Your Worst Breakdown Experience??.

Few years back now Axle

Was in the centre lane in rush hour traffic heading south and just shy of the Gateway Bridge at Brisvegas. Driving to old G60 and she blew the right front Telecom tyre. I managed to get to the left lane and by then the tyre had dislodged from the rim. Could not drive about 200 metres to an emergency lane and had to park the truck in the spoon drain. Had to use the Hi Lift jack to get the wheel in the air and had to wait and then rush out when there was a break in the traffic to loosen one wheelnut at a time. No one slows down even with me Hazard Lights (yes it had Hazard Lights...lol) on. Just horns blaring and those wonderful One Finger Queensland greetings. Took close on an hour to get mobile again. Even cops drove past with nary a glance. Was a frightening experience for us bushies...:-)



Cheers

Last Thursday my daughter had a flat battery at school. She left the lights on in the morning because it was foggy. She rang me at lunch time and told me, to which I said just try it after school. The thing had an immobilizer on it and just wouldn't start. She tried jump starting it, and even went to get a new battery for the immobilizer button thingy. No dice. So off we went (30 min drive) to help out. Tried to jump start the car but no luck. So Mrs Louie rang the RAA. The guy came, hooked up his battery and it still wouldn't start. So after an hour of mucking around he just hot wired it so it would start with the key (bypass the immobilizer). So we got it going, she went off, we went of and next thing we get a call on the mobile. " I've had a crash". She got slammed into on the side of the car.

Write off! All for a flat battery.

Cheers

Louie.

Hey Axle I remember getting a phone call a few years ago now from my mates MRS she had broken down on Parramatta rd also, I think it was near Homebush she was all panicked and asked if I could come change a tyre for her I was only about 20 minutes away but when I got there I was a bit freaked out as I thought someone had hit her car as there were blokes everywhere ,but upon closer inspection I saw that they were there for the perv and not one had changed the wheel yet LOL!
I must admit she was a good sort :)

Regards John.

My first car was a normally reliable Ford Escort.

So I am heading up the coast on the Thursday before Easter. As I approach Ryde bridge, there was only the three lane iron jobbie in those days, my faithful little buggy starts to cough.

It's too late and I am committed to the bridge so I am praying as I head out across the river. It was never going to get there and finally died about 50m short of the northern end. Luckily I was in the left lane and jumped out before it stopped to push like mad and get it off the bridge.

I still made the traffic report. Once again not a single offer of help just lots of people testing their car horns. Why do they do that?

My best break down was on Cape York. Everyone stopped to help and we ended up with 16 people camped on a green triangle of grass at the intersection. Took 24 hours to get the car going but we met some great people.

Duncs

Many years ago my aunty was driving in Bondi when her car broke down. She could not get it started and the guy behind just lent on the horn.
She hoped out of the car, walked up to him and said maybe you could try and start my car for me an I will sit in your car a blow the *%*#+** horn.
I think he got the message

My worst experience ultimately turned out to be my best maybe !

Brand new 4800 petrol Patrol , one of first in country.
Drive to a strategic 85km out of town to the peak of the Victorias black Spur.
Fut! ,in two seconds the engine is destroyed.

First time in my life a car of mine disappears on a flat bed truck !

I'm left on side of road - cause Nissans new car roadside assit only gets you a taxi if 99km+ out of town !

The idiots didn't put timing gear bolts in properly and they came out jamming the twin overhead cams, and 24 valves and 6 pistons went to war with each other.

Whats good about this ?

Despite all the research I put into picking a new car - you can rarely be 100% sure you made the right choice.

While Nissan pulled out every stop to air freight a new engine at there expense out of Japan to me, they gave me each of the other Patrol models for a week.

I immediatly took them serious 4wding and hence thoroughly confirmed my original choice of car in a way few people ever really get too!

At the start of the ski season, I was heading up the mountain at dusk to start work at Perisher in a recently purchased 2nd-hand HK panel van.

Going round a long gentle right hander, I noticed something in the corner of my eye to the right, and turned my head just in time to see the the RH rear wheel, complete with axle, leave the road and go bounding into the low scrub next to the road - a bit like a 'roo.

The road started to straighten, load came back onto the right, the van began leaning inexorably lower and pulling right - with some wheel wrestling and much cursing, the van and I came to a harmless stop off the right side of the road at the bottom of a nice gentle bank.

It was getting dark by now, so with a torch I found and retrieved the errant wheel and axle, and, going nowhere that night, set up a makeshift camp near the car.

