TP Derrick D
09-12-2005, 04:55 PM
After Katrina calmed down I decided to surprise my family in Alabama unannounced. So I fill up the Explorer Sport and was going to run 1 errand when the thing start to jerk and lose power and the gagues wasn't acting right. I got it home,turn it off and try to re-start it and click-click-click. Luckily I had an almost new battery sitting in the garage. Take it to Autozone for a test/charge, its good, put it in and all seems ok. But I start thinking about the alternator may be bad so I decided not to drive it, drive the L. Whole while wifey wants me to fly. Its only 625 miles and I've always drove from Texas to Alabama since 1989. Anyway look at flying and the lowest cost was $456 RT Sat-Wed. I figured gas would be around $300 round trip. so I take the L. Do all the things I had talked about with Jason last week. Get to Vicksburg ,Mississippi no 93, stop at next couple exits no 93. Dayum!!!by now I'm on 1/4 tank and getting :mad: So I put in 1/2 tank of 87 mixed with the 1/4 tank 93 I already had in there. I'm back on highway when I hear this sound, first thing I think was the f**ked up gas. Then I realized it was my tires. Dayum !!! I had a flat. On the pass/front. A guy I had passed in a Taurus stopped and told me It was flat when I passed him. He noticed because he was a Ford man and noticed the truck. He tried to help change it but dayum !!! the 4-way lug wrench didn't fit. I call AAA and they were suppose to send someone. I'm between Jackson & Pelahatchie, Mississippi but didn't know where I was until that guy told me. Anyway AAA could'nt find it on the map. Then she call back 1 1/2 hours later saying I was on my own, no one to service that area. Dayum!!They guy that stop left, but left me a Mississippi map. I decided I will just have to ride on the shoulder on a flat. For 8-10 miles I did. Finally a mile from an exit the tire just gave up. I walked 1/2 mile and 2 ladies stopped and picked me up dropped me at Chevron in Pelhatchie. There was a stack of biz cards for the local Tire & Auto. I called but they had just closed at 5. Told her my situation and she called the flat man back . He came out( Cooter from Dukes of Hazzard) picked me up from Chevron and drove to my truck sitting on side of I-20. He took his floor jack with the handle sticking straight up in the air out the back of his 1988 Ranger that had never been washed or cleaned out. Tried to put it under the front air damn. No man its all plastic there, you got to go here. The flat had the truck really low ,plus the way it was sitting. I lifted up on the fender so he could slide the jack under the frame. Took his socket set and had it off and changed in 15 minutes.How much do I owe? $ 53.50.... man, I paid up and was on the way. Stopped, put some air in my spare since it had never been on the ground it was low. Oh my !! they have 93. Filled up my tank with $20 out of a $25 limit. Drove the other 175 miles home and surprised my mom 13 hours after I left home. Its usually a 8 1/2 hour trip. Had to order a new tire, got it put on a couple hours ago, that was $192 and then I went to Sears and bought a deep well socket & ratchet another $27 . I could have taken American or Delta for as much as I end up spending. Now I got to get back in a couple days.
Bad Luck $0
Tire/gas/socket & ratchet $550
seeing family-priceless :tu:
Bad Luck $0
Tire/gas/socket & ratchet $550
seeing family-priceless :tu: