That damn car, what have we done?

A few weeks ago, I may have written about it, I got into Elena's car and heard a thunking sound. I told her she could not drive it to school, it needed to be looked at. One thousand three hundred dollars later the car is all better. The sound was a strap in the rear of the car, I don't remember exactly. While they were back there they did rear brakes. I told Elena I was sorry, but it happens on old cars. Her Taurus is a sixteen year old 2003. I thought it was all over for the time being. I mean the car was well cared for at least that is the way it looks, it's in beautiful condition.
     

My TR 6, I loved this car.

 Well on Thursday I'm at my mom's just before I am heading to work when I get a call from Nastia. It seems Elena's car, the Taurus is smoking from the passenger side of the engine compartment. Back in the good old days that meant you had a hole in your radiator hose. So I grabbed some black tape and head to ShopRite in New City. I picked up two gallons of radiator fluid. Now I haven't needed radiator fluid in a good twenty, thirty years ever since I parked my Triumph, but I still buy two gallons and not that watered down shit either. I get two gallons full strength of ethyl glycol.
      I race up New Hempstead road. I know they noticed the steam coming from the car at a stop light. So I have a good idea where they'll be. I'm pushing my car and I know they are not danger, but I need to get there as soon as possible. And don't you know it grandma moses and her whole family pull out in front of me. One of them is even driving a smelly old dump truck up New Hempstead hill. 

     I get to the girls, they are pulled off into the grassy area of the entrance ramp to the southbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway. I pull over and they get out. I'm wearing a jacket and a vest, it is after all the middle of November. Elena, the snow queen is in a short sleeve T shirt. I ask her if she is cold as I go to get a sweater from my car.I throw it at her, the big dummy. She says she thought she had a jacket in the car. I don't take the bait because we all know she knew she didn't have a jacket in the car. She for some reason wants to freeze to death this winter.
      I pop the hook and look for the radiator hoses. It's not 1975, so I can't find them. I check the

overflow tank and it is not low. We decide to drive the car back home, I'm following her because I still think it is 1975 and the car will overheat. The car smokes the whole way home. She pulls it up on the grass on the north side of the house where we will sometime in the future build a driveway. They both get out and start Nastia's car and off they go.
       Later that night Teri and I drive the car over to Alexander Brother's Auto Repair. The next morning I get a call from them. It seems that the leak is coming from the timing chain cover. And if you're going to fix it you might as well do the timing chain. To do that you need to drop the oil pan and to do that you need to remove the exhaust. Anything can go wrong when your removing a sixteen year old exhaust system. The repairs could run anywhere from thirteen hundred to over three thousand. Teri and I feel so bad that we are going to take care of it. Hopefully we'll get lucky. The people who sold it to us are not to blame for all of this, it's just an old car. Alexander Brother's will have the car from last Thursday to at least until Wednesday. It takes time to get the parts and you're dealing with Ford so it the parts will be expensive I'm told. oh, boy!




















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