How are your lifters?

I had a very odd thing happen to me late Friday night. It was actually after midnight, so it was technically my birthday, January 20.

I pulled my van up to the door (at Scrapbooks Too where I was cropping) to warm up and load up my stuff (even though I could carry it all in one load).

A woman I had never seen stopped and looked at my car and waited while I got out of my car.

She said "Do you think your oil is low? Your lifters are really loud."


Now, I'm a mechanical engineer by schooling, but don't know much of anything about car mechanics (which my husband ALWAYS teases me about). I would never have noticed "loud lifters".


I must have shrugged her off, or started to move inside, because she said "I wouldn't drive it at all. You could ruin the enginer". I KNOW really low oil is bad, (my brothers did seize up an engine in high school) so I turned off the car and went inside to pout.


MAJOR THANKS TO MELISSA J. Those of you who haunt Scrapbooks Too probably know Melissa. She used to work there and was cropping there that night. She provided moral support while I checked the oil level (Yep, the stick was DRY). She GRACIOUSLY drove me to the Holiday station where I purchased oil. Then provided moral support and more while I poured in the oil (and encouraged me to wipe off the bit of oil I had spilled on the block. THANK YOU!!!) She got her gloves dirty helping me. Then when I restarted the engine, she stayed as we listened to the lifters clattering and then sounding much happier. She even volunteered to follow me home, which I thought unnecessary. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Now...how does a lady who frequents scrapbook stores know about lifters? She commented that she grew up on a farm and ruined an engine once. Her father was very upset that she didn't recognize the sound of loud lifters and know what it meant. He made her change the oil on all the vehicles and machinery on the farm. I hope she scrapbooks that sometime.

She was an angel too, and I'll probably never see her again to thank her.


THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

I spent the first hour of my birthday feeling really cold, and it took me forever to warm up, but at least I made it home safely. (Which is something I never take for granted when I am out scrapping late at night :-)


So...how are your lifters?