Has anyone guessed what happened ? Yep, the previous owner (or one of 'em) had replaced the rear axle bearings, but secured them with something other than a press or by heating the collar, so enough time and sideways load later the axle simply pulled out and ran away !

The next day I replaced both bearings, using a friendly Jindabyne workshop's press, and on my way I went.

A very scary incident which could have been SO much worse !

My second car was an old Singer convertible. Not much power at the best of times and well beyond its prime when I got it. Two stories. The first time I drove to a dance. Melbourne. Along Nepean Highway between Cheltenham and Moorabbin. There were still market gardens in some spots there in those days. Very foggy night . Headlights useless at the best of times and that night, nothing could be seen in front. So my passenger opened the passengers door and watched the white line. Told me to veer left, then more left. It got very bumpy. Then we bogged. There were no white lines on that stretch and we drove left into a paddock and bogged. But then found 3-4 other cars had been following my tail lights in the fog and had dutifully trooped after us into the paddock.
Next story. Took a young lady out parking into the Dandenongs. Arounf two AM. I'm being tols she has to be got home immediately. Went down one steepish hill and the car couldn't get up the next. Backed a bit. Turned around and tried to go back up hill we had just come down. Wouldn't make it. Went backwards and forwards half a dozen times getting up as much speed as I could to try to get over one of them. I felt like a yo yo. Young lady verging somewhere between helpless laughter and hysteria and tales of what her father was going to do and how he would never believe this story as to why we were out all night etc. eventually I got smart and reversed up the hill.
Them were the days.

One weekend I was on RACQ duty , got a call that a car was broken down 35k's from town. I lived 30k's the other side of town and had taken a weekend job of painting a neighbours farmhouse 5k's from my place for extra cash.
Drove back to my place, drove to town ( mostly gravel road) picked up the breakdown truck drove the 35k's to the "breakdown ". The driver said he couldn't move the car because of a bad vibration, one rear wheel had a lump on it the size of a football. he didn't have a clue as to why the car might vibrate.
Changed his wheel for him and headed off back to town in a seriously bad mood. The breakdown truck was an old Chev with an oilbath type aircleaner, halfway home it fell off and spilt oil over the hot manifold causing major smoke.
When I lifted the bonnet it caught fire, in 1978 there were no extinguishers in trucks ( the boss would have been too miserable to buy one anyway) . I managed to get the fire out and got back late in the afternoon.
That's 30 years ago and even after a few breakdowns of my own and countless others I still regard that as my worst " breakdown"

Don't know about worst, but probably my funniest... When I was about 19 or so I went to a costume party in Sydney for a friend's 21st. So I pulled up at the lights in my little Datsun 120Y, front row, middle lane, at one of the bigger intersections in Sydney, and the engine died. When I tried to restart it the starter solenoid went "click-click" and that was all. So we sat there through one set of lights, with everyone dodging and beeping around us, and then the monk, the court jester, the nun and the high society lady who were travelling with me hopped out, we waved frantically at the driver of the bus in the left lane next to us, got the jump on the lights, and they pushed me across in front of the bus and then across six lanes of traffic to the other side of the intersection, where fortunately there was a bit of space we could pull over. The bus passengers seemed to enjoy it immensely...

Not our break down but its a story.

A mate and I were spending Xmas touring and camping around the Vic high country as one does when away from home and on leave for a week or so. He had an old holden and we could each sleep on a bench seat reasonably well if we were tired enough.
That may have been why we were still driving late at night up a long hill somewhere up in the mountains. It was one of those annoying slopes that the holden wouldn't hold top gear, but second was too low.
Any how, way out in the middle of whoop whoop we see some lights up ahead and slow down.
A Chevvy Bel Aire towing a caravan is stopped on the side of the road, bonnet up, and the driver is rather distressed. It is cold, dark, and none of us know where we are exactly. He thinks he has 'bent' the motor or something.
"We stopped to give the engine a rest, and now it won't go" was the diagnosis.
The engine bay was H U G E !, I had never seen any thing so big, but with nothing to lose, asked the driver to start the motor.
No dramas with that, so I asked what the problem was, and he started moving the gear auto selector on the steering wheel, and said "I think I have bent this".
He had indeed bent it a little trying to get the beast into gear.
The only thing I had noticed amiss was a slight hissing sound near the base of the carby, (it was dark remember).
Lying full length across the mud guard and leaning right into the center of the engine bay I could reach the carby, and felt around to see if I could locate the source of the noise. I found a short nozzle at the base, with a rubber hose lying loose nearby, and figured these need to go back together.
Bingo, once the vacuum kickdown was re connected. it would engage the auto drive.
I pinched a hose clamp from one of the heater hoses and put it on the vacuum line.
We were then treated to tea and cake ('have to look in to this caravan caper' I thought at the time) and he gave us over a weeks wage for our troubles for which we were very grateful. (I shudder to think what a tow truck would have charged).
He asked us to follow him for a while just to make sure he was still mobile.
Well that thing took off like a rally car. The power was mind blowing.
No way could we keep up, but he stopped a mile or so up the hill, and thanked us again and said it all seemed fine now.
A lucky break for all concerned I reckon.
cheers

