Well I paid the car off yesterday, right? Today I went to the mall and as I am pulling into my parking spot my cousin asks me what the smoke is? I look over and see a little smoke from the passenger side of the hood. I knew what it was immediately. I popped the hood and the upper coolant elbow was split along the seam. It seemed to have just happened right there.
I tell him we will go do our thing in the mall, then I can make it to the Advance Auto down the road from the there and try to jerry rig something up to get us home. Unfortunately I didn't have any tools in the car so that was my only option at that point. So I go to Advance, pick up some aluminum elbows, some tape, some rags, some coolant. I thought I might be able to get some tape on the elbow enough to slow the leak down, but there wasn't enough room to get my hands in there to wrap it. I stuffed a rag all around it, fired it up and at least there wasn't coolant being flung anywhere anymore, so I shut the hood and go.
I only make it about 2 miles until the temp starts climbing. I pulled off the road, dumped more coolant in, let it cool and tried again. This time I was able to crest a hill and shut the car down and just rely on braking without power assist and no power steering. I made it to a point where I could safely pull off again and let it cool more. At this point I know I cannot make it home doing this so I called my brother to get our tow dolly hooked up so he can come get me.
I make it to the next exit and get into a gas station to wait on my brother. He calls me a short time later and was like, "Dude, we are both fVcked now. I was coming down 43 and the dolly started bouncing like crazy. I tried to get stopped and as I look in the rearview the whole effing wheel came off and bounced off the bridge. (This overpass is over a valley that is around a 300 foot drop at best guess.) I asked him if the lugs were loose and he responded "No the whole spindle broke off. It's gone. I don't even know how I am going to get this thing home." I suggested unhooking it and putting it in the back of his truck, and if that didn't work shove it off the side of the road and we could get the trailer from work later to pick it up. He was able to thankfully get it in his truck.
So now I am sitting there and figure my only choice now is to call a tow truck. I called the company they tell me it will be $150 but be at least two hours before someone could get to me. I told them I would call them back. I then called my uncle and asked if he was up for bringing my some tools to do some parking lot repairs. He got there about 45 minutes later and we got started. Everything came apart fast and easy. For some reason going back together wasn't as easy.
First the bolts didn't want to line up right. I had to fight the tensioner a little and finally got it bolted up. Then the belt fought me every which way buy sideways. Finally got a correct diagram and got it back on. Filled everything back up and got on the road to get home.
The only issue I have now is for some reason I have no temp gauge. I don't know if I knocked something loose, if there is an air pocket trapped in the thermostat housing, or if the sensor just decided to die just to piss me off a little more.
CLIFFS: Coolant elbow broke. My brother was coming to tow me and our tow dolly broke. Uncle brought me tools to do parking lot repair. Car is running now but temp sensor is not working.