Bad luck, pure junk, or something else?

I thought about putting this in the Rant forum, but I guess it's not really a rant as much as it is a collection of observations in the process of becoming a theory.

I don't really believe in luck, but I'm starting to get this feeling that maybe there is a point at which the defiance of probability is so alarmingly high that one must explore other avenues of explanation for specific happenings.

As a precursor, I repair most things myself, which has led me down the path I will attempt to describe.

It started about a month ago. My lawn mower has a Briggs 16HP V-Twin, and I lost a cylinder. Both rocker arms were sheared and the rod had dropped in the block. One of the valves had probably locked up during the heat of the summer, but I checked the cooling fins and they were clean. It turns out the rocker arms are no longer available from the manufacturer, so I welded them where they sheared, reset the valve clearances, and away she went.

Then one of my chainsaws started acting up, it would bog down at high RPMs. It's a Stihl MS230, damn near brand new, and probably has a total of 4 hours of use. It seemed like a gas flow issue, because it would idle just fine, run at high RPMs for 5 seconds or so, then just bog.

After some diagnosis, it turns out that the fuel tank vent line runs up behind the carburetor to the vent, which has a diaphragm to allow air in but not fuel out. The design is such that the carburetor pinches the vent line, creating a vacuum in the gas tank that is too strong for the carb to draw fuel against. After scoffing at the poor design, I put the tank vent right above the tank with a short 1-inch line and away she went.

Next, I have a 2009 Ford vehicle, bought it brand new in '09. The front end started making all sorts of noise. After investigating, the sway bar end brackets from the factory are crap. The ball joints on them fail and they rattle, so I replaced those and the rattling went away so I could hear the next noise. The rotors are made of such low-quality steel that they are corroded and flaking after only 25K miles and being parked in a garage, out of the weather.

So I replaced the rotors and the scraping sounds were gone, just in time to hear the next noise. Both front bearings were bad. Ford sedans are notorious for junk bearings from the factory. Mind you, this is a 2009 with low mileage, treated very kindly. I replaced the bearings, and it seems better for now.

Next, I have an old plow truck for winter. In the summer I start it up and drive it around my land to make sure it's in running order for the winter. It started fine about 2 weeks ago. Yesterday, the fuel pump went out again for the third year in a row.

Replacing the fuel pump requires removal of the gas tank. The last time the fuel pump went out, the filter sock was completely disintegrated, literally dissolved into pieces. Of course, those pieces clogged the pump and burned out the motor.

I cleaned the gas tank thoroughly last time, and keep it filled with almost a full tank so that the pump is submerged. I do not use any fuel additives that could corrode or dissolve the filter sock.

I know that when I remove the gas tank and access the third failed fuel pump, the filter sock will be falling apart again. Cheap junk, not even designed to hold up for 1 year.

Next, I have a GMC Yukon XL that I keep in great shape. Last week, I noticed that the driver's side mirror was fogging up in the middle. Hmmm. It turns out that since it has the heated, photo-sensitive mirrors on it, there's a layer of LCD fluid between the mirror and the glass. Over time (it's a 2006), the seal just gives way and the LCD fluid leaks out and air seeps in, rendering the mirror almost useless. Great design.

To buy a new mirror is $425.. A new frigginmirror. Are you kidding me? What a racket. Time to go to the junkyard and find a standard mirror that fits for $5.

Next, this morning I was checking my e-mail and my relatively new gigabit router gave up the ghost. I attempted to reset it to the factory settings and it will work for a minute then go into la-la.

Etc, etc, etc. I could go on for a lot longer, but I'll get to my point.

Is there a black cloud of bad luck following me around right now, or is everything just made like junk?

Further, to be self-sufficient, one must possess a vast collection of tools and knowledge in order to constantly be fixing the junk that is poorly designed and crappily manufactured by others.

Can anybody relate? I don't feel like getting out of bed tomorrow to see what fails next. The stairs will probably collapse or the microwave will explode.

This illustration should help:

OMG I love your graphic and my sympathy goes out to you. My husband and I seem to have the same "luck" as you and have often wondered just what in the world was going on. It does seem like the whole universe is stacked against you some days and I am one who believes that there are no coincidences. I am not sure what could cause a string of bad luck like you have experienced recently but I am curious to see what others feel like may be behind it.

I never thought about putting our sucky experiences in graph form but it does kind of speak more that way IMO. It kind of makes it easier to show that it may not just be simple coincidence or "luck".

I do hope things improve for you and that fall down the stairs doesn't happen in the am. Everybody deserves a break on occassion!

reply to post by InTheFlesh1980


I'm gonna say.... When it rains...it pours.

