My first ever break down!

[Kurtatron]

I have never had a situation where my vehicle has stopped working during a trip. Not even tire issues have disrupted my drives. But that all changed today.

My 1991 Toyota Previa was driving fine all day today. I was busy moving appliances. I started to notice coolant smell, but it was faint, so I didn’t consider changing my plans. Whilst on the freeway, suddenly an accessory belt started to squeal. I looked down at the dash and noticed the temperature gauge higher than I have ever seen it before. It wasn’t in the red, but definitely abnormal. I know what happens when engines overheat. I immediately shut off my engine and coasted to the shoulder. I checked under the hood and saw coolant EVERYWHERE. it was a macabre scene of ethylene glycol gore. I couldn’t see where the source was just because it was everywhere.

Checking all hoses, I have guessed that the radiator has burst. It is the original, and the previous owner neglected to change the coolant, ever. I had to end up limping the van to a safe spot to leave it. I’d start it, accelerate, coast as far as possible, let it sit for a bit, and then repeat. All while checking the heat gauge.

I am so sad my faithful old van finally let me down. At least the accessory belt had warned me of overheating before any catastrophic damage could have occurred. Gotta love those modern safety features.

I am going to just fix the radiator and get the thing back on the road. People have been telling me To junk it, but a radiator replacement is hardly justification for trashing an otherwise reliable car.

what about your tales of automotive cessation? I am referring to break downs while moving or mid trip.

 

[Chris142]

I have had all kinds of automotive disasters. Some my fault some not.

340 mopar dropped a valve. Broke a piston and cyl wall. I had it sleeved,new piston and a valve job. 3 days later it dropped another valve and did it to another cyl. I threw the whole engine away.

86 mits pickup. Caught on fire after 2 weeks of ownership. 5 transmissions failed. Needed a valve job @35k. Broke a crankshaft @44k.

Spit a driveshaft out of my 69 chevelle. Broke the pinon gear racing ( my fault).

70 elcamino. 3-4 transmissions. Broke a ball joint in a parking lot and the car hit the street.

Many broken springs. Both leaf and coil. Gernaded the front axle in a 76 ramcharger trying to climb a rock.

That is how I got into auto repair! Could not afford to pay to have stuff fixed so I did repairs myself.

 

[Nick1994]

My only break down was my Jeep last December. Took it out off-roading and hit some bumps too hard. Transmission started slipping bad on my way out, got to the parking lot outside of the lake and stopped. The front axle came up so far it broke the transmission cooler lines. There was no patching it, I had to get towed. My brother rented a Uhaul trailer and came and picked me up.

It was due to worn out bump stops for the front coil springs. Those have been replaced too. Here's a pic from that trip.

 

[ripcord]

I had to click "Like" on your post. Not because you broke down but because you wrote "a macabre scene of ethylene glycol gore". Ha!

My most recent breakdown was a few years ago due to a bad TFI-IV ignition module in a Ford truck. It is apparently impossible to buy a quality replacement any more so I bought two and put the extra in the glove box.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I have never broke down or got a flat but know plenty that have. The worst thing that’s ever happened is brake calipers sticking and almost burning the car to the ground because it was so hot and smoking so bad but my dad wouldn’t stop because he said he absolutely wasn’t going to pay a tow bill so we drove 40 miles with it doing that I was very angry. Also once his coil in his car failed and the check engine light kept flashing which means stop immediately especially since we were climbing some steep hills too but he keeps going refusing to pay a tow bill so a few grand and 4 new coils and a new catalytic converter later his car still runs with 259,000 on it but now keeps blowing through bearings so don’t know what the issue is. I’m sure though my Beetle will make me break down maybe lol because I am told they always do and to have tools with you.

 

[cos]

How old was the original coolant when/if you changed it?

My only break down was back in the mid 80s. I had an old '74 Mercury Comet (302, manual 3 speed & manual steering). It was old and neglected and the radiator sprung a leak - rusty brown water was coming out. I towed it home and replaced the rusted out radiator with a junk yard radiator. It's one of the many reasons why I'm almost fanatical about preventative maintenance.

 

[sloinker]

If you belt was squealing you may want to check the water pump too. Overheated and burst the radiator. Radiator may not be the root cause, also change the thermostat.

 

[sparky123]

I have a 1997 Previa which I'll never sell. The thermostat replacement was easy. Upper/lower radiator hoses shouldn't be difficult to replace. If the rotor/distributor cap are original, change out as well as head gasket/spark plugs. The spark plugs wires should be fine and are of excellent quality. Nothing like a Previa! Can carry a 4'x8' sheet and 12' lumber and close the rear hatch. Carry 6 in total comfort. And IT'S A "Babe" magnet! Puts those exotic domestic/foreign sports care to shame! (Only kidding...)

 

[gathermewool]

I had starter issues in my firsts Toyota. Luckily, when it finally went out completely and no amount of tapping would bring it back, we were parked at a friend's trailer in a beach town in DE. It just so happens that my friend's friend was an older lady who had left the place to her smoking hot niece and her friend who were our age. Needless to say, I didn't even think of calling a tow truck until I absolutely had to get back home for the HS football Allstar game and a little while before I left for the Academy.

I ended up going through a couple of aftermarket/rebuilt starters that also failed before finally getting an OE replacement.

 

[Kurtatron]

How old was the original coolant when/if you changed it?

