Ol' Turbo is at it again... Another Cross Country Trek - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

compu_85 · #16 08-06-2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerH860

I only have about a year left before I get that mystical piece of paper and go on my own.

I guess I have to comment about this a little more...

I got my first full time job a couple weeks ago... I never realized how little free time you have when you work 40 hours a week! This and school are going to kick my butt

But I only have a year left too.

The only road trip I make regularly is the Ann Arbor to DC trek to visit my fiance, and that's lost all of its glamour at this point... I'll probably start flying now that I can afford it! Anyway... I'll say it again: Enjoy it while you can!

-J

Johnt49 · #17 08-06-2009, 12:48 PM

Sounds like a great trip. If you need to do any repairs along the way, your welcome to use my shop. I'm about 40 miles west of Gainesville, Fl. I'll PM you my phone #

barry123400 · #18 08-06-2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldwolf

You are living one of my dreams. How can doing something so simple have become so hard to do for most of us?

If you continue to deffer things you want to do it becomes a habit. You only live once and it becomes a requirement to set aside at least temporarily some of the other commitments that get in the way.

In the long haul scheme of things It really will not matter that you did. The worse senario is living to regret that you did not at some stage. The world will keep turning regardless.

I fundementally retired seventeen years ago partially to do the things we wanted to do. Unfortunatly the commitments did not retire as well. The last couple of years I have been learning to ditch them much more frequently. My basic health is still excellent so things are still possible. The real equation at my end of the rainbow is so many things left to do and so little time in reality.

JimmyL · #19 08-09-2009, 10:40 PM

Bad news forthcoming......

79Mercy · #20 08-09-2009, 10:41 PM

I hope everything is OK......It doesn't sound to good though.

Another oil spill?

BodhiBenz1987 · #21 08-09-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyL

Bad news forthcoming......

Oh no! I hope it isn't too bad.

JimmyL · #22 08-09-2009, 11:21 PM

Certainly not terminal and "technically" no accident, but he definitely never made it to my house today. Oil is not involved.

I don't want to steal the whole surprise.....
I thought he'd have posted by now. Getting things squared away on a Sunday night takes some time I guess.
He is a very lucky dude!
{I see he's typing at this very minute...}

TheDon · #23 08-09-2009, 11:43 PM

uh oh!

TylerH860 · #24 08-09-2009, 11:55 PM

Hence forth lug nut tension will be on the pre-flight checklist before leaving drydock.

For those with low attention spans that sums things up.

The journey to Grand lake from home was uneventful, just like the 100 other times I've gone since my parents purchased the lake house 15 years ago. Also as usual, it was a fantastic, very relaxing trip. I took some photos of Ol' Turbo by an unfinished multi-million dollar lake front property practically abandoned with an astronomical sales price. The car is actually sitting in the main driveway, to the right is the garage capable of holding 20-30 cars, with enormous floor to ceiling windows across to give them a full lake view. If I were to hit the lottery, I would buy this house tomorrow.

On the bow of my father's pride and joy.

I hit the road Sunday at around noon, planning to arrive in dallas around 5 or 6 to meet up with Jimmy. I could tell Ol' Turbo was a completely different animal from the get go. A intermittent and faint vibration had developed somewhere on the driver's side of the vehicle. I had recently started to hear a noise coming from the front end on hard cranking, and after inspecting the suspension, figured either a wheel weight had come off (as just recently I had new tires mounted and balanced) or the accidental dirt road jaunt had knocked something out of whack on my aged front end. I continued on, thinking either Jimmy and I could sniff it out in Dallas, or have a professional look at it in Orlando. At 2:35 PM I alerted Colin to the situation, which I had dismissed as an annoyance rather than a pertinent issue.

About 80 miles South of Tulsa on highway 69, nestled on a little peninsula overlooking an enormous man made lake similar to the reservoir I had just departed from, Ol' Turbo and I were on a collision course with calamity.

At 3:00 I was on the phone with a good friend, noting that I had just driven over lake Euphaula, and that the car was fine, but a vibration had me slightly concerned. She jested that the vibration probably feels good, to which I retorted that it may feel good for a few minutes, but not hours and certainly not with the fear of a wheel flying off. Though a joke, my words were fortuitous.

We continued back and forth for a few minutes. As Ol' Turbo and I crested the hill, we had to make a quick lane change to pass a slower moving late model Ford Ranger to avoid having to disrupt the functional cruise control. As I merged back over to the slow lane, there was a moment of absolutely no vibration, and I remember the blissful feeling that came upon me. Just as I was about to comment about it to Jen, all hell broke loose.

