"Keep a Journal: How else are you going to get a good look at who you were?"

Monday, October 12, 2009

Well...yes, actually.

The Caravan's engine is running without steaming. I was so elated that I threw caution to the winds and took it thru aircare on Saturday without so much as a tune-up.

It didn't pass. Then again, I wasn't really expecting it to.

All the emissions gear is in place and evidently working correctly, so they gave me a 90 day conditional. I could try a tune up and some automotive patent medicine (ie: Bardahl No Smoke), but I think it will be easier if I just flog this sucker outside the Lower Mainland. It looks good, it runs strong, it doesn't leak anything, and the transmission has less than 3000k on it. VMR says I can get about 2000 for it. I can only ask for that here in Vancouver if it passes aircare. We'll see.

I'm changing careers.

It's time. My heart just isn't into working for HBC anymore. I dented the conveyor incline at work while swapping out a clamp attachment on the #2 dockstocker. When you keep running into things because your mind is elsewhere...and you long ago stopped caring whether or not you are "getting the job done"...it's time to move on.

Here's where I am.

Separated 18 months. Financial part of separation agreement set out. No agreement yet for property division or child custody.

Credit debt: I have the means to pay it off in full now, if I want to starve for awhile. Instead I will park some (at 2%) and pay off the rest.

Assets: 1 used vehicle in good condition ready for sale. A second used vehicle needing a minor repair and a replacement tire. My great Aunt's legacy also arrived and I will be seeing about its disposition. Savings account is solid. Separation package from HBC will likely include getting my pension contributions back. Enough, perhaps, to go back to school for a few months?

Perhaps.

The thought of shifting out of my comfort zone ("rut"), no longer scares me. This is a time of opportunity, and I'm actually a little excited about it.

Stay tuned.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Am I ever going to have wheels before winter?

Checked in with Atkinson and Terry insurance tonight. Turns out the plates from the white van are now no good because the insurance is expired. The green van needs aircare, so I can't even put plates on it. I don't think it will pass aircare because it's still blowing a little steam...not nearly as much as the first time, mind you; but bad enough.

I may just take it through anyway on Saturday. What have I got to lose?

In the meantime, I need to get my one and only (so far) credit card back up and active so I can buy a bottle of blue devil and hope that seals up the engine. Ditto for coolant flush, a flush kit (or new hose clamps for mine), and fresh coolant. Might also want to do an oil change before this is over. Oh, and I could really use some additive to quiet down the valve lifters. One of them is probably stuck, if the castanet player under the hood is any indication.

I am wondering about the wisdom of trying to unload this sucker. If I can get everything to work, will it be worth it?

I'm already dealing with...issues.

The fuel gauge doesn't work. I am told that a solid hit with a rubber mallet on the fuel tank will sometimes jar 'em loose. I may give that a try. The battery keeps going dead, and for no good reason that I can tell. I think I gave Dad back his old charger before they moved. Granpa Stouten's charger doesn't work at all. I keep having to pull the battery from the cavalier to start the van.

The Cavalier is another issue. L didn't just grab that new tire she bought for it, she grabbed the whole wheel. A replacement will cost 25$ from a wrecker; maybe I can get one with a tire still attached? Yeah...keep on dreaming. The steering rack appears to be functional. If I can determine what bit of the steering gear is leaking (my favorite suspect is the connecting hoses), I may just replace whatever is worn, rather that replacing the whole steering rack.

So much to do...and all before it starts to freeze.

I figure I have about another ten days...at most.

Stay tuned.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

But wait! There's more!

The Great Caravan Adventure: The final ignominy.

Well, it runs. It runs very well, actually...

BUT.

There's coolant leaking into one (or more) of the cylinders; causing lots of white smoke/bubbles in the coolant/coolant in the oil, etc. The leak isn't bad enough to either drag on or hydraulic the engine...but it is bad enough that the van will never pass aircare the way it is now.

I give up. In the meantime, I'll switch to the Cavalier. Now that the Van is at least mobile, I can move it to the end of the driveway and bring the Cav back to where I can drop out the steering rack. At least the Cav runs...

I'm going to try flushing the coolant system thoroughly and then treating the engine with Blue Devil. If that doesn't work...I'll see what I can get for it as salvage.
Update Time!

Work: I'm re-instated and no further incidents to report. We've instituted a new system for our storage trailers that is working well enough that I am confident we will get through most (if not all) of our backlog by the time I go on vacation in two weeks. I don't know who came up with this system but it's sheer genius. I no longer have to call trailers on and wait to see if they show up. We were getting 2-4 trailers done per shift using that "method". Now, I make up a list of outstanding pick trailers (usually dates from the previous week or earlier - eek!) and we run three doors on the crossdock. All I have to do is tell the gatehouse when I'm finished a door and to bring the next trailer. More precisely; the next trailer that they are able to find and move easily. Our yard is uncommonly crowded lately and it is going to take another week or so to get the situation under control. From a list of say, twenty trailers, they are usually able to find and move at least half of them. I've gone from 2 per shift up to 8 or more per shift. Running three doors means very little wait time between picks. Ideally; I'll be working one door, while a new trailer is being put on at the second door, and another (finished) trailer is being taken away from the third! Like I said, this is working really well.

The Caravan Adventure: the Final Chapter.

I managed to get the crankshaft pulley bolt and harmonic balancer off the crankshaft without an impact wrench. I removed the starter and jammed three Stanley screwdrivers into the starter port. You know, the screwdrivers with the big acrylic handles that are shaped like gears? Did a very effective job of holding the engine still while I removed and later re-installed the bolt. Ended up with ring gear marks on my large #2 Roberts, but more importantly; no damage to the engine or transmission. Today I'm going to complete the re-re-re-assembly, and hopefully the bucket 'o bolts will run this time. I believe that it will. Then...insurance and aircare, and THEN I have to "doll it up" to prep it for sale. Paint scratches, spots on the carpet, that sort of thing. Might also take a pressure washer to the underside of the engine compartment.

Got a few errands to run with it too...before I let it go up for sale.

It's getting on towards noon now...I best get going on it.