Longest "limp-home" journey?
Discussion
Morzine, France to Eastleigh, Hants via Dunkirk with an electrical problem (reccurance of a non start problem that I thought had been fixed, it hadn't).
Kept the engine running for French part of the trip and only switched off at ferry, sat with fingers crossed hoping it would start which it did but finally gave out a couple of days later.
Kept the engine running for French part of the trip and only switched off at ferry, sat with fingers crossed hoping it would start which it did but finally gave out a couple of days later.
I've had 2 major 'limp homes' both in my ZR1-
First one was when we headed south after Le Mans for a few days at Millau (the big bridge often photographed in the clouds). We arrived to a clunk clunk noise first heard on the bend of the motorway exit. I borrowed a trolley jack and part of a local workshop to take a look. It was a broken UJ on the right half shaft. We kept journeys to a minimum for our stay (still did the bridge though) and then Undertook a 12 plus hour drive back to our friends at Le Mans (driving like the car was made of glass). Unbelievably he had 2 spare UJ's in his garage!! We removed the shaft, borrowed a press at a local Renualt garage and it was job done.
The 2nd time was a failure of the rear alloy knuckle where the bottom of the Coilover attached. This happened just as we left the Nurburgring for home. At least it didnt happen on the ring the day before! We removed the coilover, packed out the bumpstop by about an inch and reduced the rear tyre pressure from 34 to about 12psi and drove home on the bump stop. France and Germany was ok but the bumpy Belgium and UK roads were a pita
First one was when we headed south after Le Mans for a few days at Millau (the big bridge often photographed in the clouds). We arrived to a clunk clunk noise first heard on the bend of the motorway exit. I borrowed a trolley jack and part of a local workshop to take a look. It was a broken UJ on the right half shaft. We kept journeys to a minimum for our stay (still did the bridge though) and then Undertook a 12 plus hour drive back to our friends at Le Mans (driving like the car was made of glass). Unbelievably he had 2 spare UJ's in his garage!! We removed the shaft, borrowed a press at a local Renualt garage and it was job done.
The 2nd time was a failure of the rear alloy knuckle where the bottom of the Coilover attached. This happened just as we left the Nurburgring for home. At least it didnt happen on the ring the day before! We removed the coilover, packed out the bumpstop by about an inch and reduced the rear tyre pressure from 34 to about 12psi and drove home on the bump stop. France and Germany was ok but the bumpy Belgium and UK roads were a pita
Edited by Gixer on Tuesday 22 November 12:51
One bolt in he gear linkage mechanism of my Mondeo sheared, at the top of the Applecross road in the Scottish Highlands.
Anyone who knows that road will know that it would be nigh on impossible to get a recovery truck up there, so I had to drive it almost 3 miles in first gear. The V6 noise became very annoying after a while!
To make matters worse, Ford did not sell the indavidual bolt (had a thing on the end of it to activate the reverse lights), just the whole unit for £400! Ended up having to get a bolt made from scratch using the old one (now in 2 parts) for reference!
Can't wait to go back and actually enjoy the road
Anyone who knows that road will know that it would be nigh on impossible to get a recovery truck up there, so I had to drive it almost 3 miles in first gear. The V6 noise became very annoying after a while!
To make matters worse, Ford did not sell the indavidual bolt (had a thing on the end of it to activate the reverse lights), just the whole unit for £400! Ended up having to get a bolt made from scratch using the old one (now in 2 parts) for reference!
Can't wait to go back and actually enjoy the road
200 miles, towing a boat. Limp home mode kicked in on every hill. At night too. Turn engine off. Restart engine. Other drivers were thinking it was a bit odd with the headlights flicking on and off all the time. Turns out it was the overboost fault code issue, on the VNT turbo TDI VAG engine. One bottle of diesel fuel system cleaner and it's fine now.
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
Toyota Celica - 40 miles on battery power (alternator failed), at night with dipped headlights
Volt gauge was still in the green too!
I also did this over about 50 miles during the day. I was prepared with a spare battery and it eventually conked out on the M25, so not the best place for a battery swap, but the second one got me to my destination. Turned out that the alternator was fine but that the copper cable had melted.Volt gauge was still in the green too!
Steve_W said:
Paris to Yeovil (Somerset) in a friend's 2CV with one cylinder instead of the usual two - 301cc's of power!
Stripping the engine down after getting home revealed a hole the size of a 50p piece in the piston crown.
Luckily other drivers expect a 2CV to be moving slowly!
I had a similar experience in a 2CV. Fun it was not! Also had a month of struggling with a BX diesel with a knackered clutch release bearing. When it was hot, the clutch was completely inoperative - made traffic a nightmare! Stripping the engine down after getting home revealed a hole the size of a 50p piece in the piston crown.
Luckily other drivers expect a 2CV to be moving slowly!
Mine are both brake related:
100 miles home without braking after one of my rear pads disintegrated on the 200SX. It was all on A-roads and I failed a couple of times, meaning that I had to put new discs on it. Metal on metal braking works fine as it happens, but tends to scar alloys.
And 50 miles home with no brakes at all after a brake line split on the 328i. I was doing fine until they shut the motorway (it was 3am) and diverted me off through the arse end of West London. I was NOT a happy bunny, and the air turned blue when I found myself behind a brand new Aston martin and in front of a Police car on entry to some horrific 4 lane roundabout. I considered giving up at that point, but made it home safely. Never have I been so glad of a cable operated drum handbrake!
100 miles home without braking after one of my rear pads disintegrated on the 200SX. It was all on A-roads and I failed a couple of times, meaning that I had to put new discs on it. Metal on metal braking works fine as it happens, but tends to scar alloys.
And 50 miles home with no brakes at all after a brake line split on the 328i. I was doing fine until they shut the motorway (it was 3am) and diverted me off through the arse end of West London. I was NOT a happy bunny, and the air turned blue when I found myself behind a brand new Aston martin and in front of a Police car on entry to some horrific 4 lane roundabout. I considered giving up at that point, but made it home safely. Never have I been so glad of a cable operated drum handbrake!
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