Is it possible to love one�s vehicle so much that the forces of the universe are compelled to, every so often, create events and situations that tend to knock the stars right out of one�s eyes?
Maybe, says I.
This morning we all got up early, bustled around and got our little boat ready. We hooked it up to the back of the Jeep, packed a picnic lunch, and were off on an adventure to a mountain lake. About 2 miles from the summit, and still 30 miles from our destination, the forces of the universe interceded. The �Check Gauges� light came on.
Gasoline: full
Temperature: good
Battery: good
Oil pressure: zero
Zero? Oil pressure zero? How could that be? And what does that mean? The car seems to be running fine. In fact, it�s been running great. We just got the oil changed about a month ago. No problems whatsoever. And now the oil pressure is zero? Good heavens.
We pulled over on to the shoulder and shut off the engine. Waited a few moments, then started it back up. All was fine. Gauges were fine. Off we go again. A few seconds later the light came on again and the oil pressure plummeted to zero. What�s going on here? Just ahead was the exit for the West Summit, where there is a little village. So we exit, and as we make the turn onto the little road, we hear a horrible knocking sound from the engine, and experienced a noticeable loss in power. As we turned into the parking lot of the rest area, the engine died completely and we coasted to a stop. How fortunate was it that we made it to this place? We could have been stranded out on the highway.
The engine would not turn over again. A few phone calls later, and the tow truck was on its way. Another phone call and our friend A was on his way with his truck to retrieve our boat and trailer. P went with the Jeep and the tow truck, but me and K and B had to wait behind with the boat for A to get there, and he was 90 minutes away. And it was hot. And dusty in that gravel parking lot. But he finally got there, hitched the boat, and we all climbed into his air conditioned truck for the ride back down the mountain.
P had the tow truck driver take the Jeep directly to the dealership, where he left a note and the keys in the night drop box, then the driver brought P home. $250.
We fear something very serious has happened. Cars don�t lose oil pressure, go BANG BANG BANG under the hood, and then die without something veeeeeery wrong and expensive going on. We think we might be looking at an engine rebuild. Or something like that. We don�t know. Won�t know until the mechanics get a chance to look at it. Who knows when that might be? It�s not like we had an appointment. We just left it there. And how long can we get by with just one car, while the other is in the shop? About one day. Then we�ll have to rent something. That�ll get expensive very fast.
How on earth can a car be fine one minute and dead the next? Was it the exertion of going over the pass? Aren�t these cars designed to do that? Did the grease monkeys at the Precision Tune do something wrong, causing oil to leak out while under pressure? Because we didn�t check the oil when we stopped. I think we were afraid to look. But the engine never got hot. And it didn�t smell burnt. Could it have frozen up without the engine overheating?
Whatever happened, it�s sure to be an expensive repair. Just what we don�t need. Probably $3,000. Or more. Who knows?
Maybe our affection for that car is misplaced. It is, after all, just a machine. And now it�s a machine that doesn�t even work. Maybe we�ve loved it too much. Admired it too much. Put too much pride into owning it. And now the forces of the universe are shouting at us. Teaching us a lesson? An expensive one, for sure.
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