How much bad luck can one grey nomad and one not so well wife have?

Yuglamron · Guru

How much bad luck can one grey nomad and one not so well wife have?

briggspc · Senior Member

Left Atherton Tablelands February 2011 to go on a 2 year trip around Australia, driving down the range got a call from Cairns base hospital saying the wife had to come in tomorrow for a operation.

Had to Spend 2 months recovering in a van park south of cairns.

Headed to Brisbane for a family wedding and stay with a friend, on the way was having trouble with the gears not going in or just popping out, found it was just a bush at the bottom of the gear stick thank god.

The next day the car would not start, found one dead sell in the battery had to get a new battery.

Two days later every time I put the blinkers on a fuse would blow; found two wires shorting out on a right hand blinker.

After the wedding headed for Derby W.A. for 2 weeks everything was going just fine and about 100klm from Derby started having trouble with the temp on the car, found the brand new Thermostat put in at home was faulty and would not open much at all so pulled it out till I got into Derby and got a new one.

Left Derby to go to Broom and just 60 klm out off Broom the wheel on the van came off, all should have been ok as was checked at home, thank god for the RACQ and NRMA insurance needed a new axel and brakes and back plate and power unit, RACQ put us up for a week while parts came from Perth.

Left Broom to start on the west coast, coming into Port Hedland started to have more trouble with the temp on the car, having a new radiator and thermostat what else could it be? Well the only thing I thought was it must be the clutch on the fan so booked into a van park for a week, (there goes half of my pension) put a new clutch in myself there goes the other half of my pension (bloody hell) did not fix the problem.(don't know what to do now)

All most forgot, as well as the temp going high my brake controller was telling me that the vans brakes had a short.

Still in Port Hedland still have temp trouble, have not sorted the brake thing out yet, need a rest. yawn

Anybody like to swap an old Toyota landcruser for a new one?

Vic · Guru

Welcome to the forum Peter and sorry to hear about your plight, hope things start to turn out for the better soon, you both certainly have had a rough trot.

Cupie · Guru

Certainly a tough trot of bad luck.

On the bright side, sounds like you are a very handy guy and able to cope with a range of mechanical breakdowns.

Sometimes it is best just to sit back for a bit & boil the billy before rushing in to attack the problem. A bit of a rest might do the trick for you.

Good luck.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Welcome Briggsp... this will be the last problem you get, from now on the trip will be healthy for you both and your rig!

Pejay · Guru

From us too, welcome!! Know exactly how you feel, these things never happen when you are in a town, they always appear to happen 'just' outside - so near and yet so far!! We know from experience ourselves!!

We have felt that our problems may stem from a character that seems to want to hitch a ride around the place and is sure as hell the hardest little bugger to kick out - I am of course referrring to one said character - MURPHY!!! Blimey he can be a real pain in the preverbial at times - OK most of the time!!

But we wish you well, and hope all your problems will be over soon, and safe travelling from here on in.

Pete & June

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome from me too Briqqspc, enjoy here and out there.

You two must have run over the same Ch....n after me as your luck seems the same as mine. My tug is currently in dry doc as we speak. I hope to get it back sometime next week.

briggspc · Senior Member

Thanks Vic, we have our fingers crossed.

briggspc · Senior Member

Yes Cupie am sitting back today having a cuppa or two aww

briggspc · Senior Member

Hi there Yuglamron, hope the hill is no too steep for the old girl, Radiator, thermastat, clutch fan all new don't think a pressure test will show anything!

briggspc · Senior Member

Thank you so much for that Gurty Dancer one can only hope.

briggspc · Senior Member

yes Pejay you are so right I have been looking for that guy called MURPHY so i can shoot him, thanks for the good wishes.

briggspc · Senior Member

Sorry to here that Dougwe hope things get better for you as well soon.

JRH · Guru

briggspc wrote:
yes Pejay you are so right I have been looking for that guy called MURPHY so i can shoot him, thanks for the good wishes.

