Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Just not necessarily to the right address.

So I finally addressed a problem that Chester has been having since the early summer.  On long inclines when the transmission kicks into overdrive the CEL would come on.  I never knew exactly what RPM this was happening at, due to the lack of tachometer in the van.  I could consistently replicate the problem every time I drove into Asheville, while going over Black Mountain.  Speed would stay at about 60, overdrive would kick in, and the Check Engine Light would kick on.

Every time I pulled the trouble code it would come back 304 or 300 indicating a misfire on #4 or misfire on all cylinders.  I figured it was either the plugs needed to be replaced or properly gapped, the wires may have gone,  or the distributor cap and rotor needed replacing.  Well, the first two items had been replaced to no avail.  This only left the cap and rotor.  Off to my favorite place for car parts, Ebay!  So I chose the seller on the following criteria.  They had to have a price of less than 20.00 dollars shipped, and they had to be able to mail the part in no more than 2 days.  I found a seller in Florida who had the parts at the right price.  From past experience, I figured that the part would be here Saturday at the latest, today being Wednesday.  So I fired off payment and began the wait.  The next morning I received a confirmation email with tracking number.  This is when everything went pear shaped.

Due to the marvels of modern technology, we are now able to track packages floating across the country in near real time.  You can get an estimate of when the item will arrive to arrange for any signatures or whatnot that may be needed.  USPS seemed to be doing a fine job of tracking, letting me know that the distributor parts had left on Thursday, and now had found their way to Charlotte, North Carolina.  According to the almighty interweb, the package would be delivered Saturday.  Well, it was now Saturday and no package.  I double checked the tracking and it informed me that a delivery had been attempted at 3:15 and that a notice had been left.  Guess I didn't get the memo, or was to drunk to open the door for the non existant mail man.  Dang, now I have to wait till Monday.

Monday.  I get in que nice and early at the post office. I think several patrons were irked that I was standing in line with no packages.  Apparently this made me less important than those with packages, especially the lady that looked like Christmas mailing had begun already.  I approach the clerk and inform him of my predicament.  The internet lies, I can't find my package, please help me.  After ignoring my attempt to give him my tracking number, he takes my license and proceeds to wander around the back for 10 minutes.  Upon his return, he informs me of the exact thing I had already told him.  The internet is wrong, and we don't know where your package is.  Sweet!  I am then instructed to call the next morning because the carriers are already out and they won't be able to question the guy that runs my route till then.  Awesome,  engines don't really need distributors anyways.  I come to terms that the day will be spent staring out the window waiting for the carrier to determine where my parts are.  The crafty government employee must have anticipated my masterful plan, and waits till I had to go to the bathroom to deliver the mail, albeit one package short.

Jumping back online I am surprised that the tracking system now says that the package was successfully delivered 10 minutes ago.  Funny, I just walked around outside and say nothing that resembled a thick paper fibre container adorned with stickers of origin and destination.  Which brings us to today.  Another call, another game of tag with the Postal Service supervisor.  My number is taken so "we will call YOU."  Yeah, I know that game.  No call ever comes.  I eventually make my way out to Chester to grab a sweatshirt I had left in there.  Low and behold, a lone package is perched 5 feet from the door.  I guess I instill fear in the men who are forced to wear knee socks and Safari hats during the summer.  Well, victory is mine, sort of.  By the final count it took almost a week to travel from Florida.  Bad form.

Delving into the engine compartment, I remove and verify that the cap and rotor are in bad need of replacement.  The contacts are corroded and burned.  Out with the old in with the new.

Random memory of the day.   For some reason today I remembered a trip that I took to Lincoln Memorial, when I was about 6 and living in Oakton, Va.  We were visiting DC with some friends of my moms.  For some reason I thought it would be fun to slide down the slick marble incline on the other side of the handrails.  Security promptly nabbed me and told me I was defacing a national monument, mom was none so pleased.  What? It looked like a slide, I was 6.  Like I said, random.

Corroded contact on the cap

Belly of the Beast known as Chester

And since all this talk of Postal Service