The Worst Breakdowns in the Australian Outback

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]We're at the Goya River just about to get the Goya River crossing done.

[00:00:05]>> But first, he needs to check the load.

[00:00:08]Under the higher trailer, Steve's worst fears are confirmed.

[00:00:13]>> Now, I've got a serious problem here.

[00:00:16]>> The crane's engine has taken a huge hit.

[00:00:19]>> The spare tire carrier's fallen to bits and it's dropped back. The tires obviously bounced up. It smashed the uh the return line to the hydraulics and it's busted off the air intake under here.

[00:00:32]>> With the crane's hydraulics smashed, Steve has no way to unload his vital freight.

[00:00:39]>> The damage bill could cost thousands.

[00:00:42]>> I'm pissed off about this. I'm I mean, I allowed time for drama, but what what really worries me with this is I'm here to deliver these containers. This is a mechanical This could be a mechanical failure that I really didn't want.

[00:00:58]With daylight fading, a temporary fix is his only hope.

[00:01:07]>> I'm just sealing this stuff up so it won't get any dirt in it. I didn't think its own tire was going to come back and hit it.

[00:01:16]It's the worst possible worst absolutely worst nightmare that could ever happen because it's going on a barge to an island, one of the most reprod now. He'll face the river, driving near blind.

[00:01:38]I don't know if there's saltwater crocs in this river or not. There probably is.

[00:01:41]I'll take it for granted that there are.

[00:01:42]If he loses traction, he could grind to a halt with no choice but to enter dangerous waters.

[00:01:55]He's through and one step closer to getting help for his damaged trailer.

[00:02:01]>> At camp tonight and I'll get up very early and I'll start idling in.

[00:02:09]>> Well, I've had a lousy night's sleep.

[00:02:11]Not much at all worrying about this.

[00:02:13]Everything rests on this thing working.

[00:02:16]This is a nightmare. This is a nightmare and I've got to get on with it. Now, if he can't get the crane engine fixed in time, Steve will miss the barge, leaving a community without solar power and the roads making it painfully slow going.

[00:02:31]>> I'll probably only go 5 km now, maybe less. I'll just see how the road feels.

[00:02:39]Every few kilometers he must stop to check his temporary fix is holding.

[00:02:47]With the high tide just hours away, it's the last thing Steve needs.

[00:03:01]But ahead there's a glimmer of hope.

[00:03:03]>> Well, I'm hit some Benjamin, so I reckon I'm uh about 20 or 30k out of town. find somewhere to set myself up and start fixing this bloody engine.

[00:03:13]>> Now the whole job hangs on whether Steve can find a mechanic out here. It won't be easy.

[00:03:26]But at last, Steve's caught a break.

[00:03:28]>> I've got on to a fell, a mechanic by the name of Brad. He's going to come and have a look at this. If he's to make the barge, the repair needs to be done here and now.

[00:03:38]>> Now, what's happened is this tire rack's gone here.

[00:03:41]>> The engine mounts are gone and the hydraulic lines have been ripped out.

[00:03:45]But the biggest casualty is the air filter. That's Y.

[00:03:51]>> It's a complex repair job, but with no time, >> Brad must improvise, giving it all in punishing heat.

[00:04:04]>> It's lost maybe 80 L of hydraulic fluid.

[00:04:08]So, we'll pump the hydraulic fluid in it.

[00:04:11]This is the last drum of Brad's oil.

[00:04:13]This is the last drum of oil in town.

[00:04:22]We go and hit the starter and see what happens.

[00:04:34]>> The engine's running, but it's far from fixed. It's >> like the alternator. See, Steve.

[00:04:40]>> Oh, yeah. Might have got full of dust and [ __ ] mate. It's >> jammed.

[00:04:45]Steve's hopes of making the barge are fading fast.

[00:04:49]>> The actual cooling fan now is jammed in the radiator housing.

[00:04:52]>> To make the fan blades spin, they'll have to be trimmed by taking to the engine with an electric saw.

