• it has fuel
• the battery is good
• the fuses are okay
• the code reader from AutoZone does not report any errors (seriously.)
• it has no spark…

…then chances are you have a failed crankshaft position sensor.

Then after having your car fixed and a few weeks later you find it once again won’t start… your battery is probably dead.

And furthermore, car batteries do succumb to the natural law of warranties by failing 2 months post expiration.

I first tried loosening it by hand – which is really as tight as it needs to be – without success. Naturally, I then reached for my oil wrench to only soon discover that it was just slightly larger than the filter. I then knew I would need assistance.

I trotted over to the neighbors to ask Chris if he had a smaller wrench. What he had was an adjustable rubber strap wrench. Perfect. Or so I thought until the strap started slipping with each turn. We considered a few other tools we had on hand – channel locks, pipe wrench, rubber mallet – but there simply wasn’t enough room underneath the vehicle to maneuver these devices. Chris remembered that his grandfather once had success with this devilish device, so we made a quick run to AutoZone. $7 and 5 minutes later, the results were the same.

We then knew we had reached the point of no return.

With a mallet in hand and my approval, Chris drove a long screwdriver through the heart of that filter and the black liquid poured forth. Using the added leverage, we gave it another attempt to turn that thing free. No success. My heart sank. This was serious trouble. Following a quick prayer to our Lord, an idea come forth.

My friend once again grabbed the tool-of-terror, rammed one of the teeth into the filter’s fresh wound, pressed hard against it, and turned with all his might.

It gave away. It turned freely. It was off.

I can’t tell you how tempted I am to take this thing to the dealer and ask if this is the way all their filters look after they’re done with them.

Adam needed to change the oil today and wanted to know whether he should buy just enough for this change or a whole case…I replied it all depends on whether the third carseat fits. So what do you think?

It’s not a perfect fit. It’s very snug. There’s absolutely no wiggle room. But it may get us by until after Adam has his jaw surgery or have yet another baby.

It appears we’re hovering around the high 20s/low 30s with an average of 30.4. The estimated mileage for the ’06 xB was 30/34 so we seem to be right where we expected.

Atypical of dealers, they proceeded to point out everything that was wrong with our car, other than the reason we had come in. Albeit they are problems, serious in fact (more on this later), we first wanted to resolve the flicker problem.

The technician was unable to get an adequate reading on his diagnostic equipment because he wasn’t getting a steady voltage from the battery. Turns out it was leaking acid. Later I learned from the mechanic at Sam’s Club, who was unaware of what battery we had, that ACDelco batteries tend to leak after 3-4 years, which is how old ours was. Before they could proceed, they needed to fix the battery and noted that the battery cable was ruined as well because of the leak.

Then came the estimate.

Then we laughed… and took the car home.

After five minutes of searching on the internet, I found the correct OEM battery cable (there are 3 wires on the positive cable) and we purchased a new battery from Sam’s Club. A day after the battery cable arrived, my good friend Martin came over and we had everything switched out in about 3 hours (bear in mind that working on an Aztek takes twice the amount of time needed than any other vehicle by design).

Here’s a comparison of what the dealer quoted and what we spent to do the job ourselves.

So I managed to save $308.11. I would have saved more had I used the original battery cable, which ended up only needing to be cleaned and refitted with new bolts. Unfortunately, the problem with the flicker still persists so drearily, we head back to the dealer. Stay tuned.

Having my car towed to the dealer since I have yet to acquire a regular mechanic, they estimated $242 for a new rim, plus additional expenses for mounting and alignment.

Here’s the low down. Most factory OEM parts can be found conveniently online. Dealer’s purchase these same parts and charge extra for profit naturally, plus the hours for labor and additional fees. You can save some money by purchasing the parts yourself. Be careful though about taking the part back to the dealer. They will certainly raise their rates on their hourly labor and or fees recognizing they lost money on a sale. A later post will explain such an experience.

So a web-search for “Mercury Cougar OEM rims” led me to Wheels and Rims where I found a replacement rim for $190.35 (shipping included). A quick trip to Discount Tire and $30 later for mounting and balancing, I was good to go.

Total Savings: $51.65 at least