Pic of the week
Wednesday afternoon – cold, tired and miserable, after refereeing a somewhat unnecessarily tetchy U15B team game, I go to the car and turn the key. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. The car wouldn’t start.
Now, I can’t say I hadn’t been warned: on Saturday, again at Kingweston, getting into the car after my match, I turn the key, it fires up and dies immediately. I try again, nothing. And then again, and it bursts into life, I drive home and forget about it. Wednesady afternoon, going to Kingweston it did the same. I did pause, I did think “perhaps I shouldn’t take her” but she was running fine, and I figured worst came scenario the same thing would happen, so I drove to Kingweston – the airbag light coming on a couple of times on route.
But no, I was getting nothing. Got a lift back to Street and I was annoyed (at myself more than anything, for ignoring the earlier gremlins). I figured it was either a sticking starter motor or, more likely, a failing ECU. Anyway, we waited at home for about half an hour to allow the masses to disperse, I grabbed a few tools, and Becky took me back to Kingweston.
Suspecting an intermittent ecu/electrical problem I thought I’d try disconnecting the battery, reconnect it, and try and start the car.
I tried, I failed.
I was pretty much all out of ideas, and beginning to think about how I was going to get the red shed home, or arrange for it to be collected from Kingweston. I could see my half term being lost in admin and faff.
One last shot: I disconnected the battery again, but this time left it disconnected for longer, about 3 minutes.
I put the key in the car and turned. Still nothing. This was the last throw of the dice.
But, but, I thought I’d heard a click of a servo I hadn’t heard before, so I gave the key one last turn, and old faithful burst into life! Overjoyed, I gingerly nursed her back home, the dashboard lights flashing like some poor-mans ’80s disco, but I got home. I was a happy man!
On Friday I tried firing her up again – nothing, but after disconnecting and reconnecting the battery I coaxed her into life. Same again today.
But the red shed is dead. I have arranged for her to be collected on Thursday afternoon, netting me the princely sum of £150 (at this stage, any money is a bonus, I just want her out of my life now)
And cometh the hour, cometh the 205 which will now be elevated to second car status and pressed into regular use.