[00:05:02]It's a painful sight, but it's Steve's last throw of the dice.

[00:05:08]It's not pretty, but it'll have to do.

[00:05:14]You good to go?

[00:05:14]>> Yep.

[00:05:16]>> Going.

[00:05:19]>> The engine's running, >> but will the crane work?

[00:05:24]>> I don't, mate. I can't see anything.

[00:05:25]Tell Just tell me what's happening.

[00:05:32]>> Yep, we're good.

[00:05:35]Good result. We seem to be back together. And yeah, away we go.

[00:05:39]>> That's a relief. That's an absolute relief. Thanks to Brad's bush skills, Steve's back in business.

[00:05:46]>> Pleasure, mate. Pleasure doing the job.

[00:05:48]>> Now he needs to make that all important barge.

[00:05:54]>> With high tide less than an hour away, it's a final dash to the dock.

[00:06:02]After 4 and 1/2,000 grueling kilometers, Steve's made it. And just in time, Turbo's truck is crippled.

[00:06:14]>> The actual hub itself, the [ __ ] itself is cracked.

[00:06:17]>> Crucial lubricating oil is bleeding out of his front wheel hub.

[00:06:24]>> Well, there was no freaking oil left.

[00:06:27]There's a freaking crack right there and there.

[00:06:30]>> If he keeps driving, the wheel will destroy itself.

[00:06:34]>> What's going to happen is the bearings aren't going to be lubricated. They're going to overheat and then explode.

[00:06:42]>> Oh yeah, that's totally, isn't it?

[00:06:45]>> Plastic steel fixes everything.

[00:06:52]>> Let it sit and dry. Takes an hour or so to to set rock hard.

[00:06:57]>> To work, the repair will need to be perfectly watertight.

[00:07:01]>> Put the sealant either side of the the actual hub seal.

[00:07:10]Now to replace the lost oil.

[00:07:14]>> It's a bush repair, but do what I can do to get myself going again.

[00:07:23]That's it. It's done. Time to get the hell out of here. On our way out of Alisa Springs now to Darwin. Just a little jog up the road. 1500 KS up the road.

[00:07:41]>> That's a long way to go with a patched up wheel hub. Turbo wants to check his repair job is holding up.

[00:07:53]There's no leaking oil, but there's something else leaking.

[00:08:05]Looks like I've sweat the bottom of the radiator.

[00:08:08]>> A badly leaking radiator could be the hammer blow for Turbo's truck and this repair riddled journey.

[00:08:16]>> See if I can slow it down a bit. Get in.

[00:08:19]It's got to be fixed. Probably replaced.

[00:08:23]drive even a few hundred meters and he could kill his truck to fix this one turbos on foot.

[00:08:32]>> Nothing like going walk with an unusual bush repair in mind.

[00:08:38]First on the shopping list, radiator stop leak and some chem.

[00:08:43]>> Second farm fresh eggs.

[00:08:46]>> Now I'll go and play and put this in and put me eggs in me radiator.

[00:08:49]>> Eggs in the radiator, eh? Got some bacon there if you want it.

[00:09:05]>> Now I'm going to um put a couple of eggs in to the radiator.

[00:09:10]>> It might look like Turbo's cracked it, but this strange brew is a known emergency repair.

[00:09:22]If his recipe works, the eggs should cook inside the radiator, then get sucked into the leak, plugging it.

[00:09:33]It's a bush repair to get me going.

[00:09:45]>> All I can do is just keep an eye on it.

[00:09:54]An hour later, his water pressure and temperature gauges are holding steady at safe levels.

[00:10:08]After 300 km of driving on eggshells, Turbo's had enough.

[00:10:14]Coming into where I'm going to call home for the night, place called Three-ways.

[00:10:24]She's uh been an eventful day.

[00:10:29]I'm going to go see me mates, have a feed with them, then I'm going to bed.

[00:10:39]next day and Turbo's looking to put his bad luck behind him and push on to Darwin. But this nightmare is far from over.

