Sequoia and his Bad, Bad weekend

Just thought I'd make everybody feel better about their own weekends and such...

First of all, this is not a tech post, just a rant. There will be plenty of tech posts in the coming days on this issue I assure you!

So, the weekend itself was all right, it could have been better (I was up at the Kern river) I didn’t get the campsite I wanted and my sister came up with us to camp (she is quite argumentative, when having to deal with her all weekend it’s a drag.). Anyway, it really started to suck on Saturday when we almost drowned my girlfriend’s sister Patty. We were setting out to run some tubes down the river and took the path down to the trail that didn’t have the sign saying we were approaching class IV rapids. Anyway, yeah, we were dumb, and we trusted the word of the guys there who said “Why yeah, we just did it, it’s real easy.” So we did it, and it didn’t work out so well! Maybe I’ll elaborate on this one later…feeling a little lazy right now…

So on Sunday Holly, Patty and I take off for a little day trip up Sherman Pass Road (about a 4,000 foot gain in elevation), going up the hill I overheat. So I check it all out and find that my overflow tube is crimped completely. (When the cooling system reached a critical pressure it would blow the cap up and vent out of the side of it.) Anyway, took care of that and tried to go along my merry way. Wasn’t happening. Ended up turning around and going back down, got some water, filled it up. Drove it out of there to Woffard Heights (I got a little warm, but not actually overheating), then headed up 155 (out to the West, has quite a steep hill) and started overheating again.

Drove back down to Woffard Heights, got some coolant and filled it, tried another run up 155, started getting hot, came back down. Drove into Lake Isabella and once I got there I removed my thermostat, found it was seized, so I sealed it up with some Goop (the only stuff available to me) and drove down to Bakersfield. I was running fine temperature wise until I got just about to the 99, there it started to heat up so I pulled over and waited. Seemed like I was consuming some water, but not dropping it…damn. Ended up not being able to keep the temperature down so we got a Motel 6 and stayed the night, this was Sunday.

On Monday I started hitting a few places that Goatman recommended (he’s been a tremendous help!), a mechanic, couldn’t get much help there, so then a radiator shop, the radiator shop sent me to a smog shop, sniffed my coolant and found 7 ppm of HC in it, not much. I dropped Holly and Patty off at Avis; they rented a car and went home (we both had to work on Monday but couldn’t make it, she was afraid of missing another day). I waited around Bakersfield for nightfall when I’d try to make it out of town on my own power. Well, it didn’t work out that way.

I parked at a mall, went inside and got food, and watched a movie. All in all, probably about four hours of the Jeep not running. When I came back out and started it up it was idling rough. I took it for a spin around the parking lot and I could hardly get out of my own way. I though I’d try taking it for a longer spin and see if the problem would just go away…it didn’t.

Called Goatman (had to tell somebody about this, I was just laughing because of it), he came by and took a look at it, wasn’t looking good. We decided to see how it worked on freeways, so he took the lead and I followed, and it just wasn’t happening, so we came back. Ended up taking my Jeep to the Ford dealership he works for, parking it there, and he took me to the Greyhound station (I had to get back to work), well, no go, the bus was full. So he ran me to Motel 6 and I regrouped my thoughts.

Tuesday. I left the Motel at about noon after sitting there talking to work, then checking on a few connections I had to get home, checking , all that, so I checked out and went to the book store across the street, got a book. Then I walked over to a Jack In The Box and got some food, then walked to the dealership to charge my cell phone so I could call AAA and see about upgrading my membership. Nope. You can’t go from regular AAA to Plus or Premier unless you have a clean towing record for the past 18 months; I got a tow in September. So we come up with the idea of trying some chemical to temporarily fill the hole, nope, no go. So it ends up that Goatman ran me to the Bakersfield Airport Bus Depot and I took a bus to LAX, Holly picked me up from there.

My XJ is still at Goatman’s work, I’ve got no car, and I’m trying to come up with a way to get my car the 125 miles home. So yeah, it’s been a little stressful.

Thanks for listening to my rant here…and yeah, I know I can be long winded!

Sequoia

Man, that sux. I know how those times are when nothing goes right and everything is a hassle. Oh wait, these past 3 days have been that way.... I feel for ya. Hopefully it'll get better.

Ary

U-haul? If you need funds, just ask. I am sure we can help. is known for helping its members.

Rev

Well, the U-Haul is an idea. I just need a rig to tow it with (the Jeep is my only car) I'm thinking now that I'll have somebody local help me out in teh way of probably pulling a U-Haul trailer for me. Unless somebody has a trailer too

As for funds, come tomorrow that won't be a problem any more for this.

It's been crazy..but in time it will just be another "war story"

its ashame your out on the west coast. I'd help if i could since I've been there and had to deal with tstuff like that. You know its bad when you leave home towing your jeep and by the time you get to camp jeep your driving it and you have to go back with 2 trucks and a 32ft goose neck to hual your tow rig back while the other truck pulls your trailer. And i'm still having problems with the damn truck but slowly fixing them all. all i can say is that a big block chevy can take alot of abuse like 4 hours of towing while running at 235 to 240 deg and not die.

Sequoia, we tried the good stuff today. My friend says it works 9 out of 10 times on bad head gaskets, he's even sealed blocks with it. Drained the radiator, filled it up and added the liquid glass, and let it idle and drove it around a little. No go, still runs the same.

Keep me posted. I work this weekend, so I'll be around.

Kind of curious.. did you have an indication of it going bad or did it just go over to the dark side in more or less one step?

Kejtar

The only indication was the HC is the coolant (very good indication ) It ran fine up until I parked it to go see the movie and wait for the cover of darkenss. Then boom, no power...

I can't believe good old liquid glass didn't work. A real crapped it is.

Do a Bones and pull it appart in the campground.

I've got an extra motor at my house, but that doesn't help you a whole lot in SoCal.

I think you should buy Goatman a 1/2 rack and get him do dolly it back home. No friends with anything that will tow. You could car dolly it even with a midsize pickup. Check out the local car rentals and see if any of them are setup with a hitch. Then rent a dolly.

I've been told good Jeeps can find their way home. Look at the bright side, you made it back to civilization.

Good Luck,
Lincoln

Well, I've found somebody local with a truck and trailer that he's going to let me borrow, so I'm going to get it back tomorrow! As for the work, I'll kinda start in on that thyis weekend, probably won't finish it until next weekende.

All in the name for fun.

My dailer driver isn't much, but it's so much nicer not worrying about getting the XJ fixed by Monday morning (or the next).

There has been more than one night when I worked all night so I could make it to work the next morning. And it's was usally something stupid. Like the time I went for a late afternoon trip and the belt broke. Well I was three hours from home and no extra. So we made it within cell distance and had a very understanding friends wife pick up a belt before the parts store closed. Made it back to tow just before midnight and turned around and went back to retrieve it. Finally made it home around 4:00 and had to be up at 5:00 for work.

Did I say swinging a hammer that day wasn't any fun. Then I just went out two day's later and broke it again.

You'll get it and be a better person when you do. That's probably not true, but it sure sounds good.

Later,
Lincoln

Sequoia I have a sugestion. When you do pull the head have it magnifluxed and make sure it's not cracked. also check to make sure it's not warped.

Sorry to hear about your bad weekend. hang in there it will get better.

Jerm S.