Was the Warning Light a Sign?

I’ve never thought of myself as mechanically inclined when it comes to cars.  I remember when I took the ASVAB to join the Navy and after the reading and math portions, we had the technical portions.  I still remember having to guess at a lot of those answers because I honestly had no idea!  The one that sticks out the most is, “What is the heaviest part of an engine?”  There were four choices, including the carburetor and the engine block.  I chose the engine block because it sounded heavy to me! 

A few years ago, Grubby laughed at me when I was having a new master cylinder replaced on my old Jeep.  He asked me what they said was wrong with it, and I said the brakes need some cylinder replaced.  He said, “The master cylinder?”  When I said, “Yes”, he asked me if I knew what the master cylinder did, and I replied that it controlled all the other cylinders!  He never let me live that one down!

The other day, I tried to use our jump box to start the Jeep, which has been sitting for probably three months or so.  It wouldn’t crank, so I ended up borrowing my neighbors’ jumper cables and using the Bimmer to jump it off.  I gave it gas and let it run for about ten minutes before I decided to go and get some gas.  As Pop (Grubby’s Dad) and I set off down the road, it became immediately clear that there was some major problem.  The Jeep would not go more than about 25 miles and hour and there was a red lightning bolt on the instrument panel.  Apparently, the engine throttle control – please don’t ask me what it does – wasn’t working and the Jeep was in “Limp Mode”.  We literally limped a mile and a half to the gas station and put some gas in it before limping back home.  I was convinced that Grubby was just trying to make me keep it instead of selling it! 

Yesterday, I went out to start the Jeep and once again, the battery was completely dead, so this time, I disconnected the battery, and my neighbor came over and pulled it out for me so I could take it to Auto Zone for a new battery.  Now, the Jeep is lifted, and I was on a step ladder just to be able to disconnect the battery, but I used the socket wrench correctly (Look at me, Grubby!!!), and got it all done.  Today, I replaced the battery all by myself.  The real test was going to be when I started it up and attempted to drive. 

I started it right up, and I began to accelerate out of my driveway.  Lo, and behold!  I was able to get it up to 70 miles per hour on the “turnpike” as I made a big loop around the block in it!  There were no warning lights, and the Jeep ran like a champ.  How about that for not being mechanically inclined? 

So, the Jeep is ready to be sold, and I am ready for the next chapter.  While I will miss seeing it in the driveway, I won’t miss driving it, and I won’t miss it as much as I miss my old yellow Rubicon or his old purple Jeep.  It took me over a year to come to the realization that it was time to sell it, and even then, I’ve spent the last five months waffling on it, not really serious about doing anything with it.  Now, however, it is time, and I believe Grubby is letting me know that it’s time as well.  I think that Grubby had to come to terms with me selling it, and once he did, he turned off the warning light!