Chore Saturday

 

Quite the chore day today. I had planned it, but of course, nothing goes as I expected.

I wanted to wake up and work on the sprinkler. We have a hole in a valve after the winter, so I need to replace that. I planned on checking the size, doing a touch of youtube research on de-soldering a join, and then replacing it.

First, I needed to change the oil in the new Ranger. I go outside and the youngest says she'll feed hay later, so change the oil now. By the way, the trailer wheel is wobbly.

I go in there and it is. The hub cap came off the trailer and the bearings are gone, with the hub exploded. Now I know what I need to do. I slowly pull that out and get it in the sun. Looking at it, it's a mess

I decide to change the oil in the Ranger. However, the Ranger is covered in mud from the last rainstorms. I can't even begin to imagine where the oil drain plug is. So I then jack up the trailer and disconnect the Ranger to drive it over to a hose to clean it. While it dries, I'll go look at the wheel. At least I can see the oil filter.

I pull off the wheel and then use my bearing puller to get the inside race off. It barely comes off.

Cue Dremel. I've done this, so I grind down the axle until I can fit the bearing race all the way into the back. Now I just need new bearings.

That's ready, so I get the Ranger back over. Still can't find the plus, as it's muddy underneath and I sprayed down the engine from the top, but not the bottom. I get ramps and jack up the Ranger. I see a plug, but it's recessed. I look at it and can't see it.

Grumbling, I walk inside to get my old man glasses. I go under and it looks like an Allen bolt. At this point I'm cursing a bit and annoyed. One of Tia's student's husband comes over to chat. I don't really have time, and it shows. He tries to give some thoughts, and admits "I'm good at giving other people projects.". Not really what I want to hear. He walks away and I go inside.

YouTube research time. The manual and the Polaris site say 6mm socket. There's no bolt.

I little more research and someone says it's a Torx. I take allen and torx sockets outside. It looks like an allen, but neither the 5 nor 6mm fit. I can't see well upside down and under the vehicle. I try some Torx and one works. OK, we're ready.

Lower the Ranger down, loosen the bolt and get oil draining. I then fight the oil filter a bit. I can't get a wrench near it since it's at the front of the engine and there's a support beam next to it. Finally I reach in from above (seat up) and twist and twist with both arms to get it loose.

I think the ANSI certification should include a mechanic standing next to the design engineer. The engineer needs to do maintenance on a dirty vehicle and every time something takes a little too long, the mechanic gets to punch the engineer in the stomach as hard as he can. Teach those engineers to build in design that allows for work later.

In any case, I get the filter off, new one on. I only curse lightly that the filter is right above a skid plate, so oil falls all over that instead of into the pan below. New oil in, everything right, I'm good.

I head to town. I'm hungry and need parts. I take used oil with me. I grab some gas and food and then go to Autozone. Sign on door: "oil tank full".

#@@@#$@%%^$%#

I get a trailer hub, to be quick, and a bearing kit and extra hub caps. Then I head over to Napa.

"We don't take oil"

#$%#$%#$%#$%#$%

Go to O'Reilly

Oil tank full.

What the flying @#$%#$^$@#$@#!$@%#@$%# is going on?

I call another store, they take oil. I head over there, open the trunk and the air hole has popped open. Oil all over my Weathertech mat. At least it's contained.

Still. #@$%#$%#$%#

I drop off oil, and head home. The bearing goes on pretty easily, though the hub cap is a PIA to tap in. I walk around to find the mallet and get it done. Then it's getting late, and no one's home, so I test the trailer by dropping the hay myself.. Everything works.

I see the youngest as I finish and try to explain she needs to watch the cap. Hopefully I'm not too gruff. I stop and pet the baby horse. That's a good way to lower my blood pressure. He's pretty cool.

I take a few minutes and change oil in the new riding more as well. It's overdue, as it's a new vehicle, but I get it done. I'm overly annoyed here by the filter as well, since it spills all over the frame. The wind is also annoying, splashing some oil outside of my pan on the cement.

I think mother nature hates me.

Come back and decide to finish chores by changing from winter to summer tires. Pull the car over, jack it up, change a tire. Repeat 3 times. The last tire has one nut that won't come loose. I thought it was, but once that car was up, I realized the socket had slipped. I get a little worried that I need to change back, but finally jam the socket on there and get it loose. It comes out, but it's nicely rounded.

#$%#$%#$%#$%#$%#

I get the tire on, 4 lug nuts in. I'll need to get the 5th tomorrow (or later). At least the summer tires are on.

All in all, I did nothing with the sprinkler, which was my main chore , but I got some things done that needed to be done.