Changed oil @ 218425 at Grease Monkey on Huron. Not cheap. Cost was $40. Apparently as the mechanic went to check and top-off the fluids, he noticed that the radiator cap was not sealing all that good, so he recommended that I buy a new one. I did. $22. He showed me my used air filter. Filthy. So I bought a new one. $22. So with a new radiator cap, a new air filter, and a new oil filter and oil, I was off on the road to Morocco. Just kidding. That's a song and a movie. But my day was not through, not by a long-shot. As I was out on my route, my radiator began overheating. And this after Grease Monkey capped off my fluids. What was going on?
Turns out that my core heater hose had a crack, a crack whose symptoms were covered up mildly by the stripped radiator cap that was probably letting out steam very, very slowly. So slow that it was imperceptible to my eye. I got a replacement at AutoZone for $15.
So when the new cap was put on and the seal was secured, that put more pressure in the cooling system and through my hose that the pressure made the crack and hole in my core heater hose more prominent, opening the aperture further and causing a leak. The radiator fluid effectively leaked out from my radiator. I had not fluid in it and so it smoked like the devil. I had to quit my route in the middle of the day as a result. I called the towing services from my insurance company, Shelter Insurance. They said they would be out in 2 hours. I was at 4444 Havana, the Embassy Suites Hotel parking lot on 45th. I thought I could probably make it home in less than two hours, so I simply drove it. I stopped and drove, stopped and drove all the way to 84th and Huron where I had to let it rest. I didn't think that the radiator was empty of fluids since Grease Monkey claimed they tapped it off.
But as I was out and stuck on the road, I thought that having access to an inexpensive car rental service out here would be extremely helpful. And perhaps owning a tow truck wouldn't hurt either. Tow trucks are not cheap.
I needed to find the better places to buy a car out here in Denver too.
Turns out that my core heater hose had a crack, a crack whose symptoms were covered up mildly by the stripped radiator cap that was probably letting out steam very, very slowly. So slow that it was imperceptible to my eye. I got a replacement at AutoZone for $15.
But as I was out and stuck on the road, I thought that having access to an inexpensive car rental service out here would be extremely helpful. And perhaps owning a tow truck wouldn't hurt either. Tow trucks are not cheap.
I needed to find the better places to buy a car out here in Denver too.