[00:10:49]>> I got two screwed up tires.

[00:10:53]>> That isn't what I want to find this morning.

[00:10:56]>> Turbo's new truck is accumulating a depressing list of mechanical faults.

[00:11:02]>> A [ __ ] ass trip.

[00:11:03]>> Adding to his woes, an old wound has opened back up.

[00:11:10]All he can do is try more stop leak if he can get the radiator cap off.

[00:11:23]Took the cap off. He wrapped in Mount Everest and then the leak in the radiator stopped.

[00:11:32]With 900 km still left in his marathon journey, he needs his radiator to hold together for one more day.

[00:11:41]But that's just the start of Turbo stress.

[00:11:44]>> I'm going to blow a tire out today. And of course, my jack screwed up. I got to replace it. Replace the jack.

[00:11:54]>> Until Turbo makes it to Darwin for some serious repairs. He can't relax.

[00:12:00]>> It's a new day.

[00:12:02]New dramas today. Deal with them as they come.

[00:12:16]>> More bad news.

[00:12:19]>> The tire's gone already, has it?

[00:12:21]>> Oh, it's gone. All right.

[00:12:24]>> Turbo's problem tire has blown out.

[00:12:26]>> Didn't feel it. Didn't even hear it. All I can do is pull up and just check it.

[00:12:43]Deal with it in Darwin. Hasn't actually disintegrated.

[00:12:47]So there's not much I can do with it.

[00:12:52]>> With his truck on life support, Turbo can't afford any more mechanical mishaps. It's a [ __ ] of a run. Looking forward to getting into that one.

[00:13:15]His customers are expecting their freight this afternoon, but daylight's fading and Turbo still 100 km away. I'm stressing over just having so many delays at last. Darwin, >> he's at the yard.

[00:13:46]>> I can't see any movement whatsoever.

[00:13:49]>> But it's too late. and come back at back here at 7:00 in the morning.

[00:13:57]>> All right, mate. Are you right to do this unload now?

[00:14:01]>> Yeah.

[00:14:04]>> Turbo may be 12 hours late, but finally he can put one of his worst runs behind him.

[00:14:11]Well, >> if these things run out of fuel while they're hot, um it's not good for him.

[00:14:16]On these trips with no petrol stations for miles, he carries his own supply.

[00:14:22]2,000 L of diesel in two big tanks behind the cabin. It's a simple job to pump into the truck's main tanks.

[00:14:30]>> Normally, you just click that on there.

[00:14:31]Click, click, turn the tap. Diesel goes in here. Easy.

[00:14:35]>> If you have the right gear with you, >> I've always put the fuel hoses and filters and everything in a box for me.

[00:14:44]The only thing I forgot was the adapter that makes the cam lock from that fit these pods. So, I can't get the fuel out of there into me truck.

[00:14:54]>> His solution, siphon the fuel.

[00:14:58]But that means sucking on the hose, risking a mouthful of foul tasting toxic diesel.

[00:15:07]I temporarily overcome me problem by just running a cybernose into there, but it'll take 2 and 1 half days to fill this up. So, it'll just keep the motor running while I work out what I'm going to do.

[00:15:18]>> Russell's bought himself some time, but he needs to find that connector or the engine will stall and could be destroyed.

[00:15:26]>> But I got everything except for the cam lock that goes on the thing.

[00:15:35]Okay, mate.

[00:15:36]>> Russell has a solution, but not one that thrills him. Just got to get a couple hundred lers in here and I'll be happy.

[00:15:42]>> Siphon again, but this time with a wider hose.

[00:15:51]>> A bigger chance of a bigger mouthful of diesel.

[00:15:55]>> Yeah, I've got I got plenty of fuel in now to easily make it to Mount Eiser.

[00:16:01]>> While he has enough fuel, there's still the issue of the engine running too hot.

[00:16:07]Russell's been ignoring the red light on the dash, warning him to shut down.

