Generations XYZ in trouble

[tommyt654]

Consider this an observation. My immediate family consists of myself,wifey,2stepdaughters and our Grandaughter.Now I try to help as much as possible with the 2/stepdaughters dilemas though I try to stay out of there business. So for X-mas I got both of what appears to be Son-in-laws tool boxes and some tools for x-mas. Nothing fancy Craftsman hand tools and a decent metal tool box. Since some of you may have observed I,m quite the deal-getter so these tool boxes were adequately stocked. Now my wifeys car had been overheating and I suspected the thermostat as I had replaced the w/pump in Aug. I had told wifey to not drive any long distances and check the water regularly. Well it overheated and now we have to replace a head gasket. While I am a certified mech.I worked for V.V.O.A. and worked for a V.W. dealership 20yrs ago and also a Kawasawki Cert. Jetski Mech as well having worked for a motorcycle dealership as well. The SUV broke down over at the S/daughters house and Future SIL1 checks oil on downhill slope and adds 2 quarts of oil and antifreeze and sends wifey on her ways home.Never makes it.Car breaksdown on drive back w/Grandaughter in tow. Car gets towed 91/2 miles in opposite direction from house when it only broke down 1 mile away at the suggestion of FSIL1 to a Goodyear store where a friend of his works. $70.Goodyears response, New Engine $3446.So I get her towed back home $64 AAA. Pop hood replace thermostat/upper rad hose/backflush cooling system. Have a friend take it to Oil change shop around the corner $24 and drive it home. I,m 55 wifey 41, Sd,s 23 + 25,FSIL,s 27 +26. XYZ in TROUBLE.And yes I did all that work on 1 leg.

[cabinetman]

Now, that's a fire drill. Fortunately, all our kids are grown...and living out of town. As for LOML, I'm the first call if there is a mechanical problem with her car. It seems if there is one of us to make decisions like that it narrows the responsibility...which isn't necessarily a good thing if you know what I mean.
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[sparkeyjames]

Some people are good tool users. Some just get all jittery with anything more difficult to use than a ball point pen. Some are dangerously in the middle somewhere. Have pity on them for it is by their loss that we (tool users) may profit.

[jackellis]

Some people are natural wrenches. Some know enough to get by. Some know how things work but can't use a screwdriver properly. Some know what they don't know.

And then there are some who don't make the effort. Sounds like the SIL didn't make much of an effort.

Me? I'm very thankful for modern safety devices or I'd be typing this with a pencil clenched between my teeth

[dbhost]

Well, I must admit being a gen x-er, I somewhat resemble that remark as far as AGE is concerned, and ONLY AGE...

Many of my contemporaries simply don't want to know what goes on under a hood, or how to build stuff... But when you consider than many school districts have been eliminating vocational arts classes in favor of computer education since the early 1980s, combined with the fact that many boys grew up in fatherless homes, and the women's movement has pretty much failed to spark any real interest in things mechanical or structural with the fairer gender at large, it's no surprise that many folks my age and younger are complete dunces when it comes to having the skills to do for themselves...

And a tip for the younger fellows... Not all, but most ladies seem to like guys that are good with their hands...

[cabinetman]

Some people are natural wrenches. Some know enough to get by. Some know how things work but can't use a screwdriver properly. Some know what they don't know.

And then there are some who don't make the effort. Sounds like the SIL didn't make much of an effort.

Me? I'm very thankful for modern safety devices or I'd be typing this with a pencil clenched between my teeth

It's great to be mechanically inclined. But, have you looked under the hood of a fairly new car? You don't just assume it's an air, fuel, or electric problem anymore. It's not like the days when you had a Chevy V8 with a four barrel and points. Nowadays you have to have a "code reader", and you might as well locate your nearest "Microsoft Car Repair" shop.
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[dbhost]

It's great to be mechanically inclined. But, have you looked under the hood of a fairly new car? You don't just assume it's an air, fuel, or electric problem anymore. It's not like the days when you had a Chevy V8 with a four barrel and points. Nowadays you have to have a "code reader", and you might as well locate your nearest "Microsoft Car Repair" shop.
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Are you kidding, if the software for car computers came from microsoft, you'd have to restart the car by holding the antenna, the door handle, and the reaview mirror while turning the key....

Actually, I have NEVER owned a car with breaker points, although I have worked on them. And I had a 1962 Volkswagen Microbus. (It had been upgraded to electronic ignition by the previous owner).

In a LOT of ways I do not miss carburettors, but... some of the newer engines, make me wonder where the heck the distributor is....

[chopnhack]

I can count myself in with the "youngins" but certainly not with the lack of hand skills. It's just a different kind of mentality. Some people are naturally inclined to learn about everything and be very mechanically gifted, while others could care less and will rely on there always being someone around to pay to "have it done". I guess we should be thankful for that change because we are now a consumer based country. I, however, do lament it some, because I see understanding of how it works going hand in hand with inventiveness and ingenuity and hard work....all seemingly traits that many of us youngins seem to lack.

[jackellis]

It's great to be mechanically inclined. But, have you looked under the hood of a fairly new car? You don't just assume it's an air, fuel, or electric problem anymore. It's not like the days when you had a Chevy V8 with a four barrel and points. Nowadays you have to have a "code reader", and you might as well locate your nearest "Microsoft Car Repair" shop.

