Poor ol' Diesela!

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #1

She's gone an' eaten her alternator. Had to transport "mom" to school this AM, then "Once more we dive-ed below Calypso."

What a tooth pullin' contest for a crappy ~AutoZone~ reman'd alternator! It's goin' fer a chop. Came with the car, so the next one will be a Bosch (pronounced: "BOTCH") /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I think the DPO cheaped out and "MacGyver'd" a smaller unit on there. Looked kinda Rube Goldberg-ish, the way it mounted/fit. We'll see. Have my local PartzHound hot on the trail of a replacement. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #2

Yea, I'm starting to be annoyed by all my Botch and Dentso parts needing replacement.

 

OP

DrEntropy

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #3

BoneIdle is comin' over and we're gonna stare sternly at Diesela for a bit, drink some coffee, then hopefully fetch a replacement and "Git 'er DONE!"

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #4

Yeah... I'm about to go outside and use my new Looooong extensions and try to get the exhaust loose on the 'yota.

Good luck.

 

OP

DrEntropy

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #5

Watch out for "whiplash" with that extension! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #6

Just got some... Punched myself in the chest with a 2ft breaker bar - ouch...

 

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #7

Hey, Doc - I just paid $140 for a Mercedes dryer for my 380SL instead of an aftermarket one for that exact reason...too hard to get to to change again!

 

OP

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #8

Yeah. Understand. The other part is: just opening the hood on the diesel I get filthy. I don't like that one bit.

The alternator turned out to be a reman. We'll see... Wasn't that hard to do, but I look as if I mined coal today. BoneIdle came over to help and give moral support, too. Had the replacement alternator in hand by 4:30, and at six we were "Driving Miss Daisy" back to the hovel after pickin' her up from work. 14V charge now, I'll be monitoring it.

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #9

I put a Delco Remy (said Paladium on the box) on the MGB... No problems in 2+ years!

 

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #10

New photo's nice, Kenny...

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #11

Thanks! Just took 'em 'bout an hour ago.

 

OP

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #12

How'd ya get th' RATS to strike the same pose again?!!?

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #13

Got 'em saved with a transparent background... I had to clean up some stuff I missed when they were on a black background, but it works. I can still see several places I missed - but I didn't spend a lot of time on it - a minute or two maybe.

 

OP

DrEntropy

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #14

You're so...so... LITERAL sometimes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

 

AngliaGT

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #15

I've heard that Kragen,one of the parts stores in Eureka
plays the "switch & bait" type trick.
They sell you the "obiously" wrong part.When you get it home (of course,it's after they close),you find out that it's the wrong one.They say - "Sorry,I guess we made a mistake - would you like us to reorder it?".
Most people say "Yes - reorder it".They then sell a part that they might not otherwise sell.It's usually of inferior quality,also.I've heard more complaints about this from other people.
I stick to oil,oil filters,etc.,when they're on sale.

- Doug

 

OP

DrEntropy

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #16

Yeah, the whole buisness is going whacko now. The place I get my "common" bits is an independent. No computers, no "What year, make, model" stuff. The counter person is the owner. His choices of suppliers is drying up as the various outfits are eaten by the "volume" guys. He's had to accept the junk supplies and inferior remans as Delphi et al are being steered by their accounting departments... "The end is nigh..." We WILL be subjugated to "McParts" very soon now: "If it's more than seven years old we can't help you, sir... Have a nice day."

 

AngliaGT

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 31, 2006

• #17

I tried to get a taillight/turn signal bulb for our '94 Ford Aerostar.I think it was Kragen.
I told them that I need a dual filament bulb (it was a standard dual filament bulb).
The kid behind the counter asked me "year,make,& model?"
He had to actually look it up on the computer!
And this was a few years ago.

- Doug

 

OP

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Apr 1, 2006

• #18

Yup. I ask 'em for some N9-Y or WR-7DC plugs, and get the "standard quiery"... I usually get tweaked immediately and respond with somethin' smartarse like: "It's a '28 Spitzgrummish Agamemnon... the 12 litre."

...blank stares... I just chalk it up to NO sense of humor.

I'd HATE to think they have a problem with the spelling. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

 

AngliaGT

Great Pumpkin

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• Apr 1, 2006

• #19

Kind of like when I helped out a guy on the California Mille.
He needed something at a local parts store.
I told him to tell them "I need --- for a '53 Osca",& wait for long pause.

- Doug

 

jsneddon

Jedi Knight

Offline

• Apr 1, 2006

• #20

The mouth-breather at Twilight-Zone insisted on typing 61 TR3 into his computer when I walked in looking for Champion plugs. I had the number but they keep them in the back. (keeping the citizenship-challeneged from five fingering I guess)

I'll be danged if they didn't actually have a TR3 in the model selection screen. Even had the gap listed because the mouth-breather made a big deal about trying to sell me pre-gapped plugs if I wanted to wait for them to special order them (for an extra buck per spark plug).

I gave him my patented "blank stare... blink... blink" and said I was pretty sure I could gap-em myself.