Well i think it's official. This is the "new" car, it's a 2001 honda civic si-g. I'm hoping it lasts longer then my last car.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Well It's Official
Well today i went and picked up the 2001 Civic that i looked at a while back. They through in a trailer hitch and window tinting for me but it's still gold colored. Oh well, at least i won't have trouble finding it at here at work where the parking lot seems to be filled with either silver, black or red vehicles. I can live with having a car that looks a little different, maybe i'll even pretend i'm different too :D
I haven't even gotten the car home yet, but once i do i'll have to take some pictures of it out in the sun and post them...i'm really hoping that the colour in the next set of pictures looks better then the picture i posted before. Now i just have to try and sit here patiently waiting for 5pm so that i can drive it home. It's gonna be a long afternoon.
I haven't even gotten the car home yet, but once i do i'll have to take some pictures of it out in the sun and post them...i'm really hoping that the colour in the next set of pictures looks better then the picture i posted before. Now i just have to try and sit here patiently waiting for 5pm so that i can drive it home. It's gonna be a long afternoon.
Friday, June 17, 2005
That's Gold?
I've been looking at used cars to replace my golf and this was one of the cars in my price range. I can't say i'm crazy about the color, but it's cheap, good on gas and fun to drive. My biggest concern is how well it's going to do if i put a hitch on it and try to tow the 800 pound polaris atv and the 240 pound crf. Anybody ever tow 1500lbs with civic si?
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
For sale
For sale:One diesel powered mosquito repellant.
Yup, it's that season again, the mosquitos are out, but not to worry i've got just the sollution for you. It runs on diesel and can generate smoke for hours on one tank of fuel. The mosquitos won't bother you at all...then again you may not be able to stand the smoke either. The car does still move under it's own power but after you read the list of problems you'll understand why i make no guarantees on how long it'll last.
1993 golf diesel for parts:
-one working wiper(driver's side)
-wrinkled hood
-two chipped headlights
-no grill
-no radiator cooling fans
-injectors, lines and pump from a 1.6L(no this car is not a 1.6)
-stripped crank pulley
-crank shaft is damaged
-valves are likely damaged shape
i'll even throw in:
-the original injectors
-the original injector lines
-the original injector pump(it'll come in handy if you've been looking for a heavy bag of useless metal pieces)
Yup, it's that season again, the mosquitos are out, but not to worry i've got just the sollution for you. It runs on diesel and can generate smoke for hours on one tank of fuel. The mosquitos won't bother you at all...then again you may not be able to stand the smoke either. The car does still move under it's own power but after you read the list of problems you'll understand why i make no guarantees on how long it'll last.
1993 golf diesel for parts:
-one working wiper(driver's side)
-wrinkled hood
-two chipped headlights
-no grill
-no radiator cooling fans
-injectors, lines and pump from a 1.6L(no this car is not a 1.6)
-stripped crank pulley
-crank shaft is damaged
-valves are likely damaged shape
i'll even throw in:
-the original injectors
-the original injector lines
-the original injector pump(it'll come in handy if you've been looking for a heavy bag of useless metal pieces)
Monday, June 13, 2005
Nice Trip
Saturday i spent the day helping a friend build a shed...i know it sounds like it's not much work, but it was 10'x12' and 10' feet high. Seems like a simple task but by the time you build the floor the trusses, and the walls you've done a lot of cutting, a lot of nailing and almost as much swearing. It was a warm day so it seemed fairly long, but 11 hours after i started i headed for home. The rest of the day consisted pretty much of me showering, eating and watching tv. I know it sounds kind of lazy for a saturday night but i wanted to be able to lift the bike for sunday's trip.
So Sunday morning the alarm went off and i got out of bed...normally it takes a lot less effort to stand up. I guess 11 hours of standing with a lot of bending and squatting down to lift stuff takes it's toll. The muscles on the inside of my legs felt like they had been replaced with a nice pair of lead weights. My first thought was a warm shower, that's just what i need, that'll loosen them up a bit. Ok, got any more bright ideas, that didn't help at all...oh well, at least i smell better. So i had some toast while i put some chain lube on my chain and packed some tools.
The plan for the day was to meet up with another group at the store and go from there. So we left the house and headed for the store, a very common trip for us. So you would think that it would be the simplest part of the trip, not this time. Near the half way point i forgot about a spot where i had to make a 90 degree turn and did something i do a lot while on gravel. I pushed the back brake pedal down all the way and pulled in on the front brake a little bit. This is usually followed by a bit of back tire slide and me letting off on the brakes and hitting the throttle. Except this time the back tire never slid, instead the front tire dug in and i went down. Funny thing is before i hit the brakes it thought maybe i should just turn around up the road and come back. Funny how you rememember those split second decisions so much better after you made the wrong choice.
