Another Lost Marathon... When You Subaru has differing plans....

Reporting from Home...

Greetings from Wellman Iowa.  What is that?   Why am I not reporting from some Cool and Exotic location with the state of Wisconsin?   Grab a cup of tea and get cozy;   this may be a long story

I guess this is what is happening.

A few days ago,  Subie set off his "Check Engine" light again.    We have been dealing with Engine knock and ping, along with poor acceleration and hill climb.   We thought we were making progress in dealing with the symptoms;  even thought we had "cured" the problem all together.   The check engine light had been off for several weeks and even with all those problems, nothing was tripped.

But then:  BOOM!   Check engine.  Cylinder 1 misfire.  WHY?

It is also hard to RUN...With Car issues.

This freaks out Cheryl when it is so close to Travel day.  Running a Marathon already demands a lot of Brain Space.   The last thing she needs on her mind is the thought of being stranded in Wisconsin... Miles from our home, our job, and our cat!  What can we do?

OR...Rent a car instead.

Well,  I notice very little change in the performance.   Subie is still under powered and pings a bit...  but other than that,  he seems normal.  Perhaps this was simply an "episode".   I hook up the reading tool and reset the computer.  No more check engine light.


But then it comes back...  so quickly after the reset?    Now Cheryl is really concerned and devises a plan "B".   Rent a car.   This was last night.   She makes the reservation and we plan on picking up her packet on the morning of the race, because this plan will make us miss the Saturday Expo completely.

Unless they sell out ahead of time. 

You can probably imagine how things will work out.    They could not reserve a car for us.   We arrive with them trying to call us and tell us they are out of cars.   Plan B is a BUST!  Back to  Plan "A".

Another Bad Sign!

I climb back into Subie.  Turn the ignition.  Check engine light is back on!  This time with a new code!   At this point even I throw in the towel.   Look like we are going to miss the Marathon after all.   Cheryl is bummed,  Angry and worried.   I just feel betrayed.

Why do Men love Cars so much?

Cars do not seem to reciprocate.

And here is where I digress.   Why do Men fall in love with things that rarely love them back?   We all have done it.   Jobs,  Cars,  Sports teams, Hobbies,  sometimes even wives!  ( Thankfully,  Cheryl does love me back...I hope.)   We pour our love and affection into these subjects, only to have them kick you in the teeth when you really need them.  Cheryl has been threatening to swap out the Silver Bullet for almost a year now.  I have been VERY resistant to this idea,  trying to fix Subie as best I can and even trying to make him look more presentable.  I was so proud when I finally got all those check engine codes off. 

At least dogs pretend to like you. 

Iowa roads are tough on any car.... Even 15 year old Subarus

But even I realize Subie is getting old and we put a LOT of miles on him.    The roads in Iowa are NOT vehicle friendly.   Many bumps, cracks, gravel, and metallic farm equipment litter the roads.  Not to mention Iowa is still part of the Rust Belt...

Watch out for Tractors!

Apparently.  What car could possibly survive here unscathed?   Cheryl really is the voice of reason here.  But my opinion is clouded by a one sided love affair.  No wonder women hate it when men buy sports cars when they hit middle age.  It is probably similar to the "Other Woman" for them.   Maybe they are right.

Subie may be basking in victory...  for the moment. 

Having a muse other than Cheryl can sometimes cause conflict.   Today is one of those examples.   Subie may have put his foot ( tire) down and demanded he did not want to do something Cheryl wanted.    And,  for the Most part,  He WON the argument.    But only in the short term.   Each time he lets us down and embarrasses me with his antics,  he seals his fate with being replaced sooner rather than later.  When that day finally comes,  It will be a sad day for both of us.  (Subie and Me, of course!)

Our Mechanic looking for the "Problem." 

For now,  Cheryl and I are surfing the web to see if we can figure out why the fuel mixture is too lean, what is causing the Knock and ping, and if there is a vacuum leak near the fuel injector for Cylinder 1.   We may have to call in the professionals on this one.   The Mechanics at Central Auto can fix things right away... but seem to have trouble with diagnosing symptoms and problems. I shall keep my fingers crossed.

Kinda like this guy.... only I was not on a bridge.  And I was driving a Subaru. 

Hope everyone else is having a better day than we did.  Before signing off, I should mention this little incident:   While driving home with Subie all "broken",  some Jerk decided to pass on a double yellow line....  RIGHT IN FRONT OF US,  COMING RIGHT TOWARDS US .

Love can not be explained.

 By the time I noticed.  ( Milliseconds!  Thankfully I was 100% paying attention.) I could only react by swerving for the shoulder.   Had I not swerved,  I'm positive I would have had a head on collision with that guy.   I am truly thankful Subie has such superior handling.  I felt like I was on a rail the whole time.   I never lost traction or control.   So after all that lamenting,  We will still probably keep Subie around for a bit longer.  And his replacement will most likely be another Subaru.