Front end reattached. Fender reattached. All the plumbing in place. Oil added. Some coolant added as a test.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
WTF?
I went underneath, looked at my oil cooler and there it is:
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Coolant.
I went upstairs, sat down and talked with Mrs. Toadroller. "This might be the end of it. I mean, it might be the water pump; the oil cooler might have a crack, I don't know." Plans for another car. Plans for next week when I need to go to the airport and leave the family with only one car and two people with places to go.
I took a break, ate some lunch, and determined to look around one more time. Flashlight, mirror, poking around all the places that are impossible to reach. Nuthin. Back underneath and it's all coming from somewhere up there and accumulating on that lowest bolt and dripping.
That lowest bolt.
Wait.
That's the bolt for draining the coolant out of the oil cooler in the first place. Is it tight? I doubt it. It's a chance. 10mm socket, ratchet. fingers crossed. Turn. Yep, it's loose. Snug, wipe, watch.
As Tortelvis* says, "Hot damn tamales Charlie!" I got it.
Back to the checklist. More coolant in. Battery connected. Pray the new spark plugs work. Turn key.
Familiar and reassuring Audi V8 catch, engine swell, and settle into a surprisingly quiet idle.
She's back, baby! Gentle ride up the road and back, then further around and about, adding coolant as it needs, consuming and getting it pulsing through its veins.
The engine loves the new plugs, belt, and air filter. Drop from fourth to second and 300 German horses call upon 300 German lb-feet of torque and they combine to achieve warp speed.
My renewed man card arrived in the postthe next week.
Thousand dollar car repaired for roughly $90 and, oh, 14 hours of personal labor; hopefully happy for the next year. We'll see what 2015 brings.
*Gosh I love those first two Dred Zeppelin albums
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