The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Good news and car problems

So maybe I should have said "good news and bad news". But, I already have the car problems fixed, so it wasn't really that bad.

Wednesday is the day that Ruth usually heads into the big city of Swift Current to do the weekly grocery shopping. So we got the little blue car all loaded up with recycling returns, and off she went.

She was back at the house less than an hour later.

Apparently she made it to the highway, and pushed the clutch pedal down to change gears...and it stayed there! She managed to get it to come back up, but it definitely wasn't right and she didn't want to get stuck in town trying to drive it like that.

I had actually noticed that the clutch action seemed "sticky", but hadn't thought much of it. Now, it was much worse than sticky...it was almost stuck! I brought the little blue car up to the shop and got some light on the situation to see what was causing the problem.

I could push the clutch pedal down with my hand and sometimes I had to help it back up with my hand as well. And it almost sounded like a creaking noise coming from under the hood. So I had a look at the linkage where the hydraulic clutch line meets the transmission. There is a rubber boot protecting the slave cylinder and I slid it back to see a bunch of rust on the cylinder rod. I cleaned it up, put some grease on it and bingo...the clutch now operates perfectly!

So there's that problem fixed. :-)

On the "good news" front, it looks like we've come to an agreement regarding our return here next year. Both us and the board wanted to get this settled before the current season ends in six weeks, and it looks like it's going to come together. That's good news for both of us. So I think we're going to officially become Saskatchewan residents because we sure won't be spending much time in Ontario for the foreseeable future. Besides, it kind of feels good to be a resident in a province that appears to be going forward instead of backwards.

Our Amazon.com deal of the day?

I'm a stickler when it comes to tire pressure. Every vehicle has different manufacturer specifications regarding tire air pressure. And very often there's different pressure ratings from front and rear tires. These numbers can be found in the vehicle owner's manual as well on a sticker located inside the door or on the door jamb of you vehicle.

Proper tire pressure affects the way the vehicle handles, the fuel mileage, and the wear and tear on the tires. There is simply no reason not to have to right amount of air in the tires, and yet I bet half the cars on the road don't have.

When was the last time you checked your tire pressure??

Here's an interesting product...how about a talking tire pressure gauge...

No need to fumble for your glasses in order to see the numbers!


And it's decently priced, so there's no reason you shouldn't have one of these in your glove box!

8 comments:

  1. Wonderful news about next year's contract and you and Ruth becoming Saskatchewan residents, but we'll miss you here in Ontario!

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    Replies
    1. It is definitely nice to know that we aren't going to have to search for a job again this winter and wonder where we will be next summer. It will also be so nice to come back to something that we have already started work on and not have to go into a new place and start all over again.

      Don't worry, we will still be back to Ontario to visit family and friends. :-)

      Delete
  2. Congrats on both the car and the change in residency. I think the park is getting the best end of the deal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jim and Sandie, we like to so too! ;-)

      Delete
  3. Nice easy fix for the car,
    Tire pressure everytime we move our coach and frequently on the car, sure makes sense to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We thought it was an easy fix on the car but when I drove it into Swift Current yesterday I still noticed the clutch sticking just not as bad as it was. Kevin said it may need a new slave cylinder.

      Delete
  4. Surely, it is a great thing that you are a great "repair guru." And, congrats on getting things settled for nest year! One less thing to think about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevin said that the only thing that holds him back from fixing/repairing something would be the lack of tools otherwise he is pretty confident that he could fixed almost anything.

      Yes, we are happy to know that we aren't going to have to job hunt while we are away this winter. It will also be nice to come back here knowing that things will have been put to "bed" correctly so that spring cleanup should be a little easier.

      Delete

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