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Lots of feelings of mislaid trust and resentment are running through my mind as I type this post. Perhaps the problem will eventually be traced back to an oversight on my part, but for now, I feel like my Brick totally let me down.
Okay, so I was driving through a neighborhood late at night, halfway through a roundabout, when the engine dies. It's gone completely. I don't know quite what's happened because my music is still playing loudly and the A/C is on the third setting. However, I do immediately notice no power steering (just a really hard to move steering wheel), all the idiot lights on the dash lighting up, and a brake pedal that is very hard to depress.
I coast to the side of the road and park it, turning it off to rest for a second. I have no idea what has happened, and it is a completely new experience for me. I pull out a Maglite and check the fuses. All are good. I try to restart the car. The starter works and tries to turn over the engine, but nothing happens. The engine doesn't even try to catch. So, I call the parents (waking them up) and they come to get me.
We move the car to a safer location (it was both in a roundabout and in front of a fire hydrant) and leave it for the night, after removing all valuable items. Tomorrow, we will call AAA and have them tow the car, possibly to the local Volvo repair shop (which isn't open until Monday). Though, if the problem is fixable by another place that is open during the weekend, I might suggest we take it there.
Does anyone have any guesses as to what my problem is? Again, idiot lights on, engine dead, everything else still working except for power steering and power brakes.
My guess is that the timing belt broke.
I don't know anything about what causes cars to stall, but I've heard that one should check the timing belt and get it service regularly, and that the only problem with not doing that is that the car will stall and leave the driver stranded some place. That sounds like what happened to me.
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'89 244 GL--25/22 ipd sways, Volvo truck amber turn signal lenses
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