I think the high temperature at my folks' house was 12 degrees (-11.11 C) on New Year's Day and I was visiting for the holidays. Even though I knew I should go put gas in my tank so my fuel line would not freeze, I did not want to go outside. My sister-in-law, however, borrowed my car to brave the cold and run something to my brother while rescuing their son from a dead car battery. She would have used her own car, but her door lock had frozen. Get the picture? It was very cold outside.
The next morning was warmer than the previous day's high. I planned to go to my sister's house in the evening and wanted to fill my car with gasoline while the day was light and relatively warm. Around midmorning, I drove down the hill to the gas station, swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. The lever clicked off right away. I depressed the handle again and it clicked off again. It would not stay.
"Something must be wrong with this handle," I figured.
I put away the handle, drove around to the other side of the pump, swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. Again, I depressed the lever and the nozzle clicked off right away. This time, I noticed a little gas overflow.
I puzzled. Then it hit me. My heart sank into my stomach as I realized that my fuel line must be frozen.
"Alright," I thought. "I am a problem-solver. How am I going to solve this problem?"
Problem 1: I was completely out of gas. The needle on the gas guage was below the line and I had to drive out that evening.
Problem 2: I was at the gas station but I could not get gas into my tank because the gas line was frozen.
Obvious solution: Unfreeze the gas line... Now, how was I going to do that?
"Aha!" I thought, remembering a coupon I had in my car: $7 off and a free car wash on a full service oil change -- and the lube shop was right next door! I hopped back in my car and zoomed over to the lube shop, where my car was immediately taken into a bay.
I was the only customer in the waiting area as my car was being tended, but a mechanic sat behind the counter doing some paperwork. I commented about the cold to engage him in conversation, but I did not say anything about my suspicion of a frozen fuel line. I did, however, mention my coupon for the free car wash. That's when he told me the car wash was not running because he had just gotten the water lines unfrozen and wanted to wait for a bit to make sure they were working alright.
His comment about the frozen water lines confirmed to me that my fuel line being frozen was not unreasonable.
When my oil change was done, I drove back over to the gas station with crossed fingers. Maybe the warmth of being in a car bay had softened the ice in my fuel lines enough to get some gas into my car. I swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. It started to fill but the lever clicked off right away.
I got back in my car, started the engine, looked nervously at the gas guage needle buried past the line, and headed to the nearest gas station with a car wash -- 3.5 miles away. With a sigh of relief, I made it there without incident.
After a thorough soaking in hot water, I headed to the gas pump. Surely, I would be able to fill my tank NOW. I swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. It started to fill but the lever clicked off right away... again.
Frustrated, I drove back up the hill and stopped at my parents' house. I popped open my trunk and pulled out a bottle of "HEET" gas treatment. Then I went inside and warmed it up in a bath of hot water, came back and poured it into my tank. The whole bottle went in and I thought, "FINALLY! The warmth of the car wash and the warm HEET got it unclogged."
I hopped back into my car and drove down to the gas station where this all began. I swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. It started to fill but the lever clicked off right away.
"Well, I can't keep charging 13 cents at a time," I thought, "or my credit card will get frozen." So I went into the gas station to buy a gas can. Sure enough, I got to the counter to pay for it and my card was declined. I paid with a different card. Then I bought 2 gallons of gas and went back to my parents' house to get help figuring out a solution to the problem. When I got there, my mom was just coming downstairs.
"Say. Mom. What are you doing?" I asked.
"Why? What's wrong?" she asked, coming into view.
"Well," I began, "my gas tank is completely empty and..."
"No, it's not," Mom interrupted. "I just put $40 into it yesterday."
I stopped as realization crept over me. Expecting that my tank would be empty (like I had left it), I had been reading my gas guage backwards.
The next morning was warmer than the previous day's high. I planned to go to my sister's house in the evening and wanted to fill my car with gasoline while the day was light and relatively warm. Around midmorning, I drove down the hill to the gas station, swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. The lever clicked off right away. I depressed the handle again and it clicked off again. It would not stay.
"Something must be wrong with this handle," I figured.
I put away the handle, drove around to the other side of the pump, swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. Again, I depressed the lever and the nozzle clicked off right away. This time, I noticed a little gas overflow.
I puzzled. Then it hit me. My heart sank into my stomach as I realized that my fuel line must be frozen.
"Alright," I thought. "I am a problem-solver. How am I going to solve this problem?"
Problem 1: I was completely out of gas. The needle on the gas guage was below the line and I had to drive out that evening.
Problem 2: I was at the gas station but I could not get gas into my tank because the gas line was frozen.
Obvious solution: Unfreeze the gas line... Now, how was I going to do that?
"Aha!" I thought, remembering a coupon I had in my car: $7 off and a free car wash on a full service oil change -- and the lube shop was right next door! I hopped back in my car and zoomed over to the lube shop, where my car was immediately taken into a bay.
I was the only customer in the waiting area as my car was being tended, but a mechanic sat behind the counter doing some paperwork. I commented about the cold to engage him in conversation, but I did not say anything about my suspicion of a frozen fuel line. I did, however, mention my coupon for the free car wash. That's when he told me the car wash was not running because he had just gotten the water lines unfrozen and wanted to wait for a bit to make sure they were working alright.
His comment about the frozen water lines confirmed to me that my fuel line being frozen was not unreasonable.
When my oil change was done, I drove back over to the gas station with crossed fingers. Maybe the warmth of being in a car bay had softened the ice in my fuel lines enough to get some gas into my car. I swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. It started to fill but the lever clicked off right away.
I got back in my car, started the engine, looked nervously at the gas guage needle buried past the line, and headed to the nearest gas station with a car wash -- 3.5 miles away. With a sigh of relief, I made it there without incident.
After a thorough soaking in hot water, I headed to the gas pump. Surely, I would be able to fill my tank NOW. I swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. It started to fill but the lever clicked off right away... again.
Frustrated, I drove back up the hill and stopped at my parents' house. I popped open my trunk and pulled out a bottle of "HEET" gas treatment. Then I went inside and warmed it up in a bath of hot water, came back and poured it into my tank. The whole bottle went in and I thought, "FINALLY! The warmth of the car wash and the warm HEET got it unclogged."
I hopped back into my car and drove down to the gas station where this all began. I swiped my card and put the nozzle into my tank. It started to fill but the lever clicked off right away.
"Well, I can't keep charging 13 cents at a time," I thought, "or my credit card will get frozen." So I went into the gas station to buy a gas can. Sure enough, I got to the counter to pay for it and my card was declined. I paid with a different card. Then I bought 2 gallons of gas and went back to my parents' house to get help figuring out a solution to the problem. When I got there, my mom was just coming downstairs.
"Say. Mom. What are you doing?" I asked.
"Why? What's wrong?" she asked, coming into view.
"Well," I began, "my gas tank is completely empty and..."
"No, it's not," Mom interrupted. "I just put $40 into it yesterday."
I stopped as realization crept over me. Expecting that my tank would be empty (like I had left it), I had been reading my gas guage backwards.
That's so like you Beth! And your mom too! I love this story. It made me laugh. D.C.
ReplyDeleteUs, too! Thanks for your comment and for laughing with us. :-)
ReplyDelete