28 August 2013

Why, oh, why does Dolores hate me so?!?!  Took her down to the Green Mountain Garage in Brandon at 0730, whereupon Mike the Mechanic changed the engine oil (finding that Junction Auto had put a transmission oil filter, instead of an engine oil filter, on the engine at the last oil change), changed the transmission oil (very black; supposed to be red) and filter, lubed the chassis, checked the engine antifreeze, and replaced the spark plug wires (original equipment dating from 1996!).  Mike also showed me why you should keep your car battery clean – there was a 7 volt current flow across the top of the (very dirty) truck battery, which explained (we hope) why the battery was losing its charge while Dolores was in repose over several weeks.  As soon as Mike cleaned the battery, Dolores started right up without recourse to the coach batteries.  Amazing!  We also found (and cleaned up) an extensive collection of acorns, pine needles, and other chipmunk detritus on the top of the engine… a catastrophic fire just waiting for the engine to get really hot, like on the trip up to Calais next Monday.  Whew!!!!  So, headed north up Route 7 three and a half hours (and three and a half hundred) later, was just thinking that Dolores has never run so well when she suddenly started shaking up and down substantially.  Vibration went away when I lifted my foot off the gas, but came back as soon as I reapplied power.  Oh, fiddlesticks, says I!  Limped back to Fern Lake (was somewhat in denial mode) where I heard a chick, chick, chick sound coming from the engine exhaust pipe.  Suspecting another Dolores fowl (sic) canard (actually, that one of the newly installed spark plug wires had become detached), immediately motored slowly back to Brandon. Sure enough, Mike found no poultry when he crawled back under the beast… but the most difficult-to-get-to spark plug wire was waving in the breeze!  Fingers, toes, arms, and legs crossed that the problem doesn’t recur on Monday!  Finally back at Fern Lake to stay by noon-thirty, did some grading with the tractor, cast more grass seed on the slope where the old stairway once resided, then loaded the Kubota on the trailer for tomorrow’s excursion to Pittsford.  Spent the remainder of the afternoon mounting various electrical components (low voltage transformer, weather tight GFI outlet box, and mongo wire junction box) onto the waterfront end of the wood walkway.  An Amber Bock slid down way too easy at quitting time!