Car going no-where fast!

[handedyourhat]

My wife wanted to take her smart car...I wanted to take my veggie ride (87 jetta 1.6TD) as mine was free to drive anywhere! Perhaps I should have listened to her but I'm usually the one wearing the pants!! Everything was going smoothly. We were about 4 hours into our adventure including a ferry ride over to Vcr Island. It was going great and we were at the last stop before our final 45 minutes to our destination. We thought we'd stop and get a burger and as we turned off the highway to the entrance of the local A&W, I pushed in the clutch pedal and my little diesel died!! As we roled into the parking stall and set the emergency break my heart sank!  :shock: I cranked it over once and it made a huge backfire!  :cry: Man, I should have listened to her! Her stupid little smart car wouldn't have done this.  :oops: I got out of the car and popped the hood. Peeled back the timing belt cover with my fingers and to my amazement there was no timebelt visable! Now I really had to go to the bathroom! Holy crap we were in deeep deeep doggie dodo!!! Fortunately there was a Canadian Tire across the highway that I sent my wife to find a new belt while I took the car apart. I told her to buy it regardless of the price....even if it was $1,000!!! They didn't have the part but were kind enough to call around and after the second call, found the required belt at Lordco, which was 100 feet behind me (not visible from where we were). How lucky can we get!!! I have horseshoes up my butt (I've used up most of my horseshoes on that one). We still weren't in the clear thinking that the valves in the motor were bent! Anyway, the little woman went to Lordco, got a deal using the Company I worked for as a discount and then the work was on!!! Within 1/2 an hour and 1 large glass of water the car was up and running like new!!! Fortunately I'm a obsessive about carrying tools and always have more than enough in the trunk of my car. I could even rebuild the engine in the car if I had to. I have enough tools that I could be creative enough to get the motor back in time without the actual VW tools! The rest of the trip went smooth as glass!! My single advice when buying a used car...don't trust the seller's word about having changed the timing belt not to long ago! The one of my car looked like it was of 1987 vintage (of what was left of it!).

[jtanguay]

don't trust the seller's word about having changed the timing belt not to long ago! The one of my car looked like it was of 1987 vintage (of what was left of it!).

or pretty much... don't trust the seller... period?  :lol: glad to hear it wasn't a major catastrophe... imagine if it broke while at speed?  :shock: i'd say you used a horse shoe on that one!

[Smokey Eddy]

Woooowwwwwww
thank god your valves were ok.
That's an awesome story. I got pretty good at doing timing belts with my friend. We got it down to 12 minutes in December.
where in BC are you! PM me!

[Ltsmash]

Very good story indeed. Reminds me when i snapped an alternator belt and for some reason it stalled on me so hard it jumped a couple teeth on the timing belt, luckily no valves were smacked.  At least you had a tim hortons across the road too if i'm not mistaken on where you were, just incase it didn't work out for you

And i guess this story has 2 points....don't ever trust what sellers tell you, and always keep a toolkit handy haha

[handedyourhat]

ya I always frequent the auto wreckers looking for new vw parts, I have quite the assoertment of mk2 parts now, lets just say that my little tool bag (princess auto)has enough tools in it to get me out of any predicament that it has to offer, I even had a extra ignition module for a 1989 S15 blazer a couple of years ago in my bag,saw them all stairing at the engine of there S15 with the hood up, I felt sorry for them, ended up replacing the module in the Tim Hortons parking lot at Watcom exit in Abby in a families vehicle that where on vacation from the sunshine Coast that were stranded, Man were they ever greatfull that I was there at the right time, re and re the module told them to start her up and they were on there merry way... (LOL)

[Ltsmash]

it never hurts to have spare parts laying around, even if they seem useless at the time. Wish i would've had an oil cooler coolant hose a few days ago.  The little short one that does a quick bend back into the metal heater line.  Went to lordco, wakefield sperling, napa, none of them even listed the hose.  Went to VW and they would've had to bring it in from Victoria, take 2 days. Went to auto wreckers, nothing they were willing to sell off a good block.  Went to Gordon's VW in Langley he got one ordered in, and the next day i was on my merry way $15 later.