terminal

After about a year of dealing with some symptoms of poor fuel/air mixture, things have been running great for the past while few months. But the Houride has developed an intermittent "check oil" light. I took it to the Dr. today and he is not optimistic. There are three likely problems. There is no way to tell which problem it is without fixing the others. Trial and error is not a cheap way to take car of a car.

The first remedy (which is under way right now) is $120 to test the oil pressure switch and replace the section of the wiring harness that runs to the dash & idiot light.

The second is to replace the oil pump. That will require dropping the front suspension & oil pan. $400 in labor alone. I love my car enough to consider this option if the first try didn't work, but I would need to know that it would solve the problem - and there is no way to know that.

The third possibility, which you can only come to after dealing with the first 2, is that the bearings in the crank case are bad. I didn't even ask how much that would be.

I've had some good times with the Houride - 11 years worth. She is the only car I've ever loved, and if it's time to move on I will do so with a heavy heart... But she has been on the brink of death before. She has drifted down the golden highway headed for the sunset on more than one occasion, but we have nursed her back to health and this time may be no different.