I wish you the best and really hope things start to get better. I too feel this way at times. We have the worst luck with vehicles and our riding lawn mower...

Peace and love and hugs to you... And honestly when I feel insane...I dance it out...
~nat

reply to post by InTheFlesh1980


When I was a child, if we ever went to a fast food franchise which happened to hand out free gifts to its younger customers, mine would be the one with the missing or loose screw, or the bent axle. It would be my freshly bought biro pens which failed to eject ink correctly.

As I have aged, the things about my life that have been broken have changed, but that doesn't mean life is done messing with me.

To that end, I have avoided, where possible, the purchase of, and ownership of, expensive things, like vehicles, over complicated computer devices (technically I own NONE of the machines I access this website from, because if they were mine, they would inexplicably explode, or become made of jelly somehow when my back is turned) , and needlessly connectable mobile telephones. I can actually count, on the fingers of one hand, how many things that I own, that I cannot fix myself should they break.

I have always been extremely `unlucky` with photocopying machines.
Everytime I need to make some copies, especially important ones - the papers would come out black or totally white - the paper would run out at exactly the time I needed copies urgently (and there was no spare paper around), or the ink would run out, or the paper would get jammed... It was a constant!!!

I also realised that when i was in moments of real stress and confusion regarding my life - that my computer would break down, and then maybe the printer - all sorts of technological glithces, suddenly...

What if it`s your current `vibration` that makes these things break around you?
In addition - you mention things that all have to do with movement...

What if subconsciously, you are being told to stop for a bit - and ponder on what direction you are taking?

Or, maybe, it`s just `coincidence`!!

Anyway , `good luck` and, I love your graph!!

reply to post by bintang

What if it`s your current `vibration` that makes these things break around you?
In addition - you mention things that all have to do with movement...

What if subconsciously, you are being told to stop for a bit - and ponder on what direction you are taking?

I find this commentary to be very interesting and insightful. I must admit, I had not thought at all of "stopping for a bit" to evaluate. It's always "go, go, go!" with me.

Thanks!

InTheFlesh1980
reply to post by bintang

 

What if it`s your current `vibration` that makes these things break around you?
In addition - you mention things that all have to do with movement...

What if subconsciously, you are being told to stop for a bit - and ponder on what direction you are taking?

I find this commentary to be very interesting and insightful. I must admit, I had not thought at all of "stopping for a bit" to evaluate. It's always "go, go, go!" with me.

Thanks!

edit on 10/3/2013 by InTheFlesh1980 because: (no reason given)

Thank YOU!!

reply to post by InTheFlesh1980


You can start very simply to try and clear the bad luck. I would start with ringing a bell or burning a smudge stick. Perhaps a couple small smudge sticks for you though since you seem to be having troubles in the home, workshop/garage, and vehicle.

Here are some basics for you:

GoldenSecrets.org
She lists 6 things to do, I would start with the bell, then smudge, then do the cord cutting, if it were me. But you pick what sounds "right" to you if you choose to try something.

ApartmentTherapy.com
Some of the things listed here are in common with the previous link, but it gives you more of an opportunity to choose something that sounds "right."

I will send you my best clean vibes.

reply to post by InTheFlesh1980

Is there a black cloud of bad luck following me around right now, or is everything just made like junk?

Its all made of junk! Made to break, to consume more, spend more, make the rich richer!

We are on our 3rd $300.00 door handle and lock.3 blenders, 3 toasters, 2 food processors. This is all within the last 3 years.
Now I go to the second hand store buy the oldest appliance I can get my hands on and they work great

I think the use of ethenol in gasoline is screwing alot of stuff up.

For the fuel pump I would cut an access hole in the bed of the truck.

Hang up a horse shoe.

reply to post by lightmere


A three hundred dollar door handle? Your local locksmith ought to be able to offer you a harder wearing alternative for cheaper than that. That's extortionate, unless it's some fancy digital entry system, and even something of that nature should be longer lasting than one every year! This is my industry, and I cannot believe that three hundred dollars is the going rate for a decent handle in the states, especially if it's made of nonsense metal.

I have been doing installation of handles and locks since 2005, and I can safely say that I have never heard of such a high value item failing so regularly.

X2 on the access hole to the fuel pump.
You seem pretty handy anc should be able to make a trap door in the bed of the plow truck for access.
Also try filling the truck with non-ethanol fuel if you can still get it before parking for an extended period.
I had an '03 Chevy pickup that was rarely driven and parked all winter.
I used fuel stabilizer when parking it for the winter and never had fuel problems. I sold the truck in '09 still in top condition.