Now this gets tedious for several paragraphs - join my suffering if you will...
He arrives at about 0730. The truck he went to fix wasn't there... "You haven't got it on yet?" he says. I explain the need for his workshop (and sockets and coolant...) Off he goes with the pumps and is back within the hour with the new pump and the flange pressed out, as it happens exactly to the step in the shaft. I get him to put it on as he has the tools and the gasket goo.
We have the pump on the belts tightened, the aircon belts back on... now I just need coolant. Keith has concentrate. Heads off to get 2x5l whilst I flush the cooling system. Drain plug at the bottom of the radiator appears to be the lowest point in the system. It's plastic. It comes out. I doesn't break!!!
There is an air bleed at the midpoint of the intercooler radiator system - a plastic plug in the engine compartment... lean on it a little; nope to scared to twist any harder, so with Keith's help on the return hose, we unclamp and gently ease the adjoining hose off... time to refill with a funnel made from a schweppes bottle. 5 litres of concentrate then 5l of water... Decant 2.5 into the empty bottle and fill both up with water for the required 50:50 dilution. Another 5L goes in... then another couple and the vent finally spits coolant, and so is reconnected then the system topped up via the top filler and then the expansion tank... So with the engine fired up we should get any remaining air out of the system.
Started, running for quite a while - All good!!!
Except when I took the belts off last week, I noticed the head of the replacement bolt from Malanda, on the alternator pivot had a fractured head - half is missing. Remember the hour or two cursing to get it in at Malanda!!!!! So with Keith's tools I loosened it a bit to get some tension off the remaining half bolt head. The alternator moves around (wobbles) a bit now (really needs bushing) but smoothes out a bit at higher revs. Advised there is a bolt place at Broome - none here... More fingers crossed!!
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| New pump - in |
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| Old dead pump |
So we are up and running. Time for pre-departure checks. It is still early (and relatively cool) so leaving for Derby (250KM) looks good...
We have a flat tyre, right rear inner! Fortunately we have a good spare, are on concrete, reasonably level and have shade... While the wheels are only 16" split rims with Light Truck tyres on them they are heavy and awkward. And the 6 nuts and 6 inner studs are tight! Suddenly I am glad I bought a better 20 tonne squat jack before we left. Jacking under the spring next to the axle is easy. All the nuts snap loose easily; including the inners, which always loosen with the sound of a rifle shot. Both wheels off. Outer installed on the inside and the spare installed on the outside. I need a rest. It is 37 by now!
With a bus on air-bags and with air brakes there is 7kg/sqcm - or 95psi air available. I have a long hose, saves getting the 12V big mother compressor out to check that all the wheels are at 90PSI; including the flat one.
Did I mention things happening in threes? Hopefully - piston water pump and wheel is it for a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By now we have decided to stay for the eighth night and get going in the morning. If the (now spare) tyre stays up we will go straight to Derby early... if not, visit the Fitzroy Crossing Tyre guy first thing tomorrow, on our way! Not going anywhere without a spare wheel.
Chatting to a caravanner this morning...they were waiting for 4 weeks for parts for their Jeep, somewhere else... another guy yesterday had recently spent $2500 twice on ignition parts for his Landcruiser, waiting a week for parts. While we were just at the pool to get our body core temps under control, another broken car with caravan arrived. Did a wheel-bearing prior to KU so had all of them done there... and has now probably broken the turbo... the car has gone to the locals and the van has joined us in "pit lane".
It helps us feel a bit better about our unscheduled week in Fitzroy Crossing - but can't wait to get out of here! Dining out at the bar this evening - the only place one can buy a drink that's more than 2.7%