He lives next door to Disco Duck wherever that maybe. biggrin biggrin biggrin

Happywanderer · The Master

Sorry to hear about all your bad luck. Surely it can only get better. Fingers crossed for you, All the best.

briggspc · Senior Member

Happywanderer wrote:
Sorry to hear about all your bad luck. Surely it can only get better. Fingers crossed for you, All the best.

Thanks for that Happywanderer, it looks like I have found the heating up problem, did not think to check oil level as gauge was working, had to put 2 ltrs of oil in and after a 30 min drive with air on the gauge did not go over half way.

Fingers crossed.

Happywanderer · The Master

Oh my gosh, always check your oil, thats a must.

the rocket · Guru

hello and welcome. it can only get better from here. rocket n strop

Cruising Granny · Guru

Getting stuck in Hedland is probably the worst luck you're going to have ever again. You also got all the 650kms from Broome to Hedland, one of the longest stretches of highway in the country, apart from a couple of stations and 2 roadhouses, not counting Roebuck Turntable.
These old Tojo's are hard to kill, so just keep up the maintenance and first aid and you'll be right.
I have an 80 Series and have had regular services and keep up the maintenance because she's an oldy '95, but a goody.
Safe and happy travels from now on

briggspc · Senior Member

the rocket wrote:
hello and welcome. it can only get better from here. rocket n strop

Thanks for that Rocket! does the name mean you go fast? wink

briggspc · Senior Member

Cruising Granny wrote:
Getting stuck in Hedland is probably the worst luck you're going to have ever again. You also got all the 650kms from Broome to Hedland, one of the longest stretches of highway in the country, apart from a couple of stations and 2 roadhouses, not counting Roebuck Turntable.
These old Tojo's are hard to kill, so just keep up the maintenance and first aid and you'll be right.
I have an 80 Series and have had regular services and keep up the maintenance because she's an oldy '95, but a goody.
Safe and happy travels from now on

Yes you are right about Port Hedland, it seems every body here holds there hand out for money and trying to find some were cheap to stay is imposable.

Yes the old tojo's are strong but thought I had covered it all be for leaving home, my old girl is a 60 Series 1989 good old girl, thanks for the good wishes, all the best.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

We were glad to be in Pt Headland, we could get some tools and spare parts for minor but necessary first aid to the caravan, enjoyed the walk along the shore and watching the bi-i-ig ships etc. We were glad to move on too!

You just have to make the best of some places.

JRH · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:

You just have to make the best of some places.

You going to blow up the dump Gerty? smile smile smile

RALPHRALPH · Senior Member

laugh your still alive to tell the big tale ,living the dream biggrin

briggspc · Senior Member

Gerty Dancer wrote:
We were glad to be in Pt Headland, we could get some tools and spare parts for minor but necessary first aid to the caravan, enjoyed the walk along the shore and watching the bi-i-ig ships etc. We were glad to move on too!

You just have to make the best of some places.

Yes thats right, has given me some time to sort things out.

They tell me there is a very large ship in port today, will try and go and have a look.

briggspc · Senior Member

RALPHRALPH wrote:
laugh your still alive to tell the big tale ,living the dream

Thats it! how true.

Nicholstones · Guru

Coming south down the west coast Port Hedland was the first place we noticed that had a salt mine. It seemed quite appropriate, as Port Hedland seems like the sort of place you would be sent to for punishment!

Pam · Guru

Happywanderer wrote:
Oh my gosh, always check your oil, thats a must.

Memories HW???? Not long ago your perils and look at you now!!!!

briggspc · Senior Member

Nicholstones wrote:
Coming south down the west coast Port Hedland was the first place we noticed that had a salt mine. It seemed quite appropriate, as Port Hedland seems like the sort of place you would be sent to for punishment!

That maybe so! but what have I done to deserve this?

briggspc · Senior Member

Looks like the bad luck is still going (bloody hell) went to find a photo of travels to put up on here and found that my back up drive has **** itself, have lost all my photos for the last 12 months and NO can not get them back as the drive is DEAD, boy how many back up drive does one have to have?

I did not think for one moment that traverling would be like this!