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Low Battery
Aug. 1st, 2025 09:02 amThose of you who follow Kayla know that when she drove to Reno yesterday, she discovered that the battery warning light had come on and the alternator gauge was very low. She shut off all accessories (lights, A/C, fan) and drove home, making it here in one piece and not having to have an awkward interaction with AAA.
This morning, I took the van to just about the only auto shop in town other than some tire shops. It's a short walk from the house and they've worked on it before. The only problem is that they can't even look at it until next Thursday morning! Even then, that's just to diagnose it. They might need it even longer depending on the diagnosis. There are lots of things that could be happening: bad alternator, bad battery, loose serpentine tensioner, and other things I don't know about, but the guy from the shop suggested a bad solenoid.
I fly to Seattle a week from Sunday. If I have to leave the van with the shop, they can have it for close to two weeks. But how do I get where I need to go? Well, Kayla's friend Dani says that they can take me to/from the airport, which is a huge relief, as a taxi ride from Fernley would be more than $100 each way!
Meanwhile, the van runs and will move, but I'm leery about doing much with it, given how low the voltage is showing. And now I need to call my dentist and put off the appointment I had for next Wednesday, because doing yet another trip to Reno is too risky, I think.
This morning, I took the van to just about the only auto shop in town other than some tire shops. It's a short walk from the house and they've worked on it before. The only problem is that they can't even look at it until next Thursday morning! Even then, that's just to diagnose it. They might need it even longer depending on the diagnosis. There are lots of things that could be happening: bad alternator, bad battery, loose serpentine tensioner, and other things I don't know about, but the guy from the shop suggested a bad solenoid.
I fly to Seattle a week from Sunday. If I have to leave the van with the shop, they can have it for close to two weeks. But how do I get where I need to go? Well, Kayla's friend Dani says that they can take me to/from the airport, which is a huge relief, as a taxi ride from Fernley would be more than $100 each way!
Meanwhile, the van runs and will move, but I'm leery about doing much with it, given how low the voltage is showing. And now I need to call my dentist and put off the appointment I had for next Wednesday, because doing yet another trip to Reno is too risky, I think.
