What's in your toolbox?

I was always told that if couldn't be fixed with some string and a hammer it can't be fixed. I have always believed this to be true:rolleyes2:
 
Lifting Jack and Wheel Wrench

Um, a jack and a wheel wrench...? At the VERY least!

There's usually a fair amount of space in the engine bay to mount a tool box or tool bag (on most vans).

DT
 
What sorts of spares do people carry with them?

fuses, bulbs, clips, sealants, radiator hose tape, fluids, radweld, wire, cable-ties, connection blocks, belts, straps, small selection of nuts/bolts/screws, and of course duct tape?
 
clutch ,wheel bearings and seals .belts ,
in emergency brake pipes /hoses can be crimped or clamped to stop leaks . not ideal but at least you can have three brakes in stead of none.
all depends where you are going . we go into wild places so have to carry more than the average m,homer . but if you have the right parts most villages have a mechanic that can fit them .
clutch cables accelerator cables dont take up any room .
 
in my experience the spares you carry are never the spares you need. I might have a couple of bulbs and fuses knocking about,but that's it, I rely on my own ingenuity and it's always got me home so far touch wood ! one advantage I have and use a lot,is the fact that I am so obviously working class and poor,that garages don't try and skin me ! having a mechanic called out on a sunday in france to blowup my brakes cost a fiver,and getting my gearbox and bell housing removed and welded,fresh oil and gaskets- £30 !
 
i,m sure a working girl could get it cheaper !
class doesnt come into it . hee hee .

i have found some spares are cheaper here . tyres definately . i found a place . k,s international in riuslip that specialise in jap trucks . they have said they will post world wide . .buy i dont mind carrying clutch and w,brgs . on the roads we go and towing or pulling each other out of the sand etc . best be prepared .
good tow strap or a good heavy tow pole is a must for us . aa,rac . etc dont like recovering you if your in the desert some where .
by the way carol ...how did you know the bloke was called bill?
 
K-Seal Car Leak Repair: Coolant, Head Gasket & Radiator Sealant will be in mine from now on. 80 miles into France and we have steam coming out of exhaust. AA took us to a garage and as it was Sunday, left us till morning. Took one look and said that would start work on it in two weeks:mad1: Tried to get them to try K seal but suddenly nobody understands me. Tried the AA to get me some but as garage had said they needed to take it all apart I was not allowed to touch it or insurance would become invalid. So we waited for 48hrs for them to come up with a plan. 80 Euros for taxi to station. 350 euros for Eurostar tickets. £60 for rail tickets from London home, plus they are going to spend 3 weeks getting the van back. All I wanted was a £10 bottle of K Seal and we would still be in France enjoying our holiday.

Richard
 
Tbear said:
K-Seal Car Leak Repair: Coolant, Head Gasket & Radiator Sealant will be in mine from now on. 80 miles into France and we have steam coming out of exhaust. AA took us to a garage and as it was Sunday, left us till morning. Took one look and said that would start work on it in two weeks:mad1: Tried to get them to try K seal but suddenly nobody understands me. Tried the AA to get me some but as garage had said they needed to take it all apart I was not allowed to touch it or insurance would become invalid. So we waited for 48hrs for them to come up with a plan. 80 Euros for taxi to station. 350 euros for Eurostar tickets. £60 for rail tickets from London home, plus they are going to spend 3 weeks getting the van back. All I wanted was a £10 bottle of K Seal and we would still be in France enjoying our holiday.

Richard
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that you had so much hassle for what is, hopefully, a simple fix.

I've never tried that K-Seal myself, but I've heard good things about it on here. I always carry one or two of these "Bar's Seal" tubes of leak sealant with me. It's the best sealant that I've ever used, usually much more effective than the more common types that you can buy!

Bars BAS050 50g Bars Seal: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
 
vwalan said:
in emergency brake pipes /hoses can be crimped or clamped to stop leaks . not ideal but at least you can have three brakes in stead of none.
Click to expand...

You mean like this, Alan?

https://www.facebook.com/DiveTramp/media_set?set=a.10151697264386967.1073741829.545476966&type=3

Just to make damned sure there was going to be no leaks I screwed a large self tapper screw up the hose from the cylinder and also one into the caliper hose to keep the crud out.
It was further incident free for the rest of the two week's dive trip.

DT
 
there are several good ones out there . in morocco they do one for about a quid . works well .
i once had the radiator fall off its mountings and the fan pierced the rad several times .
i managed to mount the rad and remove the fan .as it was broken . close a few of the splits with pliers on the rad . then chucked water and sealers in till it stopped leaking . catch leaking water and put back in as sealer would come out with the water .
managed to drive over the atlas mountains it boiled a few times with no fan . but put hot water in to replace what came out . got back to gibralter . .had a new fan sent from uk . fitted it and drove back to uk .
new rad fitted , that motor did maroc three more times . that was my vw lt50.
but that rad weld held even through boiling a few times .
it can and does work.
 
Photo for non-FB users

I forgot about Facebook not being universally used.



DT
 
breaking down in the middle of nowhere,in a foreign country where you don't speak the language is actually a good test of your general resourcefulness, and a lot of traveller stories are about overcoming the problems vehicles can cause you. I had a flat tyre in the mountains-no problem !got the spare out, found it was flat ! yeah I know,that's what I called me too ! still no problem,the tyres were split rims,so I got out my bead breaker,got my spare inner tube out,put the valve in ,got the wheel on ,then cycled 6 hard miles to a town and bought a footpump. phew ! cycled back,i'm now knackered,and started pumping. these tyres are 16inch and need 60psi, I reckon if I can get them to 30,that'll get me to a garage .sooo- back to pumping,blazing hot took about an hour! finally -30 psi. so,disconnected the pump and WHOOSH ! the air comes straight out. it had been a faulty valve all the time. what a great learning experience !
 
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