Where's my Hydrospanner; The Word of Star Wars

"Horizontal boosters...! Alluvial damper...! Ow! That's not it. Bring me the hydrospanner!" ―Han Solo

Welcome to a geek’s guide using the hydrospanner for changing the Millennium Falcon’s hydraulic fluid within the vectorable thrust baffles (engine). The steps described hereunder to perform this procedure with a hydrospanner are offered by the Smuggling for Solo Foundation in an effort to prohibit Imperial entanglements:

STEP ONE: Before you do anything with your hydrospanner, pick out a flat spot on the docking bay, making sure it’s clear of any droids. Droids don't understand creative engineering or how to use a hydrospanner. Now, put the hydrospanner in a safe place, and take the Falcon out for a short spin around the galaxy. This will heat the hydraulic fluid in the vectorable thrust baffles and make it nice and thin for the hydrospanner to slip into the joints, so it will drain more completely from the vectorable thrust baffles.

STEP TWO: Return back to the docking bay, turn off the engines of the Falcon, park it, and retrieve the hydrospanner. Line up your tools including the hydrospanner. Now slide under the sub-compartment near the vectorable thrust baffles (with the hydrospanner in hand) of the Falcon and locate the hydraulic drain plug. If there isn't enough room to maneuver in the sub-compartment with the hydrospanner, you may have to jack up the sub-compartment to get beneath it.

O.K., now initiate the internal power source of the hydrospanner and locate the hydraulic drain plug. Find the Socket Driver on the hydrospanner and pull out several sockets that look about the same size as the access bolt on the hydraulic drain plug. The FastTurn-3 hydrospanner fits different sized access bolts ranging from 2mm to 250mm in diameter.

STEP THREE: Grab the hydrospanner and position the correct-sized socket driver on it. Place it over the access bolt and turn it counter-clockwise. After you get the access bolt cracked, slowly continue to work it loose with the hydrospanner. Not too loose, though -- you don't want hydraulic fluid all over the hydrospanner or yourself for that fact. Put the hydrospanner down, grab a drain pan and slide it under the hydraulic drain plug for proper drainage of the hydraulic fluid.

STEP FOUR: We recommend using a new Data Port on the hydrospanner after sealing the hydraulic drain plug. While using the hydrospanner, put the access bolt in place and gently thread the hydraulic drain plug back into its hole. Scooch it up tight with the hydrospanner, but not so tight that you can't get it off the next time.

STEP FIVE: Attach a funnel via the hydrospanner into the hydraulic filler hole and pour in as many quarts as the manufacturer recommends (see owner’s manual for hydraulic fluid specifications).

STEP SIX: Return the hydrospanner back to its holding case, make your way to the cockpit of the Falcon and start the vectorable thrust baffles, letting them idle for about five minutes, looking for leaks. Remember, using a hydrospanner to change the hydraulic fluid on a regular basis is the single most important thing you can do to extend the life of the vectorable thrust baffles.

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*Offer valid while supplies last.

*Other resources:

Hydrospanners for Dummies
Everything you wanted to know about Hydrospanners and more
Han Solo’s Guide to the Hydrospanner
The Expanded Universe of the Hydrospanner
Fix Everything with a Hydrospanner
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