So here we go again. As alot of you guys already know, my van is my daily driver. Engine has about 232k on it. You've seen in the last few weeks that I'm starting to sink a couple of bucks into the van. So here's the story, and then I'll give the mechanical details. I'm on way to a customers house today. As I'm just about to make a left turn, I look in my rear view mirror all I see is white smoke/steam/vapor. I immediately look down at the temp guage and I'm still where I'm always at when my van is warmed up. I complete the left turn and pull off the side of the road. Look under the hood and all I see is antifreeze flowing onto the ground. (At this point look at pictures). Yep, that's my lower radiator hose. Sweet ain't it.
I remain calm, I call my customer and tell her that I'm gonna be a little late. I call my wife and tell her to go to NAPA Auto Parts, and then I call NAPA. My wife delivers the hose, new clamps and a couple of bottles of antifreeze to the side of the road and I have the new hose back on within an hour of the initial issue. At this point I'm feeling awfully proud of myself.
Did I mention this is one of the wealthiest areas in the country? And there I am working on my van on the side of the road. Within 10 minutes a cop showed up, not to ask me if I needed help, but to inquire as to what exactly I thought I was doing. I said, "I'm fixing my van" he just started laughing and said, "Do it as fast as you can, these busy bodies are getting nervous". Yes Sir.
Everythings hooked up. Start it up. No leaks, head home to get cleaned up. Here comes the mechanical.
Van doesn't run right. The idle sounds different feels different, it's sluggish. It's very shaky. Belts are making a significant squeeling when I step on the gas.
Here are the prior symptoms. The last couple of days it seemed like my power steering was "tightening up" the wheel wasn't moving as freely as it normally did, it wasn't hard to turn the steering wheel, but it wasn't normal.
I remain calm, I call my customer and tell her that I'm gonna be a little late. I call my wife and tell her to go to NAPA Auto Parts, and then I call NAPA. My wife delivers the hose, new clamps and a couple of bottles of antifreeze to the side of the road and I have the new hose back on within an hour of the initial issue. At this point I'm feeling awfully proud of myself.
Did I mention this is one of the wealthiest areas in the country? And there I am working on my van on the side of the road. Within 10 minutes a cop showed up, not to ask me if I needed help, but to inquire as to what exactly I thought I was doing. I said, "I'm fixing my van" he just started laughing and said, "Do it as fast as you can, these busy bodies are getting nervous". Yes Sir.
Everythings hooked up. Start it up. No leaks, head home to get cleaned up. Here comes the mechanical.
Van doesn't run right. The idle sounds different feels different, it's sluggish. It's very shaky. Belts are making a significant squeeling when I step on the gas.
Here are the prior symptoms. The last couple of days it seemed like my power steering was "tightening up" the wheel wasn't moving as freely as it normally did, it wasn't hard to turn the steering wheel, but it wasn't normal.