Vehicle Repairs during Emergency

Radiator leaks can be temporarily fixed by a variety of methods. Some of the ones that I know will work are:
1. Pour an egg into the radiator
2. Barr's Stop Leak
3. Black pepper
You can often stop or slow a leak by pinching the offending fins together with a pair of needle-nosed pliers then seal by pouring stop-leak (or egg or black pepper) into the radiator.
Carry water or coolant, at least five gallons.
Duct tape is a real life-saver, should have several rolls and electrical tape as well. I also carry 3M rubber tape. A flashlight is essential and a 12 volt drop-light will pay for itself with one use. I like to keep a tube or two of JB Weld handy. A chain or nylon tow strop and a cheap wire come-a-long doesn't take much space and can be a life-saver. A can of WD-40 will solve many electrical problems. I also carry a gallon of engine oil, usually 10W40; this isn't what I run in my vehicle but it will generally solve a problem to get you there.

 

Things to carry:
1) Fix-a-Flat for larger truck tires - great for slow-leaks.
2) 12-volt compressor - I find the SLIME compressor to be among the best small compressors.
3) Spare serpentine belt - today's cars/trucks use one long belt to drive ALL accessories - it breaks, you're stuck!
4) A pack of ALL bulbs and fuses your vehicle uses.
5) Ditto on the floor jack - it got me out of a weird parking lot 'stuck' one day. The onlookers laughed - till I lifted my stuck wheel out and 'drove' the vehicle ON the jack a few feet to clear it. Even a bottle jack beats those silly hand-crank jacks small cars are cursed with.
6) A full-size spare tire! The Minispares are nearly useless - don't depend on one when your life is on the line! Mine doesn't hold air for long - see # 2 above! Still need to do this for my little Toyota. But it ain't my BOV.
7) On board fire extinguisher - twice I have been in a parking lot where a vehicle burned - one a car, the other a MC. I managed to help the rider save his bike. Didn't have my extinguisher for the car - total loss for that dude.
8) CB radio - most versatile radio out there. Somebody's always on the air. Longer range than the little hand-held FRS/GMRS radios (which I also carry).
9) Good compass - keeps you going the right way -- saved my keister on roadtrips several times. GPS is great - but a compass doesn't die when the batteries are drained!
10) A couple GI wool blankets. Great when you have to wait in the cold. Also makes a good drop-cloth for working under the vehicle - you don't get dirty.

 

It will get you back up and running long enough to make a better repair a little farther down the road. Nobody would complete the trip on fix-a-flat either but it can get you to a site more conducive towards making a better repair. I actually used some birds eggs in a radiator once to stop a leak and it got me safely to the next town but I don't think it would have held much longer.

 

Square foot or so of old inner tube makes a decent improvised gasket and doesn't take up much space. Use it under good quality duct tape to reinforce radiator/heater hose repairs.

 

Yep, I had a burst waterhose once - the Upper Radiator Hose. I pulled into the first shop I saw, and asked for the upper hose for a Dodge Polara.
Guy behind the counter looks at me like I'm from Mars. Then I noticed . . .


. . . it was a Volkswagon shop - in the days when they were all AIR cooled! Bwahahaha!!

He did have duct tape though.

 

One more that works even for slightly larger pin holes thn the pepper is a can of chewing tobaco in the radiator. Chew or pepper both work by floating in the wter and as the water tries to runout the hole the particles clog the hole and build a dam over it then presure helps hold it in place as well as forceing it in untill it sticks.

A few spare pieces of various sized hoses includeing a spare for radiator hoses, hose clamps, a small patch of leather, some sheet metal screws, some 20 guage or heavier wire, duct tape, electrical tape, tie wire, assortment of nuts and bolts, tire plug kit, 12 volt compressor.

Small bits of rubber hose can be put over a broken fuel or in an emergency a brake line and held in place with a hose clamp to stop a leak.

If theres a hole in the fuel tank you can cut a small patch of leather (dime size or a little smaller) then put a washer if wanted on a sheet metal screw or just put the screw straight through the leather and screwit into the hole and the leather will swell as it gets wet and seal the leak.

Duct tape SOMETIMES can work especialy along with a piece of floor mat to get a busted radiator hose to limp you in.

