Date:         Sun, 19 May 1996 21:47:32 CST6CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Dan Houg" <fairwind@northernnet.com>
Subject:      Idiot Award (self)


this could ALSO be entitled 'How Not to Change Oil'

Changed oil on my Toyota(272K miles!) this morning.  couldn't find my oil 
as we've just moved so i bought 4 qts. in town.  was rushing to get 
back in town at noon to buy shingles for our damaged roof- wicked storms this 
weekend.  never rush.  never.  anyway, i pulled the drain plug and 
did the filter thing.  dang it.  forgot to see if i had a drain plug 
gasket.  found a copper one but they always seem to leak, put it in 
anyway.  filled it up.  #$%# plug is leaking despite demonic torque 
on it.  drive in town, still rushing.  pick up shingles and a fiber 
washer.  get home and want to get working on the roof as soon as 
possible, oil is dripping out fast now.  better change washers even 
tho engine is hot.  i'm really smart so i get a baggy to protect my 
hand from the hot oil.  actually i got two, one inside the other (i 
told you i was smart).  get the fiber washer in place, al lready for 
the one-two-three drain plug|gasket swap.  figgure i can hold the hot 
oil in with the baggies over my hand.  faster faster dan, that roof 
needs you.  pull the plug. oh, yeah- my car ramps are tucked away 
somewhere too.  out comes scorching hot oil.  the baggies laugh at me 
and wither into oblivion.  i drop the drain plug into the oil pan 
followed by 4 quarts of new oil.  the new fiber washer is still held 
in my free hand, awaiting its role like a faithful labrador 
retriever.

after fishing the drain plug out of the pan, installing the new 
washer, and with a calm despondence threading it into the pan 
i realize i don't have any more oil at home.  i scour my garage, 
packed stem to stern with movings and find a case of Castrol 
synthetic 15-50 i was saving for a special evening with my Westy.  
begrugdingly, i pour $16 worth of oil into a car that will need an 
oil change in another 4 weeks.

as i was cleaning up and preparing to go up on the roof i lift up a 
box of roofing tools i'd used yesterday.  underneath it was the case 
of 10-40 dino i was looking for all along. 

at least the roof went well.  :)

Never Rush.
-dan