From:             QWLZ73B@prodigy.com (MR JASON KOEFERL)
Date sent:        Wed,  7 Jul 1999 00:23:10, -0500
To:               landcruisers@tlca.org
Subject:          Critters Love Cruisers!
Send reply to:    landcruisers@tlca.org

This last weekend my procrastination on cleaning out the 
garage finally ended (thanks to a little "friendly prompting" 
by the wife).

While I'm sweeping and cleaning my mind naturally drifts to 
Cruisers (doesn't everyone's ?).  It was then I had a brainstorm
on how to tie my garage cleaning in with Land Cruisers!

Obviously I could get the garage much cleaner if I could
just find a way to start my hibernating hulk of a Fj40 and
move it out of the garage! Not even my wife could deny the
logic of this (although she did roll her eyes and groan when
she saw me getting out the jumper cables :-)).

So I finish oiling key locations, add some starter
fluid to the carb, and have my FJ60 connected via jumper
cables with the choke on a bit-----ready to start.

So I start it and my Fj40 begrudgingly turns over, but there
is a mysterious "popping sound" and a slight burnt aroma in
the air.  Hmmmm. very weird.  I'll try one more time.  This time
the engine cranks and there is a resounding POOOMPH! sound.

I look behing me and it is literally raining black sunflower seeds!
Thousands of seeds cover the garage floor and my FJ60, and
a toasty aroma wafts through the air.

Evidently some little mousy critter decided to make my exhaust pipe
his larder over the winter (I had found the eaten seeds on top of
my valve cover and manifold).  It was amazing how many of the
seeds that little Cruiser Critter had packed in there.  

First thing I did after cleaning out the garage and putting my FJ40
back was duct tape a tin can to the exhaust pipe to prevent the 
critter
from using it as his winter storehouse.  Now I just have to remember 
its
on there next time I start it.  :-)

____
Jason Koeferl, Albany, NY
Member, Order of the Elongated Cruiser^2
87 FJ60 ~ 85 BJ70 ~ 78 FJ55 ~ 74 FJ40
www.land-cruiser.org