Sunday, October 8, 2017

10/9/17 Come On Excursion, Two Strikes?

    Oh man, I have loved my Excursion for a long time.  I bought it in February 2004 right before going to Mardi Gras that year.  I fell in love with them the minute they came out and knew I had to own one.  I got a little panicky when the negative press started on them and that eventually they would be discontinued so I rushed and got one even though the Expedition I traded in was only like two years old.  They continued selling for another year, into 2005, but eventually did stop.  Ford is sneaky, a couple years later they introduced an Expedition EL (Extra long) and by now is an inch or so longer than the Excursion, so they just camouflaged it by naming it something friendlier and not bragging it was so big.
    It has taken us each time to Florida, about seven times now, and never given me any problems, mechanically.  All I have ever done is change the oil and installed new tires about every four years.  yesterday, it stranded us, not once, but twice.  We took Chubs to school in the morning and since Wife was in town and I was off Friday night, we went and had breakfast.  Wife was talking especially fast about the incompetence around her at work so I just drove and drove.  We ended up at the Y, kind of headed to the lake, but not fully.  I saw the Jim's and thought "we have never eaten there."  Wife agreed and we did.  It was good, maybe great.  Surprisingly, it did not run through me, I told Wife do you want to take a drive towards Dripping Springs, maybe see some houses.  I don't think either one of us wants to move, but I do love seeing a new model home, specially fancy ones.
    As soon as I turned towards Dripping Springs, and went past the first light, my ABS sensor turned on.  I had not done any wild maneuver or even hit the brakes hard.  I told Wife I am pulling into this apartment complex, it was acting like it was going to die, sputtering and putt putting like in the cartoons where the car is fixing to die.  I parked in a parking spot and hit the gas a couple times, and got nothing.  I thought is I turned it off and back on the sensor would reset, but it did not turn back on.  I called Ford who suggested it might be the battery.  It made sense, I had seen an Auto Zone by the Jim's and foolishly thought we could walk to it, get a battery and walk back.  On Wife's Google she said it was half a mile away, Shit!  We started walking before realizing nope, no way.  Even if we got there, was I going to walk back with a 50 pound battery?  Hell no!  We had called Boy and when I called him back, he was still spinning looking for tools.  I yelled at him "Just get on the road, we are standing out here on the side of the road like two assholes!!!
    He showed up as fast as he could, we bought the battery, I installed it, and it seemed fine.  We went to the football game, I didn't want to commit to driving it at night just yet, but figured we had been fine running some errands after we put the new battery in.  Chubs wanted the big vehicle because he was told to bring the bari sax home after the football game.  That thing is bigger than a toddler, I am not sure it would fit in Wife's car.  After we ate at Cheddar's, I was already falling asleep, I handed Wife the keys and said "get us home."  When she took off, she said "the ABS light came on."  I thought, "dammit here we go again."  Yup, it did the exact same thing, only this time there was no apartment parking lot.  We were stranded on the side of MoPac, which sucks balls.
    Without discussing it, Wife pulled out the phone and she has a tow truck number on her phone thanks to that lemon of a bug which we constantly had to get towed.  I barely got the chance to yell at Chubs one time before the tow truck showed up, they were very quick.  I yelled at the miniature fool because he is sitting in the back and I can feel him getting bored and he opens the door.  Instantly he gets "what the fuck are you going to accomplish other than getting run over, step in ants, or let some weird bug in here?"  Umm, I don't know I'm getting hot.  "Just fucking chill, they'll be here in a bit, I am sorry."
    As of Saturday morning, the Excursion is sitting at Maxwell Ford.  I hope it is just the alternator, or it may be time to put the old girl up.  I have had it thirteen years, longest time I've owned a vehicle, but I guess everything is finite.

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