robm Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 After getting my car running again (Thanks again to Deener) I ran it around Vancouver for a few days to ensure it was reliable, then headed back home to Terrace, 1400 km away. That was last Thursday. It was a great day, sunny, dry, no snow or anything. Then I hit a huge rock in the middle of the road, 30 km south of Cache Creek. It was a choice between the rock, a 2 ft wide shoulder with a concrete divider, or the semi coming the other way. I tried to line up the rock slightly off centre, so it wouldn't destroy the suspension. The rock was at least a foot in diameter, and I was going the speed limit, 100 km/h. It banged the sump guard, ripped the front cat off completely, bent the tranny crossmember, pushing the transmission up about 2 inches. It dented the floorpan several places as the car rolled over it. Under the front passenger seat, the pan was pushed up about 2 inches. The cat was sleeping under that seat at the time, he was pretty lucky to escape with nothing but a severe shock to the system. Believe it or not, the car was still drivable. One header was flattened completely, but the other was open enough to let the engine run. I drove it into Cache Creek at 100 km/h. It is getting new parts there. They managed to source a used header/y-pipe/cat and a cross member from a wrecker on Vancouver Island. With luck, it should be ready by next weekend, when I can go back to retrieve it. I am fairly certain that any other car would have been totaled by hitting that rock. It is a miracle this one wasn't. It is time to look for another car, I think. This one is getting pretty used up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 You might be better off lifting it a little and keeping it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Oh , I am keeping, it all right. I have been driving a lot of rentals recently, and haven't yet found a new car I would want to own. I haven't even found one I can see out of yet. But this my daily driver, only 5% tops is off road. Lifting it should not be necessary for driving it on the TransCanada Highway, where this little incident took place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 ... ripped the front cat off completely,... ... The cat was sleeping under that seat at the time, he was pretty lucky to escape with nothing but a severe shock to the system. ... Did the "rear cat" get rudely awakened also? Sorry, I couldn't resist. I am VERY glad that you survived and that your Subaru helped to keep you that way. My one encounter with road debris was "motorcycle vs 100cm chunk of something heavy", and the "something heavy" won. I nailed the chunk with my front wheel at 45mph (75Km/Hr), the wheel stopped and I didn't. I learned that day that I liked leather, and that you should never look at the object you are trying to avoid hitting. (Hand-eye coordination is a double-edged sword.) Again, I am glad that you are safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deener Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Rob, I am so sorry to hear of your misfortune. It sounds like this happened right near Loon Lake. Glad to hear your cat made it though. It sounds like a hollywood movie...you know...the pet always manages to survive despite incredible cirumstances (Old Yeller is the exception). Stop by on your way through next time and show me the battle wounds. Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Oh , I am keeping, it all right. I have been driving a lot of rentals recently, and haven't yet found a new car I would want to own. I haven't even found one I can see out of yet. But this my daily driver, only 5% tops is off road. Lifting it should not be necessary for driving it on the TransCanada Highway, where this little incident took place! Most of the rental companies buy the cars that aren't selling well from the dealers or manufacturers that are willing to let them go at wholesale prices. If you are expecting to find a car you like on a rental car test drive basis, think again. The two rentals that I have driven in the past 2 years that I actually liked after the test drive are not commonly found rental cars. 1. Nissan Sentra 2. Subaru Impreza Base hatchback. Number one was no surprise to me. Number 2, I ended up with a WRX but it did show me that I like the hatchback, good size, comfy, quiet, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) What I am finding I don't like about new cars seems to be common to all, and a result of styling and recent "safety" requirements. This covers a broad range of cars, some considered quite desirable: Chevy HHR, Camry, Mazda 3 (too fast!) Mazda 5, a Nissan, a Chrysler minivan. WHt I have noticed: Huge front pillars at steep angles supporting the roof, right where one needs to see out to notice things like where you are going in a turn, or other vehicles. It is a good thing many of these pillars have airbags in them, as the airbag will be really handy when you hit the F250 that was hiding behind the pillar. High dashboards, making it impossible to see the front of the car. If I sit way up high and way forward, then I can sometimes see the hood sloping away in front, but it is still a guess where the front of the car is, as the end of the hood is still below that. I have poor depth perception, I know, so I have to have strong visual cues to tell me where the end of the car is, like being able to see the end of the car. Vision to the rear is often really bad. Huge pillars in the rear quarters make lane changes scary, the rear headrests often block the view in the rear view mirror, some of the rear windows are really small, and always, really high, so the rear of the car is impossible to see from inside. I get paranoid driving them in traffic, and frustrated trying to park them. I am not sure about the ABS either. I found the rental car I drove back to not stop well in slippery conditions, with ABS going like mad. I am not sure if this is due to the different drive train ( 2WD Auto vs 4WD manual), the car's weight (Impala vs. Loyale) or the inherent properties of the braking system, but there were a few scary moments that I wouldn't have had in the rusty, trusty Subie. I really need an AWD car, living where I do. Most AWD are automatic only now, manual transmission is not an option, and even ones that do have it, (Subaru and Suzuki) the manual is rare as hen's teeth. I prefer the manual, I still don't believe the autos get better fuel consumption in the real world yet. It was such a relief, getting back into my Subaru, that I can see out of, and can see the ends of, and don't have to worry about snow or slush. On the way back in the rental I stopped to see some friends, and nearly had to walk the last half mile as their road was nearly impassible to 2WD. (Their driveway is impassible, but I was expecting that.) Traction control got me up the hill, at 0 mph, and it was pretty smelly when I got to the top. I don't think it is supposed to be engaged for 5 minutes straight... Other than these items, there are lots of good things about new cars, like 30 MPG on the highway (decent, but it could be better, I used to get 35+ MPG out of my old Corollas and 510's), good instrumentation for trip meters, fuel consumption, outside temperature, cruise control, etc. No news on how my car is yet. They have most of the parts, and are going to start today. I should know by the end of the day. Edited March 16, 2011 by robm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 An update: I took the train to Prince George, then got a ride to Cache Creek with a friend who was hauling the family south for school break. The car was back in one piece, with a new (to me) front cat and transmission support, tranny oil topped up, and some kind of epoxy on the bashed bit on the transmission where it was oozing. The car ran fine, with absolutely no problems. However, the next day, In Prince George, there was oil on the garage floor, and the level in the dipstick was down. Also, there was grease from the DOJ joint spread about, as there was no heat shield with the new catalytic converter. I topped up the transmission, and carried on to Terrace. By the time I got home, the oil level was down to the add mark on the dipstick. I have cleaned it up really well, and will let it sit to find where the oil is leaking from. If I can't seal it up, I may be looking for a new transmission. Also, I will have to rig up a heat shield of some kind, and check the DOJ boot really well for damage. It shouldn't be spreading grease about like that, there may be a nick in the boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 I drained the oil from the tranny, cleaned it well with epoxy thinner and a toothbrush, and added more epoxy. Right above the bolt that got bashed is what looks like a freeze plug in the tranny. The oil was oozing out from around it. The plug itself was actually distorted. It is amazing the transmission case flexed far enough to distort this plug, then went back, without cracking. So far, the oil is staying where it belongs. I also cobbled up a heat shield over the cat from some sheet metal. The grease from the DOJ was oozing out from the boot, there was no nick in it. It all looks OK. I will find out for sure this weekend, when I head back to Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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