When The Wheels Started to Wobble pt II

So shit took another big down-turn on May 4th of this year. This is from my pictorial documentation which was on May 4th. I broke my shifter. I have an old 2007 Chrysler Pacifica. It’s not the greatest car, but it gets me to where I need to be and back home. In any case, this was how the shifter looked at the beginning.

I knew the part was going to cost, and I knew the labor would be a cost as well. The only issue was I had little to no money to get it fixed. I was alone, solo/dolo and mechanicing is not really in my wheelhouse. However YouTube is a real thing, so I got busy doing some research once I got the vehicle towed back to my place.  

I found this video listed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9pCkZ-bjWY&t=68s and it seemed simple enough. I had the tools, and the time to get it done, so I gave it a shot. I also researched how much the part would be if my shifter was completely fucked off. So I ended up taking the whole thing out, getting it into the house and trying to see what the issue was.

It wasn't' the hardest job in the world, but it was pretty nerve-racking. There were electrical wires, and thin plastic clips that could break with the wrong move. I didn't disconnect my battery, and my nerves were definitely not made of steel. But here I was going in with no training, other than a YouTube video, and my basic ass brain. 

The only mode of transportation I had to get back and forth to a job that I only had to go in twice a week was at hand. Also the only mode of transportation which allowed me to get food from the grocery store and other errands that require this vehicle. Part of me felt kind of empowered, the other part felt like, if I screw this up, I'm very, very fucked.

However the Universe/God/Guardian Angel were with me, and I was able to get the entire shifter out of the car, and into the house. It took several "adult time outs" to make sure my frustration didn't get the better of me, and a good portion of a very expensive pack of cigarettes, but the job got done.

I won't go into any great detail because hey, I'm not a mechanic! I'll just refer you to the video that is on Youtube, and tell you, I followed the directions to a freakin' T. As I disassembled the shifter, I found out that a piece of plastic had broken off, the spring had been dislodged, and the plastic part that held the spring in place was gone as well. 

Luckily the video covered how to fix the spring, and some gorilla glue was an attempt at fixing the other broken plastic piece. So I put the shifter back in the car and see if my fix job worked.  I won't hold you in suspense, it didn't work.  I would need to buy a new shifter--damn.

Mind you, I'm broke as all get out, just got paid, paid the mortgage, but had to live for another 2 weeks before getting paid again.  I found a shifter on Amazon for $431, after taxes and shipping it was $466.68. I would have to live on about $200 for the next two weeks.

To make a long story short, the part came in the mail in about a week, and I was able to get it in the car without a huge hassle, and my car is currently in working order. I do realize that my car is old, untagged but insured. I don't say this to give a story about old cars, but I tell it to say, sometimes we don't realize the power we have to persevere through seemingly unyielding odds.

I am not out of the woods yet. I have court on the 25th of July, and I've got a part time job lined up.  But I have a working vehicle, and some more income coming in. I have accomplished things not in my wheelhouse and have taken accountability for my short-comings. It is through blind faith that I can and will get through. This gets me through most days. If I can get through all this with a YouTube video, some elbow grease, and blind faith, you can get through your struggles as well.  

Until next time good readers, until next time.