Saturday, December 27, 2014

Lack of resourses

I left for Los Angeles on Dec. 24 but a bearing gave out in Globe. I got a tow to Pep boys in Mesa. They wanted $300 just in labor to replace a belt! No way. It took about ten minutes to fix and that was with complications.

But I've lost another month. We will try again next payday.

After an oil change and two new front tires, I will try again next month. I'm not exactly starting with nothing, but I used to have more and I know the difference.

When I got back to Springerville it was 9 degrees. Slept in the Jimmy. Stuck here for another five weeks.

4 comments:

C J said...

Yipes! Sorry to hear that...

I hope things are going better for you now.

ken_anthony said...

It's a game of up and down. I am thankful that I have an income but the cost of living gives it a good chase.

My Jimmy has 210k miles on it and things tend to break faster than I can afford. I can hear another bearing giving out somewhere, perhaps in the alternator? Probably I should delay another month and replace it, but I may go out of my mind.

Being a multifaceted cripple is another time bomb that puts pressure on. I don't want to end up both blind and poor. I have to take risks which is what this L.A. trip is all about.

My next vehicle will probably be a wheel chair. What a cheerful guy I am, eh?

Things will get better (for a time) so know I appreciate your thoughts.

C J said...

Yipes!!!

I sent you an e-mail regarding the medical issues.

As for the automotive ones... I need more information about that bearing issue. First, does the noise vary with engine speed, or does it vary with vehicle speed? If the latter, it's not the alternator, and my suspicions would be wheel bearing or the CV joints (the joints covered by boots just in from the wheel).

If it's engine related, the easist way to track it down is look around under the hood with the engine running (Be careful!). Isolating the source of the noise isn't easy, but I had good luck by using a directional listening device; I made it by cutting the bottom off a water bottle and wrapping a towel around it, then putting the top to my ear.

ken_anthony said...

I replaced the alternator and bought the tension bearing which I should have replaced this weekend.

I had the front end done this last year for $800 although I brought it back twice and it still has a slight wobble at slow speed, but I'm living with it.

Two new front tires and an oil change and it will be ready for the trip. Then I wait a month to accumulate some money before going.

This next month will be tough at $3/day. But I will have $33/day during the trip.