Henry,
I haven't been on a more desolate stretch of highways, then those
through the center of Nevada.
I'm surprised you had the phone reception to call AAA.
As others have said, you may have saved this one. We all hope so.
Rob
'85 300D
Garden Grove, CA
On 7/30/11 1:09 AM, diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> Re : road trip disaster......
> Posted by: "Nate"vwnate1@yahoo.com vwnate1
> Date: Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:16 pm ((PDT))
>
>
> Aw , dang .
>
> Henry , some days you're the windshield , others you're the bug.....
>
> You didn't mention any red residue so I'm assuming the cooling system is nice& clean .
>
> Didja find any milky crap on the oil dipstick or the inside of the oil cap ? .
>
> If not , you may have dodged a bullet this time .
>
> You did well turning on the heater , I always do this as soon as I smell coolant or see the gauge rising .
>
> -Nate
> Henry wrote:
>
>
> Hi all.
>
> so, here's my report on my 2K mile trip, to Durango, CO and back (?).
> 86 300 SDL 235K miles.
>
> the trip out was uneventful, 70 ish mph, trying the "new " PRI-D additive.
> I'm happy to report, getting 30-32 mpg, highway 50 (mostly two lane), some
> mountains.
>
> but on the way back..........
>
> I hit a bump,and the whole front end began to shimmy, much like my old
> pickup used to, when the kingpins wore out. I applied the brakes, and it
> stopped.......dang.
> so, I pull in to a shop, and ask to check the tie rods.....it appeared, one
> is loose, but, not to the breaking point, and, felt, and was assured, it'd
> last home.
> And, it did. The shimmy happened from time to time, but, overall, it was
> workable.
>
> But, in Salida, UT, as I was climbing a long steep (6 miles) hill out of
> town, I committed a cardinal transgression of driving: "Smell antifreeze,
> pull over".
> Well, I was following an old RV and, it was overheating, so, I thought,
> since my temp gauge was normal, it was just him.
> But, as I topped said hill, and the road flattened out, the temp began to
> rise fast.......and, I began to look for a spot to pull over. This section
> of road is two lanes, no shoulder, and soft sand......so, I had to continue
> until a safe spot could be found.
> By then, the needle was pegged on high, and, steam arose from under the
> hood.
> I left it idling, and popped the hood.
> water was squirting on the fan, from the upper hose.
> So, I got a towel and opened the cap.
> I had a gallon of water, so, poured that in slowly. It helped bring the temp
> to high, but, not cool it.
> so, I did a "u" turn, knowing if I could make the crest of the hill, I could
> coast all the way back to town.
> The temp was pegged, again above the red, as I crested the hill.
> I was coasting at 60 mph, and left the engine idling, for steering and
> brakes, and, it cooled a little.
> I got to a parts house, and of course, they didn't have the correct hose,
> but, we found one close and cut it to fit.
> The old hose, upon inspections, looked like a chunk had been taken out, not
> popped, but cut.
> It was right in line with the fan, but, all the parts on said fan and stuff
> were intact.
> We decided, somehow, something flew up off the road, hit the fan and was
> propelled into the hose, cutting it (very clean edges on the damage, and no
> loose pieces, but a hole).
>
> So, replacing said hose, refilling 50/50 and getting two more gallons of
> water, we head out.
> all is fine.
> I stopped a couple of times, to top up the tank, knowing it probably had a
> bubble or two from going almost dry. I ran the heater, to make sure it was
> full, too.
>
> We got to Ely, for fuel, and noted, water dripping from under the reservoir
> tank (plastic).
> and, it was getting worse!
> so, I let it cool a little and removed said tank.
> It had several cracks!! only one was leaking but, the thick plastic had
> cracked.
> I guessed, the hot steam from the previous incident, and pressure from the
> cap, softened the tank enough, to let it expand under pressure and crack.
> So, I used what I had (to later for parts), duct tape and fishing line, to
> patch said tank.
> It held. But, I was not willing to pressurize it at cap pressures, feeling
> the patch would blow off.
> So, I called my friend/MBZ mech. and explained.
> He said, my only option was to run with a loose cap, and refill from time to
> time, as the low coolant light came on.
>
> so, I did that.
> this worked fine, until just before Austin, NV. Evidently, the low coolant
> switch decided to malfunction, and, as I was climbing the pass, the temp
> shot up, again.
> and, this time, I'm sure it emptied the cooling system.
> I opened the cap, nothing but steam (I had left the cap loose, to avoid
> pressure on the patch).
> It took the whole 4 gallons of water, a little at a time (pour it in, steam,
> noise, blow it back out, repeat),
> to get the engine to accept the last little bit of water, and get just below
> "hot" (I left it idling the whole time), and, limp to the top of the pass,
> enabling us to coast into Austin.
> Austin, NV at midnight on a Monday, is closed. Period.
> no water at the only two gas stations, no one at the police office, and I
> had no interest in sneaking into someone's yard to get water, and have them
> think I stealing their daffodils.
> The one bar that was open, looked inside so much like I'd expect a bar in
> the movie "Deliverance" to look, as well as the three drunken patrons, I was
> not going inside.
> So, AAA, here I come.
>
> got towed into Fallon at 4 am, called a friend (indeed) and was home by
> noon.
> Went back up with my truck and car trailer yesterday.
> The car started fine, seemed to run smooth. I pulled onto the trailer, and,
> it's home.
>
> dang.
>
> Any thoughts, would be appreciated, referring to things to check, probably
> causes, and, what I could have done better.
>
> Henry
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