DoubleMint scared the shiz out of the kids and I today. I feel pretty lucky that no one got hurt. The kids and I were cruising down Stratford at about 45-50 mph when suddenly the motor died and the rear wheels locked up. I tried to hold it straight but couldn’t and we did a 180 across a couple lanes, ending up in the middle turn lane facing the opposite direction. All that was going through my mind at the time was “please don’t flip, please don’t flip, please don’t flip..”. Luckily it didn’t. I got out and took a quick look around and didn’t see anything funny with the drivetrain or steering. Then hopped back in and fired it back up easily and the rear tires seemed free. Limped over to the side of the road and coolant steam started coming through the vents. Popped the hood and saw that the idler pulley had come off the front of the engine and was wedged against the alternator pulley.
Long story shorter, I got a new idler put on to get home. In the process of replacing it, I noticed the tensioner is also about to let loose and the belt needs replacement. My JB weld plug blew on the radiator, so looks like it’s time to get the whole rad replaced as well.
I might not make it to the Veterans’ ride this coming weekend.
