[Vwdiesel] incredible Diesel journeys
Chris Geiser
cfgmail at direcway.com
Mon Nov 28 22:42:38 EST 2005
If I remember correctly Shalyn, your dad's an old farmer? I'd never bet
against an old farmer accomplishing anything. Form matters not - 100%
function...
Growing up in rural Wisconsin, I got to see some ingenious solutions to
problems - I think that's what attracts me to this forum. I see a lot of
that spirit in the people here...
Only time I can remember a VW diesel leaving us stranded on the side of the
road was a complete cv joint failure on an '82 Rabbit. Had a few slow trips
home as the fuel gelled, had to change out a water pump belt on the side of
the road a few times in my vanagon already, had a few no-starts in the first
place, but (knock "hard" on wood) that cv joint is the only time we had to
pull one home.
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On
Behalf Of S. Shourds
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2005 6:00 PM
To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
Subject: [Vwdiesel] incredible Diesel journeys
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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