Kim’s Easter Adventure

James and I are watching a movie.  We try to get together on the weekends and do something.  It hasn’t happened as much as it used to.  He was going to help with the Boomershoot private party but that got canceled so neither of us have anything else planned.  It just got started at about 15:00 when I get a call from Kim.  Her car will start but dies when she tries to do anything more than idle.  It sounds like it’s not getting enough fuel. 

“Are you low on gas?“
“No.  I have half a tank.“
“Could you have some bad gas?“
“Same place as always.  Where you and Mom get gas.“
“It’s been raining.  Have you left your gas cap off in the rain?“
“No.“
“It’s probably either your fuel filter or your fuel pump.“
“How do I find out which it is?“
“We swap out the fuel filter and if that doesn’t fix the problem it’s the pump.  Where are you at?”
“Plummer.”
”Groan.”  Plummer is an hour’s drive from home. “Okay, well, I’ll go pick up a filter and come rescue you.”
”I want to visit Jessica first.”
”Groan.”  She is stranded.  It’s raining.  It will be dark soon.  I offer to rescue her and her highest priority is visiting with her friend.

We ended up deciding she would try to fix it up there on her own with the help of Jessica and friends.  She called back a bit later and said it was running just fine now without any mechanical attention.  Of course neither of us trust it.  We decide I will get a fuel filter before the stores close and then she will call me as she is leaving town.  There is very little cell phone reception between Plummer and Moscow.  If she doesn’t show up in Moscow within an hour I will come and find her. She is to stay in her car and just wait if it dies.

She calls at 17:45 to say she is leaving.  I set my alarm on my cell phone and 45 minutes later she calls to say she is in Moscow.  I just know she is driving faster than she should.  She visits another friend then comes over and to put on the new filter. I warn her that this doesn’t really seem like a fuel filter so much anymore.  If it were plugged it wouldn’t have gotten better.  It could be the fuel pump.  It could have been water in her gas.  But the fuel filter probably should be replaced anyway.

Kim may not have the best judgment but she is very good mechanically.  I pull the new fuel filter out of the box and she finds the old one.  I ask if she knows how to replace it.  She thinks she needs to bend “those thingys”.  “Not exactly.  Those are clamps which don’t exactly bend.”  I show her how to slide one clamp off and she does the other, removes the filter, replaces it with the new one, and puts the clamps back on.  The car starts up again and runs.  Kim takes off again. 

Who knows what adventure will be next?

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