to clean up my hands and wash my face removing any evidence of me tinkering with the trouble maker.......lol..:)....A good day was my thought !
Well...I came out thinking I would shut off the engine...and probably 'charge' the battery with the external charger since over the past day or so I took out probably more 'juice' than I was putting in. But low and behold upon returning to the car I noticed it seemed a bit more quieter than normal for a running car.....lol...not that it made a lot of noise running....but something just didn't seem right. Sure enough....it wasn't running....hmmmmm.....no problem...I thought....I'd just crank it right over and be back in business.....Oh Ya.....Right !!!
I cracked the key over....and the engine went into its 'rrrrmmm...rrrrrmmmm...rmmmm....clunk, click...click'...and then 'silence' mode. Now what the heck.....well...boys and girls...yup.....the engine won't turn over any more...it's seized. Dead silence when the key turns.....nadda..zip..zero....no spin ....no go ..dead as a door nail ..hmmmm !!
Mind you ....this is a 4 cyl...and bearings are known to crap out around 80k miles ...well...I guess I came as close to the jackpot as anyone could....I had 78k+ miles on it......hmmmmmm ....bummer....:(
So there is a life's little lesson in here somewhere......look at the little signs and not the big sludge hammer that falls on you to let you know...maybe you should rethink your original ideas and thoughts and make wiser decisions before you get your hands dirty.
So the bottom line is ....now there is a new 2006 Camery sitting in the driveway with only 6 miles on it.....I do think I have some ways to go before I need to get my hands dirty again....considering the factory states 125k miles...for the first tuneup....lol :)....
And just a footnote to this story......since I still don't own title to the older car...I can't even 'junk it'...until the note is paid off.....upside down I am.....Seems like one always pays and pays in life and always seems to come up short....even if just a little :)...lol.......
So with a smile on my face....a spirit of tomorrow being another adventure.......life goes on !
Till next time.....happy trails to you .....and make sure ...the movie you go to see ...is worth a mortgage payment'...or a new car...lol :)