Well, now... Last weekend, I took the family to Fort Worth to see some friends, and some well deserved drunkenness and debauchery. All that went well. We ate, drank, drank,(did I mention drank?), and were merry... :D
On Monday, we decided to all go to see the King Tut exhibit in Dallas. So Homey gets up and ai'nt feelin' right. Homey chalks it up to hangover-but no! By mid-day homey gots the fever, pounding headache and the queasies :o Homey soldiers on through the exhibit, we say bye to our friends and make our way to the parking lot.
We get to the car (our beautiful burgundy 97 SC400) only to see that some DOUCHEBAG (can I say douchebag ?) has caved in the driver's side rear quarter, ahead of the tail light (about 18" x 18").
Of course no-one saw nothin' (including the lot attendant who took our $20 parking fee), and douchebag (I mean hot water bottle) didn't leave a note. Cowardly !Removed!. So we file a report with the police and are on our way.
About 20 minutes into the drive, the 4-lane hwy is being funnelled down to 2 ln for construction. We are stuck in stop-n-go traffic for about 7-8 min.s when suddenly the car starts missing and running rough. It's bucking and has lost almost all power (this has been the smoothest running car I've ever had up till that point)
I pull off at the next exit (about a mile and another 5-6 min.s) and pull into a gas station. When I raise the hood, there is smoke coming from near the firewall, and the engine is shaking visibly. I turned it off. When I checked the trans fluid it was starting to turn burnt (nice fresh red before the trip).
We ended up renting a 16' Penske truck and car trailer, and made it back to Austin close to 10pm. My wife helped me into the house, pulled my boots off, and I crashed for 14 hours. At least the fever and chills are gone...
The car is now at my favorite mechanic's (honest guys, good work), and I'm waiting to hear from them and the Ins Co. From what I've read on this forum and others, I'm leaning toward a bad coil, triggering limp mode. Still can't see why trans would overheat as well. <_< Any ideas?
Happy New Year, everyone!
Regards,
M.R.