#$#&%*#*!!!!!! (aka Anybody need a large blue paper weight?)

[LegoSkier]

So I get out of class in Reno yesterday and go to start my car.

Turn Key, starter whirrs, nothing.

Turn Key, same thing.

doh!
So I had it towed to Truckee (thank god for AAA Plus membership) and told the local grease monkey to dig in. I was hoping (against hope it turns out) that it was just maybe the clutch on the starter or something. Of course today I get the word and the word is not good. Timing belt went (even though I swear I didn't feel anything strange) and fucked the engine up the ass hard. LegoMobile = dead.
Oh well...15 years and 285,000 miles is pretty good action to get out of one car.

Summit Wise:
I am up shit creek without a paddle for the time being. I will still be at Alpine tomorrow and Squaw Sat via free shuttles, but I will not be able to make the Opening Rager Sat. night nor KWood on Sunday. I am going to try to make it to my parents house in the bay area and get ahold of their old LandCruiser to use until I buy a car so I may be out of the summit until Tuesday or possibly Thursday at the latest.

And now as a memorial, a repost of the PowMag post I did about the LegoMobile when it hit a quater mil as well as a pic (R.I.P. My Good Friend):

My dad says they made a mistake. Personally, I think they all just happened to get laid the night before. The line workers I mean, at the Nissan factory that built my truck. Whatever mix of mistake, post coital euphoric state, pride in workmanship, or Satori happened that day, something rare happened. A bunch of parts were assembled into a machine that actually did what it was supposed to do and was built to last, and that's not easy to come by these days. Today, as the mileage surpassed 250,000, I couldn't help but wonder if those workers on that day in 1988 had any idea what far reaching consequences their work would have. Most importantly, I wonder if they new that the Light Blue 1989 Nissan Hardbody SE-V6 King Cab pickup they were assembling was going to land in the ownership of a skier.
Did they know about the many days during the 97 El Nino that I would drive it in darkness up Highway 88 toward yet another huge powder day at Kirkwood, the road so choked with snow it was reduced to one lane and some of the 30+ foot banks actually overhung the highway?
Did they know about the time I was off on a dirt track at the base of the Eastern Sierra in the Buttermilk Country cranking Rush's Xanadau. The sky cloudy and threatening rain, just as the big entrance to the song came, a shaft of sunlight opened up directly over Basin Mountain and it reflected off of the main slope casting silver light over the whole countryside.
Did they know about all the nights I would spend camped in the bed, resting up to charge hard on the slopes the next day?
Did they know about how it would take me in the early morning hours to the airport to fly to Alaska to go Heli-skiing?
And finally, did they know how just before it reached a quarter million miles I would drive it 1500 miles to go skiing over Labor Day on a salted snow field on the side of a volcano with some freaks I met over the Internet?
I sure like to think they knew.
I know its stupid to have loyalty to a machine, but this car has taken me so many places, allowed me to see and do so many amazing things I can't help but be loyal to it. I totally could afford a new one and my parents keep bugging me to trade this one in, but this is the only car I have ever known. Driving another while this one has any life left in it just seems wrong.
Anyway, to the people in that plant on that day, next round is on me.

[Telenater]

We'll figure some way to get you to the rager....

Edit: Not sure what my plans are yet, but if I end up at Squaw you've got a ride with me to SLT at least.

[Superstar Punani]

Man that sucks! How often did you change the belt in the past? They say 60k miles, but should go until 90k

My bud had a pathfinder which ate it around the same mileage- 280k, also a timing belt. Cost of repair > Blue book so he said fuggit and bought an F-150 while I laughed at his face for not getting a Taco.

I'm sure you can hitch a ride with one of the KW crew back south on Sat.

[CantDog]

When was the last time you changed the belt?

I've got the same attachment to my car. 1991 Honda accord wagon, the thing rocks. Seen track days, autocrosses, rally crosses, ice racing, and three years of trucking around back roads of new england to go skiing. Not to mention lugging everything from garbage, mulch, animals, bikes....everything. And it has not once left me stranded. I've also pulled 20 days sleeping in it over the last two years.

Speedo and odo dont work anymore, but the car has ~230k. I blew the engine up around 150, so it should be good for at least another 70k miles. I have no intentions of ever selling it, I will simply drive it into the ground, and then probably buy another one.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Originally posted by Punani


I'm sure you can hitch a ride with one of the KW crew back south on Sat.

yeah no kidding.....you should be able to get down south no problem.....getting back North though......

[DJSapp]

Hey Lego, do you have a set timetable on when you have to get back to the Bay area? We might be able to work something out. And as for getting to SLT, just find some maggots at Squaw and just get in their car

[G]

Heh, I recognise that truck...

Heading to LPH's house recently, winding down the dark street he lives on, and not really sure where this party is supposed to be, I look up an see that thing. Somehow, I knew that there were maggots nearby. Your truck gave off some kind of maggot auora that let me know I have arrived at the right address.


And in other news, I just bought a car today! $300 dollars, and probably not even worth every penny.

[splat]

I had a Celica when I lived in Tahoe City. One night I was decelerating to exit off I-80 onto 89, crossed a small birm of snow between lanes and (I don't know if a chunk of ice blew into the timing belt cover, but it had a hole in it) and that thing died. Had a mechanic in TC rebuild the engine and the valve stems were bent to shit as a result all the parts running out of synch.

Probably get a new (used) engine installed for around a grand.
There's a place in Reno that specializes in those engines shipped over from Japan if you want to know where it is, Lego.

[iceman]

Sorry to hear it , man.

Is that your family in the picture?

(kidding, I'm just kidding)

[Aldo]

Lego,

Couple questions if you'll humor me. Did you drive the car into the parking spot? Usually, when the timing belt on an interference engine goes, at speed, damage will occur. But, you drove the car before it was parked, it was fine? Something doesn't add up in that diagnosis. Just thinking out loud. I suppose that a couple of teeth could have sheered just previous to parking it, but you would have noticed it go...

[CantDog]

Lego, if you still got the truck, you might just want to pull off the belt cover and take a look. Its only a few metric bolts, shouldnt take more than a half hour.

Also, a lot of the time the damage is solely sustained to the head, versus putting holes in the piston tops (hey, Ive done that too), so the fix could merely be going to a salvage yard and taking off the head of another one.


Edit: I just realized its a V6, is it an overhead cam engine?

[watersnowdirt]

yikes - sorry to hear that! Sounds like you got some good miles out of it though!

I will likely be driving back to the Bay Area on Sunday morning. I can give you a ride from South Lake then...

lemme know.