As a reward for me taking my first vacation in 5 years to go to the Challenge, my cars are rebelling against me.
The Jeep's heat doesn't work well, so i figure i'll flush the core. Oops. Enjoy your snapped hood latch cable, motherberkeleyer. Sooo... i leave that lone until i get the new cable in.
So what does the Jeep do? Go dead as a doornail. No electricity. The gauges had been acting funny, and the "Check Gauges" warning light coming on every so often prior, but i figured that was just the contact on the back of the cluster that always gets dirty on these, and i was going to do that when i re-did the suspension anyways.
So, i rip out everything keeping me from getting to the remainder of the hood latch cable, cut some sheathing off the end, and grab the cable with some vice grips and get the hood open. Jiggle around the terminals, the ends of the cables look pretty corroded, so i just tighten it all down for now, she starts right up. (This was Sunday morning at about... 5:30am.) Got me home just fine. (Was doing an all-night thrash on the Escort.)
Get up to go to work today, and it's frosted over. Oh, this'll be fun with no heat. The scraper is in the MX6, so i walk over to unlock it, stick the key that i've been using (i don't actually have the key to this car, i use the Escort key) into the lock like i've done for the last 3+ years, turn, and nothing happens except for completely dicking up the lock, which now doesn't turn at all, which means i can't get into the car anymore. (Escort key ONLY worked in the driver's lock due to worn tumbler.)
End up scraping the Jeep with a CD case.
Stop to get gas on the way to work. Jeep goes electrically dead again. Have to play with the vice grips and terminals again.
Notice at the last 2 stoplights on my way into work, the CHECK GAUGES light is coming on again, and the oil pressure gauge is at zero. Revving the motor up (smart!!!) gives me some oil pressure, oil pressure seems pretty normal when driving, but not when idling.
Park, get out, play with vice grips and terminals again, no change.
Sooooo.... I guess i'm flushing the heater core and replacing the terminals on the Jeep today, but i have no idea what to do about the oil pressure gauge at this point. It needs an oil change since there's a whole can of seafoam in the oil right now. I don't know if that would cause the issue, though. AND, my oil pressure idiot light isn't coming on. (Unless CHECK GAUGES is the warning light on these?)
Should i trust this far enough to drive it the 20 miles up to my garage?
Annnddd... locks for the MX6? What do?