I am happy to have my Excursion back up and running. It had a couple of small problems that were bothering me, but luckily, I was able to get them fixed. I swear, it feels like I am driving a new vehicle and all my urgency looking at new cars has subsided, I love riding up high in this old thing. Yes, the gas cost is going to suck, but so would a new car at $600 or more a month, plus it would still need gas and maintenance eventually.
Last night I managed to get the passenger sun visor fixed up. The bracket that holds the visor near the middle of the vehicle broke, so the visor was there, but it was drooping, and I think drooping more and more. It is bigger than standard visors first of all, then it is also the type that has two visors, so one can be put to the window on the passenger door and the other left to just come down in front of the windshield. I added some nylon washers to hold the broken bracket and a longer screw, and the problem seems to have been fixed. It felt like the vehicle had a stye with a drooping eyelid or something when looking out the front and one of the visors hung lower than the other.
Another big problem, and I'm not sure I really fixed it yet, is the A/C. It was working, but barely. Yesterday, in the heat of the day, it just kind of felt like a fan blowing air at us, neither hot nor cold. I saw an ad for A/C Pro, which is a can of freon with additives that are supposed to help patch minor leaks. I bought this can for $40 at Lowe's and decided to give it a try. I got scared and hesitated when I plugged in the gauge and the reading was fluctuating between low and good. I was expecting the gauge to just read low and pump in the freon to get the gauge to move up. I went back and looked through more Youtube videos and a few said to expect it to do this, the compressor is shutting off and on as it keeps trying to run but doesn't because it is low. I decided to just give it a try and I plugged in the can, and within a minute or two, I could hear the compressor stop cycling on and off, it was staying on. I put enough freon in to get the gauge to about halfway up the good section of the gauge reading. I then stuck my hand in front of the A/C return and was pleased to feel definite cool air. I feel pretty proud of myself to have gotten the A/C repaired, at least for now.
The last thing, well two things I did was go and get an oil change, when I checked it after I turned it on, I was surprised to see the reading be very low. Discussing it with the tech at the oil place, Valvoline (new place, but they are open on Sundays), and he said the vehicle must be burning the oil because it is very clean underneath, no signs of any oil leakage. While I was there, they tested my battery and determined it was not where it should be. He checked it, and said it was past its warranty period, meaning it was more than three years old. I remember getting stranded last time on the way to Dripping Springs before Covid-19 started, so I decided not to take any chances and just installed a new battery.
Now I have a new battery, newish tires, installed six months ago or somewhere near there, running cold A/C, the catalytic converter has been fixed, sun visor is no longer hanging on for dear life. I would say the Excursion is as good as most cars on the road right now. Add to that, I just washed and waxed it, and it really is looking good.
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