The Place: Valdosta
The Job: Something or another with the starter on the 1989 Olds Cutlass Cierra Assumed Time: Who the hell ever knows?
So, Logan calls me Monday night to tell me his car won't start. Lights come on, but it will not turn over. Sounds like the starter, but Mother-in-Law had a similar issue and it turned out to be the battery. I tell him to have someone jump him off and get it to the Zone... Dunta-dunta-duh-duh-Duh... Autozone! to get the battery tested. If it is bad then they will install the new one for free and Proto-Mechanic will not have to make the run to Valdosta on Tuesday.
No such luck.
Still won't start. I have him make The Call. Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round-Great Guy, My-Personal-Mechanicing-Lifeline Terry figures it might be the solenoid since sparks are flying off of that particular part. Rather than spend 100+ bucks to get the car towed and fixed, I prepare to don the Proto-Mechanic guise once again.
Tuesday:
I load the FrankenFocus with everything I think I might need. This includes everything except my axe. This concerns me because as soon as I invariably have to make The Call, I imagine that Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round-Great-Guy, My-Personal-Mechanicing-Lifeline Terry will tell me, "What you need is an axe." I climb inder the car and have Logan turn the key, the starter jumps all over the place and there are, indeed, sparks coming from somewhere. Proto-Mechanic senses tell me that something is amiss. We jack the car up, undo the battery and I wedge my way in. Seems the starter is hanging by only one of the three bolts used to keep it in.
Once again, I foolishly think to myself, "This is gonna be easy!"
I am careful to note the placement of the wires and the dust shroud as I remove the one bolt and expertly remove the starter. Though I imagined (with MOSMaARGG,MPML Terry's input) that the starter was simply bound up, I figured it was best to have it tested. Off to the Zone... Dunta-dunta-dun-dun-Duh... Autozone!
A word about the workings of a motor. You turn the key, it pulls juice from the battery, sends that juice to the solenoid which revs up the starter whose teeth wind up the fly wheeel which... does other stuff. With the starter so loose, I figured the teeth were not lined up with the flywheel. As Berry would say, "That makes a whole headful of sense. " That it was wrong is irrelevent, the hypothesis was sound.
Starter was good and I got away with dropping just five bucks on this here repair. Needed new mounting bolts. Back to the car, whip the starter on, notice I forgot the shroud, whip the starter loose, insert shroud, tighten starter down, attach wires making VERY SURE the battery cable flange is SEATED FIRMLY in the grounding nook, turn the key and ...
Son of a bitch. But no exclamation point because to this point I had fulfilled both my goals: 1) not to buy a tool and 2) not to lose my freaking mind. This required a cal to Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round-Great-Guy, My-Personal-Mechanicing-Lifeline Terry. We climbed under (I in grease, Terry in phone) and took a gander. Since we still had an indeterminate spark, Terry figured something had to be loose. I found what was loose. The cap on the solenoid. Who knew?
Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round-Great-Guy, My-Personal-Mechanicing-Lifeline Terry, that's who. Three screws, reattach the battery and...
Sweet starter music.
Thanks to the leaky sieve that is Logan's engine I was covered head to elbow in oil/grease/dust juice/nasty. The House of Culture (wherein hang out the actors) had no dish soap so I was still pretty filthy when we headed to Subway (Eat Fresh you fat bastards!) to dine with Nate and Logan before heading back to the big town.
I would be remiss in not noting that Tuna the Cat assisted us by taking over the pad I was laying on. It belonged to him, of that he was sure.
Got to meet Logan's girlfriend Margaret. She seems nice, but a little quieter than I imagined.
So:
Total Time with Travel: six and a half hours
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Meet Recap
We did Greenwood Athletic Club's "PR Frenzy" this last Saturday the 26th. It was a very loose, training meet, but I think it was good for the kids and fellas.
Matt Barrack put on an easy-going meet and the comraderie was very good.
Some competitors hit: J
ohn (220): 295-155-385
Jim (220/242): 405-315-455
Cody (275): 525-400-505
We lifted as Team Anytime Fitness thanks to the sponsorship by Jeffery Parr out of our home gym.
So, here it goes.
Christan: looked nervous going in.
Squats: looked awkward
205 opener was solid. In the meet! Video: here.
225 second attempt was a grind.
235 third attempt was SOOOO close
Bench: Warmups looked great
125 opener was easy.
135 second was tough: Video shows
140 third was a no go.
She was pretty upset about everything at this point, so I just left her alone and told her she had to keep at it.
Deadlift: Training had been rough, so I was worried.
Warmups looked great.
