THE SQUEAK

What’s making that noise??? I’ll tell you what’s making that noise, it’s a squeak!!! There are plenty of things that are responsible for driving people absolutely bonkers, nails on a chalkboard, the squeak of a sharpie or a whiteboard marker, and then there are the noises that come from our vehicles. My truck is a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 with about 150,000 miles on it. It has had a rough life so it is understandable to have a couple things wrong with it here and there, but there is one thing that is wrong with it that is entirely my fault and an absolute pain to fix. When I first bought my truck, my stepdad and I went through it making sure that everything was in good working order, and that it would be reliable for me. We came up with a decently long parts list and started to scratch off what needed to be done to it in order for it to get inspected. The parts list contained the normal fluids, brake pads and rotors, and a new stereo. The parts list also included such things as a new gas door (the previous one had rotted out), a front shock, a rear bumper, and most importantly, brand new fuel lines. Now I don’t know how much you know about cars, but my original fuel lines run from about halfway down my bed, up my frame, crossing over my transmission just under the cab, finally meeting their connections at the very top back of my engine. The originals were one piece that had been placed before the cab was on the chassis, but had since rotted out. Taking the cab off was too big of a thing to do to put new fuel lines in so I searched online and found some two-piece after-market fuel lines for my truck that will make it possible to actually install the lines. After some cussing and squeezing ourselves into spots where we didn’t think we could fit, we got them attached. When I took it out for a test drive though I noticed that there was a squeak that was coming from above my transmission. After some searching, I determined that in fact, my fuel return line was rubbing up against the bottom of my firewall. I attempted to pull the lines down and away from it and then attempted to put something in between the two but to no avail. Every time I hit a bump, I can still hear the same squeak. The first 6 months or so of this squeak being there I was going crazy. Every time I heard it squeak, I would get pissed off and just plain annoyed, but as it continued I began to get used to the fact that it was just going to be there until I had the time and resources to do something about it. Just to warn people before they get in my truck I joke about it and joke about them signing a waiver stating that if they go crazy because of my squeak I am not responsible for any damages. Joking about it does help me address the issue without getting so pissed off about it. With each new joke I think up about it, the easier it becomes to ignore it and talk about it with my friends. Everyone that normally rides in my truck with me knows about it and we often find ourselves having quite a good time joking and making fun of it as I drive down the road. Joking about it has yet to fix the issue, however, joking about the issue lets me keep at least a tiny bit of my sanity until I am able to fix it the right way so that it never happens again. Joking about my trucks speak also tends to break the ice whenever I drive someone new, so in all reality, the squeak is doing just as much good as it is annoying. As long as my line continues to hold strong and not wear through I can continue putting off fixing the squeak to allow for some more fun conversations. So if you hear my truck squeak as it goes down the road just mumble to yourself on how I should really get that fixed and how it is so annoying because I will be doing the same thing right along with you.

Photo by Jsome1 on Foter.com / CC BY