Hi All,
I drove my '62 Imperial out to my parents house this morning which is about 45
miles of freeway driving east of Seattle. I was nearly there when I noticed
that my Temperature Gauge had begun to climb just slightly past the middle. It
occurred to me that this car has NEVER run past just less than the middle, so I
pulled into the service station right at the exit from the freeway.
As soon as I stopped, the front of the car suddenly became enveloped in steam,
and I shut the car off. I carefully opened the hood to find water spraying out
the the radiator cap. I couldn't tell immediately what was wrong, but I didn't
see any broken hoses. I then spotted that the water pump belt was gone. Closer
inspection revealed that it was wrapped around the fan. It actually hadn't
broken, but had begun to shred. One of the "shreds" became entangled in the
fan, ripping the belt off of the pulleys.
I remembered that I had bought new belts for the car, and then I realized that
they were still in the trunk! I had not installed them! How foolish! At least
they were there, and I had a wrench to do the job.
I am also fortunate that I watch my gauges, keep and eye on my rear view
mirror, and had the sense to put the belts in the trunk, even though they
should have already been installed. I was also lucky that I noticed it before
the car became too hot and caused engine damage.
Watch your gauges, and check your belts and hoses! The hotter weather is here.
Paul
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