The End of an Era

Since we got a new car, my Mentor asked if we would be needing the Explorer anymore. We did not, and he thought it might find better usage with his son, at least in the short term.

Of course, like all things in my life, this was not a simple and straightforward process. The Explorer has electrical problems, and when it sits for more than two days, it won’t start. The Explorer had been sitting for weeks, so the battery was history.

I have a jump box that is pretty strong, so it starts the Explorer, but it really taps out the box, so after a few starts, it needs to be re-charged.

The plan was to have my Mentor’s son come pick up the car at the bus station during his holiday break. However, for reasons that were explained to me, he was coming in on the 4:00 AM bus, so I couldn’t meet him. Instead, I was to leave the car in the bus station parking with the keys hidden in a specified location I was leaving the jump box so could start the thing.

On the day prior, I took the Explorer to the gas station to fill it up and the darn thing wouldn’t start afterward. I tried the jump box, but it didn’t have enough charge, so here I am, stuck at Sunoco. I called AAA and they jump started me, but the guy said you really need a new battery and terminals. Like I was going to manage that on Saturday afternoon?

We also had plans to go out that day, so I did not have unlimited time. I drove the thing home and had a bit of dilemma. If I turned the car off and couldn’t get it started, then we were stuck, and I wasn’t sure how to get it to bus station. However, if I got it there, how the heck was Mentor’s son going to start it.

I came up with a plan, and mind you, I was painfully aware of my time constraints. I was going to plug in the jump box and charge it to capacity, which would take a few hours. Then, I’d try it to make sure it worked, then we’d pack up, drive over the bus station, and leave the car.

I had two primary concerns. If I used it once to start the car, then would there be enough charge to start it again. Also, if I kept testing it, then I’d have to charge it up again, and that would take time, something I did not have a lot of.

Wow, it’s amazing I made it past puberty

In the end, the charging was fairly timely, the Explorer started, and we succeeded in getting it to the station. I don’t know if things worked out from there, but it is now 7:00 AM and I haven’t heard from Mentor Jr., so I’m guessing he started the thing and is on the road.

From there, the ball is in his court, and I’m glad things worked out, so far.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Renaude Hatsedakis for the pic.