The heat is on

One thing I hated about Saturday is that everyone gets off work at the same time at 1:00PM. So, you can imagine that the whole Klang Valley area is jammed up. Usually, if I took the normal route back to Bangsar, it would not be that bad. But however, since we're not living there anymore, just reaching to Subang is already a nightmare. Anyway, the trip from PJ to Subang is already jammed at the Federal Highway. Not only that, Saturdays are usually hot and just for today, it was extremely hot. My car's "Typre-R" temperature gauge showed a reading of 39ºC which is about right because the car's air-con is just blowing warm air.

And minutes later, I needed to wind down the windows as the air outside was cooler. I looked at other cars who where just inching along the Highway. With nothing else much better to do, I caught a glimpse at my car's water temperature gauge. And there and then, I got a shock. The temperature needle has gone to the halfway mark. And it was the same the night before except it was at the 2/3 mark.

One thing about the problem with cars is that you only notice the faults when you're driving. Since you cannot stop, you promised yourself that you will rectify it once you get home. But when you do get home, you forget about it until you start you car the next day and the problem started halfway through the journey.

Being stuck at the Federal Highway for almost an hour in an overheating car was not a good thing. And despite the heat out there, I was sweating like crazy because I do not want to be the "guy with the car stuck in the middle of the Federal Highway opening his bonnet and blocking traffic". I am not sure that the problem was but last two years ago, it was the water pump. So, when you're stuck in traffic, every time the car moves, the needle would drop slightly. But not this time. But as I veered towards the Subang exit, there were some bumps which made the needle drop significantly.

With the bumps being the clues, I theorised that it might not be water pump anymore. Maybe it was the rust inside there where every bump dislodged the blockage. But then, subsequent bumps did not help. And as I moved, the needle did not go down but rose further. And by the time I was a few kilometers from home, it was already critical. I cruised the car and even lowered the RPM but it did not help the situation. Already, there were premature detonations inside the engine which means the water inside the radiator is gone. I could hear pinging when the car went above 2000RPM. Then it was 1800 RPM.......

Luckily, I saw a service centre nearby and so, with the last remaining momentum, I steered the car towards them. Luckily, there were no other cars so I dod not have to stop much nor strain the engine further. So, by the time they open up the bonnet, there were steam/smoke everywhere. After letting the engine cool for a while only did they start to work on the engine.

Apparently, it seemed that the main radiator fan was gone. That is why it was insufficient to cool the radiator. The damage was done. Oil was leaking from the engine block out due to the boiling engine oil, I suppose. By the time they changed it, there wasn't much left. And I was right about the water being boiled off. It was funny to see the mechanic filling the radiator again and again while his face showed disbelief. But I just do hope the damage stopped at that because if not, the head gasket would have to be replaced, which is not cheap. Since I was there, they did quite a bit of checking for me and also since I forgot when was the last time my car was sent for service (I think it was more than 15,000KM ago) I opted for the oil change, air and oil filters and even flushed the engine.

There was another worrying fact. My lower arms are going and also, we suspected the drive shaft was well since whenever I turned the wheels, there was this rattling sound. So, after a long afternoon and RM382.00 gone, I just hoped nothing else would go wrong. The mechanics also hoped that this (fan) would be the only problem. Continuing on my journey, the temperature gauge was within its normal 1/3 point.....

I am starting to like this shop as they were quite honest in their diagnosis and service. And for my visit, I got a free Milo (powder) pack and a silver windscreen sunshade but the KFC vouchers ran out. I think I'll keep the Milo and give the Shades to my Dad.

Engine oil there......


Are you steamed yet?


There you go


Replacing the culprit