Kaimusailing

On my way back from the post office a bunch of trouble lights came on about a mile from the boatyard. When I pulled in and parked I shut the car and started the car again, hoping it would clear the trouble lights. The engine would not turn over, the battery was too low.
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I got my electric meter and battery charger, charged the battery a bit, then started the car. The battery was at 11 volts with the car running, but 12 volts when off. It looked like the alternator had quit. I ordered a remanufactured alternator online and began disassembly.
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There are many YouTube videos on changing out the alternator on the Honda series 2 CRV, the 03-06 models, because it is a daunting task and the DIY’ers are going to look for any advice they can get. Basically, the alternator sits down in front of the passenger side of the engine, obscured by the power steering pump. There is no way to remove it from below the car, as in putting the car on a lift to make it easier. What’s left is to remove a crossbeam at the radiator, remove the coolant expansion tank, remove the radiator fan, remove cowlings below the front of the car and the one on top of the crossbeam. The power steering pump has to be removed along with its fluid reservoir. At some point the hood latch has to go.
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A single bolt, below the hood latch, way down near the bottom, has to be removed, and this bolt was somewhat rounded off, my 3/8 drive 10mm socket, 12 points, would not grab it. My ¼ drive 10mm socket, 6 points, needed an adapter and was too big to fit in the space to grab on the nut. I began wandering around looking for a 3/8 drive 10mm socket, 6 points, or a 10mm wrench. I found that the wrenches were 12 points and wouldn’t grab the bolt.
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Along came Chris and Ilena, a couple we met a couple years ago. Oh, hi, yeah, I didn’t get up to the other side of the boatyard to meet up with you. But Chris dived into the mechanical mess and began taking over. He removed the recalcitrant bolt.
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We worked together but he did most of the work. No-see-ums were swarming on us. Irena sprayed Chris and rubbed the No-see-um spray into his neck. We removed more and more of the front end of the car to get at the alternator. We were finally able to remove it and found it barely turned, almost frozen up. I said I’m buying you dinner.
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I washed but still wore my shorts with grease stains, arms riddled with bug bites, and we went to the gas station restaurant. Geoff and Karen were there. The food was good. I had calamari and fish basket. The conversation was mostly about boats, marinas, boatyards, and Honda alternators. A fellow at the bar was an expert Honda mechanic and said the series 2 CRV alternator was maybe the worst repair ever on a Honda.
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Komputer Ken let me borrow his car to get foodstuffs, etc., from Walmart. He said don’t exceed 3,000 RPM. His car is old. I shopped. I got wine and ingredients for the langostino recipe, a meatball recipe, and marinara sauce for pasta.
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I existed for about 5 years without a car, but my plans to sail around without a car didn’t pan out. I still had help from my comrades, hate to use that term these days, but yeah, we depend on each other no matter who we are. There are others who try to crush. Like the Nazis they target and crush. If you see something like that you should stand up to it, but it seems no one does. I don’t like that others are denied the opportunity to camp out on the beaches of Central America with sand flies and mosquitoes, on their way to get into the USA.
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I have to deal with an 18 year old alternator. I can hopefully handle that. Others have to deal with this stupid government that vacillates from the left to the right about every 4 years. Yeah, come here, you are welcome, then, stop, go away, we don’t want you. I don’t know who the we is any more. It seems the we is someone with a psychological impairment. I am not we.
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The way I look at it, no one wants war, but if someone in high power wants war or doesn’t care if there is war, there will be war. And the young men seem to be the ones who have to give their lives. There is also attrition to the enemies. Kill them, subdue them, demolish their schools and hospitals, their everything. That is not war against armies of governments, it is genocide. At least I can speak up, for now.
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Every one of us lives in our society with rules and also there are cues if we are out of line, so we realize we must adapt a bit. We have talented people from other lands who have to learn how to adapt. After they have done so, and after they have been productive for years, they are still considered aliens and marked for deportation by the current administration. I don’t care what I say, I’m not afraid to die anymore. I’m afraid if I don’t say anything many others will die or suffer.
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This country that I grew up in values the individual and gives the opportunity for any individual to rise to whatever they are able to achieve, based on their ability, performance, not based on race, religion, or ethnicity. That is America. You can come here and prosper or fail. It is a society for those who just want to prosper or get a foothold, raise a family, live, the way people should, but not maybe can’t in their home lands. That’s why they want to come here. Here you have a chance.
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So we will deny them and send them back.
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I made meatballs and some marinara sauce with mushrooms. As I cooked, I would take a walk about to see if the alternator was delivered. I over burned the meatballs here and there, and the sauce was thick with translucent bits of red onion, but I was hungry and ate a meat portion with some of the thick sauce. I couldn’t sit around and went around the yard in my area which got me into the mail room and there my package was sitting. I hadn’t noticed the UPS truck while I was cooking meatballs.
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I took the package onto the collapsible table and started unwrapping it. I predicted the Rock Auto “Famous Brand” was in fact Carquest. It was. These alternators go for 2 or 3 hundred dollars. A rebuilt one for 80 bucks is a sure sign you are in for a big downfall.
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As soon as I started unwrapping things and getting into my technical car repair guise, I had Geoff and Chris pull in to help me. I’ve been wrenching for a couple days, I can do this, but now I was up against real car repair mafia, no problem, don’t worry about it. They would both come at some old 10mm bolt with their tools at the same time, and I had one in my hand as well.
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Mine was special, it had a very light click, click, click, and it was stained with various epoxy mixes. Worked though. Sprayed it with Blaster, wiped off the resultant residue. Work it around, wipe it again. A tool like this that deserves respect is nothing unless I hold it in my hand and butt my way into the mechanical fray.
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I was not taken seriously by Chris and Geoff, we need to get to know each other, I guess. I need my space, and that means doing it by myself with people watching, like me watching when other people do it. It would have taken me about 2 days to get the new alternator in and the car all together, but with Geoff and Chris there, we worked together and got it done in just a few hours, like less than 3.
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After cleaning up I drove around anxiously watching for trouble lights on the dash. I went to O’Reilly’s auto parts to see if they had something called splash shield clips. I had one in my pocket and showed it to the counterman. He spent considerable time trying to find the correct clip in his huge autobody catalog. After a while I said I had to be somewhere and I would try to find the Honda part number for him. I took off for the gas station restaurant where Geoff and Karen were having a pint and a pinot grigio, respectively. We had calamari with marinara dip and I of course treated them. They invited me to stop over on my way back to the boatyard, but I reneged, I was bushed.
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I texted them sorry I can’t make it, then started my research for the splash shield clips. I needed about a dozen and a half. The Honda part number is 700-080. I ordered a package of 20 online that came to 20 dollars including shipping and tax.
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I wanted to watch a March Madness basketball game but the Onn TV, from Walmart, about 4 years old or older, failed. A replacement will cost me $88. It’s only 32 inch screen, but I can’t really put anything bigger in the galley on the boat.
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A front with thunderstorms and heavy rain is on its way, so we will hunker down and watch some March Madness on the new TV. The image is of the engine compartment of CRV, Constant Repair Vehicle. The removed alternator is sitting up on the passenger side near the firewall. It is probably the original alternator and is 19 years old.