Squeeky the Wonder Truck goes to the Mechanic!

So, I had to take Squeeky the wonder truck back to the mechanic. It started to bog down really bad on saturday on the drive home. So I was worried.. oh noooo!!! It's gonna blow up like the stupid Dodge. It's also been getting worse and worse gas milage, from 30 mpg when I parked it, to 25 mpg when I got it back recently, to 15 when I checked it on friday or so.

Made a appointment, becuase my mechanic was busy, and could only look at the truck on wedsday. So I gingerly drove it to work tuesday. I noticed almost to work that my trip odometer says 34. Well.. that's sort of a kick in the head.. because the distance from the house(gas station I filled up at) to work is 64 miles. So.. EITHER... I'd entered a wormhole which spat me out on the road to work, skipping some 30 miles in the process... OR my odometer is fucked up.

After a short debate with Lil Beachie on which answer would be more probable, we decided that the odometer was fucked up. Actually, I thought the wormhole theory was more sound.. but Beachie pointed out that the odometer was NOT moving currantly, which supported HIS theory of it being borked. Since let's face it.. he's usually right.. we're going with his theory.

So.. when I took the truck in this morning, ten minutes early for my appointment, the mechanic's assistant asked me "So what's it actually doing?" I started to explain, at which point his face went all funny and he stopped me and said.. "I'll let HIM talk to you."

The mechanic came out, and I told him what was wrong. The truck WAS bogging down and wouldn't get over 60 mph with the gas pedal floored.. althoug it WAS NOT doing that yesterday. The odometer stopped working yesterday, so the gas milage might actually be okay, although I was convinced it had dropped, BEFORE I noticed the odometer being borked, although the odometer could have been partially going out THEN.. and the odometer is borked.. although the odometer started working this morning too. The truck runs okay usually.. unless you turn the headlights on.. which makes it start to cough, sputter, kick and generally sound like an ashmatic kitten in a smoker. Oh.. and it rocks to the left a lot when I start out of a parking spot, but that's likely just the springs which I borked by loading it with about a ton and a half of gear to drive all the way to mississippi and back a few years ago. And the AC isn't running very well, but that's not exactly a real concern right now.. AND the ignition works without a key.. or it used to before my aunt's mechanic screwed with it, so now you just have to keep a key in it so the tumblers don't get out of position and make it impossible to put a key in it. So leave the key in the ignition at all times.. please. ANd I think that's all.

At this point, his lip had gone up on one side, down on the other, and his head had tilted distinctly to the left. I sort of wondered if he'd had a stroke. He basically said.. "You realize.. NOT one lick of any of that makes ANY sense."

"Welcome to my world dude."

So he ran down the list.. discounted a few things like the ignition, the AC, the springs, and the odometer for now. Those probably have nothing to do with the truck running properly or not. Then he discounted the headlights making it run rough, because "That doesn't make sense at all!! They're on different circuits, it can't happen like that!"

I suggested he do a full tune-up, change out the filters(or clean them as the case might be) and see if that fixed the issue. He decided he would change the fuel filter, reset the computer, and see if that fixed it all. The other mechanic changed out the cam shaft postion sensor(which the computer was saying is still bad) so it SHOULDN'T be an issue, but if the other mechanic didn't reset the computer, we wouldn't know what was wrong right now.

So I waited inside the office, because I'm not allowed back in the garage area. Very soon after I started using this mechanic, there was this BIG sign that went up saying no one is allowed back there.. although I see other clients going back all the time! Shrug. Okay.

While I was in the office, I chatted with the guys who do the oil changes and stuff. They kept getting funny looks on their faces and needing to leave to go outside. If they weren't inside, I wrote a letter to Aubray. They went to the garage, and suddenly MY truck was put in front of the other trucks that were already lined up when I arrived. That was awfully nice of them to put me to the head of the line!

So.. after a real nice chat about how people really should know more about how their brain forms a thought using the organic slush in our skulls.. the guy inside had to go 'somewhere.. other than here... thanks. " and the mechanic came and told me he changed the fuel filter, the check engine light was off, and that he was only charging me $34. He finds me amusing.. I think because he's safely out in the garage I'm barred from entering.. while his poor guys get to deal with me up front. They sometimes suggest I could just go home to wait for a call.. but I find if I wait, things get done MUCH faster. Plus I tell them I'd have to walk home, which usually makes all of them offer to give me a ride.. awfully NICE boys.

So on the way out of the parking lot, the check engine light came back on, but I'm going to see if the engine actually acts up any before I call the mechanic. If it acts up more, I'm going to mention to him that I really think it's being caused by the ninjas, and see if he thinks I should change to salted peanuts as bribes. See, ninjas are usually healthy eaters, and I think that they would prefer the whole unsalted in the shell type of peanut. It's always seemed to be acceptable. BUt perhaps he would know better, being a mechanic.

Anyway.. I'm back home, and I'll let everyone know how Squeeky the Wonder Truck is driving after I go all the way to work and back tomorrow!