FW: <VV> Houston - we have a ...

[Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per]

That gene seems to be immune to Darwinian evolution.

My buddy's wife drove her BMW for who knows how long with the "OIL" light 
on, figuring she'd tell my friend to check the oil when she got home.

She never got home because the engine "stopped" (in her words.)  Well, yeah, 
hard to turn over when the pistons are welded to the cylinder walls.

When he went to rescue her, and towed it home, she said, "Oh, by the way, 
check the oil.  The light came on a while back."

He still has the bent, melted crankshaft hanging from his garage ceiling to 
remind him.  Still has the car, but she's long gone.

Keeps mechanics in business though, so I guess that's good (if you're a 
mechanic)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris & Bill Strickland" <lechevrier at earthlink.net>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>; <ilikeoldcars at bellsouth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 5:06 PM
Subject: Re: FW: <VV> Houston - we have a ...


> > > Hindsight is 20/20 but that doesn't do me any good right now. My
> fear is ...
>
> well, yes, and no, and maybe. if we knew why you were going down the road 
> without spares, we might be able to judge what was going on in your mind, 
> and thusly, better interpret your statements --
>
> like, "Looked at my dash and the GEN light was bright red." -- well, when 
> did it come on? while you were looking in the mirror? previously? or don't 
> you know for the same reason you didn't have spares?
>
> if it was on for 5 miles and you didn't notice it, well, your engine is 
> probably fine, because when you go to drive it again with a new fan belt, 
> you won't notice anything even if it isn't fine, so since you won't notice 
> it, it must be fine.
>
> I say this in all sincerity, because some people are just not good 
> potential Corvair owners. People like my nephew. My nephew, (don't ask 
> where he picked up the 'mechanically oblivious' gene, but he did) drove 
> his 1995 Isuzu with the 3.2 V-6, the one that drives the water pump off 
> the back of the timing belt, until the pulley on the water pump pulley had 
> turned blue and the belt had melted to all the various parts it 
> contacts -- I imagine that since the water pump wasn't turning because the 
> bearing had gotten so bad that the impeller broke off a blade on the block 
> and that had jammed the pump and thus the cams weren't turning in sync 
> either, that something on the dash would have indicated trouble, not to 
> mention the screaming of that belt turning the stationary water pump 
> pulley blue and the smell of burning rubber.  Now, my nephew isn't 
> typically classified as 'STUPID' -- he does have a degree from a well 
> known liberal arts college -- he just don't got a feel for machines. 
> Anyway, he drove it until it quit going while trundling down the 
> Interstate, got out his cell, called his dad and asked what was wrong, "It 
> just quit running" -- that was when the cell got handed to me, and no, I 
> couldn't hear the stereo running in the background .
>
> How much old leaked oil has accumulated on your engine? Does it normally 
> smoke like an old oil stove even when the red light isn't on? Does it 
> leave a Large grease spot on the area where it is parked? Is the back of 
> the car all oil spotted, even though you washed it yesterday? Or, is the 
> engine pristinely clean, even on the underside, and you wouldn't mind 
> parking your Spyder in the living room of your mother-in-law if the front 
> door was large enough?
>
> All this stuff makes a difference, so treat us gently. some of us aren't 
> as young as we used to be and it takes a while before we can figure out if 
> you really need help and whether or not our help would be going to good 
> use -- some of us may only have a little time left and we don't want to be 
> wasting it.
>
> > > ... what if I have damaged the engine.
>
> if you have, it will cost a lot of good money to fix it. Some of life's 
> lessons don't come without a cost -- like my nephew, all the books and 
> websites list that Isuzu 3.2 as an interference motor - 24 bent valves at 
> $25 each. It isn't though, so ...
>
> Godspeed!
>
> Bill Strickland
> w/ 95 Trooper added to the stable (got 20 mpg last week on 600 mile trip 
> in the snow with a 5000# 4X4)
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