Or how a ten minute job turned into a six hour ordeal.
A hissing was emanating from under the hood of The Precious.
My first thought was a vacuum leak, and I found one at the PCV catch can. One more turn of the exit elbow and that leak was plugged.
Yet, the hissing continued.
I narrowed it down to the driver's side of the car.
Then to either the power steering pump or the idler pulley.
Idlers are easier than pumps, so...
Off to Autozone!
Where they sold me a tensioner pulley ($21).
Which I discovered by removing the bad pulley... Which came apart in four pieces (more on that later).
Old part in hand, back to Autozone!
They don't have one on hand. Nearest one is at the hub and 26 miles away and is $85!!!
Off to Advanced Auto!
They don't have one on hand either, but there's one at the next shop 5 miles down the road for $15.
Off to that location!
Where they try to sell me the A/C tensioner pulley... Compare parts, not the same, try again counter monkey.
Figure out which one it has to be by eliminating every one which has air conditioning or tensioner in the description.
They don't have one on hand, but the hub, 15 miles back the way I'd come, did.
"Have them hold it for me!"
Off to the hub!
"Hi, I'm Angus, you have a part for me."
"Who?"
"The counter monkey from the other store called you..."
"Hang on!"
He looks on the hold shelf.
"It's not on the hold shelf, let me find the guy who took the call."
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Finds it on the hold shelf.
"Oh, it was right where set aside parts were supposed to be!"
Compare it to my pulley.
New pulley is one assembly, not four parts.
Buy new pulley ($41), endure rush hour, install...
The hiss is now gone!
Next project: Sway bar end links.
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Counter Monkey. Thanks. I'm gonna steal that.
ReplyDeleteI remember the dark days when parts jockeys took pride in their work. I did (counter monkey at a boat place.)
ReplyDeleteI needed a replacement stop light bulb for my wife's car.
ReplyDeleteI pulled the bulb, didn't find one in the box of bulbs. I put the failed bulb into my pocket and headed for an auto parts store.
I told the counter guy I needed a light bulb, and he started by asking, "What make and model of car?"
I furrowed my brow and tried to look as though the question was incredibly challenging.
Then I replied, "The car is blue."
I did take some malicious pleasure in watching the look of horror on his face, then I relented and told him, "Just kidding, I brought the burned out bulb. And the look on your face was classic."
He told me that he has had customers that didn't know the make and model of their cars.
Beans is correct.