> Geez, but that ice storm last night was a humdinger. I've seen tough times
> cleaning the car in the morning, but this was a real standout effort by Dame
Winter at making life impossible.
Well, the only worse time I had cleaning my windscreen was upon my
return from the January Usenix ('89), to my car at the freezing albany airport,
where there was at least a quarter inch of ice..
Friday was my first brittish car [SOL]adventure. :-)
I had made an appointment with this 4wd garage down south to do some
work on my recently acquired '69 series IIa land rover. I had the forsight to
clean off the front of the truck the evening before, even so, there was a good
1/8" of ice on the windscreen and the drain trough was full-up with ice.
After about a half-hour I drove off to the gas station, and managed to
finish the job there, as the rover has a mighty defroster (even if it is only
at half capacity 'cause the majic flap is missing).
About 20 miles out the driver's side wiper blade few off, somewhere
into the middle lane of I-495 south. While on the shoulder, another rover
driver stopped and asked if I needed any help. We talked for a moment, then I
continued on my way, making it to my destination w/o further incident.
The purpose of my visit was to get all the fluids changed, and to
have it looked over, and to learn things. Fred, the proprietor of
Peirmont Off-Road was a really nice guy, and let me hang out and talk to him
while working on the rover. For the next couple hours I learned lots of things
about rovers, and mine in particular, compiling a list of things which needed
replacement (tie rod ends, wheel bearings, muffler pipes) things which were
close to going big-time (more wheel bearings, another muffler pipe), as well
as things which ought to be fixed.
On the way out I stopped by DAP in Wareham, and pick-up a bunch of
parts. And a new radiator cap, 'cause it seems as though mine had taken to
leaking since I left Fred's place.
About a quarter of the way home, it became apparent that the
radiator cap was not the source of the anti-freeze now spraying on the
windscreen.
So somewhere in middleboro mass, I found a variety of things to help
me make it home. What gave was the soldered in patch in the top tank of the
radiator. Being a cold and wet night, the gas station attendent suggested that
it would be no problem running an un-pressurised cooling system, and thus
stocked up on antifreeze, water, and various parts, I headed off into the night.
About ten miles further, I think the front muffler pipe ("not long
for this world" said Fred) opened up with an ear deafening BRRRRRAAAPPAAAPAAPA
under full throttle...
Checking the levels periodically, I made it home w/o further incident.
I tried to use the Rover the following day, but was not getting any
co-operation from the radiator as to having it be happily closed yet
not pressurised. Oh well, time to pull it and find a good radiator shop.
At least the speedometer is more consistant and the drive train
doesn't got whump-whump-whump-whump. (seems a previous drivetrain manipulation
left the yokes of the rear drive shaft 90 degress out of phase.)
hmmm did I forget to get that other U-joint ?
'til later,
--bill
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