Wrench Princess

Hey, that's MY dork you were referring to!

He forgot to mention that we ended up changing the fuel pump (you were right Ken, it wasn't working right) and the thermostat. The Y pipe had to be changed too but now it rattles against the exhaust. I am glad that we got the damn car running but I was hoping that it would be a little more cooperative with us! We got it on some pimpin' wheels now though! I hope that it decides to play nice and start working right for us soon. I like the wagon and I miss the tunes!!!! And in case anyone missed the post, Austin put up some of the pictures so have a look. http://usmb.net/gallery/album96

Haven't taken it apart yet. I don't know why the oil was so thin but there wasn't water or gas in it (or chunks for that matter). You can be sure that I will take the motor completely apart though. That is my favorite part of wrenching. I love to disassemble, putting things back together is the more difficult part. I would be putting the motor in the car right now but Austin was talking about looking at the oil seals and deciding if he wants to replace them. He also needs to get some more silicone so we can reseal the carb. I am getting very antsy though so I am going to be very sad if we don't have it runnign tonight for sure. Anyway, I will have him update again later on and I will continue to try and get him to post some pictures of the fun on saturday. The only reason he hasn't yet is because got 159 pictures and he can't put very many on the board. There are some nice ones of Eric and Ken trying to tip their cars over though!

We were thinking about it last night and we both remember some noise before Austin even hit the puddle so we don't think the water was what started the problem. When we drained the oil it didn't have a bunch of water in it either, it was just very thin. It wasn't really that low either, which is kind of weird considering how fast it was leaking at Ken's house. We couldn't see any thick milkshake looking oil so I think that it held out the water. There wasn't metal shavings in the oil either luckily so it might be salvagable with new bearings (and of course, oil seals since those were toast). I had been trying as hard as I could the whole time to convince Austin that he was no hearing knocking because EVERY time I tell Austin that it looks, sounds, or smells like one of his cars is having a problem, I end up being right. I was hoping that being optimistic would help but it didn't. By the time we got off the freeway last night there was no mistaking the knock knock sound. The sad part is that I did tell Austin just before the puddle incident that his car sounded horrible! I guess I shouldn't have opened my mouth cause I think I might have jinxed us. Anyway, the update is that we are pretty sure that the motor started dying a little earlier on the trail and the water thing just finished it off. I need to wake Austin up now and tell him it's time to start working on his car again, I wanted to do more last night but it was 2:30 in the morning and Austin was just too tired. Thank you so much Ken for helping us out yesterday! You are awesome! I think that having your house close helped a lot and we got to pick up some goodies (but that we won't talk about just yet! ). Anyway, I think that there will probably be another update by Austin a little later when we a motor back in. We are just a little hesitant to use the motor we were going to because we thought it had blown a headgasket or two but both of them looked relitively new. Of course, the fact that someone had put about six and a half quarts of oil in it could be the reason that it was spewing oil too! I think that someone put the wrong dipstick in that motor too (we had another motor with the wrong dipstick). We are still figuring out what to do now.

Well, I had fun! I am probably weird or something but I was the one who bugged Austin to go. I thought a road trip would be a fun Valentine's Day thing so I kept bugging him till he gave in. It was not really a cheap day but it was definately worth it to me. I kind of wish more people had showed up but I was ok with the people that were there. Driving in the Pacific Ocean was a blast! When a wave would come we couldn't see because the whole car was covered in water. It was kind of like going through a car wash without all of the brushes and with the car moving. I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day! And I remember someone saying that the Coast Guard would stop us and ask if we had flotation devices. We actually did have some boat coushins that are also floatation devices in the back of the car so I don't think that would have been a problem! The Coast Guard would have been stumped on excuses to have us get out of the water though! Anyway, I hope that everyone else that went had as much fun as I did!

I think that having the lady go in and get an Affidavit of Lost Title is the wrong way to go because you will still have to wait for the DOL to send her a new title. I suggest doing what Ed suggested just to save yourself time and headaches. I'm not really sure how the Relese of Interest thing works so I can't suggest that, I think that it's about the same as the Certificate in Lieu of Title thing though.

Something else that is good to do when you are changing the oil is not to overfill it. If it takes about 4.5 quarts start out with 4, let it all run down into the pan and then check your level. Then add more according to how much you need. (by the way, it really sucks when you buy a motor somewhere and you change the oil and the dipstick still reads that you are really low so you keep putting more oil in only to find out later that somebody put the wrong dipstick in and you are now about 1.5 quarts overfull. It really sucks when you have to drain fresh oil back out!)

Hello, I'm pretty new here too. I live just north of Seattle (nowhere near any of you). I just had to post and tell you how cute your cars must be, a brat and a brat grande!

Think of it this way, if you run your engine or tranny out of oil the car really doesn't tend to like it much. You probably did hurt the power steering pump but if it still works just fine now (except for the whining) you probably didn't kill it all of the way. Another thing to remember is that MOST Fords have the same power steering whine all of the time (probably from the factory) and people drive them around like that anyway and don't really have problems. Just make sure every so often to check your ATF in there pretty often because even if you don't see it leaking it may still be doing it. Usually the whining is the first sign that your fluid is low (that and not being able to turn your car). Otherwise you end up with manual power steering or selective power steering that only works when it wants to. I know that didn't all make much sense but at least I know what I mean!

Thank you all for accepting me even though I am a girl. I have always had trouble getting men to understand that I know what I'm doing when it comes to certian things. I have always been like this. For halloween I used to put on my dad's coveralls and be a mechanic while little girls my age were dressing us as princesses or brides. About the Matt thing, I am resoving things. I am sorry if I offended or upset anyone. I shouldn't have said anything on the board, I should have talked to Matt himself. One thing to remember though is that I am a very sarcastic person so sometimes what I say is mean but I mean nothing by it. Thanks to everyone!

Thanks John, I just have to set the record straight though, I don't put up with Matt. That is why he goes around telling people that I'm a bitch. I already know that I'm a bitch so why is Matt whining about it? Besides, he whines better than I do. By the way, I was a little upset when you posted about the HP tree run and you mentioned Connie and Amanda pushing but now me. I helped you get out both times you got stuck and even grabbed a shovel and helped dig you out. It's all good though. You're awesome, just like the rest of the people that were there (with the exception of Matt of course).

I had fun. It was definately a lot smaller than the HP one last weekend but it was fun for what it was. I will make Austin post our pictures. If you are wondering who I am, I posted something that may explain on the meet and greet.

Hi everyone! I am new to the world of Subaru so please bear with me. I am Austin's (Ratty2Austin) girlfriend. I must admit, I am formerly from Chevyland so you will have to cut me a little slack. I met some of you guys at the last couple Hatch Patrol gatherings and you are all awesome! I don't own a Subaru (though I seem to work on them quite frequently) or any other car for that matter but I am totally in awe of the stuff you guys do! By the way, don't mistake me for Connie (Wrench Wench). I love Connie but she could never be as cool as me (just kidding babe). Well, I hope to see some of you at upcoming events. I really enjoyed myself at the last ones. The courage you all have amazes me. Just so you all know, I am not the girly girl type. I love to stick my hands in and get just as greasy as the rest of you! Please don't make the mistake of thinking I'm a typical "chick".