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Title: I'd rather be stuck in Lodi
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Published: Nov 19, 2011
Author: me
Post Date: 2011-11-19 11:52:00 by farmfriend
Keywords: None
Views: 1710
Comments: 28
I'm totally stuck in Reno of all places. I have stores up here I have to work once a month. This trip has been nothing but problems. I tried to leave yesterday but there were chain controls in Truckee. Ok I've put chains on before, no problem, right? So I'm laying down in the snow with no coat trying to put the chains on my friggin Honda. The tires are the smallest those chains will take so I got to get them on tight. But I can't get my fat...I can't get under the car enough to get them on right because the car is so low to the grown. I give up and come back to Reno. Enter the unexpected female monthly. I am totally unprepared for this and given my age things do not proceed in a normal fashion. So at 4am I have to run out to get supplies. I run up to Savemart which is no longer a 24 hour store. Crap, I have no idea where to go in this town. Doesn't matter anyway because now my car won't start. I have cables but finding a jump at 4am is not easy. A gal is being dropped off at work but her husband is late for work himself and can't help. I managed to talk to a guy letting the girl in the store. He finds an employee who is willing to try and jump my car. No go. Nada. They let me in to use the restroom as that is now necessary. The gal who tried to jump my car breaks the rules and sells me some feminine supplies. I am most grateful but now I have to leave the store before the boss shows up. So I'm standing outside wondering what the heck I'm going to do when a cab shows up trying to do shopping himself. He's got a 6 cylinder but the jump is still ineffective. I have just enough cash on me to take the cab back to the hotel. Guy at the hotel thinks it might be the cellinoid (sp) or the starter. sigh. So I go back to my room and try and get some sleep which is hard to do jumping up every 30 minutes. Time to try and make some calls, see if I can get someone to come out and fix my car. Hope the roads are clear.
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#25. To: farmfriend (#0)
Keep a pair of coveralls in the trunk. Buy them big enough to get in and out of them easily without having to take off more than your overcoat. And a pullover wool hat will keep the grease, etc., out of your hair. If you have a car with a manual transmission, it doesn't matter if your battery and starter don't work. If you're lucky, you're parked on a hill. If not, push until you can't make it go any faster, then jump in, put it in gear and pop the clutch. Even a woman can push your Honda fast enough to get it started this way. Don't forget to turn on the ignition before you start pushing. If you practice this a few times on a hill near home, you'll know how to do it when you need to. If you have the kind of car that tends to have problems, AAA is a good investment. If a car won't start, 90% of the time there's a dirt film between the battery terminals and the cables. Wiggle the cables left and right. If they're loose they might self-clean enough to make a good electrical connection. If wiggling doesn't work, you can clean the connections with a $3 wire brush designed for that purpose which you keep in your trunk with the jumper cables, hand cleaner, roll of paper towels and coveralls. If terminals are cleaned once a year, most of the time there wouldn't be a problem in the first place. Try those things first instead of calling a tow truck. Half the garage station mechanics don't have a clue whether it's the battery, solenoid, starter motor, or what. The first thing they're going to do is try to jump start it, which bypasses the dirty terminal problem. If it starts, they'll sell you a new battery. If it doesn't start they'll replace the next easiest thing. If you've ever paid a bill for a battery and a starter motor at the same time, that's what happened.
some #6 X 3/4" drywall screws and a phillips screw driver can fix a world of ills in a pinch, including loose or dirty battery terminals. Just screw a screw in between the battery terminal and the clamp on the end of the cable and you'll be able to get home or to a shop. It's a quick temporary fix that can last several years if you're like me and forget to fix it right. :)
Ping to my helpful household hint above.
There are no replies to Comment # 28. End Trace Mode for Comment # 28.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest"So I'm laying down in the snow with no coat trying to put the chains on my friggin Honda."
"I have cables but finding a jump at 4am is not easy."
#27. To: Big Meanie (#25)
#28. To: Farmfriend (#27)
Replies to Comment # 28.