Truck just stopped!
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 229
From: Okehampton, Southwest England
Truck just stopped!
Hi, not so much a question here - just a write-up of an experience I had a couple days ago which might help someone in a similar situation some day.
Was driving to work at 4-30am & suddenly I lost power, my first thought was maybe my foot slipped off the gas pedal or something as that is what things felt like. Unfortunately it hadn't - the engine had just died totally unexpectedly, the ignition light came on, the rev counter dropped to zero & all the dash lights went dim - I imagined due to all the electrical loads on the battery after the alternator stopped charging due to the engine stopping. All I could do was steer the truck to the side of the road - not easy with the engine off (no power steering!).
Switched off all electrics & tried to start her up again, engine cranked fine but wouldn't fire - not what I needed that time of the morning on a lonely, deserted back road with another 30 miles to get to work!
So - opened the hood & with the help of the underhood lamp & a torch I started to look for something obvious, checked fuses etc but initially found nothing - time to call the AA (UK equivilant of AAA), I have full cover so figured I may as well use them to get the truck home & then take my wifes car to work, meant being late but at least I could get there.
Phoned them & was told that a tow truck would be there in about an hour, called work to tell them i'd be late as well. So - I sat there listening to the radio & waited.
Then after a while, being the curious type I started thinking.... "what could this problem be to stop the engine so suddenly?" I knew the fuel pump was working as I could hear it humming away at the back while I was cranking the engine. That got me wondering whether I had a a spark? Curiosity got the better of me so I got out again & took another look under the hood. After a few minutes of looking I noticed that the HT wire from the coil to the distributor was in a strange position - like hanging down the side of the engine instead of going to the distributor! It was so obvious I overlooked it the first time - I mean, how does an HT wire come loose all by itself? It soon became apparent that the rubber boot that holds the wire to the distributor cap had an inch and a half split in it so it couldn't grip the cap. I discovered this when I tried to replace the wire & it just kept slipping off. Guess it must have split just before the engine cut out?
So - with the help of a roll of duct tape that I fortunately had in the glovebox I wrapped some around the boot to hold it together, replaced it onto the distributor & she cranked right up! Relief was an understatement!
I then phoned the AA to tell them I had got the truck going again. They thanked me for letting them know & cancelled the callout.
I made it to work, albeit a little late but at least I had got there earlier than I would have done if i'd waited for the tow truck! By the way, in the 45 minutes or so I sat waiting in the truck, not a single vehicle came by - thank god for cellphones..... and the AA! Would have been a long walk to a phone otherwise!
The moral of this story is - don't overlook the obvious!
I have now ordered a new set of plug wires!
Was driving to work at 4-30am & suddenly I lost power, my first thought was maybe my foot slipped off the gas pedal or something as that is what things felt like. Unfortunately it hadn't - the engine had just died totally unexpectedly, the ignition light came on, the rev counter dropped to zero & all the dash lights went dim - I imagined due to all the electrical loads on the battery after the alternator stopped charging due to the engine stopping. All I could do was steer the truck to the side of the road - not easy with the engine off (no power steering!).
Switched off all electrics & tried to start her up again, engine cranked fine but wouldn't fire - not what I needed that time of the morning on a lonely, deserted back road with another 30 miles to get to work!
So - opened the hood & with the help of the underhood lamp & a torch I started to look for something obvious, checked fuses etc but initially found nothing - time to call the AA (UK equivilant of AAA), I have full cover so figured I may as well use them to get the truck home & then take my wifes car to work, meant being late but at least I could get there.
Phoned them & was told that a tow truck would be there in about an hour, called work to tell them i'd be late as well. So - I sat there listening to the radio & waited.
Then after a while, being the curious type I started thinking.... "what could this problem be to stop the engine so suddenly?" I knew the fuel pump was working as I could hear it humming away at the back while I was cranking the engine. That got me wondering whether I had a a spark? Curiosity got the better of me so I got out again & took another look under the hood. After a few minutes of looking I noticed that the HT wire from the coil to the distributor was in a strange position - like hanging down the side of the engine instead of going to the distributor! It was so obvious I overlooked it the first time - I mean, how does an HT wire come loose all by itself? It soon became apparent that the rubber boot that holds the wire to the distributor cap had an inch and a half split in it so it couldn't grip the cap. I discovered this when I tried to replace the wire & it just kept slipping off. Guess it must have split just before the engine cut out?
So - with the help of a roll of duct tape that I fortunately had in the glovebox I wrapped some around the boot to hold it together, replaced it onto the distributor & she cranked right up! Relief was an understatement!
I then phoned the AA to tell them I had got the truck going again. They thanked me for letting them know & cancelled the callout.
I made it to work, albeit a little late but at least I had got there earlier than I would have done if i'd waited for the tow truck! By the way, in the 45 minutes or so I sat waiting in the truck, not a single vehicle came by - thank god for cellphones..... and the AA! Would have been a long walk to a phone otherwise!
The moral of this story is - don't overlook the obvious!
I have now ordered a new set of plug wires!
Last edited by DaveHearne; Jan 1, 2013 at 01:56 PM.
Thread Starter
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Starting Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 229
From: Okehampton, Southwest England
Yeah I guess I was lucky that time, being the eternal pessimist my first thought was "is this gonna be expensive?". Thoughts of a replacement VCM or something equally as expensive were crossing my mind at the time!
Thread Starter
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Starting Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 229
From: Okehampton, Southwest England
Oh man - you were lucky there, must have been just fumes left in the gas tank if you got that much in?
I always try not to let mine run below a quarter of a tank. Where I live is very remote so cannot afford to let it run out.
I always try not to let mine run below a quarter of a tank. Where I live is very remote so cannot afford to let it run out.
Christmas a couple years ago my wife's Pontiac Grand Am died on the side of the road while heading to her parents' house. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and I had it towed home. The next day I got a good look at it in the daylight and found the throttle cable had somehow pulled out of the throttle body valve bell crank which is why the car coasted to a stop on the side of the road.
I felt pretty dumb after that one.
I felt pretty dumb after that one.
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