I’ve begun to think that my truck hates me. Last weekend, I had it at the shop because the heater has been working intermittently this winter. It turns out that the heater core was clogged, which meant that very little hot coolant was flowing into it to actually make it work. On top of that, I needed new back tires. Those two things ended up costing me just shy of $400. A few months ago, I had all 4 shock absorbers and the front tires replaced as well as a frontend alignment and something else I’m forgetting. All of that cost $800 or so.
Tonight, when I started my truck to leave work, the Service Engine Soon light came on. I was not happy. I stopped by AutoZone on the way home to have them pull the diagnostic code. The guy hooked up the reader and the first thing he said was “Ooh, this is a fun one”. I cringed. The code was “random cylinder misfire”. I cringed again. He said that there a few things that would cause this problem. The first was a fuel pressure problem, which makes sense since my truck tends to idle a bit rough and have some problems starting (when the engine is cold (regardless of outside temperature), I have to turn the key for 10-15 seconds or even a second time). The second possibility is the crank and/or cam sensor. I’m sure either of these possibilities will cost me lots more money. Hopefully, this will be covered under the 3-year/36,000-mile coverage plan I got with my truck when I bought it in September 2005. I guess I’ll call the dealer tomorrow.