Whoa! Didja get the numbers off that truck?!?


December 24, 2003 - 9:14 a.m.

The floating engine

Saturn recommends changing the transmission fluid and filter every 30,000 miles. Please make a note of it.

So when Son1's 97 Saturn transmission blew a big hole and stopped moving forward, the mystery had a latent discovery. His Understanding Mother was convinced he was hot-rodding it. I thought that too, for a minute, but I know my son and his understanding of the Saturn as basic transportation.

The only thing to do was to replace it. We began yesterday, armed with the following:

  • A Saturn Service Manual (where I discovered the 30,000 mile thing)
  • A rented engine hoist
  • A heated garage
  • An air compressor and Son1's 5/8" impact wrench
  • A rented 1/2" impact wrench (when Son1's wrench couldn't do it)
  • All three of us.

Everything went well, Son2 and I started removing the A/C compressor, the alternator, the power steering pump and various wires and connectors. By the time Son1 was home from work we were ready to do the Magic Floating Engine Trick. We started hoisting, but the car kept coming up with it.

The light bulb went off in my head.

"Son1, did we disconnect that lower right engine mount?"

D'oh! He put the impact wrench on it and the engine popped right up! We had to do some jockeying with the transmission so the engine would come out, but after awhile if was floating in the air... a thing to behold.

After Christmas we'll work on putting it all back together, with the new used transmission bolted to the car.

I think the old transmission filter with 97,000 miles of shit inside it would make an excellent Christmas present for the Understanding Mother, don't you?







the last one -*- the next one


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