Crusty Knob

Ok, first of all - It has been a long-ass time since we've updated this. We are poorly remiss, and I apologize. It seems that real-life has gotten in the way of blog-life. I think that I can speak for everyone when I say the projects themselves have not left much time for writing about them. That's just Real T.

Here is something fairly short and simple to tell about.

I recently had a major incident with my car. This happened just months after I had replaced my water pump and timing belt (on the 205,000 mile mark - gotta love Honda) and just as I thought that my over-heating problems were solved (reference HERE). Driving home from work on a lovely Maryland indian summer day, my car began to over-heat yet again. Using the same "steady-throttle while idling" method as before, I was able to get it home without any incidents.

Well, I opened my hood (or bonnet as Geoff would say) when I got home and found this.



No, that is not a black snake that has just eaten a squirrel. That is my upper radiator hose, about to explode. This is a tell-tale sign of a blown head gasket. The head gasket is a thin metal gasket that mates the engine block and head together. When the gasket fails, a number of things can happen. The coolant and oil can mix together, otherwise known as the "chocolate milk" syndrome. Coolant and oil can leak into the combustion chamber, resulting in very poor engine performance and lots of smoking coming out of your exhaust. And lastly, compression can leak out of your cylinders and into your crank-case/water-jacket. This is what happened to me. The pressure from inside the cylinders leaked through the gasket into my cooling system as evidenced by the balloon-like hose. Not baller. It would have been much more catastrophic if the hose had exploded and all of the coolant in my car leaked out onto the road while I was driving. Still, I may end up needing to replace the whole engine...I'll know that after I take it apart.

Anyway, my girlfriend and sister have been kind enough to lend me their cars while mine is out of commission. My sister drives a 1995(ish) Mazda Miata. It's a great little car and is commonly used as a racing platform in club motorsports. Of course, the transmission is not quite as much of a JOY as what you get from a Honda, but nevertheless, it is a fun car to drive. All except for ONE THING.



This shift knob is just plain GROSS. The previous owner of the car had installed a custom wood knob and also parking brake handle. Well that black shit is the result of probably over a decade of oil/dirt/skin/food. I decided to do my sister a favor and clean it...or if unsuccessful, replace it with a chrome skull knob.






I got myself a handy razor blade and went at it, shaving off chunks of crust which collected nicely around the shift boot. After that I used some rags and Goof-Off to wipe away the remaining crud. A very big improvement, I think.