Sorry about the delay - tried to get one last camping trip out before 'w'-word decides to settle in for 6 months. Here's what I've done so far (that didn't cost me money) :) - replaced oil (it was all dark, so now it's got fresh oil in there) - cleaned out the jets on the brass bolt. They looked clean, but I used the wire from a wire-tie and poked it through all of the holes (x3). - I checked the spark plug - before, the spark is nice and defined. - I went to the local 'hospital' here in town, and they suggested reseating the coil, so I removed it - cleaned off whatever gunk I could find (grass, bugs, etc) on the coil, and put it back on. Ensured that the rotor was able to rotate w/o hitting the coil, and let her run for a few minutes until manually stopping it. It seemed to be burning a lot of oil Tried to start it up immediately after, and it won't start. I checked for a spark again, and nothing this time around. So...should I try to do the above (I should have reread what was noted by lbgold94 re:cleaning the frame, etc, not just the coil)? Or should I go ahead and get a replacement? (it's 53$ here in Canada - I'm sure I could find it online cheaper, but with shipping probably comes to the same). Once it "cools" down again (45 minutes) I'll go back out and try cleaning the frame where the coil mounts and see if that helps any. Also, how dry should the plug be? I noticed that it had some oil near the gap side, but not enough to short the gap out, at least, I don't think it was shorted - I guess I could test that with an ohmmeter. Thanks again for all the help thus far - I'm definitely learning a lot :)

Well, I'm not a hvac guy, but I'll start with some questions that they will want: Does the fan inside run (blowing non-cool air)? Does the outside unit appear to be running? In other words, does the unit appear to be running and just not cooling, or is the unit actually not even running? If the unit isn't starting, there are various relays that can get stuck, or stop working. I had an older unit (waiting to be replaced) with a failing relay that I could get to work again just by turning off the power to the unit for a minute, and then turning the power back on. If it is running, and not cooling, then it could be a coolant leak.

I was getting all ready with some smart-alec comments... until I saw the topic wasn't what I thought! :) Considering I drive for work, I guess I'll have to quit or get fired before I can stop driving. Yes, gas prices are making an impact on income. I sure feel the pain of truckers. $800 to fill their tank and I suppose sometimes they need to fill a couple times a day, or maybe more. And planting the crops will be far more expensive. I went to mow the lawn the other day. Thought I'd have to make a special trip to the gas station to fill the gas can. So I decided to fill them both. When I picked up the second one, it was full! YEAH! That's like finding a $10 bill these days! Used to cost $2-$3 to fill the can. All to mow dandelions. Might be better off to blacktop the yard.

I am so envious of you folks with ReStores! Since this is a very low income area there are a lot of junk shops, I can pop a spare backplate and the small rosette (since it needs a matching key escutcheon that wasn't on that door) into the glove compartment. Unless I'm really stuck, I'd prefer to avoid the architectural salvage guy down where I used to live because he is viciously overpriced - like $100 for a single doorknob that was one of about 50 matching ones, not exactly rare and unusual - and very disorganized. I may take more photos and scan rubbings and send them to some other places that sell old pieces and offer hardware matching. Kim, right this minute we're in the "this sucks this sucks this sucks this sucks i hate this house will someone please shoot me NOW" mode because it's slurping down money like a kid with a frappe - milkshake, that is. Between last week's and this week's disasters we're expected to hit $10k, all "WTF??" expenses, not the expected ones. We were counting on having additional expenses, but we were expecting to have some proceeds from the other house to buffer them. Right now I have a plumber (overpriced franchise plumber, but my regular plumber doesn't have the right equipment) downstairs snaking tree roots out of the sewer line, since we had a huge backup last night. We're also extremely peeved with our home inspector for how many things he completely missed. flyleft, we've already been up in the attic and down cellar to find absolutely nuffin in the "If Walls Could Talk" genre. I found traces of a hideous "country blue" wallpaper in the master bedroom - PO painted right over the electrical outlet plates and stuff so if you take the plates off, around each receptacle is a little border of blue wallpaper. Around a defunct cable outlet (no cable attached to it anymore) I tried soaking and peeling some back. No, it's stuck right on there something fierce. So, when we get to that room we'll sand off all the paint boogers and drips, spackle and feather off the seams, and then either skimcoat and paint or put up wallpaper w/liner. *gasp* DH is much more amenable to wallpaper in this house, since it "fits the house", as long as I choose monochromatic or unfussy patterns like most of Bradbury's "Morris Alternative Fills" line. But that's a ways down the road: we need working sewer, properly working electric, fully working heat, etc. before we get too far into "pretties". (I admit I have spent a little bit on "pretties" though: we got wood blinds for the LR because keeping DH in clothes is extremely difficult ;-) , rods for my cheapie eBay curtains, slipcover for my wonderful new couch which people were fighting over last weekend, and a couple of cheap secondhand furniture pieces. I'm still looking for a mailbox and the mailman is getting a little irritated with us!) We do believe that the large brass chandelier in the dining room is either original or very close to it - it's heavy as all get-out, can tell ya that much. If we take it down it'll be hung up in the attic wrapped in sheets for safekeeping. I did pick up, at a yard sale, two antique pan chandeliers: one looks very much like Rejuvenation's Belmont. The other looks sorta like this. I paid $15 for the pair. KGW had a chandelier restored for a surprisingly low price, I think at JF PeGan; I'm thinking about sending them over and seeing how much a complete restoration would cost. The little two-light would go beautifully in the entry. I'm not sure I like the large one as well, maybe I'll have it restored and sell it (depending on how much the restoration goes of course).