If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Did!

Many of us are familiar with what is called, “Murphy’s Law” which Google says “is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.'”

Ford Lynx 2000

Preparing the car in advance for a long trip, I usually have it checked. I went to my favorite car mechanic to have the brakes checked, had oil changed, engine checked and the mechanic said all was fine — ready to go. I usually clean the spark plug myself too and had the car washed — which seldom happens haha!

Aircon Busted!

After 18 years, aircon fan replaced with surplus part.

Then off we went yesterday and reached Petron at NLEX northbound where we stopped for lunch. And as I usually do, I routinely check the hood. To my surprise, the aircon fan was not working. No wonder, there were times when we felt hot inside. We noticed something was wrong. To make a long story short, we exited at Sta. Rita and looked for an aircon repair shop. I had the whole fan replaced with a “surplus” part. My car is already an old model year 2000 Ford Lynx. It’s difficult to find original parts these days for this old car. After 18 years, that aircon fan was replaced. Thankfully it was not the engine fan that got busted. Otherwise, the engine could have overheated. Then off we went again and reached the Tarlac exit.

Then it happened again. What can go wrong did go wrong again.

Car Engine Dead!

Right after I paid the toll fee, I drove on but after a few seconds the car’s engine suddenly died. I coasted along and was able to park the car on the shoulder — thankfully. It was still near the toll gate.

Thanks again to the NLEX Corporation patrol crew. You have given us valuable help again without asking anything in return! God bless you more and more!

I really appreciate the patrol crew of NLEX Corporation because they helped us without asking for anything in return. They called a towing truck which brought us to a car shop in Tarlac City. We exited the expressway again.

This is not the first time these good folks at NLEX Corp. have assisted me. I’ve had interesting experiences before at NLEX when I suddenly got dizzy while driving a few years back. See my other blog on this one.

Thanks to Friends in Tarlac

I also thank the Lord for my church friends in Tarlac who helped me tow the car from the Tarlac exit to a car shop in the city. I’m ever grateful for such friends. It’s good to have friends all over the country!

Anyway, according to the Ford Lynx experts, it was the MAF Sensor that was busted. That is, the Mass Air Flow Sensor, which is an electronic part that controlled the air-fuel mixture and also, it had something to do with helping the alternator to function well — something like that — as I understood it from the expert mechanic.

It was tough looking for a replacement part all over the city because the mechanics said my car was already obsolete. It may take a long time before it could be replaced. My other alternative was to go to Apalit, Pampanga or to Banawe in Quezon City. What should I do? I prayed and petitioned the Lord some more to guide me and help me.

MAF Sensor Cleaning

MAF Sensor, that is, Mass Air Flow Sensor.

Then I searched the internet for this MAF sensor and found out on YouTube how to clean it. And then I suddenly remembered that my mechanic in Pampanga about six years ago told me he fixed my car problem by cleaning this MAF Sensor. And so very carefully, I cleaned it at the hotel. I went back to the shop where my car was parked and I installed it myself. And voila! The car engine started and no longer died! I can’t describe the feeling of joy!

Now I know. From now on, I’ll make sure I’ll clean that little part which can cause big trouble big time if not cleaned!

But then, I sensed that something was still wrong. But thankfully I noticed a hose and pointed it to the mechanic who now saw me and assisted me. When he touched it, we found out the hose was brittle and cut in half. That was another cause of the problem. In short, we replaced that hose and the car engine is working well again.

Hose replaced. The old hose was already brittle and broke in half. That caused a big problem.

I’m writing this like a telegram jumping here and there and making this story short haha! We’re still in a hotel in Tarlac but hopefully we can proceed with our trip with God’s blessing.

Dinner for the hungry folks after their ordeal haha! Sun Garden Hotel has a big swimming pool — partially seen in the background.

One sure thing is: God was with us all the time. I felt his love and care for us all along the way. We are actually enjoying our stay here at Sun Garden Hotel. It’s got fast internet connection and it has a big swimming pool. A good place to relax after all our troubles!

Thank you Lord!

I have a lot to write but I’ll do that later when I have more time. The exciting journey continues. Thanks to all who prayed for us as we faced this “exciting episode” in Tarlac! Thank you for remembering us in your prayers. Much appreciated!

Len Joson