RE: [ihc] Re: End the Suspense( okiebinders story)

["Okiebinder" <okiebinder@xxxxxxx>]

That is a great Scout story Ryan.  Knew it must be from the hints you were
giving.

If you interest here is my story which starts off about the same.  Sorry its
so long but I think most of you will enjoy the story.

I bought my Scout (75 Scout II) during a vacation to Colorado in 2000.  I
had found it in a classified ad online also.  It was only $500, so I went by
to look at it early in the trip and then bought it a couple of days later.
He was also sending it to the crusher if he did not sell it to me.  I moved
it to a customer of ours store in Littleton (South side of Denver) from
Longmont (north side of Denver).  We had some friends with us on this trip
and I had taken a couple of CBs incase I bought the Scout.  As I am leaving
the neighborhood my friend says "Your tail lights / break lights are out".
So at the gas station I put in a new fuse.  Less than a mile later "their
out again".  This happens a couple of times then I give up on that for now.
A few miles down the road my friends wife sees a store she wants to go in
real quick, so we stop and wait in the parking lot.  She comes back out and
now the Scout will not start or jump start,  nothing.  We eat lunch come
back nothing.   I start calling truck rental places to see what it was going
to cost the get this "thing" back home to Oklahoma City. ...... more than
the Scout cost.  Thought I will try it one more time.  It starts right up.
On to Littleton,  right through down town Denver during rush hour with no
break lights.

We go back up into the mountains to finish our vacation, and I have a couple
of days to research the Binder Bulletin and this digest to figure out what
is going on with the not starting issue.  Well of course I know now it was
the "famous" hot start issue.  I was not real sure about that at the time so
I bought a starter, battery and new cables etc.  I don't have time to
install any of these thing before leaving Littleton, so we decide to leave
the Scout running during refills all the way home.  This is about a 11-12
hour drive or about 750 miles.

All goes well till just past Amarillo on I-40.  I am watching my temp gauge
clime higher and higher.  It was 107 deg when we drove through Amarillo.  We
get just out side Groom, TX and my friend says " I think you are losing
water, something is getting on our windshield."   I was able the make it
into Groom and find a NAPA store.  This was the first time I had turned off
the engine all day.  Turns out to be a very small hole in the radiator.  I
let it cool a while and put in water, antifreeze, and bars leak.  Had to do
the tap on the solenoid thing (thanks digest and BB)......Back on the
road.....

Then we were getting gas in Elk City, OK and the Scout starts to warm up
again, so I decide to let it cool down and add some more coolant, so we
could make it back into OKC.  My friend (who knows zero about cars)
decides, while I am in the back of the Scout getting some bottles to fill
with water and rags, that it would cool quicker if he opened up the cap.  He
starts turning it and I come running from the back saying "NOOOOO" .  He did
not have a rag or anything.  It has enough pressure that I cant turn it back
and it is about to pop of itself.  I have my hands on it with a bunch of
rags but it is getting too hot and I cant hold it anymore.  I told everyone
to get back.  I pushed down on the cap and jumped backwards.  It was the
prettiest green gusher you have ever seen.   We were very lucky that no one
was hurt.  Know I have antifreeze all over the motor windshield and
everywhere.   My wife is in our friends van and would not come out.  She
wanted to just leave it there and me to come back and get it the next day.
I said to her it had gas and new coolant in it now and if we leave now we
will be home before the sun goes down. (no tail lights) We did and we made
it home with no more "issues".

I have driven this Scout now everyday since (Aug 2000) except the week I had
the front fenders, hood and grill off during repairs.  What great fun these
old Scouts are.

Sorry this was so long.
David