Date:         Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:08:03 -0700
Reply-To:     Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Broke it better
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

The Westy needs inspection this month and in preparation I planned to replace the fuel filter with the one I bought last year so the guy at the shop won’t say (again), “You might want to change the filter.”  The van is running beautifully, but this list inspires me to do a little bit more to help make it just a little bit better and I thought that, while I can pay him to do the filter and rotate the tires, these are jobs I can do myself, even if it is another typical Richmond summer Saturday.  Car grunge loves to stick to sweaty skin.

Under the van I scope out the situation and assemble the tools.  I had even bought new fuel hose and clamps since the old stuff is looking cracked and crusty.  Those original-looking clamps are devilish to remove but I got the old filter off and thought that I might as well replace the short run of hose from the pump to the filter inlet.  The Bosch pump itself works fine, mind you, but I just wanted to remove that last clamp on that last little piece of hose when the PLASTIC nipple on the pump outlet snapped off.  Insert your choice of invective here.  The last time I tasted gasoline it was 55 cents a gallon and the flavor has not improved since.

If there’s anything I HATE it’s having trouble in the form of an ancillary item not even the target of the job breaking and compounding the hassle and the expense tenfold.  Drop a ring down the drain and end up replumbing that end of the house; you know the drill.

I will buy a new pump to be the spare that everyone on the list recommends carrying, but I am going to fix this sumbitch and put it back on, by God, and the van WILL run with it.

Rant over.  I hope your day went better.

Stephen