My engine is slowly giving up the ghost.

[Matt Timion]

For the first time ever, my car won't start. I have noticed lately that it takes longer to start up, but I figured it was just the starter going out, which I could just replace when I did the engine swap.

Turns out the starter might be in okay health. After trying to crank the engine for 30 seconds today (more than once) I checked my engine error code and it turns out I have a problem with my fuel injection system.

Odds are it's just a loose wire, or maybe a defective injector. I've prepared for both scenarios. I went to the junkyard today and quickly removed 2 injectors from similar cars. hopefully one of them will do the trick.

I find it funny that it's giving me trouble right before the engine swap. I'm also wondering if the gummed up fuel injector, or even the loose wire, is part of why my mileage dropped like it did. I just assumed it was the winter blend, but this could have something to do with it too.

We'll see.

Oh, I also noticed that my car burned over a half quart of oil in about 100 miles, which is much more than it was burning before. Looks like the engine swap couldn't come at a better time.