Opener: I called for 280, but they loaded to 285. I let it stand WTF? Right? She killed it.
Second: I called a 305 PR. She double clutched. It would have been a red-light in a real meet, but she did it so easily. this was a learning experience.
Third: 320. Three wheels and a two-pence! Here is what happened
Total: 680! Only twenty pounds off of goal. The main thing for this meet was to get her confidence up and I think it was a bog deal for her to shake off her rough squat and bench and pull HUGE. I am so proud of her.
Goals for July: 275/170/365/800
Gage
Squat: 250 opener, paused it at the bottom... easy. Video!
280 second. A PR. He hit 275 in the gym and had to take it twice to get it. Video here!
missed 300 on a third
Bench
205 opener was easy
225 second was easy: Video
240 third was his goal. His butt came up, but by the rules of this meet, it was a good lift. Here is video.
Deadlift: Training had been wierd for this, but he opted to go conventional.
315 opener: cake walk
345 second was solid. That was the most he had pulled in the gym.
365 third: PR! Video.
Total: 885
July Goal: 315-240 w/pause-425-950
Pete
Squat: Warmups went pretty good. I could not get the bar low enough on my shoulders to suit me.
First: 585... easy, but a bit of a tip forward. Biggest squat of the meet.
Second: 615: A real grind. Tipped way forward, twinged my back, but a good lift. New BSoM!
Passed on third: up 32 lbs from last meet
Bench: shoulder felt good during warmups 345 opener: easy
370 second: just great. Video Shows!
385 third... just missed it. I mean JUST missed it. Up 7 lbs from last meet.
Deadlift: They lifted out of a rack and the bar would not roll, plus my back was fried.
565 opener. On the video, Christan says, "Easy." No, it were not.
Took two token shots at 605 but it just wasn't meant to be.
Total: 1550... up eight lbs from last meet.
Goal for July: if raw: 650-390-645-1600+
Goal for July if geared: 800-455-645-1800+
Matt Barrack put on an easy-going meet and the comraderie was very good.
Some competitors hit: J
ohn (220): 295-155-385
Jim (220/242): 405-315-455
Cody (275): 525-400-505
We lifted as Team Anytime Fitness thanks to the sponsorship by Jeffery Parr out of our home gym.
So, here it goes.
Christan: looked nervous going in.
Squats: looked awkward
205 opener was solid. In the meet! Video: here.
225 second attempt was a grind.
235 third attempt was SOOOO close
Bench: Warmups looked great
125 opener was easy.
135 second was tough: Video shows
140 third was a no go.
She was pretty upset about everything at this point, so I just left her alone and told her she had to keep at it.
Deadlift: Training had been rough, so I was worried.
Warmups looked great.
Opener: I called for 280, but they loaded to 285. I let it stand WTF? Right? She killed it.
Second: I called a 305 PR. She double clutched. It would have been a red-light in a real meet, but she did it so easily. this was a learning experience.
Third: 320. Three wheels and a two-pence! Here is what happened
Total: 680! Only twenty pounds off of goal. The main thing for this meet was to get her confidence up and I think it was a bog deal for her to shake off her rough squat and bench and pull HUGE. I am so proud of her.
Goals for July: 275/170/365/800
Gage
Squat: 250 opener, paused it at the bottom... easy. Video!
280 second. A PR. He hit 275 in the gym and had to take it twice to get it. Video here!
missed 300 on a third
Bench
205 opener was easy
225 second was easy: Video
240 third was his goal. His butt came up, but by the rules of this meet, it was a good lift. Here is video.
Deadlift: Training had been wierd for this, but he opted to go conventional.
315 opener: cake walk
345 second was solid. That was the most he had pulled in the gym.
365 third: PR! Video.
Total: 885
July Goal: 315-240 w/pause-425-950
Pete
Squat: Warmups went pretty good. I could not get the bar low enough on my shoulders to suit me.
First: 585... easy, but a bit of a tip forward. Biggest squat of the meet.
Second: 615: A real grind. Tipped way forward, twinged my back, but a good lift. New BSoM!
Passed on third: up 32 lbs from last meet
Bench: shoulder felt good during warmups 345 opener: easy
370 second: just great. Video Shows!
385 third... just missed it. I mean JUST missed it. Up 7 lbs from last meet.
Deadlift: They lifted out of a rack and the bar would not roll, plus my back was fried.
565 opener. On the video, Christan says, "Easy." No, it were not.
Took two token shots at 605 but it just wasn't meant to be.
Total: 1550... up eight lbs from last meet.
Goal for July: if raw: 650-390-645-1600+
Goal for July if geared: 800-455-645-1800+
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