Thursday, February 19, 2004
Wanted..Dead or alive.
Last Friday night, on my way home from work on the other side of Montreal I noticed the steering on the big black Blazer seemed a little unresponsive. As it was a windy night I assumed the problem was that I was driving a big square box high off the ground in 30 mph crosswinds. Wrong!
After taking the exit from the highway and making a right turn I noticed a sound and sensation very much like the reverberation of frozen road crap built up in the wheel wells when hit by a moving tire on a cold morning. Like when you first back out of the driveway. Wrong again!
The first intersection I came to required a left turn at a stop sign and being a true Montreal driver I slowed down to about 10 mph, checked for opposing traffic and cranked the wheel. No such luck, the truck lurched forward with tires squealing. This signaled that a mechanical problem could very well be a possibility. After further inspection with my trusty Mag-Lite it seemed the problem was a messed up ball joint on the tie rod. Additional brave experiments proved that I could never turn left again, never ever use 4 x4 , but could do a cautious right, Ontario style so to speak. Backing up was no problem. Hence I was thrown into some kind of cruel 1980`s video puzzle game in order to get the truck home, but that`s another story.
So finally I get the Blazer home and a few days later call for a tow ( seeing as the dealerships close up for the weekend) and get the only English redneck left in the province pulling up in my driveway with his lift truck. I explain the problem but the dude says that it`s almost impossible for a ball joint or tie rod to break. I tell him to look for himself and as anticipated he crawls right underneath before I could even cut the tip on my cigar. He crawls out and tells me my diagnosis is partially correct but nothing is broken, the nut is missing on the ball joint. I tell him that`s strange as all bolts in the front end have cotter pins. "Yep" he said looking at me like I was Mom Boucher "only way deem babies come off is wit da pliers and a wrench"
Later, at the dealership and after fighting to have them pay for the car rental (seems GM`s policy is to only pay when there`s a defective part. A missing nut and cotter pin is not considered as such) I ask the Goodwrench toolboy how this could happen. He replies as expected"Someone has to take it off"
Last Friday night, on my way home from work on the other side of Montreal I noticed the steering on the big black Blazer seemed a little unresponsive. As it was a windy night I assumed the problem was that I was driving a big square box high off the ground in 30 mph crosswinds. Wrong!
After taking the exit from the highway and making a right turn I noticed a sound and sensation very much like the reverberation of frozen road crap built up in the wheel wells when hit by a moving tire on a cold morning. Like when you first back out of the driveway. Wrong again!
The first intersection I came to required a left turn at a stop sign and being a true Montreal driver I slowed down to about 10 mph, checked for opposing traffic and cranked the wheel. No such luck, the truck lurched forward with tires squealing. This signaled that a mechanical problem could very well be a possibility. After further inspection with my trusty Mag-Lite it seemed the problem was a messed up ball joint on the tie rod. Additional brave experiments proved that I could never turn left again, never ever use 4 x4 , but could do a cautious right, Ontario style so to speak. Backing up was no problem. Hence I was thrown into some kind of cruel 1980`s video puzzle game in order to get the truck home, but that`s another story.
So finally I get the Blazer home and a few days later call for a tow ( seeing as the dealerships close up for the weekend) and get the only English redneck left in the province pulling up in my driveway with his lift truck. I explain the problem but the dude says that it`s almost impossible for a ball joint or tie rod to break. I tell him to look for himself and as anticipated he crawls right underneath before I could even cut the tip on my cigar. He crawls out and tells me my diagnosis is partially correct but nothing is broken, the nut is missing on the ball joint. I tell him that`s strange as all bolts in the front end have cotter pins. "Yep" he said looking at me like I was Mom Boucher "only way deem babies come off is wit da pliers and a wrench"
Later, at the dealership and after fighting to have them pay for the car rental (seems GM`s policy is to only pay when there`s a defective part. A missing nut and cotter pin is not considered as such) I ask the Goodwrench toolboy how this could happen. He replies as expected"Someone has to take it off"
