Today I Am a Man

After much harrowing struggle, yesterday I defeated my mechanical foes. Yes, I changed the oil in not one but two cars, and managed not to destroy myself (or either car, as far as I know) in the process.

After church was over, I said my prayers and descended to our lower driveway to assault the beast that is my Subaru. Being my mother's son, I was highly over-prepared, but I didn't want to be found missing anything. I think I'm coming to realize that, for me, at least, being overprepared is an indicator of my lack of confidence in myself. I'm terrified I'll fail, so buying every possible piece of equipment ahead of time, reading and re-reading the instructions (and rechecking them at nearly every stage of the process), and heading in with a negative attitude are all ways to make up for my self-perceived ineptitude and inability to cope. (Not good, I know, but there you are.)

I was nearly stymied before I'd properly begun: no matter what I did, I could not loosen the bolt on the bottom of the oil pan. After a few trips to the hardware store for different wrenches and one to the auto parts store for "penetrating oil," I finally managed to wring that monster free. (In case you ever need to change the oil on a '99 Subaru Legacy-Outback, get an 11/16" combo wrench. Save yourself the pain of trying to pry off an old rounded-off nut with an adjustable wrench.) Once that part got done, the rest went pretty smoothly, and I only got covered in oil once. (It was just my hand, but it was pretty impressive.) I also only dropped the bolt into the used oil once. I did go through about 2/3 of a roll of shop towels, but other than that, it was all clear sailing.

The minivan was a bit trickier, what with the odd placement of the oil filter and having to jack the thing up due to its low deck. It, too, had a monstrously stubborn nut (the auto parts clerk said that if you've had your oil changed by shop guys on a rack, they can get a lot more torque on the thing than you can lying on your back underneath the car)—if you have a 2000 Toyota Sienna, get yourself a number 14 metric socket. (You're welcome.) But that, too, proved surmountable, and as far as I know, both the vehicles are running fine. I had nightmares about walking out and seeing a lake of oil under the cars this morning, but all appears to be going fine.

I don't know that I now feel like an auto expert, and it took me far longer than it really should have, but it was good to know that when I attempt something with my hands it won't always blow up in my face, and that—given a large swath of time and many options—I can work my way around obstacles. Granted, I will normally find the slowest, most painful and difficult way to do something, but I can get it done.