We have all had moments where we feel we are running up against a brick wall of impossibility. Such moments can be tough and despairing. Many people spend the entirety of their mature lives fighting for justice, searching for scientific breakthroughs, looking after loved ones, only to have their hearts broken by an unyielding universe. “This is the story of life,” as MLK
said.
So I was thinking to myself as I fished around in my engine case for the set screw. David set out to build a great temple but died with the temple unfinished. We all have our temples. There may even be a literal Porsche temple out there. Well, my personal Porsche temple, it is unfinished, it is up on jack stands in the backyard, covered by a blue tarp, causing me troubles with my landlord. It will likely be there for many more months, or until I am evicted. This is the story of life. Damage, repair, incidental damage, repair, death. The natural cycle, waves pounding the beach.
And then I pulled the set screw out of the IMS-crankshaft tensioner hole.
It is amazing to me how gratifying it was to pull that screw out. It was as if I had been dreaming of pulling the screw out my whole life, and then there it was in front of me, stuck to my magnetic wand, covered in motor oil. My girlfriend came running through the living room when she heard me shouting triumphantly. Those of us who are lucky enough know what a good feeling that is. My housemates, also proud, prepared a celebratory feast. What an evening, one for the books. The books for my life this year, anyway.
Thank you all for your contributions. Ultimately I unscrewed all three chain tensioners all the way and used a bungee cord to hold the IMS up and towards the passenger’s side of the car. This I believe created enough clearance for the screw to pass beneath the IMS-crankshaft chain as I guided it from the outside with a 1”x1” cylindrical neodymium magnet. Meanwhile, I maneuvered another magnet on a telescoping rod through the tensioner hole, where it was able to make contact with the screw. The sound of the screw scraping the case was the main sensing signal for the final removal. It helped to have a spatial understanding of the interior, thanks to the endoscope and the photos.
That night I fell asleep thinking of King’s sermon and the conclusion: “Oh this morning, if I can leave anything with you, let me urge you to be sure that you have a strong boat of faith. The winds are going to blow. The storms of disappointment are coming. The agonies and the anguishes of life are coming. And be sure that your boat is strong, and also be very sure that you have an anchor. In times like these, you need an anchor. And be very sure that your anchor holds.”
