Hopefully the end of the saga, we finally discovered what may have been the source of LuLu’s starting problems all along. If you’ve read about what it took to get her home or about our first trip, you know the kinds of trouble LuLu has been having. It seems every time I drive her anywhere, once I turn her off I can’t get her to turn on.
I wasn’t sure if it was a “me” problem or a “her” problem, but I couldn’t reliably take her anywhere and it was so frustrating! It seemed to only be happening to me, too. Her last journey before she was effectively parked was when I took her to my own house to drive her to work the next day. She stalled out in the middle of the intersection on a left turn. An elderly man helped me push her through. He was so cute and I was so thankful.
My mom came to the rescue (again) and this time even she had a hard time getting her back to her house. Once home, we couldn’t get her started again for months. Was it a dead battery? A starter problem? Both? Neither? It was very unclear.
I went ahead and bought a starter. Not a particularly expensive part, so why not? It could only benefit me down the line. We tried to jump her, but it didn’t work. We switched out the batteries, but it didn’t help. We finally replaced the starter. Nothing. I finally decided to call in a favor from my neighbor. Everything seemed to be connected correctly but she wouldn’t even turn over.
The Solution
As it turns out, it wasn’t the battery. It probably wasn’t the starter. It wasn’t even the carburetor. There is either a short somewhere among the starter wiring or the clutch safety switch needs replaced. Talk about a breath of fresh air! Simply knowing the issue is such a relief. We have a work around, so I finally took her for a drive for the first time in months. It felt so good!
I’m a teensy bit disappointed I didn’t replace the starter myself, but without a lift or a jack, I don’t feel like there was enough room under her for me. Getting stuck is something I’m always hyper-aware of. When it comes right down to it, though, I’m glad I have people I can lean on to help me out.
Want to help out? There are plenty of ways to help, including labor, parts, money, or gifts. Anything is appreciated, even if it’s just sharing this post on social media. You can even check out some things I have for sale over on Mercari. Click HERE to see all the ways you can help out. As always, thanks for being part of the LuLu community!
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