09-22-2025, 10:39 AM
I'm fighting a twinge of "maintenance apathy" on my Bonneville.
When she rolled 12k miles, I dutifully pulled the tank, replaced the fuel filter and spark plugs, and checked the valves.
She needed a few shim changes to correct some tight valves, and in the process of the adjustment, despite my best efforts to plug holes in the top of the engine, a tiny camshaft cap alignment dowel fell into the crank case. Took a few days of careful work, and a lot of angst and cursing, but I fished it out with a custom-made magnet tool.
She rolled 24k miles recently. I have the new fuel filter and spark plugs standing by on my work bench to do the job again. Even have a new valve cover gasket. But I am not eager to pop the cover and check the valves again. I adjusted them on the loose side at 12k, hoping that at 24k, they'd be somewhere in the middle of spec.
I keep coming up with excuses... she has a full tank of gas. No sense doing it till she's empty.
Ugh. Just have to get off my duff and do it.
When she rolled 12k miles, I dutifully pulled the tank, replaced the fuel filter and spark plugs, and checked the valves.
She needed a few shim changes to correct some tight valves, and in the process of the adjustment, despite my best efforts to plug holes in the top of the engine, a tiny camshaft cap alignment dowel fell into the crank case. Took a few days of careful work, and a lot of angst and cursing, but I fished it out with a custom-made magnet tool.
She rolled 24k miles recently. I have the new fuel filter and spark plugs standing by on my work bench to do the job again. Even have a new valve cover gasket. But I am not eager to pop the cover and check the valves again. I adjusted them on the loose side at 12k, hoping that at 24k, they'd be somewhere in the middle of spec.
I keep coming up with excuses... she has a full tank of gas. No sense doing it till she's empty.
Ugh. Just have to get off my duff and do it.
You know what? I actually would like a pickle.