Thursday night I noticed the air conditioning making a funny noise. When it was running it sounded like a tick! or a ping! sound. I know those aren’t quite the same. But it was a metal on metal sounds. And throughout the night into the morning it got a little faster. One of those, “Hmm, I wonder what that is?” sounds. Plus it created a rumble too. All out of the ordinary.
The next morning we turned the air up and all was silent. But as it would turn on/off in the day I noticed the sound changed to more of a metal on metal, sheering sound. Like “I could start shrieking any minute” sound. A “but I still like to rumble a lot too!” sound. As it got worse/louder I decided to call an AC guy. It was Friday afternoon and he had three more stops to make. So he told me what to look for. So I’m in my 140 degree attic taking off panels and reaching around in blower wheels and motors and stuff. I’m afraid I’m about to lose a few fingers or my hand now and then. But after repeated calls and “what is a squirrel trap? where is the ‘set pin’? Are you sure you can’t come look” questions I decided to wait it out. I mean, it was loud. But it was cooling things off.
But it got louder and louder. So I called another AC guy. He came (it was now after 5pm. So “weekend rates apply”) and quickly surmised that my blower motor was shot. Wouldn’t last the weekend. But wouldn’t hurt to run it til it died. But I left it off thinking I’d save a few bucks to try and buy this blower motor that I’m sure is expensive.
It’s been a warm weekend too. But not unbearable inside. We’ve not run the AC at all since Friday afternoon even in 95 degree weather. But it’s actually cool at night. I did try to turn it on a few minutes ago just to see. But when I flipped the switch it sounded like I’d released a few Transformers into my attic and they were about to bust through the ceiling. As cool as that might sound, I turned it off.
Oh, and guess what? Yesterday my wife’s van decided to quit working. She was in town. And we were going to meet her. But when we came back, I had to drive her van home. It had gone dead on her, but never did for me. But the “O/D Off” light was blinking. And every time the transmission shifted it felt like a Transformer was kicking the front of the van. But I made it home.
After looking around Google a bit I determined it was either a busted transmission or a solenoid something or other. Probably anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a four digit number I don’t want to consider right now. But it still ran, right? So I was going to drive it to church this morning. But I only got about 30 yards out of my subdivision before it went dead. And then… it. would. not. crank!
Finally it did. And I thought I was going to have to leave it on the side of the street. Ella was with me and kept asking a dozen questions a minute: “Dad, why are you hollering at the car?” It took me about 10 minutes to get my van back home (about a half mile?) and got a ride to church. But tomorrow I get to find a way for the van to make it to a shop. But a auto mechanic or a transmission shop? Who knows?
The joys of house/car ownership!
God is good.