So my goal for the day was to finish fixing my car. I started by taking it, and it’s still leaking gas tank to the gas station to air up the tires, since they had lost alot of pressure sitting for a couple months. It was really nice to be able to drive my car again. Sure, I had driven a few other cars in the time since my bug was out of commission, but there is just something about driving YOUR car. Anyway, after that I went to Kragen to pick up some clamps for all the hoses I knew I’d need to reattach to the gas tank once I replaced it. Afterwards, I stopped at Rite-Aid to pick up a few more things. The whole time I was checking to see if I was leaking gas, which I was.
So I get home and I figure I’ve got maybe a quarter tank of gas left in the tank, so I leave the car running, lock the transmission in neutral, and ask my roommate Alan to pull the keys out of it when he leaves for class. I was certain all the gas would have been used up by the time he left for class 3 hours later. So I go to work.
Work is cool, and I meet up with Alan for lunch. Afterwards, we decide to just pull the gas tank out, and let whats left (which I figured was less than a quarter of a tank, if that) drain into a bucket. Not the greatest idea. We pull it out, and I cut the main fuel line to free the tank from the car. It was like delivering a baby, we had to pull, and pull, and pull, finally it pops out, then we cut it free.
At this point we have what we now realize is over a half a tank of gas (about 5 gallons) spilling out into the bucket / onto the driveway. Its a mess. We try our best to get all the gas into the bucket which is filling much quicker than the tank is draining. All the while we are getting phone calls, and fearing the slightest spark could kill us all in a very explosive, and fiery death.
3 buckets later, we are soaked in gasoline, and the tank has finally reached a level which allows us to set it down without it spilling all over the driveway. We decide we’ve had enough gas for time being, as we are starting to lose our sense of smell, and ability to keep our eyes open. We head for Fry’s to buy a case for Alan’s computer.
We get back around 7 p.m. and Alan has to go to work, but he drops me off at Kragen so I can pick up and extra hose to replace the one I cut (the umbilical cord). I walk halfway back, and catch the bus the rest of the way.
Now its time to get to work. I set the mood with a little Rancid, and dive in head first. 45 minutes later, the tank is in, and I’m on my way to the gas station. Of course I’m nervous that I didn’t fix the problem, and that I’m going to run out of gas any minute. Every time my car breaks down and I get it fixed, whether I fix it myself or I take it in, I’m always skeptical the problem is fixed, I’m not sure why. Logically, I know the problem was fixed, but I still worry it’s not. So of course I’m checking under the car and watching the tank as I fill it up, but it takes 11 gallons and I’m on my way home, no leaks. Finally I have my mobility back, my Independence from Unitrans. No longer at the mercy of my roommates generosity to give me a ride. I’m back, on the road again.
