All day long, I’m wearing a mask of false bravado
Trying to keep up a smile that hides a tear
But as the sun goes down, I get that empty feeling again
How I wish to God that you were here

Baby come back, oh baby, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can’t live without you, oh

“Baby Come Back” — Player

After waiting some more for the correct coolant hose to arrive and even more curses as a result of the gymnastics required to connect the hose to the firewall port, there was only one thing left to do.

Clear the check engine light and turn the key after praying to any and all deities who might be inclined to listen and send some good luck our way.

Let’s just say that the first turn of that key was scary as hell because it’s clear the engine control computers had definitely forgotten the finer points of running the engine. She sputtered more than a few times before the tachometer finally settled down to something a lot closer to normal.

She threw one more engine code indicating a cylinder 5 misfire which isn’t at all surprising given the scary noises she was making before figuring out the proper timings and fuel mixture.

All appeared well…no leaks, no fluids spraying all over the place, and the coolant overflow reservoir had a reasonable amount of coolant in it. The actual coolant fill port is in the front of the engine fairly close to the floor but at least you can reach it and fortunately I had a funnel with a very long neck which made it fairly simple to top up the radiator there and then add some more to the overflow after running the engine.

It was one thing to get her started but the true test would be pulling out of the garage and hopefully making it to Enloe without any more excitement than is usual for a Traverse with 283K miles on the clock.

I figured on doing a couple of laps round the neighbourhood before finally committing to Rogers Lane and points beyond and the first lap was…somewhat harrowing, if I’m honest about it. The Traverse really didn’t seem all that interested in a consistent internal combustion tone and the tachometer was bouncing more than I really care for.

The second lap was actually much smoother and she was finally feeling like the Traverse I’ve spent the better part of 11 years driving.

One text message to Nicholas who I’d ensured was on standby to rescue me should I need it and I was making the right turn onto Rogers Lane with my paranoia about every sound the Traverse was making at an all-time high.

There were a couple more unexpected bounces on the tachometer (likely due to fuel mixture) along the way but fortunately the mission to collect Alex from school was successful and the Traverse was truly back in service.

I’ve missed you baby…I’ve missed you *SO* much! 🙂