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Mar. 6th, 2010 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogEarlier this week, my by-then-mostly-ineffective muffler finally corroded to the point where its joint with the exhaust pipe broke. So, I used a hacksaw to cut the support on the other side and removed it entirely. Igor the Neon was a little loud, but I figured I'd take care of it later.
As I was out with Posicat today (oddly enough, giving him a ride to his car to get a tow because the timing belt broke a few days ago), the loudness suddenly got a lot worse, and was joined by a horrible scraping sound. Shrugging, I said "I guess something else broke. Let's check it out at the next gas station." Posi directed me to a Jewel parking lot instead, where I found this. Oh. That's what that noise is.
What they said on Car Talk on NPR this morning was right. It never pays to look around down there under your car too much. You're never going to see something encouraging.
So Posi and I spent twenty or thirty minutes jacking up the car and trying to wiggle the eight feet of pipe plus attached muffler flange out of the underbody. That wasn't happening. So, we walked over to the nearby Ace hardware for a hacksaw. That doesn't fit through that hole.
Mallory waited patiently for us, and got a sandwich at Quizno's.
Some effort with our newly acquired cutting tool made short work of my Neon's late exhaust system. After Posi tested the longer section's effectiveness as a didgeridoo (note: very ineffective), we hauled the parts over to a dumpster behind an abandoned Blockbuster Video. We stopped for a self portrait, aided by the convenient lid of the trash container to set my camera on.
The Triumphant Techy Team
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I used to think the exhaust noise from my Neon was bad. It seemed pretty awful at times during the drive to New York City and back with a few holes in the muffler. Let me tell you something. Now that all that remains of my exhaust system is the catalytic converter and a few inches of pipe (being held up by a wire coat-hanger provided by Mr. Posi), the growling of that cross-country excursion is but the gentle purr of a kitten. The droning of disintegrating wheel bearings a year or two back that I once described as the sound of a squadron of B-52s taking to the air? That seems like the rustle of Spring zephyrs through the leaves of the trees. The roar that Igor is producing now is literally bone-jarring. As Posi said, it gives you a little bit more respect for the abuse that the inside of your engine takes when you can hear it so directly. My entire body vibrates in the seat as I drive and images in my mirrors are fuzzy and indistinct as conflicting reciprocol motions in my eyes and the mirrors themselves fight it out for dominance.
Obviously I have another car to bring to Mechanic Juan's shop to have a new exhaust system put in. I'm glad I only have to drive this thing two days a week, though I'm concerned that the train station parking lot, which I'll be pulling into around five-forty in the morning, is directly across the street from a police station....
That said, I'm taking all this in stride. Much as I miss the Aveo, this is the kind of car I'm used to. I like a car with character, individuality, and most importantly, good stories to tell about it. Igor has given me a lot of good stories, and I love him for that.
As I was out with Posicat today (oddly enough, giving him a ride to his car to get a tow because the timing belt broke a few days ago), the loudness suddenly got a lot worse, and was joined by a horrible scraping sound. Shrugging, I said "I guess something else broke. Let's check it out at the next gas station." Posi directed me to a Jewel parking lot instead, where I found this. Oh. That's what that noise is.
What they said on Car Talk on NPR this morning was right. It never pays to look around down there under your car too much. You're never going to see something encouraging.
So Posi and I spent twenty or thirty minutes jacking up the car and trying to wiggle the eight feet of pipe plus attached muffler flange out of the underbody. That wasn't happening. So, we walked over to the nearby Ace hardware for a hacksaw. That doesn't fit through that hole.
Mallory waited patiently for us, and got a sandwich at Quizno's.
Some effort with our newly acquired cutting tool made short work of my Neon's late exhaust system. After Posi tested the longer section's effectiveness as a didgeridoo (note: very ineffective), we hauled the parts over to a dumpster behind an abandoned Blockbuster Video. We stopped for a self portrait, aided by the convenient lid of the trash container to set my camera on.
=========
I used to think the exhaust noise from my Neon was bad. It seemed pretty awful at times during the drive to New York City and back with a few holes in the muffler. Let me tell you something. Now that all that remains of my exhaust system is the catalytic converter and a few inches of pipe (being held up by a wire coat-hanger provided by Mr. Posi), the growling of that cross-country excursion is but the gentle purr of a kitten. The droning of disintegrating wheel bearings a year or two back that I once described as the sound of a squadron of B-52s taking to the air? That seems like the rustle of Spring zephyrs through the leaves of the trees. The roar that Igor is producing now is literally bone-jarring. As Posi said, it gives you a little bit more respect for the abuse that the inside of your engine takes when you can hear it so directly. My entire body vibrates in the seat as I drive and images in my mirrors are fuzzy and indistinct as conflicting reciprocol motions in my eyes and the mirrors themselves fight it out for dominance.
Obviously I have another car to bring to Mechanic Juan's shop to have a new exhaust system put in. I'm glad I only have to drive this thing two days a week, though I'm concerned that the train station parking lot, which I'll be pulling into around five-forty in the morning, is directly across the street from a police station....
That said, I'm taking all this in stride. Much as I miss the Aveo, this is the kind of car I'm used to. I like a car with character, individuality, and most importantly, good stories to tell about it. Igor has given me a lot of good stories, and I love him for that.
