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My sister forgot to put oil in her car and blew the engine in the middle of nowhere. She was a couple hundred miles east of El Paso on I-10. We had the car towed to the nearest little town and she stayed in the motel there while a shop looked at her car. They said they couldn't order a new engine and would have to look around at junkyards for a used one and it could be a few weeks before they could get one. I called the Honda dealers in El Paso and they said they could put a new engine in (of course). I called different towing companies and couldn't find anyone who would go out and bring the car to El Paso for less than $900. There were no rental cars in Van Horn and no taxi. No rental car companies would deliver a car to Van Horn either. There was a greyhound bus that went through once a week, and I told my sister to get on it and go to El Paso to rent a car, the drive back to pick up her family, but she wouldn't do it. My parents ended up having to drive 800 miles round trip to go get my sister, and they gave her their spare car to drive back home. She ended up abandoning her old car at the shop that wouldn't/couldn't fix it, and last we heard they wanted $3k in storage fees.
I really didn't know it was possible to get totally stranded these days.
How long ago was this? We stayed in Van Horn for a few months on an Air Force project back in the late 1990s.
I enjoyed my stay - very quiet. I'm surprised she didn't find someone to give her a ride to El Paso. Those people there drove there and back like it was a trip around the block! It isn't a couple hundred miles - maybe 90.
When we were there I think the Greyhound went by daily - several times. It ran out of a McDonalds on the I-10 access road.
We ran into Alice from the Brady Bunch at a gas station. They told us she drove through there a lot on her way to San Antonio to visit her sister.
Sounds like you are riding the clutch, or not shifting right, burning out a clutch on a long trip is not mechanical error, it is human error
Quote:
Originally Posted by Me007gold
That dose sound like user error. Riding the clutch, foot resting on the pedal, what ever. Clutches are good for 150-200k plus, unless the car sees some decent track time.
I never ride the clutch. The first clutch was shot when I bought the car. It was noted by a mechanic who I had tune up the car before the trip, but for some reason he didn’t recommend that I replace it. The second time was about 70,000 miles later. The clutch was worn out. I should have replaced it before the trip. But it was an emergency trip, and I thought it would make it. Turned out that the trip over the mountains was too much for it. As for shifting right, I have been driving five speeds for over 30 years. I think I know how to do shift right.
I never ride the clutch. The first clutch was shot when I bought the car. It was noted by a mechanic who I had tune up the car before the trip, but for some reason he didn’t recommend that I replace it. The second time was about 70,000 miles later. The clutch was worn out. I should have replaced it before the trip. But it was an emergency trip, and I thought it would make it. Turned out that the trip over the mountains was too much for it. As for shifting right, I have been driving five speeds for over 30 years. I think I know how to do shift right.
Hmm, guess you have to chalk it up to bad luck? I've driven standards for 40 something years, I've only had to replace 1 clutch on my own vehicles, but I was dogging it pretty hard when that issue came up. My off roader is a 97 Yota, has 250,000 miles on the odometer and still on the factory clutch. Drove 60 miles up the valley last week, then about 10 miles off road up a mountain collecting firewood, then back home, I'm guessing clutch will make it 300K+.
How long ago was this? We stayed in Van Horn for a few months on an Air Force project back in the late 1990s.
I enjoyed my stay - very quiet. I'm surprised she didn't find someone to give her a ride to El Paso. Those people there drove there and back like it was a trip around the block! It isn't a couple hundred miles - maybe 90.
When we were there I think the Greyhound went by daily - several times. It ran out of a McDonalds on the I-10 access road.
We ran into Alice from the Brady Bunch at a gas station. They told us she drove through there a lot on her way to San Antonio to visit her sister.
They filmed Lonesome Dove not too far from there.
Summer before last. I looked it up, it's 120 miles. I called all the gas stations or truck stops in Van Horn and asked if they knew anyone who would drive my sister to El Paso for money. They all said there was a guy who gave people rides home from the bar when they'd had too much but nobody who would drive all the way to El Paso.
I don't know why my sister wouldn't go on the Greyhound either...when I looked it up, it was going to be passing through the next morning, I told her where to buy the ticket and offered to buy the ticket if she didn't have the money.
This is my baby sister. She's one of those kids who can find most things if it can be found on Google but take away her wifi and send her out to speak to a real live person and she vaporlocks.
I'm from Holland, and got stranded last summer about 2500 km from home, in Lapland, Sweden, in the middle of nowhere.
We had made a day trip to a Sami village and after that we went in the mountains to do a few trails. After we did some off roading and i wanted to shift from 4 lo to 4 hi, the shifter link of my t-case broke and got stuck in 2wd, so we had to go back to camp in 2wd through the mountains. On a sand road I lost traction and flew out the bend, through a ditch against the trees.
We were totally stuck, the Jeep sanked deep in the ditch, two side doors totalled, no 4wd to get out and cell phones not workin in that area. Then a farmer drove by who happend to have a chain saw in the back.
We cut the trees around the car and he managed to pull us out of the ditch.
Luckily the car was still drivable so we made it back to camp. I taped the broken windows, removed the front drive shaft to make it permanent 2wd, and we got on with our holliday (but stayed away from the sand roads ).
Broke a timing belt , and lost a piston , got the timing belt back on in two days repair and drove the car home with three pistons , .. made it home is six hours is one hell of a bumpy ride ......next day took the car to the junk yard and bought a new car
Don't allow a false sense of security with GPS, cell phones etc get the best of you. Can happen to anyone.
Reminds me of the James Kim story in Oregon when him and his family became stuck in the snowy wilderness. The mistakes and the circumstances ultimately lead to his death.
Jame Kim was using a paper map. Their problems began when they missed a crucial turn off. Makes you wonder if having a vioce spoken GPS woul have helped. It woul have repeatedly told them " In 5 miles, take exit xyz...in 2 miles, take exit xyz, in 200 feet, take exit xyz."
I never ride the clutch. The first clutch was shot when I bought the car. It was noted by a mechanic who I had tune up the car before the trip, but for some reason he didn’t recommend that I replace it. The second time was about 70,000 miles later. The clutch was worn out. I should have replaced it before the trip. But it was an emergency trip, and I thought it would make it. Turned out that the trip over the mountains was too much for it. As for shifting right, I have been driving five speeds for over 30 years. I think I know how to do shift right.
I wasn't talking about you. I quoted the poster that she she regularly went through a clutch every 3 years. If you go through a clutch that often there are really only 3 possibilities. 1. Incorrect installation, 2. Incorrect usage, 3. Car see a lot of track time
Jame Kim was using a paper map. Their problems began when they missed a crucial turn off. Makes you wonder if having a vioce spoken GPS woul have helped. It woul have repeatedly told them " In 5 miles, take exit xyz...in 2 miles, take exit xyz, in 200 feet, take exit xyz."
Not up on the Bear Camp Road it wouldn't. He also ignored signs and markings on the road as well. GPS doesn't work well up where he got lost. Even if it did, relying on GPS would not have saved him if he's going to ignore road markings and signs. GPS is not 100% accurate even now, years later.
I wasn't talking about you. I quoted the poster that she she regularly went through a clutch every 3 years. If you go through a clutch that often there are really only 3 possibilities. 1. Incorrect installation, 2. Incorrect usage, 3. Car see a lot of track time
I didn’t see that post, but how many miles does she put on the car? If she is putting a lot of miles on the car, it could be possible. I would add number 4. Driving a lot.
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