It was late Thursday night. Midnight was fast approaching and I was tried for the day. I had just gotten off work and felt the deep desire for sleep. However, I still needed to drive home. So, I hop into my car and start it up. As I pull out from my carefully selected parking space, I notice that the wheel will not turn without my muscling it around. My power steering had failed.
I force my car back into a parking spot and hope for the best. I quickly pop the hood and check my engine. Mind you, it's very dark out and I can see nothing. Seeing nothing (what little I could) wrong with the car, I check my power steering fluid. (Yes, there it a fluid that allows you to easily turn the wheel while driving.) It seemed low, so I had a co-worker drive me to Wal-Mart to get some more. After filling the reservoir, I find that I still do not have power steering. I even try to drive around to let it refill. This does not work.
The next day, my dad gets back to me. He thinks it's the pump (there's a pump involved as well). So he tells me he'll fix it when he get back from Florida. I thought I was set. That is I thought I was set all the way until my car died on my way back to Warrensburg. Fortunately for me, I broke down right next to the Missouri Highway Patrol, Troop A Headquarters. Their mechanic came and helped me with my car. We found that my serpentine belt (or drive belt, as some call it) had been chewed completely up. Okay, I got a new one. Not okay, this is when I discover my real and true problem, my tensioner is broken.
Let me explain for the less car inclined. The serpentine belt is responsible for a lot of things in a car. It spins your alternator (which keeps your battery charged), powers your A/C, and works your power steering pump along with a few other parts of the car. Without this part, your battery will quickly run down and your car will die. The tensioner is also important because it keeps the correct tension on the serpentine belt and helps it turn. Mine was cracked and broken, which is why my belt was chewed up.
Now, I am stuck in Warrensburg for the weekend. After Memorial Day (this coming Monday), places will be open for business again. Seeing as I had my car towed to the Lee Summit High School nearby the place it broke down, it will sit there until I get a replacement tensioner. I cannot replace this part until Tuesday because nowhere is open to buy one. I figure my best bet is to go to "U Wrench It," pull one off another car, then replace my tensioner, put the belt on, run the battery to Wal-Mart and replace it. After that, my car should be in working order once again.
I am thankful to God for my car (now named Bianca by a friend). It has been a bit of a pain, but I have learned a lot about cars and about car places from this whole thing. I am also reminded how hard work really pays off.
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