Last Wed the brakes on my pick up got down to the wear indicator (squealer) so I got new pads, stopped at Wall Mart for some groceries and when I came out the starter had stopped on a no contact spot. I called AAA and the roadside assist driver laid under the truck and tapped on the starter and it fired right up.
I took the pick up home and put the brake pads on. Thur & Fri we drove the truck to garage sales and all our errands etc. I mean what`s the chances of the starter stopping on that spot again? Just as we were ready to come home from our last stop the starter landed on the same spot but this time I took a little hammer with me and I laid under the truck and tapped the starter while Glenda started the truck. It was only 4:00 in the afternoon so when we got home I put the truck on Jack stands so it would cool off while I drove my whats left of my 452,761 mile El Camino over to NAPA to get one of their Lifetime Guarantee starters (usually lasts for about 6 mo) and on the way home just as I turned half way into the driveway the lower right ball joint broke and the whole thing fell on the ground. So it`s out to the end of the driveway with 2 floor jacks. One to raise the center of the car and the other to jack up the lower A Arm so I could put the broken ball joint back into the socket. Then chain the upper and lower A Arms together so it would stay off the ground long enough to get it out of the street (back half anyway) and up the driveway to the shop. By now its 8:00 and getting dark fast. The mosquito`s hadn`t been fed yet so I went ahead and changed the starter and backed the pick up out of the shop and replaced it with the El Camino. Sat I spent the whole day pretending I didn`t even own a El Camino. "It Felt Great". Sun is lawn mowing day. Mon rolls around and reality sets in.
Got 2 lower and 2 upper ball joints and 2 tie rod ends and a centerlink and installed them all today. Suspension and steering feel about half ass normal again. I should be thankful for the 2 good things that did come out of my run of bad automotive luck. One, we got good stuff at the garage sales and two, My NAPA lifetime Guarantee starter has lasted 4 days without having to hit it with the hammer. Next week it`s work on the XS650 build and I don`t give a damn what breaks.
I took the pick up home and put the brake pads on. Thur & Fri we drove the truck to garage sales and all our errands etc. I mean what`s the chances of the starter stopping on that spot again? Just as we were ready to come home from our last stop the starter landed on the same spot but this time I took a little hammer with me and I laid under the truck and tapped the starter while Glenda started the truck. It was only 4:00 in the afternoon so when we got home I put the truck on Jack stands so it would cool off while I drove my whats left of my 452,761 mile El Camino over to NAPA to get one of their Lifetime Guarantee starters (usually lasts for about 6 mo) and on the way home just as I turned half way into the driveway the lower right ball joint broke and the whole thing fell on the ground. So it`s out to the end of the driveway with 2 floor jacks. One to raise the center of the car and the other to jack up the lower A Arm so I could put the broken ball joint back into the socket. Then chain the upper and lower A Arms together so it would stay off the ground long enough to get it out of the street (back half anyway) and up the driveway to the shop. By now its 8:00 and getting dark fast. The mosquito`s hadn`t been fed yet so I went ahead and changed the starter and backed the pick up out of the shop and replaced it with the El Camino. Sat I spent the whole day pretending I didn`t even own a El Camino. "It Felt Great". Sun is lawn mowing day. Mon rolls around and reality sets in. Got 2 lower and 2 upper ball joints and 2 tie rod ends and a centerlink and installed them all today. Suspension and steering feel about half ass normal again. I should be thankful for the 2 good things that did come out of my run of bad automotive luck. One, we got good stuff at the garage sales and two, My NAPA lifetime Guarantee starter has lasted 4 days without having to hit it with the hammer. Next week it`s work on the XS650 build and I don`t give a damn what breaks.
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