[00:16:12]>> I just know it's not right.

[00:16:14]>> He's convinced it's a false alarm.

[00:16:16]>> Just from experience, I know that it's getting a false reading on the oil temperature.

[00:16:21]>> It's bugging him. Time for a Russell Crusher solution.

[00:16:27]Unplug it.

[00:16:38]We've got the light to go out. I don't think I've fixed the problem, but I've stopped that light distracting me. We're not traveling too bad today. We lost a little bit of time mcking around getting that fuel in, but I'm going to be on target to knock over roughly me, th000 KS for the day >> in Mount Eiza. Russell's in luck.

[00:17:02]Yeah, we got this thing. It's not the exact cam lock fitting that I was after, but we'll be able to take the hose out and put it in here.

[00:17:08]>> He can now transfer diesel from his emergency fuel tank.

[00:17:12]>> With a bit of 100 mph tape, we've managed to get the hose to fit and we've now got the fuel flowing up through the filter into the tank here. This hose here will only reach to this one tank.

[00:17:23]So, I'll probably just fill this tank up. It'll equalize across to the others.

[00:17:28]Russell needs to make up time. He's due into Middle.

[00:17:36]>> Only got about 600 to go now. So, I'm back on track where I wanted to be, >> but not for long.

[00:17:46]>> Motors just cut out on this old girl, mate. I'm going to have to pull up here somewhere.

[00:17:51]>> The engines lost power.

[00:17:53]>> We got to get this thing to cool right down just in case it does cut out.

[00:17:57]If the engine cuts out without cooling down, it could seize.

[00:18:04]Russell tries to jump start it back into life.

[00:18:16]Russell now has the problem of getting his dry engine running again.

[00:18:22]But the starter motor is powered by compressed air, and there's not enough pressure to turn it over.

[00:18:29]Using an old trucker's trick, Russell steals air from the tires.

[00:18:37]He's already 2 hours behind schedule with the air out of that into the start tank here. We've primed this. Couple of goes to fire.

[00:18:59]Russell's back to square one and getting further and further behind.

[00:19:06]He can't get the starter motor to turn over enough to get the engine running.

[00:19:10]>> When these things run out of fuel, takes a hell of a lot to get them going.

[00:19:15]>> Russell needs to find more air pressure to drive the truck starting mechanism.

[00:19:20]The answer is sitting on the trailer behind him. He can tap into the grader supply.

[00:19:28]And with some more massaging, at last Ignition.

[00:19:44]Russell's lost valuable time, but at least he's moving again.

[00:19:52]>> I usually get myself out of trouble, especially since I'm usually the one that gets myself into trouble.

[00:19:59]Carrying his own fuel can create dramas, but it squeezes maximum profit from every run.

[00:20:05]>> Fuel's quite cheap when there's no work around. And then when there seems to be plenty of work, fuel's deer. And what I've done is when the fuel's cheap, I buy it. Then when I get a job, I've already gotten the cheaper fuel. Just a little bit of mucking around, but uh but you know, savings of hundreds of dollars.

[00:20:28]But that was just through a bit of bad luck. We didn't have that correct fitting with us. Otherwise, there would have been a fuel transfer happening all the way along here. Anyway, can't cry over still milk. The job's done. We're going to be right.

[00:20:42]>> But already over 2 hours behind, Russell hits another problem. Belching black smoke is a bad sign.

[00:20:50]>> I just just pick a slight smell of it and just a slight hint of it in the mirror. The last thing Russell wants is another stop, but he has no choice. An engine fire would be far worse.

[00:21:05]>> I think we disturbed it. This bar is up there using the primer.

[00:21:08]>> One of his fuel lines is leaking, spraying diesel everywhere.

[00:21:13]>> I must have like bumped it and it's cracked it and split it and and now it's just leaking fuel.

[00:21:20]These motors return a certain amount of fuel back to the fuel tank. And this hose here just transfers that fuel from from one side to the other. It's gone brittle and hard. And you know, there's a name for it, but we'll just call it not very good.

