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Had to get towed home

N

Neglected68

Member
So I finally started driving my car to work (a whopping 6 miles) a couple times a week after sitting for a few years. One thing I didn't check before declaring it road worthy was the torque on the u-joint u-bolts. Thankfully I was only going about 25 mph when the back end of my driveshaft started bouncing down Hillsdale Ave under my car. The tow home was $195. Merry Christmas to me!

Just thought I'd whine a bit.

Glad to have found you all on this site - I'd wondered where everyone had gone.
 
Hopefully, not much damage, that sure does suck!



Oh yeah, welcome to the nuthouse :craz
 
That sucks for sure. Hope all is ok.

"Neglected68" said:
Glad to have found you all on this site - I'd wondered where everyone had gone.
Click to expand...

We didn't go anywhere, we stayed and the web page changed..........
 
At least you're uninjured. Thanks for sharing and sorry 'bout the driveshaft.

Welcome aboard!
 
Just a few scratches on the yoke and a little dent on the passenger rear seat pan. I covered the dent in axle grease so it would match the rest of the car :) One of the cup bearings on the spider came off since the U-bolt was too loose.

Should I use some loc-tite on the nuts when I reinstall the U-joint? The manual specifies only 12-15 ft-lbs of torque.
 
I have always just tightened them down. I have never used any type of loc-tite on them.
 
I don't use loctite, but then....I constantly check all the nuts and bolts (except the nut behind the wheel).
 
Wel , in fact this is a good idea to use loctite for the rear U-bolts/nuts.
Next time i am under the car i gonna redo it and use loctite.
I always found it a weak spot in the driveline of the car.
Oh yah , welcome to stangfix.
 
Um, I never used loc-tite, but I also never torqued them. I just tighten the crap out of them, by hand. Never had one come loose, just break! The front one would be my concern, I hate the pogo stick affect.

Welcome, I am glad to see I'm not the only slow poke around here.

I hope the repair goes well, and that really does suck!

One question, 6 miles and the tow was $195? Wow, I am in the wrong business.

Mel
 
I was more than a little surprised by the towing charge, but I didn't have much time to do comparison shopping :)

The first place I called while standing on the center divider wanted only $90, but would arrive after one hour. The Foster City cop who eventually pulled up behind me called another tow service. Funny how quickly they responded.
 
"The Foster City cop who eventually pulled up behind me called another tow service. Funny how quickly they responded."
Now you know where the rest of the money went.
Its the same thing all over the world.Cops and towing companys.
 
Yup heard the story many times. "Cop showed up and said 'If my tow truck gets here before your's, my guy is going to tow it.' " What can you do? Your car is the one causing legal problems, being broken down, and he's got the shiny badge and gun.
 
"Neglected68" said:
I was more than a little surprised by the towing charge, but I didn't have much time to do comparison shopping :)

The first place I called while standing on the center divider wanted only $90, but would arrive after one hour. The Foster City cop who eventually pulled up behind me called another tow service. Funny how quickly they responded.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it's time to sign up for AAA towing coverage. Just one tow pays for itself, plus you can use it for other stuff, like lock outs, jumps... you can even use the service on a friend's car if they have problems while you're with them.
 
"garner67" said:
Sounds like it's time to sign up for AAA towing coverage. Just one tow pays for itself, plus you can use it for other stuff, like lock outs, jumps... you can even use the service on a friend's car if they have problems while you're with them.
Click to expand...

+1
I used my AAA membership on my first ride out this year. I had a problem with my fuel regulator an that AAA membership paid for itself with that 1 tow. They have a gold package that i upgraded to it adds extended towing mileage .
 
I've been too cheap in the past to get AAA. Penny wise and pound foolish is my motto.

Actually, I've been pretty lucky about getting stranded due to a breakdown. This was the first time in 40,000+ miles that I needed a tow. My starter did go out one time after filling up the gas tank. The station owner let me push it off to a corner of the lot and change the starter myself the next day.
 
CA AAA gold is awesome. Utah AAA Gold is a bit cheaper, but sucks.

I have both AAA and road side assistance via my insurance.

The kids use the insurance. Did it ever come in handy. My daughter's Sable gave up on her way home to CA from our house and had to be towed. Paid for itself after that one tow. Now she has a Honda and will probably never need it.

I used AAA on a trip to Oregon from Utah and I ran the Excursion out of gas in the middle of nowhere. I thought there would be a gas station in this little town and, well there was but it was closed. Go figure. AAA brought me 10 gallons of gas free!

Mel
 
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