So I about died this weekend. Not because I did anything dangerous, but because I started tinkering around with our only car and couldn't get it running again. I had a friend diagnose the problem for me which was a bad starter. I figured this should be easy enough, three bolts and an electrical connection and that's it. So I went and bought the new starter, and tried to pull off the old one. Because of limited space and obstructions, it took a very long time. I also discovered a loose bolt on the starter housing that I backed off with my fingers...interesting. When I finally got everything together, I turned the key and of course...nothing. I spent the rest of the day under the car trying to figure it out and finally put the old starter back on without cramping up or swearing too much. Again...nothing. This is where I just about died since we have no food in the house, I had just torn apart our only car and Sarah couldn't go anywhere. I managed to survive, probably just because she needed me to get the car fixed. I'll probably taste her wrath next time I mention doing anything with the car more technical than checking fluids or changing wiper blades.
Anyway, by this point, I figured it was probably the battery, a battery that had given us no problems before. I'm assuming, since the battery is older than my children, when I disconnected the battery cables, I also damaged the battery. Since it was so late, I couldn't go buy a new battery and yesterday was Sunday so I had to wait until this morning.
Here's the fun part. I had to remove the old battery and stick it in my backpack and pedal over to the parts shop to have it tested and buy a new one. Do you know how heavy a car battery is? I do now. I was afraid it would rip through the bottom of my old Jansport backpack. And the new battery was even heavier! The car fired right up and I had it checked for alternator problems. Everything checked out fine.
So..car stuff...blah...blah...blah. For those that just aren't that interested, all my problems came down to a loose bolt and a bad battery. I even have a new starter that I can take back to the store now for a refund.
4 comments:
Honestl--I hate shopping, so I kind of enjoyed having an excuse not to go. :) But since the car is fixed now, I guess I have to go buy food.
Yeah Yeah. I know what I saw Saturday night, "The look of death!" You probably didn't bother messin' with me because I told you I had completely destroyed one of those indestructible Mini Maglight flashlights out of frustration just because I couldn't get the battery out. It was cheaper than smashing the car with a hammer. It's best to stay away until I calm down after working on the car. I was much happier this morning when it actually started though.
Glad to know things are working again! I probably would have used the old kids trailer to haul stuff, but that's coming from someone who has never ridden with one before. ;) If you have any more problems, we'll always give you a ride wherever you need.
Please call next time Murphey (as in Murphey's Law) comes to visit. You can always borrow one of our cars. I wondered why Wade gave you a ride home yesterday!
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