We have gears again. As some of you know, our shift cable broke some time ago. The project was being put off due to a busy work schedule, and me thinking that it was going to be a huge hassle to find the right part.
For weeks now I have been thinking it would be nearly impossible to find a shift cable that would work on a 1979 Universal diesel engine. Little did I know this is a very common issue, and they make shift cables for just about every kind of engine, new and old.
I walked into West Marine, and literally as the automatic doors open I hear a gentleman in the electronics department talking on his radio “Mark, there is a young woman headed your way with a broken shift cable.” What? How could he tell from that far away? Let alone the fact that it was snapped, and I was in need of a new one.
Mark in the engine parts department was already flipping through shelves of cables before I walked up. I told him the engine model no. and there it was! For 38 dollars I purchased a new cable. All this time I assumed it would be a 300 dollar project, only to order some cable that may or may not work. I felt silly for not doing it earlier. Excited about the price, and convenience, I went ahead and bought a new throttle cable as well, knowing that our current one is on it’s way to snapping.
Later that day I replaced the shift cable. Another project that was easier than I thought. Easier than changing the oil, let me tell ya. There are a thousand things I still don’t know about our engine, but as things break, both us chicks get to figure out how to fix them. Maybe one day, when Katie and I grow up, we will be mechanics.
Grow up? Don’t do that!
Never doubted, for one minute, that you would get the cable fixed. And remember that “growing up” is overrated!
See you soon.
When I grow up, I will probably end up having to get a normal job….:(
Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is not!