Cheap tricks that'll keep ya moving

--Sadly, today, not many people even open the hood to see why the car stopped running or the water is running out. Keep these tips coming. us real car guys,,,,and gals, may find a way to get home safely next week.

 

My dad's first family car, was a Straight 6 1936 Pontiac. He bought it USED from a local car dealer for $100 in 1952. The dealer had no scruples. They pulled a blown piston and rod and shoved in a dead plug and a wooden plug to replace the piston! Dad drove it for over a year, wondering why it was always missing and hard to start. The dealer got headlines for the old iron he was selling and lost his dealer license. The article got dad suspicious, and he checked the plug - sure enough - a wooden plug for the piston. Anyway, it ran for quite a while!

 

I find that amazing!

 

Oil leaks, depending on where it's coming from, might be able to just tighten the bolts at the gasket.

For a burned out fuel pump, I've heard of emptying the windshield washer reservoir, routing the hose and nozzle into the intake, and misting the fuel to get you home.

For a stuck starter, tap on it with a hammer, pipe, or rock. But I think most people have done this.

On my first car (84 Cavalier wagon) the alternator would rarely charge on its own unless it had a kick in the butt by touching two wires together temporarily. It happened so much that I connected these to wires a pushbutton switch in the dash to get it charging without popping the hood.

One thing I've done for a blown brake line is take part of it down, fold it over, and hammer it shut against the pavement with a rock. Had 3 solid brakes for the trip home.

Another thing I've done more than once for a leaking radiator is fill it up at the nearest lake or creek. It helps being in a place like Michigan, where they say you're never more than 6 miles from a body of water.

 

I have heard stories of filling the crankcase on those old stovebolts with sawdust ... but this one tops 'em!

 

sawdust in the transmission will stop a transmission from slipping is what i am told from a few people at the shop (I got everyone thinking of these little tricks)

 

Saw dust in the tranny, heard of it alot from old timmers, but never have done it myself..

Eegs and pepper in the rad, hell ya... done that lots over the years but never used regular table pepper, only course.

Way back I had a VW BAJA and out in the hills the throdle spring on the carb disapeared and I was left idleing. I rigged up some bailing wire so I had a constant higher idle... I could shift gears but couldn't use the gas peddle, reved like a bastard when ya put the clutch in. Once we got back to a highway and a gas only station I bout a pack of elastic rubber bands and re-rigged it. 40 miles later I got home trouble free and the bug worked like nothing was different.

EDIT>>>>

Burnt valves... COLD engine, drain 1 litre of old oil out, 1 litre of diesel fuil in motor oil. Idle cold engine for 15 minutes, DON"T REV ENGINE. Drain oil and use 2 bottles of molasis enginge gunk for valves and the rest of oil with 20/50............NO smoke from exhaust anymore, and do all other oil changes with the diesel treatment and 20/50, and I never had to use the mollasis again. I did this via input from old timmers on my stock 65 250 inline. Drove the truck for over 2 years after and never has the smoke ishue and tapping was very minor.....I don't drive the truck anymore but she still flashes up every week with no problems or smoke.

PS...I do not recomend this, or the pepper for newer computorized, sensorized cars, just good old school iron

 

Bacon wrapped main bearings

 

One thing I've thought of every now and then is for a blown outer cv joint, if a set of large vise grips tightly clamped to the shaft and tied to the control arm with rope, would be enough to limp home.

 

-Mmmmm sounds delicious! Now served at McD's??????---------But if you're gonna tear it down far enough to wrap perfectly good bacon around them, why not fix the problem?

 

maybe off the trail but home I wouldn't want to casue if you have to go say 45 mph think of how fast those suckers are whipping around. If we're going to add trail fixes to the list I once had to use a ratchet strap to steer my jeep back to the trailer cause the front tie bar took a direct hit with a rock and broke off the pass side knuckle. turns where well thought out that drive

 

Saw dust in an automatic trans is a no go, the saw dust will clog up all the tiny fluid passages, check valves, solenoids, and mesh screens designed to keep particles out.
The saw dust trick was for manual transmissions and rear axle gears. It works good for rear axles for a few hundred miles, then the noise comes back.

The pepper works great, may possibly lessen the life of the water pump seals if it's in there for a long period of time, but I've never had a problem. I used pepper on my '88 Olds Custom Cruiser for about a year and a half until I finally decided to fix the intake leak.

Another trick I learned is to through some dry bagged cement on your tires if you get stuck in the mud. What ever is stuck will just walk right out, it's amazing. Just get it washed off asap, and try not to use quick set! More of a truck type farmer fix, but maybe of some use.

Mike

 

This sounds like a news report just waiting to happen.:confused:

Mike

 

,,,, and a open can of soup on the exhaust manifold!

 

Vise grips have probably aided in more quick fixes than duct tape! .... second only to baleing wire.

In the event of a leaking wheel cylinder (brakes) , cclamp the brake line at that wheel with vise grips and Drive home s-l-o-w-l-y.