Engine failure in WA - towing to Vancouver ideas?

[mattias]

Our delica broke down on the I-5 north of Marysville last week. We were loaded up with 7 people and bags to catch our flight to Kauai from Seattle.

Amazingly we were able to secure a tow truck and taxi (from the shoulder of the I-5) within 40 minutes and we made our flight. We're having a fun time surfing in the sun but we would like some input on how to get the van back to our mechanic in Vancouver.

We had a loss of power and lots of black smoke until it finally died. Rather than have it looked at in Washington we thought it would be best to have it towed back home. Thoughts, ideas? Thanks,

Mattias
from sunny and warm Poipu Beach

[JMK]

You could consider renting a tow-bar, light bar, and pulling it back with a suitable vehicle like a 3/4 Ton truck in the same fashion as RV'ing. If no dolly, remember to disconnect drive shaft. A limitation legally to towing a vehicle in this manner is the vehicle must be registered and insured which in this case you are, otherwise it would have to be on a flat-deck.

[mattias]

Thanks JMK -- any ideas where to rent a tow bar? My brother has a truck that would be perfect for the job.

[kb&2dogs]

http://www.uhaul.com/towing/

Good Luck!

[JMK]

There's also some other places you can check with to find the best prices, I found these guys interesting because although they are in the Fraser Valley they must think I'm stationed in the best part of the planet (their pic is taken on the Dam at Lake Minnewanka which was my assigned field unit last year, I wonder what they threw on the road for the sheep?):

http://www.fraserway.com/

Also try:
http://www.arbutusrv.ca/arbutusrv/index.php
http://www.go-west.com/

If it were me, if I could find a tow bar on eBay or used in Kijiji, Craigslist, etc., I'd just buy it and then sell it again when I was done, a lot cheaper than renting.

[bryanc]

Stay away from u-haul , i once rented a tow-dolly and truck from them one way to Canada from the US[Miami to Red Deer] and i was given the worst crap they could find , i guess to unload far away , i rejected the first truck and had nothing but problems the whole way and U-Haul basically told me tough luck so look for other options if possible.
my two cents... Bryan

[TardisDeli]

I own a tow bar and a light bar you can borrow, BUT the Delica do NOT have a strong enough front bumper nor front attachment points for the tow bar to work. The only thing that will work is either a proper flat bed trailer, or a tow dolly.

A tow dolly is like what the big RV's use to tow a spare vehicle behind them, and is a set of wheels that go under your own front wheels), but also beware if you tow with just the rear wheels on the ground, you will have to disconnect the drive shaft (a big pain), so I would recommend you tow from the rear of the delica with the rear wheels on the tow dolly and the front wheels on the ground (so the delica is backward). But this means NO BRAKES on the delica, so you rely on the brakes of the towing truck (check what kind of brakes on brothers truck). At the RV places they sell this stuff.

A proper flat bed trailer is best, is what Kathy & Brian did (but they have since sold it). Rent one, just drive the delica onto it, that way your brother can ensure that his brakes match the brakes on flat bed trailer (ie surge brakes etc) before driving down. Have seen them on the U-Haul lot at North Vancouver, but also see many complaints on the web so beware. This from their website:

QUOTE: The U-Haul car trailer / car hauler (Auto Transport) keeps all wheels of the towed vehicle off the ground and is ideal for long-distance moves. We gave it a low height and extended ramps to provide the best angle for loading and unloading vehicles with low clearance or spoilers. Our car trailer's fender also tilts out for easy access to the towed vehicle, and a surge brake provides maximum stopping assistance.

QUOTE: The U-Haul car dolly (Tow Dolly) keeps the front wheels of the towed vehicle off the ground and is a great low-cost rental choice for front-wheel-drive cars. Its low height and longer ramp mean the loading angle is shallow to accommodate vehicles with low clearance or spoilers. Our car dolly also has a swivel design that eliminates rear-tire wear and improves maneuverability. ENDQUOTE.

You or your brother welcome to phone us for suggestions. By the way, surge brakes don't require special fittings on your brothers truck. PM Private message to us if more questions.

Jay and Christine

[JMK]

I agree on both counts, avoid U-Haul at all costs, and a dual axel flat bed trailer is best.

Again, if it were me, and you decide to go the trailer route, I'd go to one of the lower mainland car/truck auction lots and source a trailer from them and buy it outright, then sell it again after the job. You need a Weight Distribution hitch at the minimum, and a sway control system. This is where you have those bars with the chains hooked up to the trailer and the hitch. The total cost of ownership should be significantly less than renting if it's done right. If you're lucky you could even make money. I'd repack the bearings before I took off.

Here is a good website to reference before embarking on a trailering venture for the first time:

http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm

[MardyDelica]

Hi, if you are a bcaa member with a premier card, you can tow your car from seattle & back to vancouver no problem.
your allowed to be tow to your shop that you want.320 kms distance allowed for 6 times.which is good. i suggest every meber have this kind of road side car bcaa & you dont need to tow your car. lots of benefit in there also for about 130 or 160 i think. but good things is that you get 3% of each money you spend to fill up diesle theu husky or mohawk station. its a big plus. in the ned of the year all the money goes to your membership card.
hope this help,
Cheers;
mardy

[mattias]

Thanks for all your suggestions-- they have been really helpful. I'm on the phone right now putting things together and I'll post an update when it's all in place.

My brother's F-350 Diesel is loaded with thousands of pounds of gear for a trip next week, so we'd have to unload a lot of it before towing the Delica on a flat bed trailer. We're looking into AAA/CAA options first.

[JMK]

That's cool about the towing, I have that level of membership but assumed that they would not tow cross border. I assumed that the towing companies would not be allowed to operate across the border but I guess one phone call to BCAA will clear that up. Please post back what you find out.

[mattias]

We got it all sorted out:

My father in-law who was with us has the Premium RV Plus BCAA membership, and you get "one tow per problem." They would have either reimbursed us for our initial tow charge (to get off the I-5) or pay for the tow back to our shop in Vancouver.

They get AAA to tow to the duty free shop at the border on the U.S. side, and then it's up to the member to call again so the BCAA partner towing company can pick up the vehicle and then tow back to BC. You get up to 300Km. I'll post a last update once we're safely back in Vancouver . . . and hopefully an update as to what the heck happened mechanically. Mahalo,

Mattias

[lrp374]

The BCAA idea is the best. If you have problems a U-Haul car hauler does work good. I picked up my Delica in Van in early DEC. with one and for the $ 65 it cost including insurance for 24 hours it was cheaper than driving 2 vehicles back! The only problem you may have is getting your Delica on it if it doesn't run. Got a winch?

[mattias]

After waiting a while at the border Bayview Towing (awesome company which only does recovery stuff) I got the van back to our mechanic in vancouver. BCAA RV Plus was a huge asset, saving us roughly $600 in towing fees.

It turns out that a timing belt rotor failed which caused all hell to break loose. Bent valves, one broken cylinder head, sheared rocker arm rod (I think that's what it's called). Pretty frustrating. The van as 130k on it and the timing belt and rotors were replaced at 109 when we bought it.

I am now less confident when we take it back on the highway. Bummer.

[JMK]

Bummer indeed,

It seems every time this happens it erodes everyone's confidence in their own machines, at least it does me, and I as well had the T-Belt done as soon as I got it. While we may be able to go into denial and hope the original mechanic that did your T-Belt fubbed it in some way, we'll never really know will we?

What is the 'timing belt rotor'? Is that the tensioner pulley?

Thanks for the follow-up, hope the rebuild goes well.