Dimming Headlights
This one was sent in some time ago. It goes like this.
"I lived for a year doing medical research in Tanzania, East Africa. At my disposal was a blue Mitsubishi Pajero which was called Montero in this region, and a 1981 white Toyota Land Cruiser.
I lived several miles out of town on a long, bumpy dirt road, which became a long muddy dirt road during the rainy season. It was always a challenge to drive. One evening, as I was cruising in the Mitsubishi, I noticed that whenever I let up on the gas pedal, the headlights dimmed. I was forced to keep my foot on the accelerated the entire way into town where my trusty mechanic diagnosed an electrical problem.
A wire had apparently shaken loose, probably from the alternator because of the rough road. The wire was refastened, and the problem was solved.
Not more than two weeks later, I was navigating the road in the other vehicle, the Land Cruiser, when I noticed, much to my dismay, that the headlights were dimming. It was getting dark, and in fear of being stranded out in the middle of nowhere, I accelerated again, wondering whether I had another loose wire. The headlights didn't really seem to respond. But in my anxiety, I wasn't sure.
I was making steady progress toward town, when just as I hit a paved road, I also hit a stationary object and blew out one of my tires. With a heavy heart I came to a stop, turned the car off, and began to change the flat tire.
During the course of the tire change, I discovered what was wrong with the car and managed to fix it without opening the hood. In fact, I fixed it with the sleeve of my jacket."
And the puzzler is, how did the writer fix the issue with the car?
