The hellish day..
Last Sunday I dropped the L322 off for paint, a few chips on the wheel arches needing attention and some other bits with a plan to pick up on Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday afternoon I can't get hold of my paint guy to arrange pick up. So I head over in the P38 to at least make sure he's paid and I can get the keys for pick up figure he's probably painting.
I work a hundred or so miles away a couple of days a week so stay over, if rather do the drive in the Supercharged..
I get there, the L322 hasn't been done, hes not got to it. Now honestly this doesnt bother me at all, its no skin off my nose, ill just drop it off on tbe way back from being away.
So I leave the P38 there and take off in the L322 to switch back later in the week.
Yesterday just about to get on the M4 to head home the temp needle creeps towards red on the dual carriageway, pull over pop the bonnet and expansion bottle is up to its neck. I swapped the expansion bottles over a couple of weeks ago and topped up. Wonder if I overfilled or got an airlock. unlikely as I did a couple of hundred miles.. open the bleed screw and vent air. start the engine again and needle bang in tbe middle. just about toget on the m4 and needle starts rising again. pull over, pop the bonnet and vent more air. start again let it idle. Needle bang in the middle. figure before i get on the m4 ill whizz back down the dual carriage way and make sure. 100 yards needle creeps up again.. pull over pop the bonnet and vent more. let it idle for 5 minutes needle bang in the middle. Pop on the gap IID Tool and look at live data.. temp sitting at 97 reg C. Viscous fan reading looks good blip the throttle VF good, temp creeps up, to 105 fans on VF spinning good with revs temp settles at between 105 and 111 reg C.
Move off again temp creeps up to red. Pull into truck stop. Pop the bonnet let it cool vent it. Let it idle. need dead centre drive around truck stop needle goes up.
Water pump knackered.
Call green flag for recovery as I pay for nationwide recovery. hour or so later turns up in van. tells me policy has changed and they will fix at roadside before recovery. tell him are you sure You seen the engine on one of these ? Go to pop the bonnet.. No dice.
Effing cable sheared. not at the handle I did that as I heard it could go.. not on the nearside release where you can get a hook and pull the cable to release the catch.. did that.. the off side one. after an hour or so of trying to free it. And I found the way to do it which seems unknown till now (I will post pics of how to in a tech thread) we finally open the bonnet and he looks at the engine and says.. I'll get you recovered.
Recovery truck turns up. Having called BTD and did some catching up.
I've now been at this for 4 hours.
Get it loaded. As per the pic and off we head down the M4 at 56MPH. Not in the range rover lane. the drivers of inferior cars admiring the range rover being lovingly moved without having to sully it's tyres by contact with road surfaces that mere mortals use.
Get on the A34 South just past Newbury we are met with a blaze of red tail lights. It's now 2030hrs. it was 3pm when I planned to get on my motorway and use the range rover lane.
When I had my hands under the bonnet I took off my leather bracelet and put it on the drivers seat (take note Saint... bracelet off !) A gift from my wife on a wedding anniversary. mustn't lose it !
Traffic has now switched off engines. I climb up to the range rover to retrieve it. arse. Not there. Check all around no. gone. climb down. my elbow hours through my shirt. a new one not cheap either. yes I'm working out more these days.
Busted range rover, busted shirt, lost anniversary gift and now 6 hours to do a 2.5 hour drive home.
Words shifting up the line. we were about 60 seconds behind the accident. a car transporter lost its trailer which went through the reservation. No fatalities but A34 blocked both ways.
After some time word reaches us there are no 18 tonne recovery trucks available.
Tish if only the range rover didn't have a knackered water pump hundreds of people would be in awe and thanks of a V8 powered green oval with leather seats!
Live update says police plan to have it open by 0145 at the earliest. At gone midnight the police turn everyone around to drive back up the A34 to Newbury the flatbed driver gets round nicely.
We're off home again after 3 hours with the engine off.
Get back about 1 am. my P38 is at the painters and I have full day. Remember this from Tuesday? Get a lift there..
Get through first gate. second gate is padlocked. Get home.. now 0145. And it's taken me nearly 11 hours to do a 2.5 hour drive. Tired, hungry, and annoyed.
I found my bracelet though. I had put it in my bag.
A day from hell
