Last night, my dependable 14 year old car went berserk.
The interior lights flashed, the dashboard lights flickered, the steering locked, Itzl alerted on numerous noises coming from the car, but I didn't need his alerts. Apparently, the hullabaloo my car created was enough to startle a pedestrian into jumping into the street during rush hour traffic.
My car almost killed someone.
Fortunately, the cars in the street were stopped for a traffic light, so the pedestrian suffered no more than a hard startle.
Itzl was frantic that I stop the noise, whatever it was. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear most of it so I didn't know what to do.
We were in a parking lot near the street so I didn't have to try to pull out of traffic and find someplace to pop the hood and see what was happening.
After popping the hood, I tested the battery. There was some corrosion build up one the red terminal. I took out my handy dandy terminal brush and scrubbed the corrosion away, but the socket wrench set I had didn't go small enough to remove the clamp so I could clean between it and the battery. I settled for scrubbing extra fiercely.
That stopped the flashing lights and flickering dashboard, but Itzl still alerted on some sound coming from the area around the steering wheel. Then he jumped, and I knew the horn was going off again. I tried turning off the alarm with my key, but according to Itzl, it didn't work.
Then he relaxed and I went into the store there to ask them to call my daughter. She, unfortunately, didn't answer her phone.
A kind gentleman in a huge Nissan Titan offered to jump my car, in case the problem was a bad battery.
That was a "No". Not only did the car not turn over, it apparently set the horn off again.
After I thanked him and he'd left, I went back in and this time, I asked them to call my towing service. Sergio's and I have a long history together, back when my daughter's car had an untraceable issue with the alternator. They've always been prompt and inexpensive. Last night was no exception.
Ron's emailed me this morning to ask if that was my car in his parking lot, and when I confirmed that it was, he asked what the problem was.
If I knew why my car had turned into some kind of homicidal machine a la Christine, I could probably have fixed it myself.
Itzl was pleased that I got rid of that noisy car, and has been preening himself all day for saving me.
Every time I try to shoot him preening, he ducks his head or strikes a pose. Drat him for knowing what a camera is!
I don't have a current picture of the car. In fact, this is the only picture I have:
Yep, this is the car that almost killed someone. Rather innocuous looking, isn't it?
UPDATE: The mechanic just called and said the battery cable ends were corrupted and that drained the battery, so I need new cable ends and a new battery. Total cost, including tow, labor, battery, and cable ends? $125.00 I love my mechanic and my my towing guy. They rock!