I needed to show the car to a mechanic. However, it was 6:30 PM, perhaps a bit late for that day. I asked Bala if he knew a good mechanic. He didn’t, but he promised to find out from his uncle, who owned a “tour and travels” business. He said his uncle had a few taxis and would know a good mechanic for sure.
After thanking Bala for his help, I proceeded to the ashram, sat there for some time in the meditation hall, had dinner, and returned home. That night, on the terrace, instead of looking at the stars and Arunachala, I browsed my mobile to find solutions to my problem.
As I browsed through various internet forums, one particular discussion caught my attention. The question described the exact same problem. This guy had fuel in his car, but the fuel gauge showed empty and his car wouldn’t start.
There was just one answer. It suggested that he might be dealing with fuel pump malfunction. The answer went on to explain that the fuel pump was located under the fuel tank at the rear of the car. If the wires were cut by any chance, it would prevent the fuel gauge from getting any voltage, resulting in an empty reading, even if the tank was full. It would also prevent the fuel pump from transferring fuel to the ignition unit. That was why the car didn’t start.
This explanation made sense to me. There must be a cut in the fuel pump wires. That’s why the fuel indicator didn’t budge even when I filled fuel and that’s why the car didn’t start — because the malfunctioning fuel pump couldn’t transfer fuel to the ignition unit.
Understanding the problem is half the solution. Armed with this information, I felt somewhat more relaxed. I looked at the stars and Arunachala for a few minutes before retiring for the day.
Meanwhile, a message announced that Bala had obtained the address of a good mechanic from his uncle. He told me we could go on his bike to the garage in the morning.
The next morning, as promised, Bala took me to the mechanic whose garage was about three kilometres away.
I explained the problem and also told him about what I had read on the Internet. He said he would send someone to check the fuel pump circuit.
With nothing else to do, we returned to the car and waited for that ‘someone’ to come. I picked up a flower from the ground and plucked its petals: “He will come; he will not come; he will come; he will not come; he will….“
The gate opened after 30 minutes. Wow! He came as promised.
Based on the web page I had read the previous night, I assumed the mechanic would come with a voltmeter. Instead, this guy came with a battery and lots of wires. He connected the wires in different places to check the electrical circuit. I was a little puzzled. I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to do.
After about fifteen minutes of checking, he declared that the circuit was in perfect condition.
“No fuel pump problem, sir…” he said confidently.
“Don’t you need a voltmeter to check the circuit?” I asked, a little exasperated.
“No sir, I check with this.” He pointed to the battery.
“Please check again with a voltmeter,” I almost pleaded.
“Not needed sir. Circuit good. No problem.”
I didn’t know what to say. I had pinned all my hopes on broken or cut fuel pump wires. But now he was saying they weren’t the problem. I was back to square one.
“So, what is the problem?” I asked him.
“I don’t know sir. You take car to Maruti Service Centre.”
“Ok, where is the service centre?”
“On Chennai highway sir. Thirty-two kilometres from here.”
Good God! Thirty-two kilometres!!! Never before in my life had I been so disappointed that something important wasn’t broken.
“So I will have to tow the car?”
“Yes sir.” He said with a grim look on his face.
I was mortified. The lane in which the car was parked was very narrow and the place where it met the main road was dug up for some road work. There was a back road too, but It meant pushing the car at least some distance, and then going with the towing truck to the service centre, and returning by an ST bus, and then going back once again to pick the car after… I didn’t know how many days they would take to fix the car and I didn’t know what the service centre guys would say and even whether they could fix the problem. Suddenly, I was beginning to feel tired. Very tired.
I paid the mechanic for his visit and watched helplessly as he wrapped up his stuff and mounted his bike to leave.
Previous Episode: Mystery of the Disappearing Fuel
Next Episode: Shriek Upon Shriek
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