I have got to be the luckiest person alive. The only downside to being so lucky is that all my luck is bad.
The engine on my truck shit out on me today. We decided to drive over Reservation Ridge and then spend the night in West Valley anyway–whatever it was that Michael had, he got over it very quickly. On I-15, just north of University Parkway, a vibration started, and I was hoping it was something simple like a driveshaft or wheel. I got off the freeway at the next exit (Provo Center Street) and pulled off on a side street. After speeding up and slowing down a couple of times over the course of the next two blocks, I realized that it was the engine that was vibrating–even when I pulled over and put the transmission in Park, the engine kept on shaking. I shut ‘er down, did some thinking, and eventually called a tow truck and the Ford dealer in Orem. The engine was running roughly, there was a loss of power, and oil was leaking from somewhere on the top end–my guess is that it’s a head gasket.
John (of John and Julia) saved our asses and picked us up, then put us up in their house in Lehi for a couple of hours while my mom made her way up from Price to save our asses even further. I really don’t know what to do now. The last time I had a truck with engine problems, I spent $3,500 rebuilding the engine, and it turned out being one of the biggest mistakes of my life. The difference this time is that I owe $7,000 on this truck, and I can’t afford not to fix it. This is going to be a big decision, and I’ll have to take a few days to think about it. The service department at the stealership doesn’t open until 7:30 Monday morning, and I doubt they could even look at my truck for another couple of days after that, so I suppose I’ve got some thinking to do in the meantime.