Not necessarily. The wife's Volvo started acting up a few weeks ago. High RPM and high coolant temp. First thing to check is the thermostat, right?

It was bad and had to be replaced. I'm not a wrench but I've learned that you have to check the simple stuff first.

OTOH, the '83 Subaru wagon we finally put to rest last August had a rubber timing belt. Only we never suspected it was anything but a metal chain until the car died completely and without warning. Thankfully the auto makers have gone back to metal.

Now for an airplane story. The Skylane is in for its mandatory annual inspection. It has a turbocharged (actually it's called "turbonormalized"), air-cooled flat six engine that uses 40 year old technology. There was a little oil in the turbo's cold-side plenum again this year. It's happened before and three years ago I spent almost $400 to have the part removed, sent to an overhauler who tested it for free and found nothing wrong, and reinstalled. Turns out the oil scavenge pump isn't very effective at low RPM so after a 30 minute phone call with the turbo folks, we decided to replace some old oil hoses and change the shutdown procedure but the turbo appeared to be fine.

I'll admit again that I'm not confident enough in my mechanical ability to work on the airplane, except perhaps under a professional mechanic's supervision. On the other hand, I can't afford to let my mechanic do whatever he wants, and in this case he would have sent the turbo out again ($500 bill this time) to find out that it works perfectly. Thankfully he understands that while I trust his judgment, I'm also paying the bills and recently he's been very good about soliciting my input and talking about the available options. The guy who does our auto work is the same way.

So, while I agree with Cabman that cars have gotten pretty complex, Tommy has a point when he cusses about how young folks are so ignorant about how things work. Maybe it's because they're more interested in TV and video games.

[Tom Slick]

I'm Gen X and can fix danged near anything I can get my hands on.

keep in mind that there are many baby boomers that are just as aloof at repairs as Gen X and Y. The reverse is also true, there are many X and Y that are excellent in the fields of technology and would feel sorry for you in your lack of knowledge in that subject.

Question is why didn't you replace the thermostat when you suspected it was bad?

[tommyt654]

See Bandsaw for $189 and look for pics of my leg. It,s been that way since Sept 6th 2008.Now picture yourself on crutches in the driveway cause the garage is full of WW tools and every wrench and socket or anything else you need you have to get while using crutches to get that part. Trust me my armpits are sore as ****.Oh and this is all on a slight incline, Don,t drop anything cause its a b***h to p/u. The faucet for the hose is 50 ft away. It take 6 bolts just to get the air cleaner off to get to the 2 bolts to remove the throttle cabl which blocks access to the 2 studs that hold down the thermo housing which is metric not standard. I mention that cause it s another trip to the toolbox.Removal of 8 electrical connections. Scrape thermo housing to remove old gasket material. Install new thermo and cover reverese everything to put back together.Plys your doing this stretched out over the hood of and Suv that sits up kinda high. I hope this answers your ?

[Tom Slick]

I didn't mean to get you worked up, my last statement wasn't an attack, just bringing up a point.

my previous post was trying to say every generation has values that differ from the next. When cars came along there were guys saying "kids these days can't even shoe a horse, they are in trouble" sometimes even when we know how to do something we need to put it into others' hands if it needs to get done. It does need to be put in the right hands though.

[tommyt654]

No Problem Tom, I was just letting you know why I didn,t replace the thermo. I,m just in a difficult situation because of he injury and we don.t live near a lot of our friends. So I have to do a lot even in this condition. it,s very tiring standing on 1 leg and supporting 200 lbs and still trying to keep from going stir crazy. But try, seriously just try doing any simple task with crutches,ie carrying something. or any thing else standing on 1 leg for a length of time. I was a volunteer at the 1996 Paralympics here in Atl and have a huge amount of repect for any and all disabilites even though mine is temp.I,m lucky I had a father who taught me a lot of what I now consider gifts. Too many kids as well as adults don,t learn basic skills anymore because there too busy looking for the gold I think.I wasn,t necessarily picking on 1 generation or4 the other just a lack of basic skills and understanding that I personally believe boys/girls/men/women should learn ata young age. I talked to the FSOL at length about the oil situation. He apoloigized and has offered to do anything to make up for it. And well I have a really big yard and a really small mower

[430752]

I'm a GenX, and proud of it too, if I cared at all. Not really sure I do, or even about this message, but then again, maybe. I dunno.

What you say is true about the future generations and mechanically inclined things. Me? I can fix most anything, but only because my BabyBoomer forefathers were too self involved to care about their kids. Touche.

Really, though, the observation is accurate, but we can also observe that the boomers were in trouble since they didn't know how to repair locomotives and streetcars anymore, or that the WWII generation really screwed up once they lost the skill of shoeing a horse and making wagon wheels.

But yeah, the whole checking oil on an incline is dumb. Like, really dumb.

[Tom Slick]

I'm sure it wasn't pleasant. It does show your tenacity though!

You should have grabbed the FSIL by the ear and made him be your "hands" for the repair, you supervising from a more comfortable position. You'd have gotten a break and he'd have learned a thing or two; giving him a good shake down from "her dad".