In the last installment, we had safely arrived at our characterful hotel to finish off day one. The Aries clearly made some issues but it kept going (albeit rather slowly). The rain had dissipated but we had to climb the intimidating Salmo-Creston pass. How would “Special K” handle the biggest challenge of the rally?
Waking up in the morning we investigated the town of Ymir. For a very small town it had quite a few sights. The creek across the road was scenic with the fall colors and low lying clouds. The old mine-shaft was still a visible cut into the mountainside. Down the pass towards the skate park we spotted a black bear. It was just about the only wild life we had seen on the trip besides a dead skunk earlier.
Since its boom years were decades behind it Ymir consisted of many older homes. Many were fixed up and expanded in rather novel ways like this cabin that has sprouted a trailer home addition.
The next stop was the town of Salmo where we had a challenge to buy exactly 10L of fuel. On the way there, the transmission started slipping. Luckily we were just about at the gas station, where we checked the transmission fluid. The dip stick came up completely dry; we had found our issue. It instantly became clear that the Aries was not leaking oil but in fact transmission fluid. It was masked by the leak coming from around the cv axles rather than the transmission pan. With little time left to lose we bought some suitable transmission fluid and refilled it. I bought an extra liter for any further loses. In the excitement we attempted to fill up with $10 of fuel rather than 10L. It was not to be at any rate as we got $10.01.
During the transmission refill we did notice that the Dodge was equipped with the ‘Special Handling Package’. No wonder it felt okay-ish on the twisty roads before the ferry. Or maybe that was for paint handling …
The transmission is now full of fluid and the Aries seemed to be no worse for it as the slipping had gone. On the way out of town we came across a rather twisted old Rambler convertible. The accident appeared to have happened many years ago. The six-cylinder engine looked like a perfect parts motor for the Rambler team.
A giant penny was also in town.
The Salmo-Creston hill was built in the 1960s as a more direct route that did not rely on a ferry. It does however feature long, steep grades, from 8 to 11%. Given the Aries had overheated the previous much cooler evening, we approached with trepidation. The concern proved to be valid as the check engine light soon appeared. We stopped at enlarged roadside shoulder built for just this purpose.
While waiting we were overtaken by the Rambler …
and the Toyota van, neither of which seemed to have a problem with overheating or speed up the hill.
A worker stopped to check on us and it was suggested that Rod’s Civic could help pull the Dodge up the hill. Alas, the lack of any sort of solid hook mount on the front the Aries killed this hair-brained (and illegal I suspect) plan before it got started.
We did however cut off the A/C belt in hopes of gaining even a fraction of a horsepower.
After a suitable cool off period we set off again. The Aries was able to maintain a very leisurely 60km/h (37 mph) which allowed us to take in the scenery. As well as be passed by all manner of motor-homes and trailer-hauling trucks.
At the steepest point I managed just 40km/h (25 mph) with my throttle pedal foot firmly planted in the carpet. On the bright side, having the slowest full-throttle speed was a challenge item we had just won handily.
The check engine light re-appeared again as we crested the top of the hill. I sure wish the Aries was equipped with a proper analog temperature gauge. We assumed the usual hood up position to cool off. Several other challenge competitors joined us at the top. A few curious travels asked about the nature of our unlikely group; a couple from Lethbridge was among them as well. Here is a shot of ‘Special K’ ruining a otherwise nice shot of the beautiful lake at the top of the pass.
Here is a shot without the ugly car.
During the cool down period the sweeper truck appeared and granted us very thick transmission fluid, which is meant to help stop leaks and slipping. While we were not having any more slipping issues some leak protection would be helpful. Unfortunately, ‘Special K’ continued to mark all the places it stopped.
The Top Gear guys left in their usual cloud of smoke. We suspected they had rigged some sort of device to inject a little water or something into their intake on demand as they did not seem to smoke on the highway or having any running issues. Regardless, a little showmanship was commendable.
The downhill portion of the pass proved uneventful. As unbelievably as it seems, back in Creston we found ourselves behind someone who was driving even slower than us. Of course they had the option of going faster.
The Kia’s plodding pace through town did allow us to enjoy some of the sights like this vintage truck.
We had stopped in a place called Alice Siding for lunch, and the Aries was running slightly rougher. Although the engine light was not on, it just felt hot. While the worst of the hilly sections were over, we still had another 400kms ahead of us to get back. I made a note of a scrapyard that advertised free towing, just in case. Would team ‘Special K’ make the remainder of the journey under its own power, or would we resort to bumming a ride back?
The whole series:
CC Road Trip: The Great Beater Challenge, Part 1 – Vehicle Selection
CC Road Trip: The Great Beater Challenge, Part 2 – 1983 Dodge Aries Purchased
CC Road Trip: The Great Beater Challenge, Part 3 – Vehicle Preparation
The Great Beater Challenge: Day 1, Part 1 – Off To A Slow Start
The Great Beater Challenge: Day 1, Part 2 – Rain, Rain, and a Hotel with Character
The Great Beater Challenge: Day 2, Part 1 – The Big Climb
The Great Beater Challenge: Day 2, Part 2– Finale
I have also made the mistake of mistaking a trans leak for an engine oil leak.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-transitioning-to-baltimore-1986-pontiac-grand-am/
Sure is lovely scenery indeed and I hope the car makes it to the final destination. Wonder if taking the hood off would help?
