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Embarrassing break downs

Posted By : James Dennison, 13-May-2006, 11:06pm

Took my GT6 Convertible out of hibernation a few weeks ago. Checked everything looked ok, oil change, brake fluid change, oiled trunnions, changed coolant, cleaned and tightened electrics, charged battery etc.

A few good runs round the local lanes - everything sweet.

Until I drive to work..............

Surprise surprise I leave work early on Friday afternoon and she won't start - flat battery.

No problem thinks I - jump leads in the boot.......... but no she's having none of it........ and there is a bit of smoke coming off the throttle cable which is red hot - oh dear.

Cut a long story sort I spend the next two hours in the office car park going through all the electrical connections trying to work out what is wrong, during which time everyone else leaves work, get into their euroboxes which start first click and drive off home to enjoy the sunshine leaving the smug git with the "MG" (why does everyone think any sportscar over 20 yrs old has to be an MG?) waiting for the very nice man.

Eventually the AA turn up the guy literally touches the car and within 30 seconds she's running like nothing was ever wrong.

As you have all guessed the engine earth strap has come loose resulting in the throttle cable acting as the earth.

Had I been at home I would have walked away, thought logically about what was wrong and fixed it.

No doubt on monday morning I will have a succession of folks commenting on how unreliable old cars are blah blah blah...

Anyway, that is my (non) starter for 10 - anyone else got any embarrassing break down stories?

James
Staffs

Followups :

Embarrassing break downs

Posted By : John Davies, 14-May-2006, 10:29am

James,
It's 'fess up time. Not exactly a break down, but embarassing.

After I built the Silverback, it just wouldn't run.
Idle fine, vroom-vroom on the throttle out of gear, right up to the rev limiter.
On the road, foot down, bog down, every time. Can't get beyond 4K
It took me a YEAR of trying to sort it, I went to two race meetings and a track day, and still my superdooper starship was a wet blanket.
I bit the bullet - took it to a Rolling Road (Dennis Vessey, Nr.Scunthorpe - thanks Dennis!).
Delivered the car by trailer, drove it into their garage, went back to put the trailer straight.
Came back, "Why is your choke on?" says Dennis.

It wasn't. The cable was kinked so as to pull forward the choke lever on the metering unit.
Only about 3mm, but Dennis had spotted it!

Now the Silverback is legend!

John
- Embarrassing break downs
  
  Posted By : Dan Owen, 14-May-2006, 12:02pm
  
  My most embarassing was when one of the LT leads decided to fall off the coil. Right in the middle of the busiest crossroads in Gloucester... Thanks, by the way, to the bastards who stood there pointing and laughing while I pushed it clear!
  - Embarrassing break downs
    
    Posted By : Steve Cureton, 14-May-2006, 06:27pm
    
    Back in 1976 (ish) I borrwed my dad's Austin A40 Farina but while I was out it failed to start (flat batery if I remeber right) and two policemen offered to give me a push start. After a few attempts it still wouldn't start but then one of them asked me if I'd turned on the ignition - guess what?!!
    - Embarrassing break downs
      
      Posted By : Jason Chinn, 14-May-2006, 06:51pm
      
      Broke down at the gates of Stoneleigh once in the Sixfire, everyone who left the Triumph Spares Day drove past, some stopped to offer help, no one could fix it Turned out to be a blocked fuel line but that took some finding.
      Came back from a day at the rolling road in the Vitesse - mightily proud of my big power monster and I spanked it thorooughly all the way home only to have it die at a roundabout on the way home - at 5pm - on the A4 in Theale - mucho busy! ANyway, thanks to the Stag owner who stopped to help. Took the Sixfire for it's MOT the next day, tester said it was teh second Triumph he'd seen this week, last one was "some broken down looser blocking traffic and making me late for my tea" - I have since fessed up to him and we had a laugh - well I had to cos he MOT's both cars now And yes, they go through first time. Oh and that breakdown was a damn dodgy rotor arm!
      - Embarrassing break downs
        
        Posted By : Colin Lindsay, 14-May-2006, 08:30pm
        
        Wait until the BBC have just wired your GT6 for camera and sound for the last three hours, presenter is sitting beside you and you get the word to go.. and the batteries flat. At least it starts with a push...
        ... until you're ready for the cue, camera's rolling, presenter does her piece out the passenger door window and on the word, rev the engine, let the clutch out and.. it dies.
        Take two...
        take three...
        take four...
        take five...
        eventually a long diagnosis with everyone twiddling their thumbs reveals a broken rotor arm...
        It looked alright in the final cut..!!
        Colin
        
        .
        
        Embarrassing break downs
        
        Posted By : Colin Wake, 15-May-2006, 08:18am
        
        Many moons ago I was offered the mortal remains of a vitesse saloon, the previous owner had tried to combine his accident damaged convertible with a very good condition saloon, and instead of swapping the rear tubsm had thought it a cood idea to cut all the way round about 2 inches above the lowest edge, but that is another story.....
        
        My company car was lacking a towbar at the time so I borrowed a mates Range Rover. Knowing it to bit a touch thirsty (6-7mpg) I asked how accurate the gauge was etc.
        
        Don't worry, he said, the gauge is accurate and when the light comes on you have about 20 miles left in the tank.
        
