Friday, August 31, 2007

Wouldn't You Know It


Well I DID IT! I got my license after all of that drama. I got insurance. I even paid my dad all the money I owed him. Finally I got my car. Let me tell you I was so excited, I could hardly contain my joy. I went to work all smiles and sunshine. I am never sunshine LOL. I work, I drove home, I parked the car and because I wanted to make sure for my peace of mind, I tried to start the car back up.

And wouldn't you know it? The damn thing is still broke. The same problem is wrong with it. Does anyone know a great mechanic? One that can answer my questions and knows what he is talking about? I swear. After all of that drama, all of that money, I am still faced with, if I drive the car too far, I am stranded.

Something is draining the battery. Now I know what some of you are thinking. It could be as simple as an alternator. Nope, wrong answer. I have installed two alternators, two batteries, a solenoid(sp?), a mapping unit and a starter. All to no avail. Something is still draining my car. So now I have transportation, but God forbid I go to far from home. I might not make it back.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

5 comments:

Vixen said...

Congratulations on the license! it's taken so looooong! There should be a package coming for you in the next few days. And sorry, i have no idea what to do about the car...hopefully someone else does.

Fourier Analyst said...

Not a mechanic, but had a similar problem (for most of my driving life I have had older, hand-me-down cars).
It ended up being some sort of short where even when the car was turned off, the battery would be drained (as if the headlights were left on). So if the car sat for too long, then it would not start again. But your problem sounds somewhat different. If the alternator is working and the battery is accepting a charge when you jump it off, (which you say it is) then you need to check the connection between alternator and battery. Something is preventing the battery from recharging. It can be something as simple as wiring. Someone with electrical experience should be able to trace it down. It doesn't sound like it is really mechanical, but with newer model cars there can also be some problem with the computer brain (a rather expensive problem I'm afraid).


Good luck darlin'! At least you have your license. Hope you don't have to shoot the car to put it out of its misery (and yours!).

soccer mom in denial said...

Have you ever heard of a show called Click and Clack on public radio? They own a car shop in the Boston area (and have wicked accents to prove it) and take calls on the air. You should explain that you need to fix this yourself and see what they suggest.

Not very helpful but I bet being in your sunshine-y state, you'll get on.

cathouse teri said...

Oh hell. I'm sorry honey! I just barely read this now! How are things doing? I do know a fantastic mechanic. My boyfriend. Let me know if you want to speak with him.

I had a car that was doing this once. My husband (ugh, I hate saying that, but he was my husband at the time) had worked on the seatbelt and then suddenly, after that, the battery kept draining. He did ALL The things you mentioned, while I stood in the background saying... "um... does it have something to do with the seatbelt?" To which he would say, "Oh don't be silly, you silly woman. What do you know? I mean why would a seatbelt have anything to do with it?" I would say, "I have no idea... all I know is that you just worked on the seatbelt and then this happened. Seems logical to check." "Pshaw!" he said. Silly me. Don't ever try to throw logic at a man. I mean really.

Later, we discovered it was the seatbelt. Something about something was touching the chassis and draining the battery. Fuck.

cathouse teri said...

I think we can conclude that your problem is something about something. Just let me know if you ever need any more help solving problems! I'll be here all week!

Also, do you really get so much traffic here that there is an onslaught of spam that has to be filtered through that fucking word verification thingy!

*Teri spanx you*