Driving to Whitehorse, I am all alone in the middle of the Yukon when, to my horror, the engine oil pressure warning indicator on my dash lights up.
Now, I have only ever bought and driven cheap, base model economy cars, so I am not used to a lot of fancy lights, warnings, and gentle reminders.
So when I see this:
Which I later learn from my owner’s manual means:
Excuse me driver, not to bother you, but it is possible that your oil has fallen somewhere below the halfway point on the max and min range. You might want to check it at your earliest convenience.
I instead read this:
Hey genius, you drained your oil pan a while back. Pull over, this thing is totaled.
It completely freaked me out. Am I misunderstanding this? I haven’t ever had an oil indicator light come on in my car before. I always thought it was an almost catastrophic warning indication.
But, maybe I’m just a bit too anxious or confused.
Anyway, it just blinked on and then back off. I checked the owner’s manual (which stated what I noted previous, that it was just a minor indication), checked the oil, confirmed that it was below the halfway point, and decided I was okay to drive the next 100 miles into Whitehorse.
I was lucky to discover a Dodge dealer in Whitehorse who checked everything out for me.
I stuck around for an extra day to get an oil change. (I was hoping to get it done after I drove the Dempster, in Anchorage.)
I also stocked up on some Dempster Highway emergency supplies at the local Walmart.
Having been told by Bob W. that they had 10 ply tires and got one flat, but that they met someone with 4 ply tires that got 4 flats. I was trying to figure out where I stood with my tires.
I don’t really know what I have. I know how to check the date code. I know how to find my tire size. I know to stick a penny in it to check the tread.
I think they might be 7 ply.
So, I was trying to do the math:
(10 ply tires + 4 ply tires = 1 flat + 4 flats)/2
(14ply=5flats)/2
7 ply = 2.5 flats.
Does that work?
If so, I’m gonna get two and a half flats.
(But with six tires, maybe it’s higher. I couldn’t figure out that equation.)
Since both the Milepost and the Web site for the town of Inuvik say you should carry two spares, I decided to buy a spare-spare.
The spare-spare doesn’t have a rim, so I would still need to use the service station at Eagle Plains, but I’ve learned that you really do need to carry your own spare parts around here.
(I do have everything I need to change ONE flat.)
Next problem: Where can I store the spare-spare?
Under the sofa? Too short.
In my big basement storage? Not gonna work.
In front of the passenger seat? Can’t close the door.
Aha! I’ve got it!
And perfectly disguised.
***
Question: Hey, Ms. Mechanic, Why weren’t you carrying extra oil?
Answer: Because I’m an idiot. And because I didn’t know what PPL put in and was advised not to mix oils. I thought I could make it to Anchorage for the oil change. (I did buy extra oil from the Dodge dealer this time.)
***
17 Comments
If you’re going to have 2.5 flats, it sounds like you oughta have a spare-spare-spare, no?
What troubles me is how you’re going to get to the service station. But I’ve never done that drive, so I don’t know the circumstances…
Good Job Girl! Better to be over stocked. Be safe, be happy!
I suspect you are going to get mighty tired of that tire. And if you don’t put something between, it may rub a hole in your upholestery. If you throw it up top, as most people do, you’ll want to put some plastic under it there, too.
The other stuff you got all seems ultimately useful and at least temporarily storable. But you are still at least a half flat short of perfect safety.
I do like the way you immediately resort to math, though. It’s a bit like Br’er Rabbit hiding in the Briar Patch. Nobody can catch you in there.
When it comes to flats, what we have is a problem of infinite regression. Zeno’s paradox. “You can’t get there from here.”
It’s a matter of too many turtles.
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From Steven Hawking, “A Brief History of Time”:
A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on?” “You’re very clever, young man, very clever”, said the old lady. “But it’s turtles all the way down!”
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You have to realize that despite the desolate appearance of the country, the Dempster is the arctic equivalent of a superhighway at this season. No matter what happens, somebody will be along in an hour or so. Gives you a chance to bake a cake in that little oven of yours.
Everyone has their own idea of what is reasonable. Certainly a couple quarts of oil is reasonable. But there’s no such thing as self sufficiency.
