The manual transmission in Alberta has never been one of her strong points. While she was still in warranty, lo these many years ago, I brought her in because third gear would not engage; as the tech explained it, a synchromesh gear had become detached from its shaft, so the gears meshed but would just spin.

Then, in 1999, it took three trips into the shop to cure a problem shifting into the lower gears: we replaced the clutch, master cylinder and slave cylinder at that time.

So I had become accustomed to a little balkiness putting her in gear. Once, I put Leta behind the wheel (so that she'd have the feel of the vehicle in the unlikely unfortunate event that she had to drive an incapacitated me). I think she's still grumbling to herself about that drive,

Over the years I learned how to coax Alberta into second. But last week, when she refused to downshift from third whatsoever, I scheduled another appointment with my garage. But in the meantime, Friday I had a trip up to Rockville for a WATCH adjudication assignment, in nasty rain and end-of-the-week rush hour. At the very end of the drive, at the last stop sign before the turn into the theater parking lot, a clamor like an exploding box of hammers erupted from the bottom of the car and she rolled into the intersection. I got parked, saw my show, came back to Alberta in the lot. Starting up, I heard another metallic symphony from the gearbox for 20 seconds, and then calm.

I cancelled what engagements I could for the weekend.

Tuesday my service advisor called. "The tech took the truck out to check on the transmission problem you reported. Well, it's better that it happened to us than to you. He was still in the parking lot and it just... let go." I hope someone was there to say a few words.

We're replacing the transmission with a rebuilt, warranted unit with a cool four-figure price tag. It would be easier to accept the expense if I hadn't just retrofitted the air conditioning this summer (Alberta was still running on that ozone-eating coolant).

While the parts are ordered and delivered, I am driving a service loaner from the dealership, a perky Ford Focus in oh-so-unfashionable fleet white. The car has a leering front end, a pert caboose, and a turn signal that sounds like a manic percussionist playing the claves with a particularly monotonous sense of rhythm.

posted: 10:36:17 PM  

Hey, wow: this could turn out to be really useful.

posted: 1:36:03 PM