2021-01-26 — Busy Busy Busy

Hola, my peeps. 😊

Another pretty decent day today without the continuous ridiculousness 😊. In fact, my first job went pretty fabulously, honestly. I figured out a way to do a three-hour job in under 2 hours. That was super cool. Supposedly, you have to take the axle out to replace the alternator on a 2006 Kia Sportage, but instead of pulling the axle out, I undid the outer tie rod, unbolted the power steering high pressure line from a few brackets that hold it in place, and I was just barely able to squeeze it out.

Wahoo. 😊

The second job was… not the first 🙃. It was a crank, no start that died while driving. Sounded like the engine was locking up, but it was find while rotating by hand. The AC compressor bearing was going bad, at least it sounded so to me, and it was partially catching on the clutch, so I removed the AC compressor and put in a bypass belt.

But… it still wouldn’t start, and then something crazy happened. Went to crank it over and it would’t stop cranking. Turn the key off? Still cranked. Take the key out? Still cranked. So scrambled lighting quick to get the battery undone before it fried the starter, which I managed to do, but then as soon as I tried to reconnect the battery cable, it tried to start again.

😶

Figured out the starter solenoid was fried. Thought we solved the issue. Put in a new starter solenoid (fender mounted), and it fired right up.

I thought I was done. Turned it off while I was looking for my multimeter. Went to start it again, but… back to the same crank, no start. Same issue as before.

And then…

The starter stayed cranking again! I again raced around, this time pulling the ignition wire from the starter solenoid, but it stayed cranking.

That’s not supposed to be possible, as the ignition wire is the one that supplies the power to close the circuit in the relay. Remove the wire, remove the power, open the circuit.

So… at that point, my brain exploded, and I had to throw up the white flag–after three+ hours of thinking, now we have it figured out. Only to have it be another distraction.

I still don’t know what’s happening. Somehow, something is frying the starter solenoid enough to force to to stay going even after the power is removed rom it. I’m wondering if maybe the starter itself is shorting out and super heating the solenoid enough to weld the contacts inside together?

Got me.

Stumped.

White flag.

Farming out.

Next.

So… I gave up, billed for just the service call, since I had done quite a bit, and he was better off, just still not better off with the original issue (billed for one hour instead of 3+). Then it was on to the next one, another crank no start, this one a GM product instead of a Ford. This one… she hadn’t changed the cap and rotor in… 16 years?

😶

That cap and rotor were in absolutely awful condition. The rotor bug was literally like thread thin and disintegrated. The contacts on the cap were so corroded they looked like fat layers of mold were all around them.

I’m amazed that truck had been running all this time.

Wow.

Anyway, I was happy with myself for figuring out that issue. Then it was on to the last one that was a no crank, no start, but it started up for me without any issues, so I walked them through what they could do if it happened again, and I pointed out a coolant leak they were having, and that was that.

Went to Subway with my buddy Jimmy, chatted about life. He paid me for the work we did for him last month, and now I’m home, writing in my journal. I got home about 9:15 ish, I think, and I’ve been… uh… wasting time sort of decompressing.

Gonna snow tonight. Gonna be super cold tomorrow, and I’m gonna be out in it all day–on my mom’s birthday (because I didn’t think or plan very well). It’ll be one of those days where I go sit in the truck to warm up before braving going back out. Gonna be a tough one. Arkansas is windy, and the cold… oh, it cuts right through to the bone, even with the layers I wear.

It’s nutty.

Anyway, so there you go. Onward we go.

#1. I’m grateful that I have warm clothes to wear on cold days. Might not be perfectly warm, but I do fine.

#2. When I don’t do fine, I’m grateful to have money to pay for the gas that runs the Durango heater, so I can warm up in the car.

#3. I’m grateful to come home to several bags of frozen mangoes. Thanks, mom!

#4. I’m grateful to have another day go decently well. Had the one rough one, but the one I was most worried about turned out to be the biggest success, so to speak.

#5. I’m grateful to be 3 days sober now. Onward.

Thought of the Day: “People Who Are Crazy Enough To Think They Can Change The World, Are The Ones Who Do.” – Rob Siltanen

Yes. 😊

Lift the World.

~ stephen

And… for a friend…

You can do this.

Yes. You can.