Weekend Update

There has been a background story of Technical Difficulties running in life since the start of the month, or slightly before, that has turned into a major situation.  

Let me start at the setup.  For the last 11 years, I've been driving a 2009 Ford Explorer, bought in January of '12.  It was a high mileage car; it was bought by the original owner in November of 2009, so really just over two years old when we bought it; 26 months if you prefer, and 45.6 thousand miles - that comes out to over 1700 miles per month.  It's a high MSRP version of the Explorer, the Eddie Bauer model with leather seats, and all sorts of comfort options added.

When I was working, I never put that kind of mileage on it; more like 75 miles/week, and it was becoming a low mileage car.  Now, at 13 years old, it has just gone over 90,000 and I've not quite doubled the mileage it had in the first 26 months.  These days, it's unusual if I put more than 30 miles on it in a week.

In September of '21, one of the important modules failed, the Anti-lock Brake System module, which is considered important because it can affect the car's safety.  Because of being safety-related, it sets off an alarm that sounds for 30 seconds, when I turn the car on, and then sounds for another 30 seconds every five minutes while driving.  After taking it to the garage I tend to use and then the dealer, I found that nobody can get the modules because of the legendary "supply chain issues," and I've been driving it with that alarm screaming at me every five minutes for 3 months shy of two years. 

Now that we're setup, it's time for the story.  

Back around the end of June, the car's computer threw a new warning at me: "Check LR Light" (Left Rear).  Sure enough the bulb was out and I bought a replacement.  It didn't work either.  Looking closer, it looked to me like the socket was corroded.  I sprayed it with DeOxIT, then plugged and unplugged the bulb a few times.  Presto, it worked.  For about five minutes.  To my way of thinking that means it's valid to ask if it's that top part of the socket, or the bottom side; the connection of the car's wiring to the socket.  I decided to bring it back to the small garage I mentioned above.  I brought it in on July 5th.  Since it was approaching three years (and under 3000 miles) since my last oil change, I had them do that and a tire rotation. 

To my surprise, later that day they called and said they could get the ABS module I've been living without for nearly two years.  It had gone up 20% from the price I thought I remembered from two years ago, from $1500 to $1800, but with two years of bidenflation, it makes sense.

I picked it up on Friday the 7th, and it was a different car.  We drove up to our local grocery store and both of us kind of reflexively cringed a little as we were getting to the light close to the store because that's where the ABS alarm always screamed.  

On Sunday the 9th on the way to church, the Check Engine Light came on.  Back to the shop on 7/10.  There was something I wanted adjusted at the shop and I pointed out the CEL being on.  They dismissed as being from the new module, and read the codes back with their computer.  It said the fuel system wasn't sealed properly, another of those EPA-related faults.  They said to "keep an eye on it" without saying just how I could know if it got worse.  Since the ABS module failure kept the CEL always on, those few days were the only times in two years it wasn't on. 

We only drove two places in the week, to the grocery store and to a pet supply store in the opposite direction.  The car acted completely normal with that CEL being the only oddity.  This was on Friday, 7/14.

Last Sunday, 7/16, we got into the car to go to church and it wouldn't start.  Sounded completely dead, too.  No clicking, no solenoid sounds, nothing.  I tried my jump starter and it wouldn't do anything, either.

Now it's Monday, 7/17.  I tried a charger designed for starting batteries; and then my jump starter again.  Still no joy.  I finally called a tow truck to bring it back up to the shop.  It took until 2:30 PM; I had called for the truck at about 9:30. 

I expected a call by the end of the day Monday, and called to ask about it Tuesday around 1PM.  The shop supervisor said they had reached the limits of what their test equipment could tell them, and tow it to the dealer.  He said he thought it was the PCM or Powertrain Control Module, which they can't supply or program.  The towing delay wasn't as bad as Monday, but they didn't pick up the car until about 3:45 and it was at the dealership a little after 4.

It's being worked on by a technician the service manager says is among their most senior and best.  They haven't determined what's wrong, after working on it since Wednesday. 

In my spare time, I've been contemplating if I really want to sink a lot of money into a 13 year old car, but it might not be my call.  If it's unfixable, that forces the decision.  If it's many thousands to fix it, it's worth having considered options. The most reliable cars I've ever owned were my 1990 Jeep Cherokee, which had over 150,000 miles when I switched to a Toyota Matrix, the other most reliable car.  A Matrix was a Corolla with a different body on it, and you know how they are.

From the Podcast Macabre.