This incident was so incredibly stupid that I must have been repressing
the memory because it only came back after reading some the accounts of
other peoples dumbness. Guess it's something like being a member of a
support group for idiots.
The endless steam of problems my TD had is far too long to list here but
one of the more serious ones was the time one of the rear axles twisted off.
I never understood how an engine putting out such wimpy torque could
have twisted a toothpick in two let alone a steel axle but apparently
that was a pretty common TD problem. I couldn't afford new parts so I
took the whole differential/axle assembly to a local Britcar wrecking
yard to see if I could find a replacement shaft that would fit. After
looking everything over, the yard owner told me the whole assembly was
shot and I should replace the "works". He just happen to have a used
one in good condition. I don't recall what the asking price was but $40
was pretty much my net worth at the time and that's what I paid for it. I
installed it without too much hassle which was probably due
to the fact that I had no idea how to do it properly. I vaguely recall
being told to shim something-or-other and to check the in-play of
something else but naturally I ignored all this information. One
problem I was aware of was not having any gear oil on hand. So, I just
oiled every thing up good with motor oil which I figured would get me to
the nearest service station.
I gingerly drove the TD to a station a block or two from the house.
When I told the attendant what I wanted, it was pretty obvious he wasn't
too enthused about putting the car up on his rack for a couple of
dollars worth of gear oil. I was pretty emphatic about not wanting an
oil changed or lube job. After being put off by this guy for a half
hour or so because he was "busy", I got really pissed, jumped into the
car and went tearing off looking for another station where they weren't
such jerks. After I cooled off a bit I notice the howling sound coming
form the differential. Suddenly I remembered why I had gone to the
service station in the first place! I pulled into the next station I
came to and this time I did wait until the attendant wasn't busy.
Considering the numbers of miles I drove the TD after that, including a
lot on freeway commuting, guess I was lucky that the rear end seemed to
be okay from then on. I did wondered afterwards how well it stood up to
the V8 the guy that bought the car from me claimed he was going to put
in it.
Roland
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