When it comes to more than one spare tire, I tend to trust in Providence. Because no matter how much you attempt to prepare, the world is just troubles all the way down.
Bob
Jennifer, you can’t prepare for everything that might happen. What you are proving is that you can handle anything that comes your way. This old lady admires you very much. Oh, by the way, on our seven month trip from Texas to Alaska………..we had NO flat tires and the only ding we got on the windshield happened on an asphalt road in B.C. We drove many gravel highways/roads, come of them twice. You will hear the horror stories, smile and enjoy them and know that you can deal with whatever comes your way. Belva
Jennifer, I like Bob’s advice. It seems to me that the big problem with breaking down on the Dempster is getting emergency service, depending on how far from civilization you are. Carrying an unmounted spare tire doesn’t really help since you will still need a professional to mount the tire, which means you will either have to take the unmounted spare with the flat tire/rim somewhere to have it mounted. The only real way having an extra spare works is if it is mounted to a rim, otherwise it is just one more thing you have to move around, and maneuver around. The article you linked us to indicated they carried several mounted tires with them, so they could change the flats. I know your concern, but I don’t think you are really solving a potential problem by carrying an unmounted spare tire….just my two cents. Now, if you find yourself in a place where someone can mount a tire for you, but they don’t have your size, then it would come in handy.
Jennifer,
The ply rating of tires is a throw-back to pre 1960’s. The current and more meaningful is the “load range”. If your tires have “LRG” on the sidewall that means load range G and is equal to the old 14 ply rating. These ratings are related to load carrying capacity and not puncture resistance. Inflate your tires to the recommended psi and travel at a reasonable speed for road conditions. I predict you will not have to use any of your spares.
Enjoy,
Steve O
Are you coming into Anchorage? I have been following your blog, through my daughter who lives in Indiana. I live in Anchorage..came to Alaska with another girlfriend and lived in the bush for awhile. Now in Anchorage. If you want to meet for coffee or have an actual bed and shower for a night, contact me.
You likely have E rated tires, which are ten ply equivalent. I have a Winnebago View, and that’s what is on there. Just check the air pressure whenever you’re in a place that has air, and try to avoid hitting large objects, rocks, etc. (easy for me to say)
Hilarious that you found a cute way to store your extra spare. Cool thing about RV is that if you get stuck, you have everything you need to be comfortable while you are waiting. Take care! remember to be gentle with yourself and ENJOY your trip of a lifetime. Thanks for letting us come along.
About the oil light. It doesn’t just raise the possibility of low oil, but alternatively of low oil pressure. Which can simply mean your idle is low. Or it also might indicate you have lost lubricity.
Er…your oil, I mean.
And THAT is reputedly a result of mixing oils with different additives. But I think it is rare, and mixing oils is always better than actually running low.
About the tire. If it starts to stink up your living room, just fill up that fuel container with diesel. You’ll soon forget what the tire smelled like.
Actually an empty fuel can be useful for hitching rides back to the last gas station. It adds considerable pathos to the patented “little girl lost” look, there on the side of the road in the Arctic, as you waggle it plaintively at passing cars.
Speaking of “that look”, well, it’s also good (perhaps at half strength, as you don’t want to hurt the lad) for convincing some muscular young man to heft that tire up onto the top of your rig, assuming you have a ladder or something to tie it off to, and a plastic sack to put under it.
Getting it down again won’t be near as much trouble.
Otherwise you may want to sell or give it away when you get back to Dawson. Of course a “real” mechanic would think it smelled just swell. And combined with diesel? Ambrosia.
Bob
would there be a place to get a tire iron? might come in handy for that spare-spare, would be much easier to store and could help to prevent downtime spent searching/waiting for an open garage.
i fear bob is right with the fear that the tire might cause rubbing damage – but nothing a few well positioned wrapped towels couldn’t solve (that is if you can live with the smell).
don’t see any cans of fix-a-flat in your pic – hopefully they are possibly under the power supply or off camera with the oil?
celebrating20.blogspot.com
Jennifer, this couple along with their kids were driving the Dempster Hwy today. May be of interest to you if you aren’t already following them. Belva
I am now, officially, a Bob Giddings fan.
Your math seems right to me. Let’s take 6 tires into consideration.
