mudding nightmare
Posted by Zonie on October 12, 2025 at 19:56:17
The laws of probability caught up with me. I finally experienced my nightmare--an automotive breakdown after mudding.
With the rain in the early morning I went to Reach 11 yesterday for mudding. The mosquitoes were troublesome, but I used mud, my favorite insect repellant, on my face and ears and had some pleasant mud baths and puddle stomps. Eventually I found a gravel and sand based puddle and did a partial cleanup there. I was far from immaculate, and I clearly looked dirty, but I figured I'd clean up properly at home.
Driving south on HWY 51 shortly after 3 PM on a Saturday, I encountered a traffic jam. Eventually the Highway Patrol diverted all of us off the freeway at Shea Boulevard. Plan B was to head south on Tatum Boulevard and go home via Paradise Valley. It would be more than my car could stand.
I was puzzled to notice my oil light flashing on and off. I had checked the oil level Friday morning. It was fine. Then I noticed the temperature had soared to maximum. There was no shoulder and no nearby side street. Then my car shut itself off.
I turned on the hazard lights and telephoned 911. I wasn't sure exactly where I was, but I told them as nearly as I could. The Paradise Valley Police never came. On a per capita basis Paradise Valley is the wealthiest community in Arizona, and they have the resources to install photo radar on Tatum Boulevard to make sure nobody goes faster than 40 MPH here, but they couldn't send anyone when someone broke down in a manner restricting traffic.
I didn't dare try to exit by the driver's side door because of all the traffic going by. I popped the hood and climbed over the passenger seat to exit from the right. I could feel the heat from the engine block, but the radiator wasn't steaming.
Eventually an SUV pulled in front of me, stopped and engaged the hazard lights. A lady emerged. She helped persuade the traffic to yield and persuaded a man to help push, so that I could steer onto a side street.
Once there, I remembered the oil light, and added oil to the engine. I then checked the dipstick, and it showed there was plenty. Eventually I found the radiator was full and not overheated.
The lady pulled up behind me. She said her husband was a mechanic and consulted with him. She opined that my problem was the fan clutch. She said I should wait until the car cooled a bit and then should turn it on, turn on the heat and open the windows and then I should be able to drive home.
I tried to obey her, but I no sooner had the car turned around and ready to go back onto Tatum when the temperature soared again. I turned off the car and telephone AAA. The lady had said nothing about my being soaked and dirty. I wondered what the tow truck driver might say.
When he got there he was quite friendly and didn't say a word about my getting his truck dirty. He just invited me to climb in. Since my mechanic was closed for the weekend, I asked him to take the vehicle to my residence, and he gladly did. He didn't ask what I had been doing or say a word about my condition. Well I got home and finally got to clean up properly.
- Re: mudding nightmare Mud Doggie 18:01:54 10/13/2025
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