Have spare fuses on hand but if they keep blowing things like the head lights and such arent to hard to wire direct to the battery (just unhook the normal curcit so the short dosnt cause problems) and similar can be done to get around some ignition problems.

I have had the bolts connecting my fly wheel to the torque converter (the bolts that make the motor turning turn the transmission and make the car go) fall out before and didnt know untill the last one came out. Couldnt find any of the bolts but one that fit in the hole even though it was the wrong size saved about a 20 mile hike and a tow bill.

Especialy on the far or construction sites tire plug kits are the best thing ever invented. Basicly you find the hole (a bottle of water preferably with a few drops of soap in it is VERY helpful for this) and if there is a nail or some such you pull it out. You have one tool in the kit that is a round file (kits with T handles work a lot easier) and you rouph up the hole then leave it in the hole while you get the plug ready or the tire will go flat quicker and be harder to plug. The second tool has a hole in the end about like the eye of a needle with a slit in the end. You take a string of sort of like a tar/rubber stuff and thread it half way through the hole, pull out the file tool and shove the plug (tarred stuff) into the hole so just the ends are sticking out then pull out the needle tool and most of the plug stays inside the tire and the air pressure pushes the stuff into a glob on the inside of the hole. Trim the ends smooth to the face of the tire, reinflate to normal presure and you can generaly many hundreds of miles on the tire. The kits run about $5 generaly and have 5-10 plugs in them then more plugs can be bought in 5-10 packs for a few pennies each. TONS cheaper and better on the road side than haveing to buy a new tire or even get someone topatch it for you, they have saved me litteraly thousands of dollars over replaceing punctured tires and more reliable than fix a flat.

A self contained battery jump starter. Jumper cables are great if theres some one else to get a jump from but if they aint around or not interested in helping...thats where the rechargable jumper boxes are great.

While its not repairs, a shovel and a bag of cat litter, sand or ashes will get you unstuck a lot of times and if they fail a come along and chain or strap can often get it done.

Spare fluids, belts, a Chiltons or similar manual to help identify the problem and how it works and a tool box (good socket set, various screw drivers, pliars, set of wrenches, cressent wrenches, vice grips and assorted hand tools) also are definates if setting a vehicle up as a BOV or likely to be in areas where you have to rely on yourself if it breaks down.

 

Get a Chilton's or Haynes Automotive Repair Manual for your vehicle and get to know your vehicle. They cost about $15-$20 and are written with easy to read instructions with lots of illustrations, diagrams and pictures to help learn what you are looking at and to know what you're fixing when you breakdown.

1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive ratchet, sockets (standard and deep-SAE and metric) and extensions, 1/2" drive breaker bar, combination (open and boxed end) wrenches (SAE and metric), assortment of differing lengths phillips and standard screwdrivers, allen wrench set, Torx bit set, vise grips, curved and straight jawed pliers, needle nose pliers, water pump pliers, internal and external circlip pliers, wire brush, oil filter wrench, spanner wrench, cold chisel, punches, hammer, rubber mallet, spark plug gauge, feeler gauges, file, ignition file, utility knife, propane torch, wire cutter/stripper, side cutters, test light, tire valve (Schrader valve) tool, spark plug sockets, axle nut socket (for 4x4 owners), ohmeter.......

Oil, tranny fluid, gear oil, brake fluid (check owner's manaul for what type of brake fluid), 50/50 coolant or water and 100% antifreeze, thread sealant, starting fluid (ether), WD-40, Bar's Leak, tub of wheel bearing grease or greasegun, power steering fluid, tire repair kit, Fix-A-Flat, JB-Weld (this stuff works well when applied to clean surfaces and wouldn't go anywhere w/o it), radiator hoses, various sizes of rubber heater hose, clamps, compression couplings that fit steel fuel and brake lines, extra steel tubing for fuel and brake lines, tie-wire, extra fuses, .......

Hydraulic jack, short pieces of 2"x4" and/or 4"x4", tow strap or chain with hooks, shackles, come along, winch, double the pulling power of your winch or come along with a snatch block, high lift jack, spare tire-get rid of the space saver spare if you can, 4-way lug wrench, shovel, axe, prybar, tire levers, chainsaw.....

