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Topic: Your car ever left you stranded? (Read 2456 times) previous topic - next topic

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #15 –
Of all my breakdowns listed above the only ones that required tow trucks were the '91 T-Bird HG's and the Volvo engine. Oh, and I forgot two more, too - strange considering they were serious enough to need a hook.

First the Volvo - the alternator failed. I was driving into work and the BAT light came on. I made it to within 1/2 mile of work. I had CAA this time, though, so the tow was free (and the alt covered under warranty). I work, of course, at an alternator repair shop (I don't repair alts, I build cop cars, but they do alts there).

I also forgot about the time the fuel pump harness in my Dakota got pinched between the body and frame and burned. The truck stalled on a steep downhill, and I shifted into neutral. I coasted about three miles and took a very sharp turn at about 40, then coasted to a stop. Luckily, this time, a friend was following me in my Volvo (I was actually bringing the truck to the cottage to leave it there for awhile until I fixed a brake problem). I got in the car, we continued to the cottage, and a local resident offered to tow me to the cottage. THAT was a scary ride - the guy had a 2000 F250 4X4 5.4 and was not shy about showing off its power. He towed me at about 60MPH, with an eight foot tow chain, and me with no power steering or brakes (and with the brake problem, no brakes at all). He swerved to avoid a porcupine and almost flicked me into the ditch. When he (barely) slowed down to turn on the road to the cottage I was hanging onto the steering wheel and planting the brake pedal as hard as I could. I went right past him and swung him around - the two trucks then started twirling like nunchucks, with the chain holding 'em together. Miraculously, we didn't hit each other, and he thought it was a hoot.

*EDIT* reading about you guys running out of gas reminded me of another one, this one in the '85 T-Bird. I was in trade school at the time I owned that car, and had brought it into the class shop to do some rear brake work. I had it jacked up and on jackstands with the rear wheels and drums off. I then had to do some class-type work (we called it "theory" work). Some guys in the other class decided they needed to use the particular part of the shop my car was occupying, so they put a jack under the rear diff and pulled the car across the shop. Unfortunately the car came off the jack. When it did the jack crushed the gas tank. The other class teacher put a blow gun into the fuel line and pressurized the tank, which popped in back into shape. Unfortunately the dent must have also pushed the fuel pickup up, because I ran out of gas half way home with 1/4 tank showing. From then on I could not let the car go below 1/4 tank, because even though there was fuel in the tank, it would run out.
2015 Mustang GT Premium - 5.0, 6-speed, Guard Green - too much awesome for one car

1988 5.0 Thunderbird :birdsmily: SOLD SEPT 11 2010: TC front clip/hood ♣ Body & paint completed Oct 2007 ♣ 3.55 TC rear end and front brakes ♣ TC interior ♣ CHE rear control arms (adjustable lowers) ♣ 2001 Bullitt springs ♣ Energy suspension poly busings ♣ Kenne Brown subframe connectors ♣ CWE engine mounts ♣ Thundercat sequential turn signals ♣ Explorer overhead console (temp/compass display) ♣ 2.25" off-road dual exhaust ♣ T-5 transmission swap completed Jan 2009 ♣

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #16 –
My starter just kicked on me.  I'm going to go and pick up a mini from a yard and fix it in the parking lot where I left.
1988 Thunderbird Sport (1st car)
351W in the works
"I'll get it one piece at a time...":D

Quote from: bhazard;300566
You got woman'd.

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #17 –
Timing belt on my TC is the only thing. My fault since I knew it was bad, just didnt get around to it in time. Couple times my starter has worked itself loose enough to not ground. That happened yesterday.

Nothing a good ol fashioned push start cant fix though.
93 Festiva L, 193k miles, BP+T/G25MR swap, T3 50trim .48/.42, SRT FMIC, Capri electronics/Rocketchip, 2.5" exhaust
bests: ET 12.86, MPH 110.25, 1.92 short
02 Subaru Impreza WRX, 129k miles
97 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, 236k miles

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #18 –
Timing belt broke on my '86 once. I knew it was over due and I had planned to fix it as soon as I got back from a trip to MA.
 
Yep, you guessed it. Somewhere in the Berkshires on some moutain 10 miles from anywhere. I was going up the side of the mountain and it just flat died.

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #19 –
Well, my truck has left me stranded twice, once the fuel pump wouldn't shut off and drained the battery, the other time my starter was bad and blew the fuel pump relay fuse link, that wasn't fixed till about too months ago.

Otherwise I have had no problems.
1987 Cougar XR7 5.0 SOLD
1992 Ranger 4.0
2018 Hyundai Elantra
2019 Ram Rebel

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #20 –
The '88 left me stranded on several occasions.

Brakes went out on me and I almost rearended a car but managed to coast into a gas station. Car was towed.

I too learned to keep battery terminals spotless as I had to get AAA to give me a jump at work.

Tensioner pully siezed leaving work one day. With very loud screeching and loss of power, the car died in a funeral home parking lot.

The final one was when the motor showered itself in antifreeze and shut off completely 3/4s of a mile from my house. Had to get a tow.

It has had a ton of other problems but most of the time I could limp the car home.

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #21 –
The only time I got stranded by my Cougar is HERE: http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=8388
-- 05 Mustang GT-Whipplecharged !!
--87 5.0 Trick Flow Heads & Intake - Custom Cam - Many other goodies...3100Lbs...Low12's!

