The Car Update

SO... what's up with the car anyway? "Only the Shadow KNOWS!"

Sunday evening, after our friends came home from out of town, Boogy went to try and start the car, and as I suspected, it started right up and he drove it back to our driveway. Tuesday I piled the kids in the car and headed to the grocery store (hooray for foodstamps!) and the car died again at exactly the same spot. One of the girls wanted us to cross our fingers when I tried to start it again, but instead we had a chat with our Father, left everything un-crossed (not fingers, not toes, not even legs or eyes) and discovered that asking Dad for help is much more powerful than finger-crossing. Then we were off for a full day of filling our empty cupboards!

However, I was still uneasy about the increasing frequency of our "intermittent" problem. So, on Tuesday evening I took the van to a shop, so it could sit overnight and replicate the same situation as the last two times it stalled. When they started it in the morning and drove it, it died again, but started right back up, so they were unable to test the non-start issue. Try as they might, they were unable to replicate the problem again. HOWEVER, while the car was visiting their shop, it decided to spring a leak and dumped water all over their lovely garage! Apparently the water pump went out... (for those of you who wonder what a water pump looks like... here's one (not mine) and besides blogs are more fun with pictures!)

Thankfully the same company replaced my water pump last November and it was still under full warrenty. My Radiator has "cancer" (rust) and because the rusty water from the radiator virtually sand-blasts the insides of my water pump - it was destined to go bad.

Because I could't afford to replace my radiator at the time this was discovered, it was easier and less expensive to have them replace the water pump, knowing that it would probably go out within the warranty period and could be replaced for free. Which it now has been!

So, YEAH for divine timing! Now a broken part has been replaced (before I even knew it was going to break)and the car is back home, snug in the driveway. BUT... the stalling and no-start problem is still unclear. The helpful mechanics (seriously, the nicest and most helpful folks) printed out a bunch of price quotes on what to start replacing to chase down the issue... things like: a tune-up which would replace the distributer cap and rotor, plugs and wires; then the distributor itself; then the TFI module if it was still having problems (dealer ordered part only); and all along the process, there is the threat that the fuel pump may be going bad (which they said was whining terribly but still giving good pressure, so it wasn't an issue...yet). Needless to say - a complete fortune to try and track down a solution to this intermittent problem that is uncertain - in a car which is becoming worth less and less with each passing day.

The bottom line? I've decided to drive it until it dies again and hope that heavenly help will keep it running for another month and a half. In the meantime I am trying to keep my cell phone charged up so I can call for help if and when we become stranded.

Thanks to the family who offered us "taxi" services, it is reassuring to know that help is out there if/when we need it.

One more blessing: the mechanics didn't even charge me for the hour of diagnostics! So we brought the car home with absolutely no out-of-pocket expenses! (I am assuming the decision was divinely inspired)