Photos 7, page 4
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Fix the car
| May 26, 2010 |
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| I started having overheating problems with my car. I replaced the thermostat, the radiator cap, and flushed out the cooling system. Didn't seem to help. The next thing to try was to replace the head gasket. I couldn't drive the car and I couldn't find anybody who would fix it, so I ended up having to do it myself... It was a daunting venture because I'd never done anything as extensive before... |
| These are pictures of the engine compartment before I started. I took these pictures so I knew what it looked like when I tried to put it back together! |
Fix the car & Bike Neighborhood
| May 29, 2010 |
| A few days later, I needed some parts so I had to stop. Then I went out for a bike ride around the neighborhood just to get my head out from under the hood - rode around the 'hood to get out from under the hood! |
| The scene of the crime: under the front deck of the house. |
| Pretty much disassembled. That thing in the middle with all the springs (those are the valve stems) has to come off. That's the cylinder head. It comes off to reveal the head gasket, which is what this is all about! |
| Some of the parts: (from left to right) exhaust manifold, rocker arm cover, intake manifold, air filter assembly, then some tools... |
| Tools |
| The little workbench I set up. You can see all the push rods and rockers carefully laid out in order... |
| The sequence of photos above are taken from standing at the car and looking from left to right... |
| <-- Another view of the car... Notice what it's like outside... --> My workbench. On the right, I have all the nuts and bolts in plastic baggies that I've labeled. On the left, my trusty repair manual that makes it all possible... |
| Well, enough of that! Let's get outside and get some sun! I rode my bike (white line) up to where I started my hikes of the previous week at "Pearl End", the end of Pearl Avenue. About 2 miles up hill. Then I started back to the house but it was downhill all the way so I toured the neighborhood a bit (red line). About 3.5 miles... |
| Looking up my street to the northwest. That's Mauna Kea in the distance... |
| Taking a break in the shade, looking north on either Ruby or Jade Avenue. Two different exposures for the lighting. Again, that's Mauna Kea... |
| Still trying to get a good shot of Mauna Kea... |
| My house |
| My house from another angle. You see the back of my car under the front deck... |
Bike Volcano
| June 06, 2010 |
| house (white line) 4.7 miles uphill, 1 hour. Back home (red line) 2.8 miles downhill, 15 minutes |