Well, it finally happened. It looks like our '98 Taurus DOHC fell victim to transmission trouble. Grrr! The car we lovingly call 'Shelby' only has 131K miles on her, so this came sooner than expected. Or rather, sooner than *I* had expected. Our '02 Taurus OHV didn't have tranny trouble until over 150K, which is the usual 'mileage age' for that problem on the Taurus model. Only thing is - as Troy pointed out - I had forgotten that the DOHC engines generally had tranny failure in the 100k - 130K range. Boo!
It seems that in the past month alone, we have been in and out of the shop with Troy's '02 model - which we refer to as 'Phantom'. Mind you, we are quite capable of doing our own work; beyond the wiper blades/air & cabin filters/battery ("simple types of") repairs, over the years we have also changed serpentine belts, alternators & starters, disc brakes (including calipers), IAC valve, MAF sensor, PCV valve, plugs/wires/cap/rotor, rear shocks (Ranger)... Sheesh, I think there's more but I just can't remember it all. Suffice it to say, while we are both mechanically inclined (thank you, Grandpa Lash, for the awesome genes!) there is a limit to the scope of what we can do. And unfortunately, the cars are both to a point where - based on mileage age - the repairs that need to be done are more invasive, and therefor require the tools, training and experience of a good repair shop (or two).
So, here's the (brief!) latest low-down on both cars. Phantom was in the shop (again) this past Saturday (8/28) for what we thought was air pockets in the cooling system. (The shop had previously worked on heater core hoses, and we thought that may have triggered the problem.) Short of the long is, they pressure checked the system, and discovered the water pump was leaking. We chose to do that repair ourselves. [Oh, yeah! That's the latest 'DIY' repair we can add to the list. Go Troy!]
I work every Saturday, so Troy and the girls gave me taxi service to and from work that day. Coming home, we were on I-74W - one mile shy of Exit 11 - when a previously familiar hum went away, and then was replaced with the heart-wrenching sound of the car dropping out of gear at highway speeds. We were able to coast along to the top of our exit ramp, and then stop on the left, in the grassy wedge separating the exit ramp from the highway. Our first call was to AAA (thank you, Mom & Dad Daum, for the birthday present membership!); while Troy did that, I made our second call, which was to Hamilton County dispatch (we were thinking of the safety of the girls - and us - while waiting on the wrecker). With help on the way, I then made our third call to Dad & Jayne, to ask if they were available to come get the girls and me and take us home. (Thanks, Jayne & Dad, for your immediate help!)
On Monday, the shop looked at Shelby. (Troy had her towed to the same shop that had Phantom ready for retrieval.) Original diagnosis was a bad left-front hub bearing, but also the axle. After that was repaired, they were to road test her, and see if the right-front hub bearing could wait, or if it needed changed then also. Problem: When the technician went to road test Shelby, she still wouldn't go into gear correctly. GRR! Moreover, this particular shop is a chain 'general repair and tire sales' facility [and NO, it is NOT Firestone/Tires Plus], which means they are not permitted to do 'internal' transmission work. For all we know, the problem could be the transmission shifter cable (which links the floor gear-selector to the transmission, via a lever on the tranny), or something small like that. I doubt it, but it could be.
So, now we have to have Shelby towed from the shop she's at, to either our home or the transmission-specialist shop we will be using. She will probably come home first, while we schedule the appointment for the repair (and tweek the budget to pay for the repair).
Ok, so I went on a little longer than I'd originally planned to do. Sorry about that. Fortunately, I'm off today (it's Thursday), so at least I have plenty of time and opportunity to hash out the details of our plan, and to begin coordinating it. We will probably have to be a one-car family for the time being, because we don't want to hog usage of Grandpa's truck from the rest of the family. Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
I feel compelled to pray right now, so I will simply type out what comes from my heart and mind to my lips:
"Father God, please watch over and protect those in greatest need of Your Guidance, Comfort and Presence. For my family, I ask for Your Will to be done, and that You reveal to us how we can best carry out our part of Your Plan. We feel sad, frustrated and, yes, even irritated by our car troubles. We have grown accustomed to being able to carry on with our lives a certain way - it is far easier to be in different places at once with two vehicles. And yet, we know that there are some who do not even have one, and must therefor rely upon public transportation and the kindness of neighbors, family and friends. Please show us, O Lord, the manner in which You would have us be active participants in overcoming this challenge we face. We know that You do not give us trials larger than we can handle, and we also know that - with Your Help - we can achieve and do anything. In Your Son's Glorious Name, Amen."
Have a Blessed Day!
Jenn
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