After passing through Christina Lake about 15 minutes out on Hwy 3 heading up the Paulson Pass with my daughter we heard a loud explosion followed by a thumping sound like a broken serpentine belt. I slammed on my brakes which was my automatic & panicked reaction and at the same time the car behind me crashed into the meridian on the passenger side. I managed to avoid the meridian and came to a stop in the curb lane. The only 2 vehicles on the highway at 3 am. After we all agreed we were shaken up but okay the 2 men in the car decided their vehicle was drivable and departed. I checked over my truck from bumper to bumper looking for anything broken. I knew my passenger side exhaust manifold was cracked and had been since owning the truck. With only a couple of pocket flashlights and without my stool that I usually carry it was dark, rainy and difficult to clearly view anything under the hood. An hour and a half later I started the engine, checked that I had brakes, steering, throttle worked fine and what definitely sounded like an exhaust leak. At that hour and no cell service I drove the 3 hours home. It wasn't until I got home as the sun was rising that I could see the #2 cylinder broken coil and missing spark plug. Wow, we are so lucky that my engine didn't catch fire.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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engine light on
After passing through Christina Lake about 15 minutes out on Hwy 3 heading up the Paulson Pass with my daughter we heard a loud explosion followed by a thumping sound like a broken serpentine belt. I slammed on my brakes which was my automatic & panicked reaction and at the same time the car behind me crashed into the meridian on the passenger side. I managed to avoid the meridian and came to a stop in the curb lane. The only 2 vehicles on the highway at 3 am. After we all agreed we were shaken up but okay the 2 men in the car decided their vehicle was drivable and departed. I checked over my truck from bumper to bumper looking for anything broken. I knew my passenger side exhaust manifold was cracked and had been since owning the truck. With only a couple of pocket flashlights and without my stool that I usually carry it was dark, rainy and difficult to clearly view anything under the hood. An hour and a half later I started the engine, checked that I had brakes, steering, throttle worked fine and what definitely sounded like an exhaust leak. At that hour and no cell service I drove the 3 hours home. It wasn't until I got home as the sun was rising that I could see the #2 cylinder broken coil and missing spark plug. Wow, we are so lucky that my engine didn't catch fire.
- heatherbc, Cranbrook, BC, Canada