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Breaking down in Morocco and how I got it fixed

January 11, 2016 by Mike 12 Comments

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We were driving in the van (family in the back) to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco – see this post. The temperature gauge hit 3/4 and there was a loss of power. I pulled over and there was a lot of coolant missing.

In this post I’ll go through what happened and how I got it fixed. This is my second breakdown on the road – see the first on here. I probably wouldn’t say this was a proper breakdown, just a little problem, although it could have been a lot worse if I carried on driving.

morocco-by-campervan-breaking-down-4

There’s a leak in the coolant system

I topped up the coolant reservoir with the engine running. There were bubbles consistently surfacing inside the reservoir tank. Air is getting into the coolant circuit so there must be a leak somewhere – possibly on the vacuum side of the water pump?

I inspected around engine bay for dripping coolant and found a damaged rubber hose in the radiator circuit. I am so glad that was just an external leak and not some head gasket problem. There has always been a slow leak but It was never enough to be able to find it, but this must be it and it’s obviously got much worse.

Reoccurring lesson: if there is a problem with your engine, it will get worse.

Cause of the leak

A hose was rubbing against the edge of some metal and it’s worn right through.

Another lesson: regularly inspect all hoses and wire looms for contact on abrasive surfaces

morocco-by-campervan-breaking-down-coolant-hose-leak

I was relieved that it was this simple, but it could have turned into a much bigger problem if I kept on driving.

Temporary repair

I did a temporary repair, using a square of sticky-backed bitumen, to get me to the nearest village. The water just about held in long enough.

morocco-by-campervan-breaking-down-coolant-hose-temporary-fix

Get to the nearest village

My plan was to buy a bit of rubber hose from the village, cut it to length and fit it with jubilee clips, replacing the damaged one.

What happened

A guy walking past (as soon as I stopped in the village) worked out the situation instantly and told me his friend, ‘the best mechanic in the village’, was just round the corner. So I followed him as he guided me through the narrow back streets.

Note: in Morocco, everyone knows the best person at [insert whatever here] in the village

I only wanted to buy a bit of hose but they spoke no English and I spoke no Arabic. Within minutes there were 3 people (plus audience) under and over the van and before I knew it they’d removed a whole T–piece of the hose assembly. So I guess they’re doing it then. I joined the audience.

morocco-by-campervan-breaking-down-2

The guy emptied a big bag of hoses onto the floor

I was amazed that the guy he found a piece of hose that was not only the correct diameter but also bent in the exact same places and angles as the old hose. He didn’t seem amazed though.

morocco-by-campervan-breaking-down-1

The van was fixed

He made sure the hose was put back in a different position so the same thing didn’t happen again. He also revved the engine seriously hard to test for leaks. No bubbles in the coolant reservoir tank and no loss of coolant. So it all looks good.

The price

Another lesson: Agree on a price before any work takes place.

I thought it would cost no more than about 200 Dirham (about £15) – I mean like absolute maximum. He asked for 450 and then 400 Dirham (about £30). That’s quite a lot!

I was just happy that the van was all good and that it didn’t end up causing a big overheating problem. They did a good job and I was happy that it wasn’t anything worse like a failing head gasket or internal leaking within the engine block.

Back on the road

This was a happy breakdown and I was lucky to have the guy escort me to his friend 1 minute round the corner, and to have it all fixed in an hour.

So we got to the mountains with full LDV power (see Exploring The High Atlas Mountains of Morocco). Everything good 🙂

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Filed Under: Living and travelling in a van Tagged With: morocco, travel

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Comments

  1. Susan wood says

    January 18, 2016 at 8:51 pm

    Hi, a few years ago ,en route to italy i paid 80€ in monaco principality , for a piece of hose no more than 6 inches !!!! So you got a good deal. Never breakdown in Monaco !!

    Reply
  2. Sly Melnitz says

    January 19, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    Well, if they saved your life (you did not stuck there for long) for 30 quids this is good price. Anyways it looks like you need create a list of must-have replacement parts before long LDV Convoy trip.

    Reply
  3. disqus_3BrONUAJno says

    January 21, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    The hose would cost more than £30 in the US.

    Reply
  4. groovydad says

    January 22, 2016 at 3:40 pm

    Hey Dan Just be Thankful they had the Hose to Fix it lol!..I dont mind getting ripped off by poor people…:)

    Reply
  5. Mary says

    January 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm

    You did not get ripped off. Morocco is no longer a cheap country to live in. Electricity for example is very expensive, since the French company took over it. Since all the French moved there, everything has shy rocked in price. 30 quid is a fair price to pay for a good job. Poor people do not need to be kept down by people always wanting to pay the bare minimum.

    Reply
    • Mike @vandogtraveller.com says

      January 24, 2016 at 5:31 pm

      Yeah it’s fine. I just didn’t expect nearly double the UK hourly rate for a mechanic. Maybe I shouldn’t value it like that though. I really don’t believe in trying to get everything for the bare minimum either. But it is normal here to start high and then spend a while discussing the price – that’s with everyone. It can be expensive here I think

      Reply
      • Roberto Arano says

        January 25, 2016 at 10:29 pm

        there is a minimum fee usually, in your case the mechanic spent a relatively larger proportion of his time on interfacing with the customer/”sourcing” the part etc. it’s not how long the actual repair took, it’s how long it took him away from other work he could be doing.

        Reply
  6. Fraise says

    January 24, 2016 at 5:28 pm

    ils ont vu arriver le touriste ;o))
    dans l’atlas les marocains sont très très pauvres et très accueillants.

    Reply
  7. Peter Karwacki says

    January 24, 2016 at 10:03 pm

    A garage in Canada would have charged 80.

    Reply
  8. Sunart says

    January 27, 2016 at 10:28 pm

    You take care there. Frankly there are better places to travel; and I say that after several visits when I was probably too stupid to realise it. There is always potential trouble just under the surface. Nothing about you is familiar to them, so look after yourself and your van.

    Reply
  9. Brian Walters says

    March 10, 2016 at 4:53 pm

    Hi Mike, regarding repairs, I have just paid, in Port Talbot, £613 for an MOT and welding work, on my 17 year old Campervan.

    Reply
  10. Martin Lacey says

    June 30, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Were they gangstalkers ?

    Reply

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