When it rains, it pours

[cactusjack]

To add to my "summer of misery"...I was going to grab some dinner this evening and was about 2 miles from home in my 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. I went through an intersection and gave it some gas, and it had no power. It started shaking real bad also. I pulled to the side of the road, put it in park, and just idling, it was shaking like a panhead. I made a u-turn to head back home and it was all I could do to cross the road. I pulled over, turned on my flashers and got out. Popped the hood, turned the key and the engine has a bad knock and is running very rough. I shut it off, called my son for a tow and waited for him to show up.

My son is a heavy duty diesel mechanic and he brought his OBDII code reader with him. It didn't tell us anything. Whatever it is, it's serious, and with 170,000 miles on it, I have probably gotten my money's worth out of it. Wouldn't you know it, it has a full tank of gas, too.

Of course, I have the Harley and my '91 Bronco Eddie Bauer Edition with a 5.8L V8, an intermittent ignition problem (it likes to die when it's real hot) and a dead a/c system that requires R-12 refrigerant. I guess I'll fix the Bronco and then decide what to do with the Pontiac.

Just my luck.