Water and Petrol don’t mix

Water and dirt in the petrol tank did the performance of our Lada not much good. Especially on rough roads the engine was powerless and on a few occasions it even stopped. It was time to visit one of the many car repair shops. Just to find water in the tank.

Getting the fuel tank out and getting it cleaned.

After that it was back to business as usual, although there was a faint smell of petrol in the car. Here David is trying to find if everything was properly reconnected again. It turned out a small rubber was missing from one of the hosepipes to the fuel tank. Some silicon paste, sewing thread and the advice of a local car repair helped.

Lada troubles in the Stans

In Baku our faithful Lada Niva got new brake pads and new rubbers for the drive line to prevent the shaking of the transferbox. In our beloved Turkmenistan our Lada experienced difficulties with starting the engine. It was indeed time for another car repair in Turkmenbashi. After two visits to an enormous hall where every local car repair shop had its own bridge, our Lada came out with new fuel filters (there are two of them), new spark plugs and a new lit on the brake fluid container. This did not solve the problems though, but the proud grin on our Lada cold not be missed by other road users and pedestrians.
Next day in another local car repair shop in Merv the mechanic said that the problems were actually caused by bad fuel quality and indeed after a new full tank of patrol and a bit of driving the problems disappeared. You can’t blame the Turkmen for their bad fuel, it only costs 0,01 eurocent a liter.

No pictures of all this, instead a picture filling up the Lada with dodgy petrol.

Lubrication day for Lada

Our biggest hangover today was caused by our Lada… But then with a bit of TLC and general pampering the thing seems to be rolling again. At least our vocabulary of Russian words has been extended substantially now: in addition to booking into a homestay, ordering food and praising the country we are also fluent now in describing all the spare parts of our machina and asking for unleaded petrol. And Georgian car repair shops are so much more female friendly! The nudes on the wall are replaced by yet another portrait of Stalin and we are not allowed to pay for anything – such great service!

Failing Windscreen Wipers

Lada trouble again! A full day of faithful wiping the snow off our windscreen was too much for the wipers and they gave up. It took about three hours to fix the mechanics in some car repair park in Kars. A helpful Turkish man who spoke English and Dutch was there to guide us to the repair shop – and next to a hotel, restaurant, bar…. so all good after all. The place is still freezing cold though, so hopefully Lada will forgive us for taking her over high altitude mountain passes again today on our way to the Georgian border.

Swapping tires

Swapping the front tires with the back tires so they get equally worn. More important: see the universal magazine posters on the walls… No moslims then. Those ladies.

Lada loves trucks

Ok, our Lada Niva was looking for attention… The oil leak did not turn out that serious after all though…

Why Lada rocks

One has to admit, it WAS an easy choice. Check this great 1985 brochure and get the spirit… lada_niva_1985.pdf

Getting started

Day minus 5 of departure
Busy as we are with preparations for the big trip, thought you might want something to keep you entertained too. A true DIY Lada Niva papermodel… good luck!