Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 09:16:35 -0700
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Gas pedal push rod comes unseated
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I left Mellow Yellow downtown overnight because I had had a little too
much free wine at last night's bi-annual Art Walk,* and Mrs Squirrel drove
me home. She dropped me off this morning to fetch the van before the
authorities towed it away before this weekend's Fall Festival kicks in.
Last night was our first freeze. I had to scrape the window, and the
thicker oil in the engine caused it to crank a little more slowly before
catching.
I was driving home but after about 5 minutes the gas pedal suddenly would
not depress.
The engine dropped to an idle and I pulled onto a wide shoulder. I got out
and looked at the pedal and found that the push rod (Bentley's 20.31) had
come loose from the underside of the gas pedal. Puzzling.
I snapped it back into place and drove the rest of the way with no further
problem.
I'm wondering what might have made this happen. Because I'm wearing an
immobilization boot on the right leg I don't have a good sense of feel
down there -- it's like a ski boot -- so I suppose that I might have
inadvertently hooked the pedal and pulled in up and away from the push rod
at some point, when braking, maybe, but don't remember any odd sensations
or noises down there.
Is this a Known Issue that I need to do something about? This time it
occurred in a quiet neighborhood with little traffic. I'd not like this to
happen on, say, the highway.
==============
* It is Mr Squirrel's habit to either take a cab or ride his bike home
after pubbing if he's had sufficient alcohol to risk either a ticket or
take someone's life. Mr Squirrel would not be clumping around in an
immobilization boot after ankle surgery to repair a damaged ankle if he
had been this sensible when he was 29 and crashed head-on to another car
one wet, dark, rainy night in Topanga Canyon. No one else was hurt. Mr
Squirrel's car was pretty mashed, as was Mr Squirrel. See photo
http://socal2bend.blogspot.com/2009/07/photos.html
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR
