Regina Leader-Post

Pulling a MacGyver can solve some breakdowns

Here are some tips and tricks you can do yourself to get your car out of a jam

- BRIAN TURNER Driving.ca

Nothing ruins a road trip (whether family vacation or workday commute) faster than a roadside breakdown. But with all the technology and electronic­s packed in today’s autos, is there really anything we can do ourselves to get back on our way? Here are a few of the more common scenarios with a few tips to keep you moving.

OVERHEATIN­G ENGINE?

With the abundance of aluminum and lightweigh­t alloys being used under modern hoods, ignoring a temp gauge in the red zone or a temp warning light for anything more than a few minutes of driving can mean some astronomic­al repair bills (cylinder head and/or gasket damage is the most common). But on crowded highways it’s often hard to find a safe escape route or place to pull over.

Turning the cabin heater on full with the fan set on high may get you a few extra kilometres of driving. The heater unit behind the dash contains a miniature radiator and directing hot coolant into this, combined with the speed of the HVAC fan, can act as a secondary cooling source to the engine, bringing the temperatur­e down. Once you find a safe landing spot, turn off the ignition and pop the hood to let ambient air help cool things down and never ever try to remove a pressurize­d radiator or reservoir cap on a hot or even warm engine. The resulting volcanic hot eruption of coolant will cause severe burns.

FLAT TIRE RIM STUCK TO THE HUB?

Alloy rims mounted to steel wheel hubs might be a great idea in California, but they leave a lot to be desired on this side of the 49th. Often technician­s have to resort to 10-pound sledge hammers to break them loose when doing a seasonal service. This is not something recommende­d when trying to free a stuck wheel while the vehicle is on a jack at the side of the road. Instead, use the vehicle’s weight to do the work for you. With all the wheel nuts loose and backed off a few turns, lower the vehicle off the jack and rock it gently from side to side. Usually on the first push, the wheel will pop loose, then you can re-raise it, install the spare, and be on your way.

OUT OF GAS?

Feeling that ominous engine sputter while trying to merge onto a multi-lane highway can cause even the sturdiest heart to sink. A gentle (and safe) swerve back and forth on the steering wheel can slosh enough of the remaining dregs of fuel into the pump’s pickup point to keep you going for more than a few hundred metres with most vehicles.

If your engine gives you these symptoms with sufficient fuel in the tank, your fuel pump may be the cause. An easy roadside diagnosis can be done by turning off all noise sources in the vehicle (radio, HVAC, and complainin­g passengers) and then cycling the key from off to the on position. If you can’t hear that faint hum from the rear of the vehicle (that means the fuel pump is cycling on in preparatio­n to start), then you may have a deceased pump. You might temporaril­y bring it back to life with the automotive version of CPR. Often an electric fuel pump will fail because of sticking brushes on its motor. A few solid slaps on the bottom of the fuel tank with something non-lethal, like a snow brush or flat stick, can often bring the pump back to life to let you get safely off the road.

POWER WINDOW STUCK DOWN?

Not a great thing to have happen in a driving rain storm, but the same CPR technique that can bring fuel pumps back to life may also work on a defunct power window motor. The best place to slap/rap is on the flat steel portion of the metal door bottom. Hitting the plastic inner trim panel is useless because the motor isn’t mounted to it and you may crack an expensive panel. A rubber mallet works best, but few motorists ever carry this in their glove boxes, so the heel of a shoe is a great substitute (as long as it’s not a stiletto). Rap the bottom of the door with the key in the on position and the window switch being held in the up position.

 ?? GETTY IMAGES ?? An overheatin­g engine can cause major damage.
GETTY IMAGES An overheatin­g engine can cause major damage.

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