Sometimes I get pleasantly surprised, like yesterday's starter replacement. Before I'd started, I'd been told, by a guy with a '95 V6/MTX setup, that I'd have to dig it out from the left front wheelwell while under the car. I don't know why his car was so difficult, but when I started this project, I'd intended to just gain access to the starter. Next thing I knew, I'd gotten everything away and broken the bolts loose, then finally I dug the starter out. Well... in for a penny. I threw the new starter at the car (figuratively; I'm not THAT touchy ), and before I knew it, the car was finished! Wow! Talk about a project running away! The best part was the time: a little over two hours... on a repair I'd been told was 3 1/2 hours or more.

Now, I'm no longer afraid to turn the key, lest I hear the ungodly screech of the starter gears scraping the flywheel. In fact, I leave the door open just to hear that new starter turn. Ahh, the sweet sound of success!


Black/tan early '98 Contour SE Sport; dead-dead-deadsky (gone, split, outta here, afterlife kids) '05 Pontiac Sunfire; 2.2L Ecotec, ATX, well-equipped Mom also has black/tan '98 Mystique LS; V6, ATX, Alpine CD deck