My only break down was back in the mid 80s. I had an old '74 Mercury Comet (302, manual 3 speed & manual steering). It was old and neglected and the radiator sprung a leak - rusty brown water was coming out. I towed it home and replaced the rusted out radiator with a junk yard radiator. It's one of the many reasons why I'm almost fanatical about preventative maintenance.

the coolant was only 3 years old. I had changed it shortly after obtaining the car. I had also changed the water pump and thermostat at that time. I doubt any damage was done whatsoever. There was no steaming, and the radiator overflow never got hot enough to cause any burns when opening it. Believe me, I really did turn the car on only to turn it off at speed and coast as long as possible with the engine off.

 

[Leo99]

Tires a few times.

Fuel filter when I was a kid.

Water pump in my 77 Buick. Dumped the coolant.

Fan belt in my 77 Buick

Gf and I were headed to NYC and parked in local train station lot. Smelled burning and noticed my brake caliper seized on my Isuzu. Drove to exit and explained reason and declined to pay the $10 minimum parking fee. The attendant said no exceptions. I again declined and refused to accept that their no exceptions policy was true. The attendant sent us to the manager. I didn't even know parking garages had a manager. The manager said we needed to sign their exceptions log sheet with our reason, which we did and he gave us a pass to get out. As we are exiting the attendant calls the manager who then comes running over to us and says the attendant said we cursed at her and he's revoking our pass. We didn't say a word to her and we're very professional the entire encounter. My gf got really mad and I told the manager someone is lying here and I'm not paying and I'm not moving so to call the police to straighten out this mess. He opened the gate. We couldn't understand why someone would lie like that.

 

[zzyzzx]

Alternator went, and only got as far as the battery power would let me.
Dropped a valve seat on the highway.
Timing belt broke. (really stripped teeth).


There next two were on different vehicles, and on the same weekend:
Had head gasket issue causing exhaust to leak into coolant, and that caused a radiator hose to pop off.
Crankshaft position sensor broke.
I was halfway expecting the same tow truck driver to pick me up the second time, but that didn't happen.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My only break down was my Jeep last December. Took it out off-roading and hit some bumps too hard. Transmission started slipping bad on my way out, got to the parking lot outside of the lake and stopped. The front axle came up so far it broke the transmission cooler lines. There was no patching it, I had to get towed. My brother rented a Uhaul trailer and came and picked me up.

It was due to worn out bump stops for the front coil springs. Those have been replaced too. Here's a pic from that trip.View attachment 32994

That looks like a beautiful place!

 

[dbias]

My only break down requiring a tow was in my 2003 Yukon Denali XL. Fuel pump stopped dead less than a mile from........ yes filling the 32+ gallon tank full. I was able to tow it to my fire station and used a hand jack to lower that massive fuel tank down to the point where I could reach up and change out the fuel pump. Back on the road in less than 3 hours.

 

[Nick1994]

That looks like a beautiful place!

It's awesome, only 45 minutes from my house. It's Saguaro Lake, but it's also an offroad park "Butcher Jones"

 

[aquariuscsm]

It's awesome, only 45 minutes from my house. It's Saguaro Lake, but it's also an offroad park "Butcher Jones"

I love it!

 

[Dave Sherman]

Knock on wood, only breakdowns that left me stranded were when the plastic timing gear committed hari kari on a GM Iron Duke, and when the electric fuel pump I put in the MG to fix the habitual vapor locks quit after a month.

 

[antonmnster]

All summer long I was getting ads on social media for the plastic coolant flange on the front of my engine. Like all my social media ads, I did my best to ignore it.

Last week, as I was idling for about an hour on a work call, I noticed steam rising from my hood, I sat in denial. "I maintain my car! That must be snow on the radiator!" Nope. Just as I was snapping out of it and ended the call, the low coolant light message popped up.

Fortunately, I was a block from the office. One quick glance confirmed it was the flange.

The good news: a local parts store had an aluminum part and it took about 15 minutes to change in the parking lot.

The bad news: a good amount of plastic from the old flange was nowhere to be found. The old part was extremely soft, and I suspect it's been leaking for a long time. I'm afraid there's a piece of plastic floating in my very complicated cooling system that's going to Chernobyl a turbo.

 

[CR94]

Broken ignition primary wire twice, in 2 different cars; repaired myself on the scene.
Broken ignition primary resistor; repaired myself on Interstate shoulder in the dark.
Failed NEW ignition condenser (remember those?); repaired myself on the scene, in the dark in Pa. in January.
Failed ignition "igniter", required tow first time; replaced myself on roadside second time.
Failed NEW oil filter hose sprayed engine oil everywhere; replaced with old one myself on Interstate shoulder.
Failed altitude compensator in NEW Mazda; rode back home on bicycle, car towed 3 days later by dealer under warranty.
Broken v-belt; replaced by myself on shoulder.

Those were my memorable breakdowns in roughly 900k miles total, not including tire issues.

 

[chemman]

I was "given" a 1967 Plymouth Fury with a 318 V8 shortly after my 18th birthday. Car ran OK, but it needed tires, which I bought through the Pennzoil Distributor I was working for at the time. Well, a couple of months after getting it I was driving on the Interstate when the crankshaft seized up and left me stranded about 50 miles from home. A very nice state trooper stopped, requested a tow truck for me and took me to the next town where I was able to call my dad to come get me. A week later my dad and I returned to the shop that sent the tow truck, gave the owner the title in return for the tires. Shop owner was happy with the deal because the transmission in the car had been replaced right before I got the car.