Onto the fun part, assess the damage to the bike. The piece of plastic that i push to turn on the blinkers must have caught on my glove and got pulled off. Suprisingly i didn't break the brake lever off and the foot pegs did exactly as they were designed to do, they simply folded up and stayed intact. So the reservoir for the brake fluid has some scuffs, the brake lever has some scuffs, and the piece of rubber that covers the brake cable where it connects to the lever has a bit of a hole punctured in it. So i stuck the little piece of plastic for the blinkers back in place and the bike seems fine. Now to assess my damage, my right elbow and shoulder took the brunt of the punishment. Since i was only wearing a tshirt i've got a few scratches that will remind me of my little accident for the next week or so. My ankle feels a little stiff and my shin has a bit of a scrape on it, but other then that i think i'm good to go. So I tightened up the laces on my right boot, picked up my bike again and we headed to the store.
The rest of the trip to the store is fairly uneventful, although on the way there i start to doubt my back brake and test the theory on some level ground. Sure enough it's got no stopping power at all. Although i hate doing it i use my front brake sparingly until we get to the store, i don't want to repeat what i did on that turn again today. Now i know why the back tire never slid, the back brake wasn't working at all. So at the store i tighten up the back brake and it works great again.
There were five bikes at the store, bringing our numbers up to eight for the trip. The weather was good for biking although the roads were dry and dusty in some spots, but we made good time and covered a lot of ground. It was a good group to travel with and i got to see some new trails, along with a few famillar ones. The further we travelled the more i started to feel the effects of being on my feet all day saturday, my muscles kept telling me to lay down for a bit. So when we came to one washed out spot in the road i was definitely thankful to have someone there to help me pull the bike up the other side of the bank(thanks BajaX).
What else happened on the trip....oh yeah, Bethany almost rolled her bike. There was a tree cut off along the trail and somehow her bike caught on it and lifted both of the left wheels right off the ground. She said her right leg hit the ground before she managed to get the bike back on all fours. Today she said her hip is still pretty stiff so i'm starting to wonder if maybe she dislocated it...but i don't know much about that stuff so i'd just be guessing. Oh yeah and i blew a fuse at some point, i'm guessing it had something to do with all the wires i added for the headlight kit and the deep water i had just been through. But i went to start the bike and nothing worked, sure enough the fuse was a pretty black color, i'm so glad they include a spare fuse. I'm also very happy that i remembered to pack the tools before i left the house.
Lessons learned on this trip:
-check bike (including brakes) before leaving
-don't try to take turns too fast
-be physically prepared for a long trip
-be sure you have spare fuses
-pack any tools you may need
I think it was one of the best trips i've been on for a long time though, stops weren't too long, lots of nice scenery and a good group to travel with. I look forward to doing it again as soon as possible.
So Sunday morning the alarm went off and i got out of bed...normally it takes a lot less effort to stand up. I guess 11 hours of standing with a lot of bending and squatting down to lift stuff takes it's toll. The muscles on the inside of my legs felt like they had been replaced with a nice pair of lead weights. My first thought was a warm shower, that's just what i need, that'll loosen them up a bit. Ok, got any more bright ideas, that didn't help at all...oh well, at least i smell better. So i had some toast while i put some chain lube on my chain and packed some tools.
The plan for the day was to meet up with another group at the store and go from there. So we left the house and headed for the store, a very common trip for us. So you would think that it would be the simplest part of the trip, not this time. Near the half way point i forgot about a spot where i had to make a 90 degree turn and did something i do a lot while on gravel. I pushed the back brake pedal down all the way and pulled in on the front brake a little bit. This is usually followed by a bit of back tire slide and me letting off on the brakes and hitting the throttle. Except this time the back tire never slid, instead the front tire dug in and i went down. Funny thing is before i hit the brakes it thought maybe i should just turn around up the road and come back. Funny how you rememember those split second decisions so much better after you made the wrong choice.
Onto the fun part, assess the damage to the bike. The piece of plastic that i push to turn on the blinkers must have caught on my glove and got pulled off. Suprisingly i didn't break the brake lever off and the foot pegs did exactly as they were designed to do, they simply folded up and stayed intact. So the reservoir for the brake fluid has some scuffs, the brake lever has some scuffs, and the piece of rubber that covers the brake cable where it connects to the lever has a bit of a hole punctured in it. So i stuck the little piece of plastic for the blinkers back in place and the bike seems fine. Now to assess my damage, my right elbow and shoulder took the brunt of the punishment. Since i was only wearing a tshirt i've got a few scratches that will remind me of my little accident for the next week or so. My ankle feels a little stiff and my shin has a bit of a scrape on it, but other then that i think i'm good to go. So I tightened up the laces on my right boot, picked up my bike again and we headed to the store.
The rest of the trip to the store is fairly uneventful, although on the way there i start to doubt my back brake and test the theory on some level ground. Sure enough it's got no stopping power at all. Although i hate doing it i use my front brake sparingly until we get to the store, i don't want to repeat what i did on that turn again today. Now i know why the back tire never slid, the back brake wasn't working at all. So at the store i tighten up the back brake and it works great again.
