Arrrrrgh

"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats) 04/03/2019 at 16:10 • Filed to: None

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I went to replace the battery in the Miata, and I forgot how these stupid hooks on the battery brace work, so, of course, I unscrewed the nut all the way and the first hook fell into the radiator fan.

So I start to remove the battery tray, which takes FOREVER, because the only thing I had with me was a 10mm wrench, since I figured I’d only have to remove the terminals and the brace. But even that was preferable to removing the clips holding the wires to the battery case, which were almost impossible to do by hand, and my SwissTool couldn’t fit to grab most of them.

Finally pull the battery tray and I see the hook dangling off of the radiator fan.

Go to grab it, and... I touch the fan and the hook falls.

Okay, I figure it’s got to be on the splash guard now.

Peer through the front, nope. That’s when I realize that the splash guard continues past the radiator, so I start banging around under the car until I hear metal jangling.

So now I have to start unbolting the frigging splash guard. Get that done, reach in, and grab the hook.

Then I put everything back together and put the battery in.

Total time to replace the battery? 1 hour.

All because of THIS FUCKING THING:

Tripper > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 16:16

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“the only thing I had with me was a 10mm wrench”  

Whoa , you had a 10mm when you needed it...that’s why the rest of that debacle happened.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 16:16

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Also, while all of this was going on:

1. I really had to pee.

2. My allergies were awful and I could not stop sneezing.

3. I was out of cigarettes and was nearing murderous levels of withdrawal.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Tripper 04/03/2019 at 16:18

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Jag ownership has taught me to always have something to remove metric bolts in the car.  In the Jag, it’s a socket wrench, an extender, and 10mm, 12mm, and 14mm sockets.  I figured Miatas are reliable, so I just keep a 10mm and 12mm wrench with the jack.  That’s probably going to change now.

someassemblyrequired > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 16:20

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This is why real Miatas have their batteries in the trunk

Tripper > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 16:23

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I was at my parent’s place a few weekends ago hanging their TV and when I noticed the size of the lag bolts.

Me : “oh no these are 10 mm.”

My mom: “No problem, I have a socket set I’ll get it...”

Me: “unless you have replaced your tools since I lived here, you don’t have a 10mm anything .”

Honeybunchesofgoats > someassemblyrequired 04/03/2019 at 16:23

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My XJ8 has it in the trunk and that really is where batteries belong.

AestheticsInMotion > someassemblyrequired 04/03/2019 at 16:23

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My trunk battery is such a massive pain. Some day I'll relocate it to the engine bay... 

Honeybunchesofgoats > Tripper 04/03/2019 at 16:27

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The Jag’s thermostat has a bolt that requires an 8mm crowfoot. As a result, the usual instructions on forums for replacing the plastic thermostat involves breaking it off instead of trying to find one.

someassemblyrequired > AestheticsInMotion 04/03/2019 at 16:28

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I love it, I have a quick disconnect on my trickle charger, and I can just toss the cable in the trunk and go.   

Ash78, voting early and often > Tripper 04/03/2019 at 16:30

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The God of Eating 10mm just could not allow this job to go smoothly from that point on.

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 16:47

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When I read your initial post I thought that we might be distant relatives. Now I think we might somehow actually be the same person in a parallel universe.  Either that, or I was sent from the future to get you to start vaping.

Toss a bottle of Advil Cold and Sinus in the glovebox too. You’ll thank me later.

Honeybunchesofgoats > LOREM IPSUM 04/03/2019 at 16:57

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Do vape things suck less? When they first came out, they lacked that feeling of death when you inhale, which made it seem about as good as  lozenges.

wkiernan > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 17:19

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Ha, t hat’s the very first thing I did when I got my new (-to-me) ‘09 Miata. As soon as I got the nut off the hook dropped right down to the bottom of the engine compartment. Oh how I cursed. I was going to jack it up and pull off the splash shield, what a hassle . I nstead I went down to the hardware store and spent $10 on one of these:

You can reach right down in the little gap and pick up that battery brace hook . The best part is, when you push the plunger to extend the little claws, it shines a light out the end so you can clearly see what you’re grabbing.

Honeybunchesofgoats > wkiernan 04/03/2019 at 17:23

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That’s a great idea. I almost went to buy a magnet and see if I could drag it out of the splash guard. 

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 17:23

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Yeah, they’ve come a long way in the past decade.

I’m really fond of the newer “Salt Nic” stuff. It allows higher nic strengths while still being palatable, so you can use a device with a more cigarette-like mouth to lung draw and exhale (instead o f being a one man cloud machine.) It’s actually very satisfying as the salt nic is absorbed more rapidly than the original “freebase” nic everyone was originally using. (Salt nic is essentially just traditional nic base with the addition of benozi c acid to reduce the pH of the solution)

I was a 2 pad smoker for something like 25 years. T ried patches, gum, lozenges , spray, inhaler, wellbutrin, champix, and a whole lotta cold turkey, none of which helped .

Haven’t had a single cig in over 2 years since finding the right vape for me. YMMV, of course.

Honeybunchesofgoats > LOREM IPSUM 04/03/2019 at 17:24

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That sounds really promising. Lozenges can get me through a long flight, but that’s about it. I might pick that up. Are the salt nic things you can find at a convenience store?

Tripper > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 17:35

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That sounds about Jag.

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 17:46

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Juul actually pioneered the whole salt nic thing, so yes there are definitely convenience store style options that are effective and easy to use. They can be a great starting point, or even a great backup, but at the end of the day you’ll likely find better value and more variety in an actual vape shop.

Once you settle into things it can become very inexpensive as well. I buy one 30ml bottle of saltnic a week for something like $25, and I use a rebuildable tank that basically costs me nothing but cottonballs. (I’d be sp ending that amount every day if I were still smoking.) The Juuls and convenience store types are generally non refillable, but you can purchase pre-filled replacement pods. 4 for $20 or something along those lines. Worth looking into anyway.

arl > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/03/2019 at 20:48

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Reminds me of a children’s book I used to read my son called “If you give a moose a cookie “.

Basically it’s a series of events that all tie together. If you give a moose a cookie then he’ll want a glass of milk. When he has the glass of milk, then he’ll want to watch Tv. Watching TV reminds him he likes to play baseball, so you’ll have to go outside and play catch. Etc, etc until you are ready to blow your brains out.

Ah the joys of parenthood and wrenching -where one annoying thing leads to another.

ateamfan42 > someassemblyrequired 04/04/2019 at 08:29

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This is why real Miatas have their batteries in the trunk

I too was confused why there was a radiator fan in the trunk near the battery. Then I figured it must be an NC MX-5.