Saturday I went to the Auto Parts store and procured all of the necessary parts to get both vehicles ready for fall: oil, oil filters, air filters, coolant, and wiper blades. Because of all of the miles that were put on the van in the last six weeks, Saturday was the van's turn.
I was unloading the supplies out of the van and my neighbor Butch came over to see what I was up to. In the conversation he said, "I'm glad to see you use Castrol. That's the only oil I use." I love Butch to death, but I wondered secretly if what kind of oil I used determined my worth as a neighbor or as a man. What if I used Penzoil? Heaven forbid! I was glad, though, that he didn't come up and hit me behind the legs and say, "That's thinkin' with your dipstick, Jimmy!" (See video below.)
The van must have had more than a few coolant changes in its lifetime. The radiator drain plug was stripped out and would not and could not be placed back into the radiator. I went to twelve different auto parts stores, and none of them had one. Just FYI, if someone asks if your 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan is a Flex Fuel model, they should not work at an auto parts store. NAPA was closed last night, but this morning they opened at 9am. I was there before the lights went on and I purchased the only one they had. I took it home and installed it, poured in a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water, took the used antifreeze to the Aurora Household Hazardous Waste Center (open Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 9:30am to 4:30pm), came home and showered and dressed, and made it to church for the 11am service! And, I drove the van! Jean's rig is again road ready.
I was unloading the supplies out of the van and my neighbor Butch came over to see what I was up to. In the conversation he said, "I'm glad to see you use Castrol. That's the only oil I use." I love Butch to death, but I wondered secretly if what kind of oil I used determined my worth as a neighbor or as a man. What if I used Penzoil? Heaven forbid! I was glad, though, that he didn't come up and hit me behind the legs and say, "That's thinkin' with your dipstick, Jimmy!" (See video below.)
The van must have had more than a few coolant changes in its lifetime. The radiator drain plug was stripped out and would not and could not be placed back into the radiator. I went to twelve different auto parts stores, and none of them had one. Just FYI, if someone asks if your 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan is a Flex Fuel model, they should not work at an auto parts store. NAPA was closed last night, but this morning they opened at 9am. I was there before the lights went on and I purchased the only one they had. I took it home and installed it, poured in a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water, took the used antifreeze to the Aurora Household Hazardous Waste Center (open Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 9:30am to 4:30pm), came home and showered and dressed, and made it to church for the 11am service! And, I drove the van! Jean's rig is again road ready.
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