Day
7 - Cooling
12/6/03
Well the weekend called for a big snow storm, so I had some time to work on the polo. The last things that need to be done before seeing if the engine would start were to install the radiator, fill the cooling system, hook up a wire from the positive battery terminal to the starter, fill the gas tank, hook up the fuel lines, install a new accelerator cable, and start her up.
So I got the radiator installed, hooked up the hoses, and filled the cooling system. Here's a pic:
After I got the system filled and bled, I located the starter and had to remove the end of a wire that was cut off to install a new battery terminal wire. I got the solenoid terminal lubed up and got the socket driver on it, gave it some torque, and the darn solenoid broke. I guess the bolt was a bit too rusted to the solenoid terminal and my socket driver just snapped the whole solenoid top in half. This was depressing. I was moments away from finishing under the hood, and I broke the starter!!
To add insult to injury, when I backed away from the car in a mildly angered state, I noticed that there was coolant dripping onto the garage floor. I checked all the hose connections and everything was tight- it turns out the radiator was leaking in two spots at the bottom! The radiator looked weak in the first place, and in shipping perhaps bumped around just enough to get some pin sized holes.
A bit disappointed, I hopped on line and ordered a new radiator and starter motor from Eurocarparts.com. The prices seemed alright, and they do international shipping. At the same time, I ordered a new master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, and a few other nick-nacks just in case.
Well that's enough progress in the wrong direction for one night... still having fun, though! Ah well. Next up I have to drain the cooling system, remove the radiator, and remove the starter to get ready for the new parts.
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To Day 8
