OK. Quickly... lol...
Adult son visited me this weekend; he just left for Vegas... home.
Yesterday I let him drive the car to La Jolla. Easy route down... 10... 60... 215... 15 and over to the beach.
Left around 5... 15 Northbound. In spite of using FastTrak... it was bumper to bumper... not a surprise on a Friday afternoon rush hour. Anyhow... I started grilling him about the slight 'bucking" I felt... he didn't (he doesn't know the car). I'm asking him why is he in 3rd gear when we're going 20 miles an hour. Mind you we're in manual (Tip). Anyhow... we get to the Pechanga Casino exit, which I recognize for I've a brother in law living proximate the joint... and I tell me son we'll just take the 79... drop us off on the 10.
Anyhow... I thought we remained on the 79 when it happened. Son was doing some serious canyon carving... going through the gears... twists and turns... The car in the three years hadn't seen this much action... and I will say that my son... a motorcycle rider... knows how to focus and I was really impressed. 15 minutes into our trip, when we left yesterday morning, he told me: I gotta get one of these. We discussed an S... manual 5 speed. He got the bug... anyhow...
So... we're cruising and the "bucking' in what appeared to be 2nd gear with the revs around 2300 (my son had been paying attention) and I say lets pull over. We did. I let it set for a few minutes, off. Went to leave... start the car. Zero. Tried several times. Nothing. I'm now thinking the eff word and my predicament. Stuck in front of a Panda Express with a broken down car.
I must collect my wits (yeah yeah... the few I have... I know I know)... hit a restroom... return to the car to start it. Zero. Zero. Zero.
I ask myself what have I been reading on the forum. I ask myself what would the five sharpest guys on the forum suggest... so I put the shifter into neutral... hit the key... vroom vroom.
Lets get the hell out of here and get her home.
So... somehow the 79 changed it's look because we found ourselves deep in wine country. No navigation system... ... when we start hitting some hairpin turns he brakes... downshifts... comes out of it... zoom... shift... and I recognize that when as he's coming out of a turn and giving it gas... we're not accelerating like we should. He doesn't recognize this... I point it out. Seems to iron itself out... and I tell him lets cool it down and just nurse her home.
We finally, finally come to a stop sign. When he accelerates to proceed the engine revs are going... but we're hardly moving. We get moving and I tell him just keep it steady. I then smell oil burning. I believe it to be oil for when I checked the stick that morning I thought, oddly, it to be a little on the high side.
Anyhow... the smell of smoke becomes visible smoke filling the cabin. Now... the top is down... and the smoke is almost overwhelming. We pull over and situate the car. For those interested simply Google: State and Batz Hemet, CA.
It dumped the transmission fluid. I believe it was due to my sons spirited driving. Winding up... winding down.
The roadside assistance with whom my insurance is associated was, as my Mom would say, "Worthless as tits on a bull". Cell coverage was extremely spotty... and it literally was an extraordinarily painful "Can you hear me now"... for 45 effin minutes. Every time I thought we were going to commission the tow... disconnected. First quote for the 60 miles tow was $360. I could live with that. Oh! Couple of passengers? We don't do that. COVID.
Then the "service" finds a company that will do it and my son and I... $425. So COVID costs $65, lol. Lets do it. Disconnected. No deal.
My wife was three hours into her weekend girl's trip to Dana Points. She was going to be no help. "You'll work it out. See you Sunday. Love ya".
I finally visited the residence on the corner at 630... he gets a local service... $300. I say nothing except nod my head as the homeowner is making the accommodations. To my home... 20 miles outside Palm Springs? $300. Lets do this. 45 minutes later ~715P... truck shows up. It felt so good... we're headed home.
Young tow truck driver has the car up on the bed... we're ready to roll... Says to my son, "So, you guys are going to follow me?".
My son, the cop, lol... "DUUUUUUUUDE. No!"
I'm just dropping my head in utter ****************ing disappointment... feeling like a schlub with a Moe haircut (actually no haircut, just needs-a-haircut Moe. Son cut my hair this morning. The schlub is gone).
I collect my thoughts, quickly... do the math... and tell the young man that I'll give him $50 extra bucks... dude... we have masks... we shave... we don't do drugs (lie)... we don't cheat on our wives... totally effing with him in humor and he cedes. OK. Lets roll.
Arrived home around 930. This morning I put the car up on 4 stands. Wiped the fluid that had dispersed underneath... and maybe today I'll move out of the way the aluminum bars... remove the triangle plate... and examine it. Haven't done any reading or research to try to come to a sense of what transpired. However, I suspect it was the 2000 to 4000+ shifts up and down and up and down and up and down. I'm hoping the fluid overheated... blew the pan seal... and that's it. If everything appears to be in order I'll just button her up and introduce new fluid following the proper procedure (I did a fluid and filter service about ~3-4-5 months ago).
If anyone has any ideas about what may have happened... what I should look for... what I should inspect... and/or how to test... I'm all ears.
Literally. Ears. Again, son cut my hair this morning.
Cheers!
