So the weather finally starts to get nice around here, and I decide to take the T-Bird out to stretch its legs a bit. It needed the run to break in the new 3G (I decided to replace my $4 3G after it failed again, I'd rather have reliability than cheap) and tripminder anyway :D
So after driving it around a bit I stop at the gas station and get raped for $61.00 (95.9 cents/liter for 87 octane). Then to Wal-Mart for an oil change (hey, it's cheaper than buying the stuff myself, plus I don't have to get under the car). Once on the hoist the Wal-Mart guy calls me out to look at the car. The whole top of the gas tank is rotted out!:mad: :mad: :mad:
So now I've got $61.00 worth of gas in a rotten gas tank. :toilet: The plus side is that the new tank is only $130 CDN (Employee discounts are the cat's ass). The minus side is that I now have to put a gas tank in the car. Another minus: Only two days ago I spent $130 on a new alternator.
I suppose I shouldn't be too mad - after all, it lasted 17 years, but still, I'd rather not have had to do this... I guess it'll be a good time to start construction of my sub box, though - with the tank out I can drill holes with impunity :hick:
Wal-Mart oil changes are great when you don't wanna mess with chit.. like when a hurricane is about to hit your area. But when things are quieter around here, I'd prefer to do it myself. Gotta figure out if I wanna stay with this 5w30 next time around.
That's what happened to my '88 XR7.
I guess the metal was so rusty that the pump fell out of its mount (?) and ceased to function. This was while I was driving home from work, mind you.
AT least you got nice weather :)
It could be worse, you could have been stranded somewhere, but having to do a repair always sucks. I always find comfort in the fact that I don;t have to make monthly payments: owning an old car (or two).
I got that beat :flip:
On my '87 Cherokee that I just sold AND on the Dakota I currently own the gas tank itself fell out. In the Dakota it was at a low speed and only one strap broke, so it stayed connected to the lines (albeit at a very odd angle). In the Cherokee it was at about 40MPH, and it completely dropped off the truck! After just putting $50 worth of gas into it!
Luckily that happened during a snowstorm, so there were no sparks. Matter of fact, I put the tank back into the truck (used Skidoo hold-down straps to hold it in), reconnected the lines and continued on my way. It ended up the whole frame had rotted where the straps attached, so I had to make a section of frame for it.