[Vwdiesel] incredible Diesel journeys
S. Shourds
sshourds at flash.net
Mon Nov 28 19:26:47 EST 2005
Many years ago, I got the family '80 1.5D Rabbit on my 17th birthday. I
drove it through college and graduate school up to 182,000 mi. where I
picked up an '85 Jetta TD. The Rabbit got towed from Dallas, TX to a
barn in Indiana, 900 miles North, and not touched for eight years. My
dad, seeing the gas prices and his 100 mi. round-trip daily commute,
hatched an ill-conceived plan. He flew to Indiana, put a battery in the
car and started it, first crank. We talked him out of the journey and
he agreed to wait until I was going to be driving down after
Thanksgiving so I could at least come along behind and pick him up if he
broke down. I knew that the car had two severely cracked CV boots, a
bad radiator (which Dad replaced with a non-matching one from a
different junk Rabbit and tied in with baling twine--seriously, he did),
four dry-rotted tires and a matching spare, a blown a/c idler clutch
bearing, and a really bad inner tie rod end. After Thanksgiving day, he
flew up to retreive the car. While I was sleeping, I woke up vaguely
and thought I heard a very familiar engine sound. At 0100. He decided
to leave before me. A long long time before me. And I don't have a
cell phone--the plan aparently being that I was supposed to look for
brown Rabbits on the shoulder, in rest stops, gas stations, etc. We got
a few calls through the morning and afternoon. Owensboro, KY: sparks
started coming from the rear of the car. When stopped at idle, the
tailpipe looked like a roman candle. He decided it was carbon breaking
loose and drove on. I think it was mouse nests in the exhaust. Little
Rock, AR: the taillights and windshield wipers went out in a
tremendous line of thunderstorms with 30 mph winds. The winds were
causing severe front end vibration. He stopped and figured out that the
two bolts on the passenger front wheel that adjust the camber were
loose. Texarkana, TX, Greenville, TX, and then I'll be if he didn't get
that thing 900 miles home. Back to the exact same place where I'd
parked it under a mesquite tree to be towed to Indiana. Just like one
of those treacly Disney movies. And he says he burned 15 US gal. the
whole way--about 58 mpg driving at 60 mph.
I drove back after we knew he was home. I drove back in the TDI. No
problems, just windy and boring.
I always wonder when contemplating a road trip, how bad of shape does
the car have to be before you just won't make it. Looks like if it's a
Diesel Rabbit, the engine compartment would have to be on fire as you
were pulling out of the driveway.
-Shalyn
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