I know there are more hand tools and/or disposable items I could list or forgot to list that would fill a large roll away toolbox but this is what comes to mind at the moment for the basics besides specialty tools applicable to your vehicle.

Carry a full-sized spare tire, tire repair kit, tire stems and extra Schrader valves, a 12V portable compressor and Fix-A-Flat. I've had some success with Fix-A-Flat, sometimes it took a couple cans and is not a permanent fix. It probably would have worked better if I had a tire repair kit at the time. Try to get the weight off the tire ASAP so as to not break the bead on the tire. If this happens you can re-seat the bead on your tire with 2 field methods that I'm aware of, one being more dangerous than the other. Use a nylon winch-type hold down strap wrapped tightly around outside of tire while airing up tire. This helps pull the bead towards the wheel but doesn't always work. Your compressor needs to be able to give you a quick blast of air pressure though to work. Now the potentially dangerous one but it does work if you're careful. Spray starting fluid into tire cavity onto the wheel and light with torch but be careful not to spray too much. Some say you should remove Schrader valve to allow hot gases to escape but I have done it with the Schrader valve in place without any problems but was careful not to spray too much starting fluid.

 

I've never used the egg, pepper or chewing tobacco methods for sealing leaks but from the sounds of it, it'll work in a pinch. Not sure how long these remedies would last but if it gets you further down the road that may be all that matters. Learn something new everyday.

I have used Bar's Leak and other brands of a like product with decent results depending on severity of the leak. The only leaks I've tried to use it on where partially blown head gaskets. Eventually though, I did have to pull the heads have them shaved and install new head gaskets. If you don't know how to solder then leaks in the fins of the radiator could be slowed down by using needle nose pliers to pinch surrounding fins, clean and dry area of exposed metal surface with torch and apply JB-Weld. Cracks in the radiators and thermostat housing could be repaired in same manner.

Heater hose and radiator hoses could be temporarily repaired with lots of duct tape and/or electrical tape. Cracking the radiator cap (1/2 open or lifting the relief vent on one's equipped with one) will help reduce pressure in the radiator so the duct tape patch won't have to hold against the normal 10-14 PSI operating pressure.

 

With enough tools, knowledge and motivation you can almost eliminate the need for a mechanic. The only things I have not done on vehicles I've owned is rebuild transmissions, re-gear axles, wheel alignments and computer diagnostics.

What tools do you have or would consider buying and how much are you willing to learn?

Have you ever done any vehicle maintenance? Where are you at in your abilities?

 

If you have a veneer caliper, gauge the steel tubing on the fuel lines and brake lines. Get at least 2 compression couplings that fit each and some straight steel tubing for repairs to these systems. No sense in trying a McGyver fix when you have the ability to fix it the right way.

I know vehicles with carburetor's can be fixed with rubber hose and hose clamps because this type of material is already incorporated into the system. I'm not sure if this type of repair will keep your vehicle running on a fuel injected engine though, I've never tried it. Fuel injected engines run on about 30PSI fuel pressure, quite a bit more than older vehicles. If it's your only option at the time then I guess it's worth trying.

I've never had much luck with a McGyver fix on a brake system or hydraulic clutch slave cylinder and had to just replace the tubing completely or fixed it with compression couplings and new steel tubing. If you have tubing benders then you could bend your own tubing. As far as the rubber or stainless steel flexible tubing at the wheels, one could always carry a spare one. If you don't have any of the above then I'm afraid you just might have to pinch off the affected brake line with vise grips, being careful to not fracture the tubing causing a worse leak. Once you do this gravity bleed the brakes at each wheel. The vehicle will pull to the opposite side of the affected wheel though but it will get you down the road. This is the only McGyver fix that has worked for me on a brake system. I've had tape fix a leak until I depressed the brake pedal.

As mentioned carry radiator hoses and rubber hose for the heater hoses. Some vehicles will have a short bent hose coming from the water pump to the block, you might want to carry one of these also, as straight hose might get pinched. You'll have to check out your vehicle and see what you have in the coolant system. If the heater core is leaking you could bypass the heater core inside the engine compartment. Once you know what the inside diameter of your heater hoses are, then you know what size tubing could be used to tie the 2 hoses together instead of attaching to the heater core. Usually 1/2" copper, which is 5/8" outside diameter will work for this application.