Well not so much.
More like a scary outting in which my car dies on the Interstate and then miraculously works long enough to get off of an exit (road where I live) and park the car in a pharmacy parking lot.
The car has been running a little higher RPM than normal, but the higher RPM comes down once the car warms up. That’s been the only thing that seemed strange today. I bought grain for Isis on the way out to the barn.
Car seemed fine all the way out. Seemed okay on the way back from the barn, until I was close to home. I needed to run one errand, so I passed my exit and continued up a few miles to the exit. The lights on the dashboard looked dim and the radio quit working. That’s when I realized the car was losing power. I turned off the radio and turned around to head home.
Just before the exit for the apartment, the lights shut off and the engine died. I drifted up the highway on the right shoulder as close as I could to the exit and then stopped. Sat in the car for a minute and then called AAA for roadside assistance. They offered to call the police to come and sit with me if I wasn’t in a safe neighborhood. I did ask for a policeman to come and wait with me. Definitely don’t feel safe sitting in a car on the side of the road. It’s too much like a B horror movie.
The interstate wasn’t lit except by passing headlights. Each car that passed shook the Tiburon. No way did I want to walk out up that busy ramp in dark clothing.
After 10 minutes, I tried starting the car again — and it worked. I had enough power to get up the ramp (with a green light for the right-hand turn) and a second green light through the next intersection. The car almost died in the intersection. Turning off the lights gave enough juice to the engine to drift into the pharmacy parking lot. Right in front of a sign that said 30 minute parking, violators will be towed. 🙂
AAA called me back to see how I was doing. I canceled the tow for tonight since I was within walking distance from home. The pharmacy is about five blocks from home. I got permission to leave the car in the parking lot and walked home. I called Mom so I was on the phone with someone while I walked. Luckily the road is well lit with good sidewalks all the way back to the apartment.
Tomorrow morning I get to call AAA and arrange a tow to the repair place. From there I can get a ride to work.
My stepfather said he thinks that the problem is the alternator. They are usually (relatively) inexpensive and easy to fix. Hopefully the car can be fixed and ready to go tomorrow afternoon. Three people from work offered to give me a ride to pick up the car. 🙂
So that was my evening adventure.
