Down For the Count

Buster and I were chasing wires and poking at connections. Then it started happening, just like before. Whack-a-mole. So much whack-a-mole. The most frustrating version of whack-a-mole you could ever think of.

Buster normally has a sunny disposition. A positive outlook. A can do attitude. By the end of working on Mander’s electrical, that had all been beaten to smithereens. We had taken apart the steering wheel and pulled out the turn signal switch cam with the whole wiring harness attached. We put it through a series of tests and although they were inconclusive, we decided to order a new one. We called up O’reilly and they told us they could have it at the end of the day. This is what we were after…

   Since Mander’s steering wheel was totally disassembled and Buster had his semi truck, not the best for running errands, we took off to O’reilly on foot. We brought the harness with to double check that everything looked the same but when we showed up, it wasn’t needed. The part they had wasn’t even close. I took one look at it and was like…doubleu tee eff O’reilly.

We were able to track down the right part but it wouldn’t come in until the next day, after Buster would be gone. We ordered it anyway and walked back to Mander talking about what we would do. We had no choice but to put everything back together the best we could and Mander on. Buster had to be back on the clock the next morning and I felt like I was really pushing my limits with how many nights you can stay in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Here’s the sucky part. We didn’t handle the old harness with the most delicate hands because we thought we were getting a new one. We fed it back through the steering wheel and got everything hooked back up. While we were testing the lights, I heard a sort of sizzle noise and then smelled something not so good. Something like burning. Well, if the harness wasn’t bad before, it certainly was now! Haha! I officially had no blinkers and the brake lights only worked if I moved the turn signal lever in just the right position to make a connection.

Since I had been down this road before I wasn’t that upset or surprised it turned out this way. I was like….yeah…electrical gremlins…they are the worst and I hate them. But Buster, who is used to being able to figure stuff out, didn’t take it so lightly. He felt defeated and awful that I wasn’t in any better shape with my lights and he had to leave.  I assured him it was no big deal and that I appreciated his effort. We did clean up a lot of the wiring and I picked up the new harness the next day to have on hand for the next time I was brave enough to tear into it. It wasn’t totally for nothing. Plus, it was great that we fixed some of the mechanical issues that I was worrying about. We said our goodbyes and we both headed out to the wide open road, Buster in his 18 wheeler, and me in my Mander with her light-less big booty. Best get out my way! Mander and I are off to Arkansas!