        Driving home late that night I realised he had failed to mention that the dash had no back lighting, and I had no torch to provide one, never mind, I'll wait for the light.
        
        A12 northbound Ingatestone bypass where it used to go from 3 lanes to 2 (it is now 2 lanes all the way since last month) light comes on......... 300yds later it runs out of fuel.
        
        There I am stuck in the inside lane, unable to pull it off the road as it is an auto.
        
        Thankfully a very nice policeman towed me and my trailer full of 'scrap' to the next layby with his Volvo. That was impressive, about 4 tonnes it pulled.
        
        Boy was I embarrassed having to grovel my apologies to the nice boys in blue.
        
        Now for the scary part......
        
        About 5 mins after stopping, I'm standing well away from the car/trailer having positioned the big flashing amber light on the roof of the Rangie and switched on the hazard flashers, ringing the wife to explain why I will be late.... when there was an the loudest screech of tyres I had ever heard, it was a petrol tanker with all of it's wheels locked up heading for the parked trailer. It had clearly failed to notice me whilst 'racing' another petrol tanker up the incline trying to hold onto the inside lane.
        
        It just managed to squeeze behind the other one and get past.........
        
        The wife thought I was about to die it sounded so loud at her end!
        
        Don't ever stay in your car if you break down, ever!
        
        Colin
Embarrassing break downs

Posted By : Jonathan Sellars, 22-May-2006, 10:25pm

I thought I'd take the plunge and bring my "new" (to me) Spitfire to the Knebworth Classic Car show last August, call it a test run if you like. Didn't miss a beat all the way up the A1 and then, right in the middle of the entrance gate and just 50 yards or so from the girls collecting the entry passes, engine cuts out and won't restart completely blocking the entrance (getting quite busy by this time).

But just to rub salt in, I'd only gone and driven all the way from Surrey with the choke out!!

In spite of this the points turned out to be the main culprit of the day and I eventually got it back home with the aid of a folded piece of card wedged firmly in the appropriate position as a temporary fix.
- Embarrassing break downs
  
  Posted By : Dan Owen, 25-May-2006, 11:03am
  
  Another good one, that I always use as ammunition, was when the old man put diesel in his Acclaim and had to be towed home.
  Luckily it was an easy fix, siphoned out the diesel, fresh petrol in the tank and we just towed it up and down the street till it started, with clouds of smoke as you might expect, but that soon cleared and all was well.
  - Embarrassing break downs
    
    Posted By : Colin Wake, 25-May-2006, 03:33pm
    
    Thank god it wasn't a modern car, would have cost you an arm and a leg, and a few other limbs.
    
    You only have to let a Merc oil burner sniff unleaded and it costs 10k.
    
    Or perhaps all the delears are Bull-Shi***ng for England (Germany!)
    
    I suspect the latter.
    
    Colin
    - Embarrassing break downs
      
      Posted By : Ian Osprey, 25-May-2006, 03:54pm
      
      Once filled my Ford Maverick with water/diesel mix. courtesy of the local BP petrol station. My wife managed to drive it onto the M74, where it conked out and was towed to a garage, who promptly lost for 3 days.
      2 weeks later we got it back, Elaine took it to Edinburgh to meet a friend. It conked out in the middle of single-file roadworks on the M8. She made onto the local radio news!
      The engineer said, 'must still be some water in it then?'
      We sold it on shortly after words
      - Embarrassing break downs
        
        Posted By : Clive Speaks, 26-May-2006, 10:45am
        
        In 2000, I owned a 2500S estate LPG converted, but still had original 12 gallon petrol tank as well as an 80 litre gas tank. Ran out of both trying to get to and save 1p/litre at garage nearer home! Bought gallon from pirate he kept for his mower. Cost &163;5!!
        
        Embarrassing break downs
        
        Posted By : Dan Owen, 26-May-2006, 02:59pm
        
        Diesel in an old-ish petrol car doesn't do any damage as it is a lubricant, and won't burn so the engine stops. Petrol in a diesel engine is far more serious, usually wrecks the fuel pump etc etc etc and being more volatile than diesel can cause the engine to ACTUALLY BLOW UP not just blow the head gasket, or sieze or whatever.
        
        Of course the garage job with diesel in the petrol is to remove everything and blow it out with an airline, or at least that's what they'll tell you to justify the big bills! Siphoning off, fresh petrol and tow starting (though expect it to take a while to shift the derv in the fuel lines and carbs) would work for any old Triumph. Why do you want a modern car anyway...
        
        Embarrassing break downs
        
        Posted By : Sandy Slessor, 31-May-2006, 10:39pm
        
        This one happened last summer, MAD AUNTIE SYLVIA ( she's a sweet 89 year old who lives right in the centre of San Antonio!) was visiting and my good lady said "Why not take Sylvia for a run out in the Spit?" Yes dear, thirty miles of back road nonsense, rear end squealing, all good fun stuff when, cough cough splutter runs out of petrol in Leavening (small village N,Yorks no petrol!)
        Leans over and says, " Now there's a thing Sylvia, young man takes you out in his sports car and runs out of petrol in the middle of nowhere!" "Yes dear" replies Sylvia " Pity that you're 40 years too late"
        Ah well, us young lads will try!