[00:21:37]>> If he'd ignored it, things could have turned serious.

[00:21:40]>> The fan was blowing it back onto the turbo. And so fuel was hitting the turbo and then um you then creating smoke.

[00:21:48]It's a good idea to get on top of it because when the going gets really tough, that turbo gets really, really hot and it possibly would get hot enough to ignite the diesel leak. Then then it could have got really bad.

[00:22:00]>> Russell doesn't have a spare fuel line, but he does have 30 years of experience as a bush mechanic. He has something similar in his toolbox, but it's for compressed air, not diesel.

[00:22:12]>> This is um airline that I'm using here now. It'll be good enough.

[00:22:18]>> It's a risk. If it breaks and sprays diesel on the hot engine, there could be a fire. But out here, Russell doesn't have much choice.

[00:22:32]It is airline, not fuel line. But we just hope that it's um sort of like high temperature resistant. Inevitably, there is usually something else that can do two jobs, right? You might not have exactly what's needed, but there'll be something else somewhere on this truck that will fix the problem. We spotted it. We just lifted the bonnet again. We fixed it. Bonnets's down. We're going again.

[00:23:03]>> Russell still has 200 km to go to his destination. his giant rig relying on a tiny air hose doing a job it's not designed for.

[00:23:16]He survived 2 and 12,000 km and makes it to his first drop off at this depot. All he has to do is unhitch a trailer.

[00:23:29]But the next stop won't be nearly as easy.

[00:23:35]This road roller has to come off. It weighs 12 tons and getting it from the tray to the ground will be a nightmare.

[00:23:44]>> We've been 2 and a half thousand km getting here. We're going to be here for about half an hour and then turn around and head all the way home.

[00:23:54]>> The truck may have taken a beating, but the expensive machinery on the back is in good condition. You might think it's pretty hard to break a grader, but um you've only got to get near a low tree or a branch and you can take out a windscreen. If you've encountered somebody going the other way too fast, hit a rock break from glass.

[00:24:21]Yeah, we're on the tail end of it now.

[00:24:30]Russell's happy, but he's got one last test. It's all here. We just got to get it to the ground and we're done.

[00:24:43]The big grader is on the trailer with the ramps, but the 12ton road roller isn't. It means Russell will have to make a bridge between the two trailers so he can drive the roller across and then down the ramps.

[00:24:59]>> What we're doing here, just a little bit of a safety, I just tie this trailer to this trailer cuz when I bring that machine there across here, if for some reason the two trailers get apart, it could end up messy. a 12ton road roller having to cross a makeshift bridge.

[00:25:22]If anything fails, Russell's journey could end in tears.

[00:25:34]It's job done. After three trying days, Russell can relax.

[00:25:39]>> Feels really good that we're here now.

[00:25:41]We've successfully unloaded everything.

[00:25:43]There's not a broken windscreen. There's not a mark on anything. It's quite satisfying that they're on the ground now. They're delivered. My job with this on this mission is completed.

[00:25:52]We >> just got low coolant level coming up.

[00:25:55]You must be getting low on water.

[00:25:58]>> Outside it's over 40°.

[00:26:02]>> Um, just couple of bottles. Hey, and I'll fill them up.

[00:26:05]>> And Nick and Joe's engine has a sudden first.

[00:26:12]A mystery water leak has drained 3 L from the radiator.

[00:26:21]>> Nick's worried the problem could get worse.

[00:26:25]>> Well, it seems to be blowing all back over the motor. So, it's it's leaking up the front there somewhere. Check it a dry scale again while it's got some heat in and I might find out where it's actually coming from.

[00:26:37]Uh, we're being pretty late, I would say. Yeah, right. No worries. Bye-bye for the message.

[00:26:42]>> No worries. Thank you.

[00:26:45]>> 60 km short of help at Dale Cattle Station, the radiator's water level is dangerously low.

[00:26:56]Finally, he spots the cause of the problem.

