Farewell SamSam

[fivecats]

On the Street Where I Work
Summer 2006 Chapel Thrill, NC
____________________________________

The drive into work relatively uneventful for most of the trip in. Traffic was a bit heavier than normal getting onto the freeway, but once there it was relatively smooth sailing. I decided to forgo XM radio for the morning and, instead, work on some things in preparation for the 6-hour long manager’s meeting that was going to start my work day.

So, my mind was preoccupied with coming up with Common Themes and Intelligent Things to Say about the 30 page document we had to read in preparation for the meeting.

A few miles before my exit I happened to look down at the dashboard. That’s when I noticed that all of the dashboard lights were on.

Now, I’m one of those typical Yankees – I put the key in the ignition, turn it and hope to God the car starts up. If it does, alls fine with the universe. If not, I’m all but worthless.

Still, I was able to look at that long row of orange lights warning me of everything from my ALT to CHECK ENGINE and quickly make the assessment, “This is not good.”

When I stopped for traffic at my exit I saw thick white smoke billowing out in really interesting waves from the driver’s side of the hood. I got out, opened the hood and through the smoke I could see the tell-tale sign of antifreeze on the road as well.

Those quick analytical skills kicked in again and added, “This is definitely not good.”

And the rest of the story? Abandoning the car on the side of the road blocking the exit wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. Besides, I did have this Very Important Meeting to get to. So, following a rule in my father’s playbook I got back in the car and decided to see how far I could drive it before it completely died on me.

Once I was moving again the thick white smoke was dissipated enough so I couldn’t see it. The car seemed almost fine, in fact.

Off the freeway the last stretch of road is fairly flat and straight, until just before getting onto the campus grounds. To get there you need to climb a long, steep hill. I looked at it as my car’s Last Challenge.

I crept up the hill, slowly but surely. Then the car seemed to slow down on its own accord as a Death Rattle started sounding from the engine.

Bonn had long ago named my car SamSam after one of our neighbor’s outdoor cats who whines much like some of the sounds my car makes. They’re both old and seem to complain easily. I offered SamSam lots of encouragement as he continued up the hill.

At the stop light at the top of the hill there was a line of cars. The light turned green just as I approached the back of the line and I thought I had it made. Except for the bus right at the light which had stalled out and wasn’t going anywhere. I stopped, too, and SamSam died, followed by a bigger burst of white smoke.

“Come on, SamSam, we’re almost there,” I said.

Turning the key I was pleasantly surprised to hear SamSam’s engine turn over and start up. Some bewildered people to my left allowed me to cut in front of them and go around the bus.

The death rattle continued, the steering wheel was like turning through cement and smoke started coming into the car through someplace that looked like the radio.

We puttered onto campus, made it through all of the turns and limped into the parking lot across from the Press. I backed SamSam into a space and he died one more time.

After the six hour long meeting I got back to work and was telling my networking manager and good friend Zheeeeem about my morning adventure. He asked if I wanted him to take a look at it. “Sure, why not?” I said.

Up popped Bart from behind a partition wall. “Was that your car in the parking lot? Can I come look, too?”

Sure, why not?

If nothing else I figured we could all bury SamSam together.

Zheeeeem was able to quickly diagnose the problem – part of the crank assembly had somehow been drawn back into the engine block, thus sheering off some of the engine belts. Most of them, in fact. The only one left was the belt to the non-working air conditioner and that wasn’t going to get me very far.

Three trips to various places later we actually had the right sized belt and, by flashlight, Zheeeeem got the belt on, tightened and the alternator back in place.

I drove it across the street to the back of the Press building and we tried filing the radiator reservoir, only to find that there was a leak with that somewhere. Back against the front firewall there was a miscellaneous hose with a trip-switch assembly piece at the end of a hose where water was gushing out almost as fast as we could pour it in. It looked to all three of us like the end had been blown off by something and we couldn’t see where it was supposed to go. The best thing we could think to do was to plug up the end of the hose and hope for the best.

We searched around for something to plug it up with and decided that a thick highlighter was the best fit. That’s how a pink highlighter ended up as an Emergency Auto Part tonight.

SamSam started up just fine and I took off down the road, calling Bonn to say I was on my way home.

And five miles later SamSam started slowing down. And slowing down. And then going through the same Death Rattles as before, only worse.

He carried me down to the next exit and around the curve into a mall parking lot before dying for good.

Bonn came and picked me up. I emptied out all of my trash, junk, papers, etc., from SamSam and said a long goodbye to a great car that tried very, very hard for me and kept me safe on many a journey.

Our last one was one to remember.

...

Comments

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

Never have car troubles sounded so interesting - and suspensful.

Bye bye Samsam!

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

I wrote most of this in a Barnes & Noble bookstore waiting for Bonn to pick me up. (It ends a bit abruptly because she arrived and I had to finish it after I got home and was very tired)

But thanks. :-)

...