There were five bikes at the store, bringing our numbers up to eight for the trip. The weather was good for biking although the roads were dry and dusty in some spots, but we made good time and covered a lot of ground. It was a good group to travel with and i got to see some new trails, along with a few famillar ones. The further we travelled the more i started to feel the effects of being on my feet all day saturday, my muscles kept telling me to lay down for a bit. So when we came to one washed out spot in the road i was definitely thankful to have someone there to help me pull the bike up the other side of the bank(thanks BajaX).
What else happened on the trip....oh yeah, Bethany almost rolled her bike. There was a tree cut off along the trail and somehow her bike caught on it and lifted both of the left wheels right off the ground. She said her right leg hit the ground before she managed to get the bike back on all fours. Today she said her hip is still pretty stiff so i'm starting to wonder if maybe she dislocated it...but i don't know much about that stuff so i'd just be guessing. Oh yeah and i blew a fuse at some point, i'm guessing it had something to do with all the wires i added for the headlight kit and the deep water i had just been through. But i went to start the bike and nothing worked, sure enough the fuse was a pretty black color, i'm so glad they include a spare fuse. I'm also very happy that i remembered to pack the tools before i left the house.
Lessons learned on this trip:
-check bike (including brakes) before leaving
-don't try to take turns too fast
-be physically prepared for a long trip
-be sure you have spare fuses
-pack any tools you may need
I think it was one of the best trips i've been on for a long time though, stops weren't too long, lots of nice scenery and a good group to travel with. I look forward to doing it again as soon as possible.
Friday, June 10, 2005
I Hope it was Painless
Well i got the call this morning, they took my golf apart to check the timing. What they found is definitely bad news for my little car. The bolt to hold the crank pulley was loose and this stripped my crank pulley, and ruined the crank shaft. Since this would definitely throw the timing off, and the diesel is an interference engine, it's pretty safe to say that the pistons have probably done a pretty good job of mashing the valves. That may explain why the car has been smoking non stop lately. They estimated that if the valves are gone it would be about 8-10 hours of labour with a total of about $2500 for parts and labour.
Now if this were a brand new ferrari it would be a much simpler choice, fix 'er up she's a hot little red sports car. But nope, we are talking about a 1993 VW Golf with a wrinkled hood, no grill, no radiator fan, two chipped headlights, one working wiper, and a heater that spits pine needles. So even if i spend $2500 on the car to get it working again i doubt that it would be worth the $2500. Which is bad news for the golf...i think her time has passed, may she rest in peace.
Official time of death 12:35PM June 10th, 2005
Now if this were a brand new ferrari it would be a much simpler choice, fix 'er up she's a hot little red sports car. But nope, we are talking about a 1993 VW Golf with a wrinkled hood, no grill, no radiator fan, two chipped headlights, one working wiper, and a heater that spits pine needles. So even if i spend $2500 on the car to get it working again i doubt that it would be worth the $2500. Which is bad news for the golf...i think her time has passed, may she rest in peace.
Official time of death 12:35PM June 10th, 2005
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Overdue Trip
I was definitely more then overdue for a trip out with the bike. I had the bike out for a bit on the weekend when my sister was out with her family, but only around the yard.
So tonight we went out to see if we could find some new trails. We managed to find a few dead ends and some mud. On that note, it's way too easy to dig a rut in the mud with my back tire. Next time i'm going to be sure that i don't pick a soupy spot to turn the bike around...i could have dug myself quite the hole there, although I will admit that the mud is fun.
This trip was a nice slow one so we even managed to see a bit of wildlife. A camera with a nice zoom lense sure would have come in handy. But i'd snap a picture move closer, snap another one and keep hoping that i could get a bit closer. No perfect pictures, but they turned out half decent.
I can't believe i waited this long to go for a bike trip, i really enjoy being on the bike. It's so easy to drive, even on rough trails, i'm looking forward to the weekend so that i can take it out again.
So tonight we went out to see if we could find some new trails. We managed to find a few dead ends and some mud. On that note, it's way too easy to dig a rut in the mud with my back tire. Next time i'm going to be sure that i don't pick a soupy spot to turn the bike around...i could have dug myself quite the hole there, although I will admit that the mud is fun.
This trip was a nice slow one so we even managed to see a bit of wildlife. A camera with a nice zoom lense sure would have come in handy. But i'd snap a picture move closer, snap another one and keep hoping that i could get a bit closer. No perfect pictures, but they turned out half decent.
I can't believe i waited this long to go for a bike trip, i really enjoy being on the bike. It's so easy to drive, even on rough trails, i'm looking forward to the weekend so that i can take it out again.
Rabbit
This is a rabbit that ran across the trail when we were out biking, we shut off the bikes and he wandered back onto the trail long enough to pose for some pictures.
Owl
This owl was watching us from a tree and flew across the trail right in front of us. He was pretty timid, but he let me get close enough for this picture to turn out fairly well.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Just my Chain
Can you tell i was bored, i took the last of the building supplies out of the garage so that they can be picked up tomorrow and didn't feel like doing much else. So i tried to snap a picture of my chain, the picture didn't turn out great. But when i looked at it i did realize my bike could really use a wash. Maybe this time i'll actually use some soap instead of just hosing it down.
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