[00:27:00]>> That dirty m >> found the leak.

[00:27:03]>> A pin prick hole in the radiator.

[00:27:05]>> It's only a tiny little hole. Crack the core in it. And it's not nothing you can really do cuz it's an aluminium cord radiator which is a bit of a pain in the ass. You can't solder it.

[00:27:15]>> All they can do is top up and push on.

[00:27:18]>> 60 km to go. That'll should take us through 3 hours. I think if the road's reasonably good. If it's [ __ ] well, it's 6 hours.

[00:27:29]>> It's a painstaking drive into the darkness.

[00:27:34]The leaking radiators getting worse.

[00:27:38]But Nick thinks he's found a fix.

[00:27:40]>> They're basically liquid steel. Really just physically just go over the core of the radiator and then hopefully block a hole.

[00:27:47]>> I can't really see see the hole properly, but >> just um turn him on slow.

[00:27:59]>> Slow enough.

[00:28:03]>> That'll do.

[00:28:06]Well, we'll see how that goes and hopefully we don't spring any more leaks. This is where the road starts getting real rough.

[00:28:18]And right on queue, >> we still got a problem with this low water light keeps coming on.

[00:28:33]This time it takes a whopping 15 L to fill her up.

[00:28:39]>> But now it's not the radiator.

[00:28:42]>> It's not bad going.

[00:28:44]>> This leak is coming from somewhere else.

[00:28:47]>> Fix one leak and then a water pump starts. I might just have to order a new pump from the get it flown in Columbumber.

[00:28:57]See how I go. Hopefully it'll get us back to town.

[00:29:03]Oh, I hope it's not like this for the rest of the the rest of the way. A >> [ __ ] bit of road.

[00:29:09]>> Like what? 2 and a half km an hour now.

[00:29:11]I think >> after 8 hours on the road, Nick and Joe have barely covered 100 km.

[00:29:20]>> I was hoping to be up past theater tonight, but that's not going to happen.

[00:29:27]next morning and Nick's hatched a plan to prolong the life of his dying water pump.

[00:29:32]>> It can't be any worse than it already is.

[00:29:35]>> Loaded full of grease.

[00:29:37]>> Stop a bit of that water from running out of that water pump. At least till we get to Theta, >> the next station is now only 40 km away.

[00:29:50]But the way his truck's performing, it might as well be 400.

[00:29:56]That temperature gauge is coming back up again. It was just right down on the thing and now it just climbed straight back up again. So, and real quick, >> I'd say she's just worn out.

[00:30:09]>> Tomorrow they're due in Columbus now only 50 km away, but Nick's worried the water pump won't even last that long.

[00:30:18]>> How you going? This is Nick here from North Kimbley Transport. I'm chasing a um water pump for a Mac CH.

[00:30:25]Do you? Yep.

[00:30:27]>> Good news. The pump's in stock.

[00:30:29]>> No worries.

[00:30:30]>> And can be flown to their next stop, back onto the Columbumber Road.

[00:30:35]>> This where the fun begins.

[00:30:37]>> That's barely a road at all.

[00:30:39]>> Then it just starts getting narrow and roughier, rougher, and rocky rough because it doesn't get maintained.

[00:30:51]>> But it is a pretty poor excuse for a road really.

[00:30:59]Just a billy goate. That's about all it is.

[00:31:03]Only 30 km to go.

[00:31:07]On any other road, they'd be on the home straight.

[00:31:16]So bloody nice.

[00:31:20]Pull up his gear where it's a bit wider.

[00:31:22]Another mechanical failure could be the final blow.

[00:31:29]Nick and Joe have crawled into Columbumber.

[00:31:33]They still haven't got to the bottom of the distressing sound under the bonnet.

[00:31:38]>> Something's not right. That look, >> but right now it's a puzzle Nick doesn't have time to solve.

[00:31:46]This freight for the general store needs to be offloaded.

[00:31:51]After the violent journey, they're anxious to see its condition.

