Three days, six hours and twenty-five minutes.
That's it.
That's all I got.
Suppose it could have been less.
Would have liked it to be a bit longer.
At least I haven't been able to stop laughing all night,
And now it looks as though I have something to do this weekend.
I guess when I bought a mini, I bought everything that went with it. Including every
chance in the world it would happen, and happen frequently if the car is not maintained.
By now some of you are thinking, "holy crap, he's wrecked his car!", well, don't worry, mini-98 is fine. We'll go back to the start for a second.
Three days, six hours and twenty-five minutes before five to eight tonight was when I got my car registered. Didn't take long, I was surprised. I think the guy wanted to have his lunch straight after. He didn't check anything on my car except the body and engine number. Nothing else. No lights, running engine, or even the horn (which doesn't work anyway). Found out some interesting information at the same time as well. My car is a 61 model according to vicroads, and its engine is apparently in four other cars.
So, I'm home shortly after, and off to work. I'm not home till dark, and wasn't going for a night drive over the next couple of nights.
Till tonight. The parents went out, and my sister wanted KFC of something for tea, and wanted to go in the mini as she'd only been in it for 5 minutes prevoiusly.
I didn't really want to go anywhere. I would have been happy with pizza. In the end I figure what the hell, I hadn't driven the car since Monday, so out we'll go.
Two minutes down the road, as I shift into third, the car dies (literally five seconds after my sister says "Will this car need a new engine"). First I thought the clutch had gone, because the engine was still revving despite the fact I was slowing down.
Then the engine cut out. I tried to restart on the go, but it wouldn't fire.
So, am stopped in the right hand lane trying to start the car. It was keen not to do so, and after thirty something cars beeping me to get out the way, some kind person finally helped me push the car onto the median strip (thanks mate), before continuing on his way.
Ten minutes under the bonnet, boot and behind the wheel proved the car wasn't going anywhere tonight. I can smell petrol around the car, and the fuel pump sounds like it's about to fall off the car. I give dad a call, tell him to drag me home, and I have to wait for half an hour, with the back of my car having no hazards, and being eighteen inches from the road, which in my cast was the local speedway. Four hundred meters of flat, newly constructed road till the next set of lights. No shortage of P platers in their commodores doing about one-twenty in the eighty zone, I can tell you.
The car is towed home at a steady 2 kay per hour, where it sits in the carport now.
Now I have a problem to fix. It's definetly in the fuel system, that's for sure.
If I'm lucky, and I'm an idiot, the car's out of fuel. The fuel gauge and odomeder don't work, so I can't keep track of how far or how much fuel I'm usuing. The car was filled last week, and took a whopping eleven litres. The car has travelled bugger all since.
I'll have to check the line for leaks, to confirm what I smelt, and check the pump and mounting system are okay.
So that's my first break down thing. Just three days after a rego.
I'm truly a mini owner now.
)
