Last week I drove to the hardware store late on a long day, did my business, came back out to my truck… and it wouldn’t drive. Started, could shift into gear, clutch felt fine, but absolutely no go.

So I called AAA. Annnnnnd my policy was expired. 40 minutes of dicking around on hold later, i called a tow truck. It’d be an hour, but at that point I was so exhausted I didn’t even care.

Now, this isn’t a new truck- it’s a 2003 Tacoma with 270+ miles on it thst I picked up a couple of months ago, but my mechanic proclaimed it in excellent health not four weeks ago, so having it fail so utterly and so suddenly the day before thanksgiving mid-move (oh, yeah- I was supposed to move on Sunday, and use this truck to two a trailer 485 miles) was just a kick in the nuts.

So I sat there and waited. At least I got to relax a little… and then I got to thinking: clutch feels fine… absolutely no motion… so it’s not a bad clutch. Or clutch cylinder. Transmissions usually go slowly or spectacularly, not usually while you’re parked at Home Depot… so I got out and pushed the truck a couple feet to see if it was some miss aligned cogs or some shit in the transmission… nope.

Shit, the drive shaft? Maybe it was rusted out and finally gave up the ghost? Or someone stole it or god knows what…?

Fuck it, I drop it in 4 wheel drive, maybe I’ve got front wheels? Nothing…

But while where here, maybe it’s the transfer case? Maybe low range works…?

IT WORKED! Quick, try high range! WORKING! 2 wheel drive?? WORKING TOO!!

I drove home, utterly pleased with myself, but still no clue how I’d fixed it. The next day at thanksgiving I was regaling my dad with the saga of last night, and it hit me: I’d bumped the transfer case stick. It had been in neutral. I could put the main shifter in gear as much as I wanted, as long as the transfer case was in neutral, I wasn’t moving. Lesson learned…

…except I did THIS EXACT THING 16 years before, in another truck.