I felt my seat lower a few inches, then an impact so violent it knocked off the wood trim piece on the CCU. The grinding was unlike anything I had experienced, and OT went fishtailing towards the center divider. I'm not sure whether the phone was dropped from the impact or I seemly let go to have both hands on the wheel to desperately try and regain control. Thankfully, I had enough traction to right myself, did not over-correct, nor were there any cars around other than the Ford Ranger behind me. I was able to get to the shoulder, with a large clearing on the passenger side without further incident.

I got out of OT with the immediate assumption that something had let loose on the front end. I walked around looking at the front wheel for a few seconds, then my peripheral vision caught the shocking reality of what had happened.

(working on next post)

TheDon · #25 08-10-2009, 12:00 AM

oh man this cant be good

post something man lol

TylerH860 · #26 08-10-2009, 12:41 AM

The rear wheel was simply gone, and nowhere in sight. Going from 80 to a dead stop ate about half an inch of the rotor from grinding on the pavement. One lug nut had broken off in the hub, and all the threads looked completely destroyed. The driver of the Ford Ranger I had passed graciously pulled over to make sure I was unhurt and if I needed assistance. I asked if she had seen where the wheel went. Apparently she witnessed it roll into oncoming traffic then into the thick brush way ahead of where I stopped.

After I dismissed the driver of the Ranger, reality began to set in that I was stranded. I phoned AAA, along with Jimmy, Colin, my parents, and finally called back Jennifer who probably thought she had just witnessed my death. Then I took inventory of the damage. To my shock, it appeared the caliper absorbed all the impact, as the trailing arm, axle half-shafts, and body didn't have a scratch.

The only superficial damage is on the inner wheel lip, which is slightly bent in and black with final salvo from the tire before its disappearance.

I walked up and down the should for 20 minutes trying to find my wheel. The shoulder was manicured for the first 10 feet, but beyond that was thick, near impenetrable brush and swampy looking lake water. It was mostly a lost cause. It did give me time to plan what I was going to do, and allow the shock to turn to anger.

I returned to OT and fetched my torque wrench out of the trunk. Testing revealed that the three remaining wheels were barely torqued on the wheel, some had come loose and were less than finger tight. Either someone had a grudge in Ketchum, Oklahoma, or a vital step was missed at the Goodyear Tire Center a few months ago. I had driven Ol' Turbo little before the trip.

Thankfully my spare was still inflated, and I jacked the car up to attempt to mount it to the naked hub. I took 1 donor lug from each wheel, and tested to see if they could bite on the horrendous looking threads of the hub. Only 2 were able to, and they were precariously weak. It was just enough to mount the wheel, and I hoped it would hold for the duration of the tow.

By the time I had done all of this, more than an hour had passed since the call to AAA. When I called the Tulsa call center to check in, they informed me that the driver was behind and just now starting to head from Tulsa to my location.

I arranged a hotel and rental car in the process, and waited. Another hour went by while I sat in the shade which provided only mild relief from the heat, but not from the gusts of wind that blew dirt into every pore of my exposed skin. This was my view:

The trunk triangle was in use the majority of the time, though. I derived some amusement from setting that up in the remaining hour I spent waiting on the tow truck.

(working on more)

BodhiBenz1987 · #27 08-10-2009, 12:41 AM

Oh man this is a cliffhanger ... I need to know what happened so I can have nightmares about it happening to me!

Edit: Nevermind, you posted just as I was posting.

Yikes! Usually the Goodyear guys torque the wheels on with about 500ft/lbs where I go ... guess I should be glad!!!

compu_85 · #28 08-10-2009, 12:43 AM

I'm glad I put my lugs on with an impact

-J

JimmyL · #29 08-10-2009, 12:47 AM

OK. Tires Plus has been black listed, and now Goodyear is on the "S"-list.
I guess it's Discount Tire from now on!

Type faster, will ya........

first300D · #30 08-10-2009, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyL

OK. Tires Plus has been black listed, and now Goodyear is on the "S"-list.
I guess it's Discount Tire from now on!

Type faster, will ya........

When I was in college I had this happen to me. Well not to the degree that Tyler but the wheels were finger tight!! Luckly due to my parnoia I caught it before it turned into Tylers issue.

Lesson learned. Check most all work possible after its done and paided for. Could be air problem and some guys think because the GUN stopped the Nut is Tight when it ain't.

waiting for next chapter....

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