I made sure to avoid Colorado when driving my 18 year old loaded up Voyager 5,000 miles across the country for some of the very same reasons you mention here. Phoenix to Strawberry to Winslow was a bit of a challenge as is though not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
Taking the hood off would guarantee being caught in a driving rainstorm and flooding every exposed component on the poor K-Car 🙂
There was a good potential for rain in the forecast. We did get a little later in the day but that did cross my mind too.
Westbound over the Salmo-Creston this past May we had much different weather. In Creston it was a nice sunny morning with a few clouds…climbing up the pass, torrential rain which stopped right at the summit and then very thick fog most of the way down the west side. Couldn’t see a thing and slow going in 2nd and 3rd gear in the Golf. Salmo was nice and sunny!
When the pass was originally built it was called “The Kootenay Skyway” the highest paved year round road in Canada.
Such beautiful scenery! I’ve put a BC road trip on my bucket list this morning!
I know you put that thumb over the label of the snake oil bottle as not to give the brand away. It seems this leak is a bit much to handle for rubber seal conditioners. An astonishingly similar product in a bottle that looked very much like this one failed to heal the rear transmission seal in my ’94 Aerostar. I am glad this product is still available today and continues to provide the thrill that comes with the question: will it work?
It is beautiful. So it the Crowsness Pass in Alberta.
Great story and enjoying every word! Love old car adventures.
Must be a rare Aries to be an SE and have clear coat for those years, since clear coat wouldn’t become a standard Mopar feature until 1985 I believe. Extra cost and I doubt many Ks got this in the early years. Fun fun!
It was certainly quite loaded for an early Aries.
My 1986 Dodge 600 (SE or ES can’t remember now) was the color as David’s Aries and it was factory clear coat. The 1977 Versailles was the first car with factory clear coat.
Special K! Special K! Special K! Really… Would love one of those in Europe. Been accompanying yours since the first post!
Assuming Special K makes it home, maybe (just MAYBE) David will make you a special deal on his?? 😉
If It makes it to the end, I don’t think it makes it to Europe… But a Great Beater Challenge in Europe would be awesome!
Leaking axle shaft seals were common on early Ks. The one on the drivers side is a bear to change. The fluids with seal swellers will do very little to fix the problem.
Downhill throttle closed is the best way to cool an engine my Minx gets hot on the one in eight climbs on HWY 5 (no fan) and cruising on the downhill brings the temperature down easily, Either you picked a bad one or these K cars arent very good, I’m hoping it makes it to the end and then gets you home again.
Blasting the heater on high helps to disipate heat when you’re overheating.
Which is no fun on a hot summer day. As I found out one time…
Heater on is how my brother did it in his ’70 Plymouth Fury III coupe back in 1976 on our trip to Phoenix Arizona. I don’t remember it as an overheat emergency, but the temperature gauge was getting way higher than he’d ever seen it as we ascended the mountains. (This was a $400 car with a 383 2-bbl with no A/C in mid afternoon in August.)
Been there, done that, 🙂
Same here, many more times than once!
We drove with the heater on full for the whole second day. And the window open.
Oh I’ve been there alright. In fact a car I’ve owned since 2003 requires the heaters operating whenever it’s driven. Which is to say not in summer, not in traffic and not across arduous terrain.
I persist only because it’s beautiful and can theoretically be fixed. Hope I’m still the owner when it is…
Anyways, press on heroic little K!
I would think that because this Aries has factory A/C, it also would have a heavy-duty cooling system. No?
I have strong memories of Hwy 5 in NZ, the section around Fitzgerald Glade heading towards Rotorua. 20 km of continuous uphill on a loaded touring bike on a hot day is something that sticks in your mind. I totally empathize with the Minx 🙂
I got lucky with the Lucas oil treatment once. It was Xmas eve and my old vanagon started making a racket as one of the hydraulic lifters stopped doing it’s job. I poured in about a cups worth and about 5 minutes later it had got pressure and was working. About 3-4 months later I had to replace it with a new one.
That pass and the cocahalla outside hope used to have at least one or 2 cars with there hoods propped open about 10-20 years ago. Cars must have better cooling systems now days because the last couple of times I have driven by there was no one overheating near the summit.
I’m assuming that there is something wrong with the car if it can only travel at 25 mph even if it’s a steep climb. And whatever is causing the lack of power is also causing it to run hot. Maybe a clogged catalytic converter?
Definitely something wrong. Timing could have been off, low compression, etc.
Nice trip. Love those low hanging clouds on the ferry shots.
Your photos remind me of a BC road trip I did almost 30 years ago in a 79 Datsun 210 which had similar performance to your Special K. I hope it makes it back to Lethbridge!!
The poor little K seems to get a little sicker every time we join you for another installment. I don’t like the trajectory.
I would imagine that it’s tough to fully appreciate the beautiful scenery when you are constantly in diagnostic/worry mode.
Enjoying this feature very much. Carry on!
I don’t know if slow and steady wins the race here, but hopefully Special K will hold together until the end! Looking forward to the conclusion.