$450 and a dead bug
Well, 7 days, $450 dollars, and 1 dead bug later, my truck is back in fighting trim! I recently chronicled the process of it dying on the road, having to get it towed ($100) home, and J’s multi-day process of trying to figure out the problem. Alternator? Not sure. Battery? Not sure. Post fully-charged battery? Not the battery. Alternator? Stll not sure.
1 AAA membership ($56), a pre-existing problem car tow later ($20) and 3 extra miles later ($12), I left it with a reputable mechanic near work. Luckily the tow-driver was kind enough to take me ($0) to work 3 miles away after dropping it off. The expected alternator/battery diagnostic was not sufficient (both were working properly, $75). Additional diagnostics into the electrical harness (ie, all the wiring under the hood) ended up with 1 dead wasp and an additional $175 charge.
The wasp made it through my air filter, through a barrier-protected area, through a tube and into a small bb-sized hole that ended up shorting out 2 wires on either side of his little wasp body. Those wires were part of the sensor that watches the air in and fuel into the engine. I did get some little odds and ends repaired, and found a new nut for the big bolt on the bottom of my alternator (it would eventually have failed because of it, so I saved myself a tow and more diagnostics in the future).
So, total bill? $450!!!
Oh, and did I mention that my yearly allotted budget for my car is $1200? Want to know what I’ve spent so far this year prior to now? $800. That brings me to $1250. Pretty spot on for the year. Provided nothing else happens this year! Knock on chrome.
Car drama continues…
It’s 6 days and my truck is still broke and sitting at home. We’ve talked to some local mechanics and found out that part of the problem may be that the battery is completely depleted. So today I drove it over (in J’s car, since we work together and can carpool) to get trickle-charged at the mechanic by where I work.
Tonight we will try one last time to see if we can get it working. If it starts up and remains running (it’s been dying if allowed to idle), then I’ll drive it to the mechanic in the morning. 9.5 miles away. Even with a (potentially) broken alternator, it should have enough charge to go that distance during the day with no heat, lights, or windshield wipers going. Pray for no rain tomorrow!!!
The mechanic will then run some tests and find out what the problem is – is the alternator charging the battery? Is it the battery (which I have now found out, is at the end of its life and needs to be replaced)? Is it the plus that goes into the alternator that has a wire broken and sticking out attached to nothing? Was it the belt being too loose? Was it the nut that was about to fall off the alternator bolt not putting tension on the belt?
So far I’m out a $100 tow, a potential charge by the mechanic tomorrow (they will do diagnostics and we’ll decide what to do from there), and a $200 rebuilt alternator (currently replaceable if I need to bring it back to Napa, or with a $50 rebate if I replace it and return the core).
Hmm… stay tuned to this debt channel!
Murphy & my car
So I’m moving soon, and have to pay extra deposits and such. I also made the mistake of looking at my past year’s expenses on my truck and thinking, I did good this year and I can decrease my car (truck) fund next year. I think Murphy heard me.
After driving home from looking at the new house we’re going to rent, everything died on my car and it just stopped working. Just prior the dash lights were fading, the windshield wipers were slow as molasses. The window was moving up and down like snails. Hardly any heater air was coming out, even on 3 (it was raining really hard, and the windshield was fogged up). We were halfway home. We think it’s the alternator. So now I have a broken truck out in the parking lot, I’m out $100 for the tow, and $150 on a rebuilt alternator (I had to pay $50 extra until the core gets returned afterwards). J offered to fix it, so I’m stuck until he does. If he can’t, or if the rain keeps up and he doesn’t feel like standing in a cold downpour to fix it, I will have to pay yet again, a second tow and a mechanic to fix it. And of course, there are complications – the bolt was loose, the belt was looser than it should be, and a plug that goes into the alternator has a wire sticking out, broken. Is it one of these things or something completely different? Time will tell, though I really really want a working vehicle back (it’s been broke since Thurs evening).
Ugh. My car fund is empty, so even more will be coming out of my EF savings. I just can’t win this month! And I know there will be extra expenses with moving, like renting a truck, maybe getting a wireless router for internet, various deposits for utilities and such (I’m sure).
