Minor progress and similar confusion

Another couple hours of tinkering brings the engine ever closer to being removable. It also leads to a longing for industrial stregth velcro to be used to mount components. Wouldn't life be so much easier? The Haynes manual would seem like more fun too. "To rip our the engine, first, rip out everying that's in the way, then rip out the engine."

Talking of the Haynes BOL, it's been at it again. If the manual speaks true, my alternator has migrated from one side of the engine to the other. It's also been mounted by the pump that puts the 'ass' in power assisted brakes. No mention of that in the manual at all...well, not unless you count those squiggly bits between the pictures. This is strange new territiory for me. I've never worked on anything that's had more to assist the brakes than adrenalin. I wonder if they'll still be power assisted when I've finished.

Talking of wondering, the list of things to wonder about was joined by the aircon compressor. It hissed like an angered cat when I gave it a gentle tug which, while being exactly what you'd expect from a cat receiving the same treatment, wasn't what I expected at all from an aircon compressor. I was very tempted to tug it some more to see exactly where the hiss originated but, given that I know nothing about the business end of aircon, decided this would be a futile waste of time.

Talking of futile wastes of time, I was nagged by an ever present desire to drop the sump off of the engine and try and see precisely what is broken in there. Saturday I managed to resist after a mate lured me off to the local for the afternoon, Sunday it was the cold wet floor that put me off.

Other Pajero frolics over the past few days have included removal of one of the running board/side step things. This was driven by a trinity of needs. Okay, one slightly tenuous need and two wants.
1) To improve the crawlunderableness of the car.
2) My four year old doesn't need to use the step so who else would?
3) After two weekends of work, albeit sporadic work, I really wanted to have done something that was actually noticable.

I'd remove the other one but can't get to it - Such is my commitment!!

Finally, Ebay reared its tartsome head again and whispered to me "buy stuff you don't need". Not being one to argue I had a punt on a set of bull bars and some steel wheels but both got away. Such is life.

Disclaimer:
I have never, ever, conducted studies, empirical or otherwise, into the sound emitted by a cat on receipt of a gentle tug. I just wanted to set that straight. I did once go out with a girl who claimed to know a dog fluffer but that's another story and one which I'd sooner forget.