If 7 ply = 2.5 flats on a 4-wheel vehicle, then that’s 2.5/4 = 0.625 flats per tire. So 6 tires * 0.625 = 3.75 flats.
So, with six seven-ply tires, you will get 3.75 flats. Let’s hope that’s not right, and our two sample vehicles were just unlucky. It really would be interesting to get a larger sample, say 100+ vehicles, and carry this math out more accurately.
Regarding the oil light – I used to own a car that had an oil light that would blink on whenever I took a hard turn. The oil would slosh over to one side of the oil pan, causing the light to blink on for a second. It’s possible you’re getting a similar oil-sloshing action. Just top it up, and if the light stops coming on, don’t worry about it.
“Just top it up, and if the light stops coming on, don’t worry about it.”
Unless, of course, it’s her oil pump that is going out.
I ran across an email account of another traveler on the Dempster, dated 2 days ago. It’s not on a website, so I’ll quote:
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“Day 11, Monday
We fueled up in Carmacks and headed North on the Klondike Highway (2)
towards Dawson City, although we didn’t intend to go there today. We topped
of the tanks again at the corner of Klondike and Dempster Highways. We then
headed North on the Dempster.
It had begun raining when I was fueling the truck and continued off and on,
mostly on, for the first 25 miles or so. We caught up with a small Class C
who was putting along at 15-20 MPH. Maybe they didn’t have any experience
driving in mud. They would pull over for oncoming traffic and let them pass
but would not do so for me.
They eventually sped up to 30, down to 15, up to 30, down to 15 with no
rhyme or reason as road conditions didn’t seem to change. It was that oozing
kinda mud that sloshes around as you drive through it. About 15 miles into
the Dempster, they finally pulled over to let me pass. No, they didn’t. They
pulled over so they could turn around go back. I hope the weather is better
tomorrow and they give it another try.
With them gone, we picked up some speed and drove in 4wd till the road got a
bit better then dropped that and was doing 40-60 depending on conditions. We
made it up to Tombstone Territorial Park around 730 or so and decided that
was enough for the day.”
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So, Jennifer, was that you?
I doubt it. I can’t see you turning back.
Just in case you haven’t got there, he also included this timely bit about the condition of the Dempster on Tuesday:
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“Road conditions on the Dempster changed depending on both the rain and when
the road crew was there last. Some of it was slushy mud, maybe 2 inches
thick over dry dirt (read “slippery as snot”) and that hid the potholes.
Some was pretty good, worth 60 – 65 MPH or so. The speed limit is 90km/h. It
rained or sprinkled off and on almost the entire way.
We also drove through the first of two air strips. This is where the highway
widens and there are white and orange markers on the side and a wind sock.
The road isn’t necessarily any better on the strip, so if you fly in you
will be hitting pot holes too. You get a warning that planes may land on the
highway and not to park in the area.”
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OMG. I bet you never even thought about airplanes landing on you! Take care.
Bob
Diesels can use a lot more oil than gasoline engines. A turbo can increase that even more, especially at high altitudes or when running for extended periods at lower-than-cruising speeds. It’s always a good idea to have some extra oil. I generally try to keep 25% of what it takes when doing a change. My Jeep takes 4 quarts, so I keep one extra quart in the vehicle. The Star takes something like 22 quarts, so I should have 5.5 extra. I keep a gallon. If I need more, I can always scavenge the Jeep and motorcycle spare oil in an emergency. As others have said, it’s better to use bad oil or mix oil than to run low. Just get it changed as soon as you can if you do end up having to use some kind of oil other than what’s already in there (although, if it burns oil on a particularly rough trip, you should change it anyway, as it’s breaking down the remaining oil as well).
You checked the level and it was low, which is a good thing. It means your sensor works and the light didn’t come on because of a pump failure or something “scary”. Check for leaks periodically (NOT after an oil change, I’ve never had someone do a change and not get the stuff all over the place), keep some extra and do the needed changes and it should be fine. You only need to worry if it keeps running low.
As for tires, unless it’s printed on the sidewall somewhere, the only way to determine number of plies is to get the info from the manufacturer. The only tires I’ve seen with the ply count printed on them are off-road or heavy-duty tires.