And now we return to "As the world turns"....
On a Friday in early November the Tahoe decided to die on me at the local McDonald's drive-thru, just as I was headed to work. All it would do is spin over when turning the key, but it wouldn't fire. I had to get a couple employees to help push me into a parking spot. Luckily my wife was able to get me to work, & the Hoe had to wait for towing. Over the weekend I stopped by the shop where I had it towed, as they were closed until Monday. Lo and behold I find this, to which nobody informed me about. I was pissed to say the least. I got an apology from the owner, & he explained that his guy didn't realize it was lowered. So, when he let it down off the roll-back, it caught the ground & ripped. As a result, they had to buy me a new air dam.
IMG_0956 by
likaroc13, on Flickr
IMG_0958 by
likaroc13, on Flickr
I stopped back by Monday morning to check the diagnosis, & I was told it wasn't the fuel pump. They kept checking & later informed me that there was no spark getting to the plugs. So, they ended up changing the distributor. I was back on the road later that Monday. Well, later that week it decided to die on me again, this time at home right before I was headed to work. Once again my wife had to rescue me, & this time I had her call a different tow company that I had successfully used once before. I knew the guy would be more careful with my Tahoe. Luckily my initial plans didn't work out, because I had intended to take the Tahoe on a mini vacation to Gulf Shores, AL. I was planning to drop it off with a detailer friend in Pensacola while we were down. If things had worked out, I'd most likely have been stranded away from home again. The shop called me to inform that it was the fuel pump this time. If you've followed along, you'll note that I just had a new one put on (along with new sending unit) in the Spring of 2016. I explained this to the mechanic, & during our conversation he informed me that they had bad luck with Delco parts in the past. He said they often get re-branded by cheaper components. I asked whose parts they use, & he said Borg Warner. So, that's what he put on as a replacement fuel pump. Unfortunately, the sending unit had to be replaced as well due to some melted wiring. I'm not sure how that happened unless it occurred when the fuel pump died. I bought both the fuel pump and sending unit through Rock Auto. They cover the manufacturer warranty, but it only allows for replacement. Since I didn't have time to ship parts back or order new ones, the mechanic's suggested parts were used. Everything is good for now, although it lightened my wallet by about $800.
On a positive note, during the Thanksgiving holiday I was able to pick up my taillights, grille shell, & emblem from the painter. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to put anything together yet, & I'll likely wait until Spring to do so. Then I'll try to revisit my plans of getting the Hoe detailed before new parts are assembled.