it never fails... a little island life...

n8thgr8

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
587
0
Colorado, Guam
When I fix something on PAH, (my '98 D1, daily driver) it either gets worse, or something else breaks AS I'm test driving it after the repair.
Last week I noticed my chronically loose battery connection acting up more than usual, so I decided to fix it once and for all, and put a shim on the post. Ta da! Problem solved! right?
NOPE!
The battery light conveniently comes on just after that and won't go away. I thought "hmm, maybe it was the shim, I'll just take that out and see if it changes."
Took the shim out and broke the post clamp trying to get it tight enough. Awesome sauce.
I knew it meant a trip to NAPA, so I pulled the battery as long as it was unhooked, just to get it tested. (planning ahead! it's a rare thing for me in these situations haha)
Yup, battery was bad.
New battery new post clamp, all is well.
Until the next morning. I took the morning off of work because I had to wait for a delivery, and I was headed in to work for the last half of the day. UNTIL, dead battery.
Ugh.
I pull the battery out and put it on the charger, and pull out the alternator.
I call around the island to see if the alternator and starter guy can rebuild an alternator if I need it. Tony says "Oh yah, bring it in! We can do it!"
I catch a ride to NAPA again, and ask them to test the alternator. The girl there has no clue how to hook it up, and when she closes the little door, the noise from the bearing gets loud. "Oh, we can't test it, the bearing is bad" BS!
I go see Tony the alternator guy, and even though I JUST talked to him on the phone, and he said he could do a land rover alternator, upon seeing it he says "What kind of car? Oh, I can't do that."
:banghead: Tony recommends another alternator shop but his Filipino accent is so thick, I can barely get any info from him, and I get a vague idea of where the shop is.
I find the NEXT alternator shop and this shop is run by Chuukeese boys. They acctually test the thing, "yah, it's bad, but we don't have the parts" So they send me to yet a THIRD shop.
I walk in (before I get a chance to say anything) and the guy says "Oh, that's from a land rover" "yah!" "I can do that"
I picked up the newly rebuilt alternator, he fixed wonky connections and it dropped right in and the truck fired right up! I drove it around a bit last night, but didn't have any issues.
I test started it this morning, no issues.
I started it again and started the 3 mile drive to work.
The pulley bolt shoots off and the pulley falls off, the dash board lights up, the truck starts to get hot (no water pump working now that the belt has gone wonky) power steering goes, everything...
Now PAH is sitting in the parking lot at work. I borrowed a car to go home at lunch and get some tools. I'll pull out the alternator and bring it back to the guy today. I'm hoping it will be hassle free and he makes it right.
Just venting. It sucks being one of the only Disco's on island, and it extra sucks being so far away from parts.
 

stu454

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2004
5,407
61
Atlanta, GA
Sounds like the last few months with my D1. To paraphrase Ash in Alien: I won't lie to you about your chances. You have my sympathies.
 
Last edited:

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
I clicked on this thread, thinking it was about Kennith's private island. Or maybe it was Dan that had one? I can't remember.

Glad you got squared away. This sounds like a story straight out of J. Maarten Troost's The Sex Lives of Cannibals.
 

stu454

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2004
5,407
61
Atlanta, GA
I clicked on this thread, thinking it was about Kennith's private island. Or maybe it was Dan that had one? I can't remember....

I think they share one. I have no idea which one is "Skipper" and which one is "Little Buddy".

GilligansIsland-AlanHaleJr-GilliganSkipper-046_S3D5E25_zpsaad45864.jpg
 

Manofspacebob

Active member
Aug 11, 2009
35
0
North East
:banghead: Well that would have been nice to know?!?!?!.... hahaha just kidding. This thing is ten times, err 8 times, more reliable than my 1987 rrc rest it's rusty soul.

Sounds like the last few months with my D1. To paraphrase Ash in Alien: I won't lie to you about your chances. You have my sympathies.
 

stu454

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2004
5,407
61
Atlanta, GA
:banghead: Well that would have been nice to know?!?!?!.... hahaha just kidding. This thing is ten times, err 8 times, more reliable than my 1987 rrc rest it's rusty soul.

Nah, it's a good truck. I had just burned out on it. Rather like dating a model who's a sociopath.