Engine fire in a Hilux

Was mucking around out at a 4x4 park left the car idling, handbrake on and got out to watch my brother get up a little hill next min the Mrs yells smoke smoke. I turn around to see green smoke coming from my engine bay. Quickly ran back grabbed the fire extinguisher popped the bonnet and put the flames out. Being 15 min up a mountain rough 4x4 track I got onto the UHF called the parks’s office to get some advise. After 15 min they turn up on quad bikes saying sorry nothing they can do here. I go back down with them to call RACQ and told them to bring a roadside car out but a 4x4 one….thinking it’s country area they will have this. 2 hours late a flat bed truck turn up, the guy says where is the car---told him about 15 min up that mountain. He was about to get in hit truck to get going but my brother got worried and drove down the mountain to look for me. Got the RACQ guy in his truck with tools back up the mountain spend about an hour got the car going. Drove it back down the mountain with no power steering onto the truck and didn’t see my Hilux for 7 weeks. Needed a whole new wiring harness and some other bits and pieces. The thing that caused all this was I made a very very dodgy dual battery setup and the earth for the body was right night to the power steering pump and that’s where it all started. Have never made any dodgy connections since then

already posted this once so it might turn up twice... 1st one seems to have disappeared (I got to fix some spelling mistakes though!)

And, athough it's a breakdown... it's more a story!

Years ago I was hooting along the Monash Freeway (called Sth Eastern Freeway in those days I think) and the car started to miss and lose power. I took the next off ramp and made it into the empty Notting Hill Hotel carpark (I remember it because I now work nearby and go there for lunch occasionly!). I spent the next several hours pulling the carby apart and putting it back together as I was convinced it was a fuel supply problem as it 'wanted to go'. Off course the battery was flat by now from attempts to restart it so I pushed it across the carpark numerous times (quite difficult to push by myself, get up enough speed and then jump in to drop the clutch!) with it chug-chugging prenteding to run but not. I had minimal tools but the one thing that would have saved the day was a plug spanner and I eventually gave up and hitch-hiked into St Kilda to organise a mate to come with me to tow it home. Got a ride with a very dodgy individual (in those days you called them poofs!). These days that wouldn't worry me but back then... so I got him to drop me off up the road a bit from where I lived. Anyway, rounded up a mate and we went back to get the car. Towed it back with a rope in the dark (an experience in it's own right) and the next morning had an attempt at jump starting it. Same deal, sorta wanted to go but wouldn't. Pull the plugs out this time and see immediately the problem... all the plug ends had been smashed flat, a couple where still sparking which must have been the reason it was attempting to run. Stuck some different plugs in and it burst into life, although it was rather sick. Some metal from around the air cleaner cover bolt hole had broken off and fallen straight down the carby throat and gone through the motor. Ended up replacing the motor as when we took the head off it had scored the bores and damaged valves. I did drive it about 150kms in that state to get it home to my parents to do the motor change.

Nige.

My worst,

Travelling back to Broome after spending Xmas in Perth. At the time a cat 3 cyclone was bearing down on Port Heland.
20kms South of Pardoo Roadhouse we get a blowout. Stop to change wheel. The lock nut key bleep ters on the lock nut into 4 pieces!!
Now it is 42 degrees and humid. No mobile coverage, so wife gets lift with police into Port Hedland to get RAC assistance. RAC guy is away fishing!!
Myself, 2 young kids and nephew are stuck on side of road. Along comes the army convoy. Their mechanic takes a look and produces a huge set of stilsons and using a few manouvers with a ball pain hammer removes the offending nut.
After many thanks turn around to go back to Hedland to collect wife, mobile phone goes flat so unable to contact wife to locate her.
Finally locate wife at Roadhouse and get told Port Hedland do not stock spare tyres for a Landy!!! By this time we are knacked and the police close highway as Port hedland are going on to red alert for impending hit from cyclone!!
So end up sitting out cyclone in donga at caravan park, 2 days later a mate in Karratha drives up a spare. Go to tyre places none able to operate due to water in their workshops due to flooding.
Anyway a guy at the caravan has a matching landy so he gets brand new tyre and rim I get his worn spare.
Two things learnt from that trip
1) Don't own a Landy Disco outside a major city unless you have the capacity to carry two spares.
2) Port Hedland is still a s***hole

