Things 'N Stuff

I am SO close.  Wow, it's getting exciting.  It's like CSI, only lower tech.  LOL

I planned to change my oil tonight, for the first time since I bought my beautiful red Neon.  Kevin offered, but I wanted to do it by myself.  Yeah right.

I got out to the shop at Dad's, and put the jack under the car, where I thought was the best place for it.  I pushed it up two pumps and chickened out.  I asked Dad if it was placed right.  It was.  OK, I jacked it up the rest of the way.  I asked Dad for an oil filter wrench.  He offered to do it for me, and I said, "no!"  I wanted to do it.

He left, and I crawled under the car to find that the wrench was too big for this tiny filter.  Crap.  I couldn't find the smaller one (neither could he, later) so I tried something that I saw work once.  I used a hammer to drive a screwdriver into the filter, to turn it.  Didn't work.  Crapola, part deaux.

When Dad came back, he did a hot little trick to get the filter off, and then told me that there was no way I'd get the drain plug off.  It was completely rounded off by the loser place that changed the oil last.  He got it for me.  (so far, I've done NOTHING by myself.)

The oil is all changed, even though the only thing I did completely *alone* was to pour the new oil in.  I'll get a new drain plug for a couple of bucks.  The filter isn't over-tightened this time.  I can do it.  I'm just ticked that Dad had to do most of it this time.  "I'm a BIG girl!  I wanna do it by myself!"  (no "big girl" comments, OK?)

The car stereo saga is coming close to an end.  I can't say much, but stay tuned.  LOL  This could get fun.