or how today just wasn't my day!
It all started Thursday night, when I went to help out my boyfriend, whose B
was having fuel pump issues on a dark country road. I got there to do my duty
as flashlight holder and voltmeter reader, and realized that my starter pull
wasn't retracting to its normal position. We checked it and the cable is
pretty much shot, but it seemed like it would work for a little while longer,
so it was put back into place, to be replaced sometime this week.
So this morning, a beautiful spring Colorado day I hopped into the bugeye to
drive 45 miles to visit some old friends and my mom. When I got off the
highway I stopped to get some cigarettes and a soda, not knowing how wonderful
those were going to be in the next 15 minutes. Of course they didn't have my
brand of smokes, but I dealt with it. Got back outside, tried to start the
car, not happening. I figure it's probably that stupid starter cable, so I
call my b/f to find out how to start the car from inside the engine
compartment, he told me how the other day, but I wanted to just make sure. He
tells me, the cell phone goes dead, I can't call him back, but oh well, no big
deal. So I open the bonnet and immediately notice that my coil is no longer
in the bracket! Well sh*t, this is going to be a bit harder than I thought.
But luckily the coil is shining at me from its place wedged between the
starter and the inner fender. Whoo hoo! My day is looking up. Reattach the
coil, try to start the car, nope. So I look at it again. Ah ha! The plug on
the end isn't attached. That's easy enough. Fix that, check the cable again,
it seems okay. Try to start it up again. This time the starter pull comes
about a foot out of the facia. Even better :) Try to start it from inside,
nope.
In the mean time the snippy gas station attendant informs me that:
A. An electromagnetic spark from my sparkly purple cell phone could blow up
myself, my car, and the gas station.
B. It is apparently illegal in Aurora Colorado to work on an automobile in a
parking lot (something I vaguely remember from high school when I had to get
my car jumped at Auto Zone so that I could change the battery at home, then
drive the core back)
(and C. The purple cell phone, platform sneakers, and lavender sweater still
do not negate the stereotype that men work on cars, as she called me sir three
or four times)
Since my potentially exploding cell phone is dead I try to call the b/f on the
payphone, which eats 50 cents before letting me make a call on the other pay
phone to ask if getting a push start is even an option.
Hooray, friendly SUV drivin' man has apparently never heard of popping the
clutch, but he's happy to learn something new, and give it a try, and it
works! I'm off- a mere 20 minutes later. (Not too bad for me) Unfortunately
I was only going about 1/2 mile, so there was no way the battery was going to
recharge, but my big brother was nice enough to give me a little push so I
could make it home (and followed me halfway home as overprotective big
brothers like to do).
Got home with no incidents, the greasy phone magically works again, and now
all I have to do is worry about my losing hockey team.
Whew, I'm tired, but I found the problem, and fixed it to the best of my
ability all by myself, so I guess it was a victory after all!
Patricia
'59 Bugeye (happy to be home)
'89 CRX (broken down japanese piece of ...)
/// unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net or try
/// http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/spridgets
|