Pat Robertson the Smoke Bomb...

This is my conspiracy theory - almost as good as a plot in Wag the Dog! Pat Robertson is making absurd and totally ludicrous speeches at the perfect time that the White House needs some media attention diverted from Condy Sheehan. What better way to get the coverage off a very uncomfortable loose-loose situation than to throw the media a juicier bone? And fan the speculation and keep media interest alive in the Pat Robertson story by not condemning it outright, but just enough to generate even more media traffic!

Another instance that this administration really analyzed Wag the Dog and are treating it as a strategic guide to navigating public opinion and managing the media!

Radiator change on 1995 Acura Integra

I changed out the leaky radiator on my 1995 Acura Integra with 103K miles last night. Started at about 8:30pm, and was doing the road test at about 12:30am. It took me about 4 hours, but part of that was looking for the right spanner, getting some lighting set up to look at the underside of the car, figuring out how to use the hydraulic jack that I borrowed from my neighbour :-).

Summary of my experience:

1. I started off thinking the extension of the front bumper below the radiator needs to be removed, but nope, the plastic sheild is further behind that, and is held in place with about 5 nuts.
   
   
2. Had the passenger side of the car raised on a jack (I had only one), and that was sufficient to get access to things. Not comfortable, but doable all the same.
   
   
3. I got my replacement radiator from 1A Auto Parts, pretty happy with the service and the product fit. Will hold off on the quality till I get some more time on this.
   
   
4. I didnt replace the radiator hoses, they seemed in decent shape. It was a bear getting the hose off the bottom connection of the radiator, mostly due to access issues.
   
   
5. I followed the directions for replacing the radiator in the Hayes service manual for the '95 Integra. The instructions were pretty clear, and straightforward.
   
   
6. Drained the coolant by opening the plug at the bottom of the old radiator, that plug was mostly jammed pretty tight!
   
   
7. Removed the hoses from the radiator
   
   
8. Opened the mounting screws for the fans. The book mentions disconnecting the power to remove the fans, but I found it enough to open the mounting screws, and just lean the fans backwards.
   
   
9. Removed the old radiator, pulled the boots off the radiator, and put them on the new one.
   
   
10. Mounted the fans, clamps for the AC hose etc., and reconnected the radiator hose.
    
    
11. The service manual reccommends flushing the system with a garden host, but at 11:30pm, that kind of seemed a waste of time...
    
    
12. Mixed the coolant, this radiator is supposed to take 4.6 quarts, but mine took about a gallon, so there must have been some in the engine block that didnt drain out.
    
    
13. Checked for leaks etc, and put the plastic sheild back, and the clips for the front bumper that I had unnessacarily taken out.
    
    
14. Summary:

    Item	Cost
    Radiator	$129.00
    Hayes Repair Manual	$15.00
    Coolant (Pep Boys)	$9.99
    Drain Pan (Pep Boys)	$3.89
    Radiator Funnel (Pep Boys)	$2.59
    Total	$160.47
    Time	About 4 hours
    Dealer Estimate	$800.00
    Pep Boys Estimate	$600.00