Back in '67, I drove a Mini across the Nullarbor from the west to check if there was a world outside WA (turns out there was one, of sorts). This was quite an epic journey for the little beast, as the road was unsealed from about Cocklebiddy in the west to about Kimba in the east. East of Ceduna, the engine started missing badly. Checked fuel, and that was pumping ok, with a carby full of fuel, so bit by bit, started changing electricals - plugs, then capacitor, points, finally coil. Each time the vehicle would run ok for about 50km then it would start missing again. Eventually, in exasperation, I floored the pedal and ran the car till it completely ground to a stop. Without restarting the motor, I took off the lid of the carby, and this time found there was no fuel in the bowl. At last I had found a clue. Yet when turning the motor over, the pump was shifting plenty of fuel! Put it all back together again, and this time we managed to get close to Pt Pirie before it played up again. Decided it had to be a blockage, so at the servo, forced air back thru the fuel line to the tank, and whatever was blocking it got cleared. I reckon that a small lump of something was being moved up the pipe to the pump where it would get stopped by the rolled edge of the pipe where the hose connects. Each time I stopped, it would roll back to the bottom again and fuel would flow again till it slowly worked its way up the pipe again. Wasted more than a day stuffing around with that problem.
On the return journey, a rubber universal on the drive shaft decided to die at Ceduna (one of the many common problems with that car). It was a Sunday with a Monday holdiday to follow, so not much chance of getting a new one (would have come from Adelaide anyway) but I managed to track down a wrecked Mini which I was able to remove the rubber uni and get us going again. That only took us half a day! Anyway, we were glad the fault occurred there, rather than on the Nullarbor itself.
ahh, memories!
Gerry

When I was a teenager we lived for a couple of years in Kenya. We had a very superannuated 2-door 72 Ford Escort, into which somehow the seven of us (Mum and Dad and five kids, including three teenagers!) used to squeeze. So one time we were travelling through the Rift Valley - a main road, but in the middle of nowhere, the sort of place where every so often you'd see zebra or giraffes or antelope, and the engine just stops. We coasted to a halt and looked around. The middle of nowhere! Well... Not quite. We can see a turnoff about 200 metres down the road, and a few buildings up the slope. So we go for a walk and find... A fully equipped technical college, run by the Catholic church, complete with probably the best workshop I saw in all my time in that country! There was nothing else for probably 30 kms either direction. They came down, towed us up to the workshop, and the mechanic-in-residence found that the little distributor gear had bleep tered. Hmmm... That's going to be difficult to find... So Mum and my siblings stayed in the very nice accommodation they had there, while Dad and I went back out to the main road and eventually caught a bus 50 km to Nakuru, the nearest big town. We went round every place that looked remotely mechanical, but couldn't come across anything. Eventually, discouraged, we headed back to the bus depot. We were already sitting in a bus, waiting for them to finish loading, when someone knocks on the window next to us, holds up a distributor and says "Is this what you're after?" It was a bit different - I think he said it was out of a Ford Anglia - but not too much, and the gear looked the same as the broken one, so we bought it and went back. Worked perfectly! Stayed the night, got back on the road the next day. God was looking after us that time...

Last year at the Breaden Hills on the Canning Stock Route the chassis on my GU cracked fore and aft of each spring mount on both sides. With the help of a number of friends, we completed a great bush repair. The drive in first gear low range for the next 2 days was no fun, nor was the 6 day return to home traveling more than 3500 k.

About 8 yrs ago, travelling from Adelaide to Alice in my MQ TD patrol, me and the wife, with a friend and his wife, and their 9 month old baby. Friend was driving, didn't notice the water temp until steam started pouring from under the bonnet. Blown water pump and a few other related issues. Was ok though, we were at the SA/NT border! Hitched a ride north to Kulgera, phoned up with the closest mechanicwhich was a Stuart's Well, got picked up by him in his troopy, collected the MQ and we all got towed back to Stuarts Well where we were stuck for days waiting for parts. Cost about $2500 in tows/parts/labour etc!

Other - when I was a young lad I took 2 female friends shooting near streaky bay (from my old Volkswagen PAssat),about 25ks out of town with nothing in between, car breaks down, turns over and won't start. We all walk home get home about 12.30 p.m., RAA contractor retrieves car in the morning, tows it home, and it starts fine - was just a bit of moisture under the distributor cap due to the fog!