Hoist the Sails

Hoist the Sails

Well, I’m currently sitting at the mechanic’s, typing this on my phone as we wait for a crucial part to be delivered. If you recall, last week I mentioned that I was waiting for engine parts to arrive because I wanted to do the repairs myself, and I’m proud to announce that I got everything installed without a single hiccup, and honestly had so much fun learning my way around the van’s engine. 

The reason I was working on the engine in the first place is because, anytime I’d accelerate quickly, I would hear a squealing sound from the right side of my engine. After a ton of research I learned that the serpentine belt, idler pulleys, or tensioner were the most likely culprits. I also learned that when any of those items are replaced, most mechanics choose to replace them all at once as they tend to wear at a similar rate, are relatively cheap to replace, and are located in the same part of the engine—meaning that once you’ve gained access to one of them, you’ve effectively gained access to all of them. So I studied the process, got back under the van and replaced them all. It was intuitive and easy from start to finish—my kinda project! 

BUT….

After completing the repairs, when I took the van out for a test drive… I still heard that same squeal!

Ughhhh!

Ironically, this coincided with an appointment I had already made with a mechanic. Because, ever since I bought this van, no professional has gotten eyes on it, and seeing as I’m preparing to embark on my first big van adventure, I figured it was wise to have someone poke around, just to make sure there aren’t any obvious issues that I’m unaware of. So I added the lingering squealing sound to the list of things for the mechanic to look into.

Thankfully, the mechanic didn’t notice anything concerning going on with the van, but was unable to locate exactly what was causing the weird sound. Although he did reassure me that he didn’t feel like it was anything to be concerned about: “It doesn’t sound like something that will leave you stuck on the side of the road.” 

I paid him for his time, left the garage and went grocery shopping. As I got back into the van after shopping, I turned the key in the ignition and nothing happened. I tried again—nothing. Weird. I tried a third time and the van started right up like normal. I gave it a little time and drove around a bit, but everything seemed fine so I figured it was just a weird glitch. I turned on some music and began the 50-minute drive home. But before I got far, the music started to crackle and the dash lights began blinking. Then the “check battery” light popped on. 

Great.

I turned around and headed back to the mechanic, calling him to let him know that I was on my way back. I initially figured this had something to do with whatever work he had performed on the van (spoiler alert: that ended up not being the case). When I pulled into the lot, the mechanic waved me into an empty bay in his garage and, I’m not exaggerating when I say, the instant the mechanic gave me the “stop there” signal, the van died. 

The mechanic ran a few tests and discovered that the battery needed to be replaced. Look, I’d prefer to not have to replace an expensive battery, but if it’s going to die and need to be replaced, it might as well happen while parked INSIDE THE MECHANIC’S GARAGE. What luck!

The mechanic didn’t have a replacement battery in stock, but a local auto parts store was able to have one delivered in about 30 minutes, so in the meantime I threw my groceries into the van’s never-before-used refrigerator, then kicked back in the comfy swivel seat I recently installed while we waited for the battery to arrive. It was fun to lounge in my soon-to-be new home. When the battery arrived, the mechanic installed it in less than 10 minutes, at which point I got back on the road and haven’t had any issues since. 

I believe that, when we’re on the right track in life, the universe conspires in our favor—encouraging us, through omens and signs, to continue heading the direction we have been. Realistically, my battery could have died hours from anywhere, and far from cell service. But it didn’t, it died the moment I arrived at the mechanic, making for the easiest possible fix to the problem. To me, I didn’t take this as just a stroke of good luck, although it undeniably was, this felt more like the universe sending a steady breeze my way, encouraging me to hoist the sails and begin the adventure. 

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

P.S. Learn from my mistake. While I was very fortunate the way it worked out in the end, in hindsight it’s so obvious that what I should have done, long before this battery issue even had a chance to arise, was to swing by an auto parts store to have them test the battery for me. Just about every big-box auto parts store offers free battery testing (some even offer free alternator and/or starter testing). That tiny bit of due-diligence could easily prevent a major inconvenience from happening. I've never done this with any of my vehicles but plan on making it at least a yearly practice.