Bad times. after making it all the way to Darwin in my beloved Pebbles everything has gone horribly wrong. on leaving Darwin this morning i noticed that the temp was staying beautifully just beneath thermostat opening. after about 1/2 hour all of a sudden temp dropped by 20deg then continued to drop. i pulled over immediately but it was too late. the rad cap mustnt have been properly on this morning and it had come loose, meaning that as soon as the thermostat opened the car drained of water. there was smoke off the bottom of the engine. i slowly refilled it with water, checked over everything, she cranked right over strongly but just wouldnt start. i tried a roll start, even tried a push from a grader ( :o ), nothing. the RAA came out, somehow their battery was enough and she fired up but ran rough, something definitely wasnt right on the driver's side and there was water in the exhaust. limping the 12km back to the shop the car erratically shut down, but went long stretches without issue, the final swansong may have come as i crested the hill to the mechanic and a small backfire ceased all life. so i am now in Berry Springs, mechanics are soon going to check and see just how bad the damage is.
at the moment my options are devastating. i cannot afford to drag the car back to melbourne ($1100+) and doing so would leave me heartbroken as i would have to wave goodbye to seeing WA, which has been my dream for 4 years. if there is a full rebuild involved then i cannot afford that either. i am hoping desperately that someone locally may have an old subaru or old ea81 engine that they may be able to sell me that would last the trip home, because otherwise i might have to consider selling my poor pebbles and going home alone.
if anyone might know anyone up around Darwin that may have an old subaru or some other suggestion i would love to hear from you. i have no internet access (i had to hitchhike 30km to get on today) but my mobile will be on and my no. is 0432 889 159
thanks guys
Ryan
baybuscamperkid ·