5: Battery Box and Fuel Pump

The drive we recently took on the farm roads turned up a few new issues for Abbey. Mentioned earlier, TD explored her nether-regions and discovered wiring that made him laugh and cry at the same time.

While under the truck, he also noted the battery box needed replacing. Taking the lesser of two evils he worked on that first and left the wiring for another day.

What should be a simple extraction of rusty metal actually turned out to be an ordeal. The metal box for the battery was rusted through and practically fell off. Suffice to say had I driven the truck over 30mph the other day we would have dropped the battery in the dirt road. 

Removing the old box was easy; however, getting the factory-installed rivets off the strong frame proved more challenging. TD had to saw through them and then knock them out. 

Several trips back and forth to the basement for the right tools (our next tool work shop will be located in the garage he says) and several minutes of loud banging sounds coming from the garage...he produced the sawed-off-knocked-out rivets. They are pretty awesome from my standpoint. I asked to keep them. He just looked at me funny and walked back to the garage.

Such a cute little shelf! You could stash your lunch on that box!

New battery box bracket secured and battery in, it was now on to fuel pump inspection. TD came in after a few minutes and announced, “I was afraid of this” which in automotive terms I have grown accustomed to, never means anything good.

The glass dome of the fuel pump looked orangey. After close inspection he discovered it was actually completely filled with rust. Uh oh.

Auto-heads reading this have already put 2 and 2 together. Rust in the fuel pump means rust somewhere else too; that's right...rust in the gas tank! This makes sense even to a non-mechanic like me. Driving along bumpy back roads stirred up all the rusty crud in the gas tank which would in turn flow through to the other fuel-ish things under the hood. No wonder the truck started, coughed and stopped so many times.

I just asked TD what's the next step and he said he was running to the auto parts store for the third time today ...and it’s only noon. 

I am beginning to understand the term Old Car Domino Effect.