Have you ever had one of those days when all you want to do is get home, eat supper, prop up your feet and relax? Yesterday as one of those times - but it didn't happen...
After putting in an hour of OT trying to get a new computer loaded up with software, I left for the house. My commute is about 45 minutes of a toll road at 60 MPH+ and a state 4 lane highway. About the time I got off the toll road and half way down the 4 lane highway, I notice that the voltmeter is down around 11 volts. Its night time and there is a slight drizzle, so the electrical load is up there. The 3G alternator never complained before, so I figured the mass market reman alternator is dying. I think no problem, I just need to find the receipt and get a new one for free. I flick the lights on and off and the voltage goes back up to 13 volts. Humm - what's happening - bad voltage regulator? The voltage slowly comes back to 14+ volts and I keep on driving. I slow down for a stop light and the oil pressure gauge is doing a funny up & down dance. Low pressure is about 20 PSI at 1000 RPM and zero at idle. Did the voltage surge do something to the instrument cluster? I make the turn on to a two lane and then start to smell hot oil. A block later, I pull off the road into the entrance to a high class housing development. I pop the hood open and start looking to see what up. Oil is everywhere, so I pull the dipstick - the tip has a drop of oil on it but not much more. I then realize that the hose for the under the hood oil pressure gauge has sprung a leak. The leak sprayed oil all over the fan belt, making it slip and the alternator output drop off.
Out comes the cell phone for a call to the wife to come tow me home since it is about 5 easy miles. It starts to rain – not good. This starts to accelerate my prayer life and faith level very quickly. The wife arrives and I make an attempt to find a place to hook the tow strap to the Mustang. I’m still wearing a pair of dress pants, dress shirt and shoes. The underside of the car is oil soaked and the pavement is wet – not a good combination to preserve one’s wardrobe. Time for Plan B - a series of calls to the Mobil Auto club for the free towing I am paying for. No luck there – all the redneck tow drivers are busy swilling down beer and eating supper. The auto club guy with his Indian accent tells me that I will have to pay for the towing myself and file for re-imbursement or wait till morning.
Plan C – I really didn’t have a Plan C, so I had to formulate one. Go home, change clothes, and gather up tools, jackstands and lots of battery powered lights. Back to the car with tools and 5 quarts of oil the wife was good enough to get while I called the guy in India for a wrecker in central Florida. I had a pipe plug for the tee fitting to the oil gauge hose, so I jack up the car, place the jack stands and remove the jack. Within 5 minutes, I have the hose disconnected and the plug installed in the tee for the oil pressure gauge hose. Pour the first gallon of oil in and check the dipstick, and it is about a quart or more over the mark. I must have had about 2 quarts of oil left in the engine when I stopped. Start the car, checked for leaks and found none. Put the jack back in place, raise the car enough to get the jackstands out and let it back down. Now I get to gather up all the tools, flashing lights and the cardboard I was laying on and drive home.
The thing that saved me from quickly pumping all the oil out was a trick I leaned as an aircraft mechanic. Every pressure gauge line should have a restrictor orifice in it. In my case, a 10-32 screw threaded into the hose adapter and drilled to about .040 kept the oil from being pumped out in seconds and helped keep the pressure up. Who says God doesn’t watch out for old guys like me? He sure did last night…
After putting in an hour of OT trying to get a new computer loaded up with software, I left for the house. My commute is about 45 minutes of a toll road at 60 MPH+ and a state 4 lane highway. About the time I got off the toll road and half way down the 4 lane highway, I notice that the voltmeter is down around 11 volts. Its night time and there is a slight drizzle, so the electrical load is up there. The 3G alternator never complained before, so I figured the mass market reman alternator is dying. I think no problem, I just need to find the receipt and get a new one for free. I flick the lights on and off and the voltage goes back up to 13 volts. Humm - what's happening - bad voltage regulator? The voltage slowly comes back to 14+ volts and I keep on driving. I slow down for a stop light and the oil pressure gauge is doing a funny up & down dance. Low pressure is about 20 PSI at 1000 RPM and zero at idle. Did the voltage surge do something to the instrument cluster? I make the turn on to a two lane and then start to smell hot oil. A block later, I pull off the road into the entrance to a high class housing development. I pop the hood open and start looking to see what up. Oil is everywhere, so I pull the dipstick - the tip has a drop of oil on it but not much more. I then realize that the hose for the under the hood oil pressure gauge has sprung a leak. The leak sprayed oil all over the fan belt, making it slip and the alternator output drop off.
Out comes the cell phone for a call to the wife to come tow me home since it is about 5 easy miles. It starts to rain – not good. This starts to accelerate my prayer life and faith level very quickly. The wife arrives and I make an attempt to find a place to hook the tow strap to the Mustang. I’m still wearing a pair of dress pants, dress shirt and shoes. The underside of the car is oil soaked and the pavement is wet – not a good combination to preserve one’s wardrobe. Time for Plan B - a series of calls to the Mobil Auto club for the free towing I am paying for. No luck there – all the redneck tow drivers are busy swilling down beer and eating supper. The auto club guy with his Indian accent tells me that I will have to pay for the towing myself and file for re-imbursement or wait till morning.
Plan C – I really didn’t have a Plan C, so I had to formulate one. Go home, change clothes, and gather up tools, jackstands and lots of battery powered lights. Back to the car with tools and 5 quarts of oil the wife was good enough to get while I called the guy in India for a wrecker in central Florida. I had a pipe plug for the tee fitting to the oil gauge hose, so I jack up the car, place the jack stands and remove the jack. Within 5 minutes, I have the hose disconnected and the plug installed in the tee for the oil pressure gauge hose. Pour the first gallon of oil in and check the dipstick, and it is about a quart or more over the mark. I must have had about 2 quarts of oil left in the engine when I stopped. Start the car, checked for leaks and found none. Put the jack back in place, raise the car enough to get the jackstands out and let it back down. Now I get to gather up all the tools, flashing lights and the cardboard I was laying on and drive home.
The thing that saved me from quickly pumping all the oil out was a trick I leaned as an aircraft mechanic. Every pressure gauge line should have a restrictor orifice in it. In my case, a 10-32 screw threaded into the hose adapter and drilled to about .040 kept the oil from being pumped out in seconds and helped keep the pressure up. Who says God doesn’t watch out for old guys like me? He sure did last night…