Thermostat, Gasket and Spark Plugs and Other Things

    Jeff got the new thermostat and gasket in the Forester today...the gasket took several tries because it had to be eased around the thermostat just right.  It fell off twice before he got it screwed in because it wouldn't stay eased around the place where it should have be.   He had to gently open the pre-cut slit in the gasket so it would fit where it should go.  Finally that's back together so now he's changing the spark plugs.  
   It's a wonder the car was running at all with those spark plugs!  They look like they have never been changed.

That space on top...like a hook...is called 

the gap, and was so out of wack you could see the difference between a new and used plug just by looking at them! 

    The placement of spark plugs in Subaru's has always been a mechanics nightmare...and this Forester is no different. Jeff had to take the battery out of the car to get at the two spark plugs on the driver's side.  He's not sure what exactly he'll have to disconnect and remove to get to the 2 on the other side.

   In the meantime, I've been listening to Zoey whine and cry because she couldn't get close to where Jeff was working on the car.  When both dogs were outside Fanny took herself for a walk...over to the field where we saw the deer the other day.  Definitely 'not in the yard' so Jeff went after her and she got a whack on her rump!  Like a lot of large,white, middle-aged dogs Fanny is losing her hearing and she doesn't always respond to our calls.  Sometimes I think she chooses not to respond because what she's doing is more interesting or fun than listening to her 

humans.  Right now both dogs are inside with me.  Zoey is pacing back and forth between the kitchen door and the window in my room and Fanny is on the sofa next to me growling softly when Zoey comes by.  
   I was working on a size 4 Black Sheep sweater to replace the one that sold Wednesday.  This one is grey heather and the sheep stand out very well on it.  I'm not sure what color the flowers and buttons will be, lavender, purple or pink.  (Lavender flowers 

and buttons won out!  They look petty good with the emerald green leaves and grass, don't they?  The Black sheep on the back looks pretty, too!) 9-10-19

Right now it's time to go see how far Jeff got with the spark plugs.  He deserves having someone listen to him bitch about how Subaru's are constructed!
   Jeff finally got all 4 spark plugs changed and boy, he was not happy.  He said he doubted that they had been touched in 5 years, and was amazed that the car started at all!  He refilled the radiator and burped it several times before taking the car for a test drive.  When he got home the car stalled in the driveway several times and when he finally got the it parked in front of the garage the radiator was boiling over.  The radiator was almost empty!  And he just went 'around the block'...down the highway to Eatonville Rd, up Eatonville to where it meets Smallsbush, then up the hill to where it crosses Burt Rd and up that hill to Shellsbush RD.  He had no problem with the car and didn't have any flashing red light on the dash going up those hills...especially the one between Burt Rd and Shellsbush which is only a seasonal road.  After things cooled off (including Jeff) he put more water in the radiator and we watched as it leaked out.  At first he thought it was the gasket at the thermostat but then he realized it was the clamp on the hose that was loose. Guess we'll get a new clamp tomorrow.  
   While I put a frozen pizza in the oven for supper, Jeff went to watch another YouTube video in hopes it would tell him something else about the Forester.  When he came to the table he was in 'a bit of a state' and told me in no uncertain terms that he did not want me to try to take the car to the shop as long as it kept developing new problems.  He apologized for telling me what I could...or couldn't do...but insisted I listen to him.  He said he was afraid I'd get stuck somewhere between Mohawk and Cooperstown with a blown engine...or worse!  I really don't want a car engine to blow up on me so I agreed to listen to him.  I don't think that's going to make me the most popular member of the shop but he's got a point.  I sent a couple of emails to try and arrange for some help with getting my stock to the shop, and I'm sorry for causing so much trouble for the shop but I'd rather be unpopular than stuck on Rte 28 with a blown engine...especially now that the days will start to get shorter and it will be dark sooner.  We've spent around $700 to $800 for repairs this summer... between 2 trips to the mechanics and all the work that Jeff has done on the Forester.  We had accumulated that much because we had hoped to get another car.  Now we've got to hope that the Forester will last til Spring so we can try to save that much again and can get a newer car in the Spring.