'Moose'

The Breakdown
31 July - 8 August 1998

It had to happen I guess. We're just glad it happened whilst we were still in Germany! The fan belt gave way one morning just as my wife was returning home after dropping me off at work. On inspection the next morning, it turned out that the belt was still in one piece, just hanging loose. So I fitted a new belt and headed for work. Halfway there it fell off again. I had to resort to fitting the old one again as the 'new' one was now stuffed. The original belt still worked, but was obviously stretched and very loose. I expected it to come off again at any time. I managed to get to work OK, via a service station that, miraculously, had a new fanbelt just the right size.

That evening, heading home, there was an almighty clatter and rattle from the engine and suddenly the red generator warning light came on. Damn, it had happened again! I pulled over to fit the new fan belt that I had wisely bought that morning, but on surveying the damage I realised that a new belt wasn't going to fix it. The bottom pulley on the crankshaft had disintegrated. There was no way this Moose was going any further.

I hitch-hiked home (try that in Germany, when the only German you know is 'Eine bier bitte') just in time to phone a friendly Minor specialist in England to send out some parts for us. A friendly english-speaking neighbour helped us tow the car home. The replacement parts were supposed to arrive in two days. Well, 2 days turned into 8 and I managed to miss the bus 3 times over the next 5 days. Finally the parts arrived on the following Saturday morning. I spent the next 4 hours battling with the pulley/starter lug-nut and the hockey-sticks and the grill surround. The grill refused to come off as it had been welded to the engline bay floor at some stage so I had to work doubled over the front of the car. I finally managed to persuade the crankshaft pulley nut to come off with the aid of a monkey-wrench, vice grips, the biggest hammer I could find, a cold chisel, and several bricks. All this in blazing hot 35 degree sunshine.

Tech Tip: When attempting to remove the nut for the crankshaft pulley make sure that the handle of the spanner or vice grips are long enough to reach the floor pan of the engine bay. Attach the spanner/grips to the nut and rotate it until the handle touches the floor on the left hand side of the car. Then simply use the starter motor to shock the nut free - the floor will stop the spanner turning with the motor and undo the nut! Easy. Pity we didn't know about that one at the time...

But, the crisis is now over, and Moose is a runner again. Now we can go shopping again, and maybe we'll make it back to London in one piece!