Lassitude Rewarded

My VW bug started, but the engine would die after a few seconds despite continued pumping of the accelerator. After five attempts I stopped in order to save the battery. Something was amiss in the fuel system, and I hoped it wasn’t the fuel pump or carburetor (remember those?). Finding parts for my 40-year-old clunker classic was difficult enough; installing and adjusting them properly was above my pay grade. If I was lucky, though, the problem would just be a clogged fuel line or fuel filter.

Fortunately, I had not made much progress on this year’s resolution to clear the clutter. Under a pile of wiper blades, bulbs, and hoses lay a fuel filter that had been purchased 15 or 20 years ago from the now-defunct parts dealer in Belmont. The plastic filter bent but did not break as it was twisted in the fuel line. I started the car and voila! it continued running.

There are fewer pleasures greater than fixing a problem oneself and finding a good use for something that would have been thrown out. Maybe I do need that length of copper tubing and that half-used bag of concrete mix after all.... © 2009 Stephen Yuen