Mom's 95 accord broke down 35 miles away. Took it to mechanic and they replaced radiator and thermostat. Symptons prior to overheat:
-coolant overflow tank is boiling and rumbling
-hissing sound
-losing coolant

Mechanic said HG is blown and coolant is leaking externally and not getting into oil. He also said thermostat was stuck.

What's the best way to limp this nightmare back 35 miles so i can donate it to Kars4kids? Thanks.

 

Put it on the back of a AAA truck.

 

7 miles free then 10 per mile. Not going to spend 280 to get this POS back home.

 

What?! are you not a member? mine is free way more than 35 miles. i guess if the thermostat is stuck just remove it and baby it the 35 miles.

 

Not a premium member. Thermostat has been replaced with new one

 

Gotcha...Honestly, if it were me i'd upgrade to premium. It's not expensive and totally worth it for shitty situations like this. (I do not work for AAA lol).
just my

Maybe someone will have a good way to for you to limp it though..good luck!

 

Have someone pull it with a strap and another in the other car applying brakes

 

Best way: Borrow a friend's tow rig, put it on a trailer or dolly.

Second best... Um... I guess you could use a tow strap, but that's pretty sketchy. How far will it go before overheating? If it'll do 10 miles at a time, you could do it over 3-4 days. If it's dumping coolant in the oil you'll probably trash the bearings doing that, though. Do you want the motor to be fixable?

--Ian

 

AAA Plus is well worth having, IMHO, but it probably won't help you in this case. If you don't already have it, then signing up for it now the coverage won't kick in for a week or two.

--Ian

 

heater at full blast! and just OJ it.

 

Put it on craigslist. Meet potential buyers where its broken.

 

^ That. Or drive it and see how it runs after the work has been done, it may be alright enough to go 35 miles. If the charity is going to have to pick it up with a tow truck, why can't they do it wherever the car is now?

 

Where's the nearest scrap yard?

 

don't they come pick cars up? I thought that was their incentive to give a car

 

A dolly in PA costs like $40 to rent for 24hours. I just used one to get my donor car home (busted radiator). That's probably your best bet. Drive it on, ratchet it down, and go.