Yes, all well and good, but if a guy has at least a rudimentary
knowledge of automotive mechanics, this is one of the simpler repairs, and
if he pays attention to what he's doing, it doesn't have to be a costly
repair, but a mere temporary annoyance. If he isn't comfortable doing it,
great, pay someone else, but if he is confident in his abilities and
conscientious about his work, it is a few bucks and 20 minutes of time to
replace. I can't tell you how many I have replaced, and never had so much as
single glitch. The worst I ever had was a broken ear on the gooseneck of a
'63 ford.....but it was also my first attempt at replacing one, and I had
incorrectly torqued the bolts....bought another one at a local salvage yard
for a couple of bucks and was done in just a few minutes. It's really not
all that complicated. You just have to pay attention to what you are doing.
My engines typically last well over 200K miles, so I can't be too far off,
but I still recommend a guy buys himself a manual to help guide him through
minor repairs like this.



"Kevin Trojanowski" > wrote in message
news:ZhBAd.16090$ql2.80@okepread04...
| Jim Warman wrote:
| >
| > Some of my best paying jobs are the result of DIY efforts but I wont
tell
| > anyone not to try. However (and you can check my posting history), I
tell
| > folks time and time again that knowledge is power..... unfortunately, a
| > LITTLE knowledge can be dangerous.
|
| Amen! One of the most important things for me to know about cars is
| where my limits lie. I know enough to do some basic repairs, and that's
| about it. I'd love to know more, but I have neither the tools nor the
| luxury of a backup vehicle to allow me to learn to do major work myself.
|
| The way I look at it is that I have a job so that I can afford to pay
| people who know what they're doing to fix my car. I'll gladly pay for
| service from a reputable establishment, and I know of a few in my area.
|
| -Kevin