Mrs. Blueberry is back in business. Following the unexpected return of her
starter motor this afternoon, when I had been told this morning it would
most likely be next week before I could get my hands on it, I went back out
to the museum this evening and re-installed it. This turned out to be
infinitely easier than removing it. Still very fiddly to get to the two
nuts that secure it, but with everything cleaned up, it was far easier.
Putting back on the electrical connections was also no big deal. I
re-attached the cables to the battery and . . . presto, the car fired up
immediately. The rejuvenated starter spins the motor at least three times
faster than before! It's fairly astonishing.
Of course, I should have done it a long time ago. Such procrastination led
to the need for a wrecker and having to beat the bushes to get it done
quickly. I was one start short of my goal of getting the car to the museum
on Wednesday evening, as I usually have Thursdays off and could get the work
done.
The starter came back looking brand new. I don't know how they got it done
so quickly, except they said they had all the parts needed right to hand and
I am a long time customer who has referred a lot of business to them. I
wish the body shop with the Chrysler was so expedient. The woman I am
dealing with was, however, very helpful today and said she could get me a
rental very inexpensively - to me, that is. Now Mrs. Blueberry is more
reliable, I shall not need to utilize the offer.
I took the opportunity this evening to check the tires and most of the
fluids. I was happy to see the transmission fluid level so static.
Likewise the radiator. Oil consumption, though still high by normal
standards, is nowhere near as bad as it was just recently, and the car does
not seem to be smoking anywhere near as badly. Regrettably, oil is still
evacuating from the filler pipe, but not much. Following this week's thread
that some cars seem to always run low, which I have noticed with this one, I
try to keep the level right at the bottom line of the normal range on the
dip stick. Putting in more seems to aggravate the smoking and leaking
proclivities of my Hemi, and just enough seems to be better. The normal
range on the stick is quite big, probably more than a quart.
I must check the brake fluid, too, before setting out on Saturday's jaunt.
This is a two person job, however. I get my eight year old daughter to hold
in the brake pedal while I put blocks between the retracted booster and the
vacuum reservoir so I can access the master cylinder cunningly concealed
below it.
I am so looking forward to Saturday. I hope Mrs. Blueberry is, too. I will
have the same two young girls with me who were in the crash on April 6.
Hope springs eternal.
Hugh
Until further notice, celebrate everything.
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