A Girl and Her Car

I'm a Saturn girl. Okay, so I'm biased toward the car I love, but can you blame me? My 2002 Saturn SL, with a manual transmission, in an awesome shade of blue, is the first big purchase I ever made. I bought it off my dad when I was 19, making me the second person to own it as he bought it fresh off the lot at the time, and I'm still driving it. So of course, when I'm in a -ber month, and my heater isn't working, I had to do something about it.

Bear in mind, my heater didn't just up and die all at once. It occurred over a period of days, but no more than a week at the most. Instead of blowing hot air, I'd feel lukewarm, then cool, cold, and then freezing. On Sunday night, I told the dad my problem, and asked him if he had any ideas. His guess was that the thermostat was causing the problem, but first, I had to check my temperature gauge the next time I went for a drive. Luckily, I had places to be Monday morning, so I could put the whole thermostat theory to the test.

Yesterday morning, I drove over to Upper Gage Goodwill for the weekly Networking Group, and yes, I made certain to check my temperature gauge. Wouldn't you know it, the temperature was normal, so once I got inside the building, I set my stuff down in the meeting room where we have our workshops and then made my way to the bank of computers. As I have no idea where the owners manual to my car is, I decided to hit up Google, figuring that if I'm going to find an answer, that search engine giant would provide me with one.

Once again, Google came to the rescue. I found a few forums where people had written about similar problems: the temperature gauge was reading normal, but the heater was blowing cold air. I found two possibilities as to what my problem could be. The first was that there could be a problem with my heating core. The second was the possibility of not enough coolant (don't ask me what coolant has to do with the heater, especially when I thought it involved the radiator).

When I got home, I informed the dad of my discoveries. Once my car cooled down, I went to check my coolant level, since I had my doubts about my thermostat being the problem. My coolant levels were perfect. Since I doubted my thermostat was the problem, and my coolant levels were fine, that could mean only one thing: the problem was with my heating core. But, just to be sure, the dad and I went out and purchased a new thermostat, should we need it for today's repairs.

Now, I must be honest. My dad did the majority of the work. I did a few things, but they weren't nearly as exciting. While he was under my car mucking around, I was grabbing tools, or dumping old coolant... Except for when he was leaning over the hood, and dropped a screwdriver. That, I must say, I was able to fish out. I did turn a screw or two as well, but otherwise, I didn't exactly do anything in terms of dirty work. Usually, I go to Econo-Tech Auto in Caledonia (just before the train tracks leading in to the main downtown core. The guys there are awesome, and they don't talk down to the ladies. If anything, they'll make the girls even smarter, and they won't rip you off), but since it was a minor job, it wasn't really worth going.

After clearing out hoses, which had to do with the heating core, changing coolant, and becoming victorious over a bolt that was being contrary, it was time for me to fire up my Little Blueberry (as my youngest sister lovingly calls my car), rev my engine, and then crank the heater on full blast. To say I was feeling hot air would be an understatement. Oh man, was I ever getting toasty! No more freezing during the -ber months for me.

I don't know much about cars, but I try to know enough to at least sound borderline smart if I'm talking shop with anyone who does have significant vehicle knowledge. As a female, having an idea about what makes your car tick is important, especially since there are so many mechanics out there who love to give females a run for their money (we're supposed to be stupid, and therefore, easy to fool). I can tell you what kind of fuel my car takes (regular 87 unleaded), oil (5W30), and I know how to fill my gas tank at a self-serve station, and where the windshield washer fluid goes. I can tell you how a four-stroke internal combustion engine works, the purpose of a slave cylinder in manual-transmission vehicles, and the four functions of oil. And now, should my heater ever fritz again, I know the three possible reasons why: bad thermostat, lack of coolant, or a clogged heating core.

Don't be afraid to familiarize yourself with your car, and learn what makes it tick. After all, when a problem arises, you want to have an idea on how to fix it. I don't know if your mechanic will thank you, but he (as mine's male) will probably be impressed.

And now I'll wait a few days, and return that thermostat. I doubt that I'll be needing it anytime soon...