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #22 –
Other than alternator/battery age/wear, its never broken down. It tried to strand me when the TAB or TAD solenoid quit working right, making it die below 1500rpm's, but thats nothing two feet on two pedals or a flathead screwdriver can't solve.

Now that a lot of the car has been modified and rewired, here's to hoping none of the addons are more pr0ne to failure than stock parts *looks at mark viii fan and controller*.

Other than general maintenance items, it has never stranded itself anywhere in its 211k miles of existence. Only car in my family (close and extended) that hasn't done so (with exception of cars owned for very short periods of time). Even the AOD is still holding on after having the kickdown grommet busted for awhile. Had a Mustang owner with 280k on his unopened HO come by once and it still ran fine.
1988 Thunderbird Sport

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #23 –
Ah the 88 and the miracles it has provided me with.
 
1. Rearend went out.  Pulled out of the gravel driveway too hard and hit asphalt only to hear a clunk.  Drove for a couple more days only making noises on certian turns to the left.  After a 3 hour round trip it WENT BANG 20 feet from the garage.  I still tell people this story.
 
2. Waterpump went out.  At school 1 1/2 hours from my house.  got in and drove, and drove and drove.  Put water in and watched it run out the bottom of the car.  So I drove home.  It amazingly didn't smoke, break or anything.  When I went to pull the lower hose the next day to change it.  NO water came out.
 
3. Fuel pump went out.  Acted like it was running out of gas, put gas in it and it still acted up.  Stoped at the local parts store to talk to some buddies and about 1/2 hour later it fired right up and proceeded to make the 1/2 trip home.  By the time I got in the driveway it was weezing and doing about 3 mph.
 
4. Alernator went out.  Left Jims house late one night knowing that my alt was already dead.  1 hour drive home.  Radio went off and the speedo stopped working.  Lights were so dim that they provided no light.  Pulled in the driveway and when I stoped the car it died.  Turning the key it did NOTHING.  Flat dead.
 
5. Heater core died second time.  Jim and I had the heater core blow out driving about 2 hours from my home going to visit a cougar fan.  When we got to the guys house we bridged the to houses and after gabing for a bit we started home.  After about 8 miles the car was wanting to die and the gauge was pegged.  Stoped at a gas station and proceeded to dump about 6 Big gulps of coolant in the radiator.. and then drove home.
 
6.  Transmission died.  Only 1000 miles from home. But 4 miles from my parents house in Florida.  Converter decided it didn't want to convert any more.  It wanted to be a clutch.  Locked up tight.  I had to pull the car out of gear when I came to a stop and rev the motor and neutral drop it to get going again.  It did make it home.
 
7. 8. 9. I've had various belts and things break over time but never have I been stranded in my 260k mile car. 
 
83 Cougar.
 
Nothing
One 88

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #24 –
Since I have My '85 Bird, never had any problem's, My mother before Me always have a trouble with the Bird, fire in front brakes, engine, radiator, ALL trouble was possible, since donated to Me, never had any problem's, I guess the prob was between steering and seat:hick: :hick: :hick:

But since I rebuilted the engine completely (V6), ect, ect...

My 1980 Ford van in near 400km I have, refused to start ONE time last 2 Years, the starter bendix was rolled gear on gear on the flywheel, slacked the starter and Go up!, next Day I rebuilted the starter:D, BUT NEVER lefted Me on the road in 400km...

Have a nice Day,

Dom.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]1985 Thunderbird 3.8 carbed 57k original, summer car.
1980 Econoline inline 6 300ci 300k, winter/working.
1988 Base Bird finally crushed... RIP.

Dominique,  The Ridiculous, Fordus, crazyous!!!  :birdsmily:

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #25 –
Oh yeh,ran great for me 30 mile run 1 way.Let my buuddy ruhn it hit 128 backed off ,Absolutley nuthin.afterwords,It was a runnin .
But it wasn't gettin me home that night.I melted the torque con.
to the input shaft ,My trany solid.now
Old Grey Cat to this.88 Cat, 5.0 HO, CW mounts, mass air, CI custom cam, afr165's, Tmoss worked cobra intake, BBK shorty's,off road h pipe, magnaflow ex. T-5,spec stage 2 clutch, 8.8 373 TC trac loc, che ajustables with bullits on the rear. 11" brakes up front. +

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #26 –
I do have to say I was edging him to go faster!
Old Grey Cat to this.88 Cat, 5.0 HO, CW mounts, mass air, CI custom cam, afr165's, Tmoss worked cobra intake, BBK shorty's,off road h pipe, magnaflow ex. T-5,spec stage 2 clutch, 8.8 373 TC trac loc, che ajustables with bullits on the rear. 11" brakes up front. +

Your car ever left you stranded?

Reply #27 –
lmfao
RIP 1988 and 1990 Lincoln Mark VII LSC
I welcomed the dark side and currently am driving a 2000 Dodge Durango SLT plus, with a 5.9, Code named project "Night Runner"
Shes black on black, fully loaded, with headers, 180 tstat, e fan, straight exhaust into a cherry bomb vortex ler, full tune up, ported intake and T/B, MSD coil, and round aircleaner.
Mods to come: Fully rebuilt and heavily modded 46RE, and a richmond rachet locker.
my $300 beater ;)
R.I.P Kayleigh Raposa 12/18/90 - 2/24/07