[00:31:57]A little dusty, but all intact. All that's left now is to deliver 10 drums of fuel to a remote fishing camp just 30 km north.

[00:32:07]>> Well, we made it to honeymoon. Here we are. The last drop off point in the Clumb Road, the very end of it. The northern point you can get a truck into.

[00:32:20]A new day, a new drama.

[00:32:24]>> We made a bloody move. Something's let go under here.

[00:32:27]>> A noise from under the bonnet has got Nick worried.

[00:32:31]>> That's the problem.

[00:32:34]Busted engine mount.

[00:32:35]>> We got two engine mount bolts that have snapped.

[00:32:38]>> Crucial bolts holding the engine in place have broken. You got 470 odd horsepower of torque, you know, pulling up them hills. You know, motor's got to go somewhere. If they can't fix this, the whole engine could shake loose.

[00:32:58]>> Come off, you bastard.

[00:33:03]There we go. Hey, Joanna, >> can you come around this left hand side here? Hold this. We'll push that up. Out of there. It's right there. It's come out.

[00:33:15]>> Yeah.

[00:33:16]>> Well, we don't have a spare one of them.

[00:33:19]>> That's the problem.

[00:33:21]>> Vital bolts holding their engine in place have sheared clean off. Without them, their motor could shift violently and destroy itself.

[00:33:33]Pain, man. You got any bolts like that? That's Hey, don't have a look in this [ __ ] >> To survive the road ahead, the bolts should be made of high tensile steel, >> but beggars can't be choosers. These mild steel bolts will have to do.

[00:33:57]>> I reckon I might destroy them on there.

[00:34:00]>> Thanks, mate.

[00:34:02]>> So, I don't know how long they're going to last, but that's all I can do.

[00:34:06]end up doing some major damage to Wow, it's got to be bloody tight, that's for sure. Joy of taking freight to the places that trucks really shouldn't go.

[00:34:30]>> Time to start the long road home.

[00:34:32]>> Radio, we're ready to go.

[00:34:36]Columbu, here we come.

[00:34:38]>> Back on the road to Columbaroo, Nick and Joe collect a trailer.

[00:34:46]Might just put some water in that radiator >> and check on their problem cooling system.

[00:34:53]Their water pump is still leaking, making this next pickup critical.

[00:35:00]Let's go and see this pilot. See if he's got our water pump.

[00:35:06]It's the pump they ordered 3 days ago.

[00:35:12]>> Tell me it's all the right stuff.

[00:35:13]>> Wrong one.

[00:35:15]>> No, it's not.

[00:35:17]>> A precious standby if the other pump dies on the road.

[00:35:21]>> Oh, that's what we want. Feel better now. I've got a spare one of them sitting on board.

[00:35:30]>> Couple of legs.

[00:35:32]next day and Nick's feeling positive.

[00:35:39]He's found a way to stop his worn out water pump from leaking.

[00:35:44]I've taken the um rubber out of the radiator cap so it can't build up pressure. So, it seems to have stopped it.

[00:35:51]>> Dale, here we come. Joe, >> Dale Station is Joe's family home for Nick.

[00:35:59]More running repairs. was pretty much at it.

[00:36:03]Plastic buddy stuff. Everything plastic these days. Um, this is the expansion tank and that's the header tank.

[00:36:08]Actually, the top of the radiator really.

[00:36:12]But just as one repair is done.

[00:36:19]>> Oh, good one.

[00:36:20]>> Another problem appears.

[00:36:23]>> Yeah, really that one.

[00:36:25]My fault. Nick thought I unplugged it and I hadn't done. He'll get mileage out of that for ages now. Remember that time when you didn't unplug the lights?

[00:36:33]>> That's what happens when you don't stay in a routine, >> right? We'll replace this.

[00:36:40]>> A, you got a blind.

[00:36:42]>> I have to pull me spare eyes, otherwise I can't see the numbers on these things.

[00:36:47]You know, traveling along this dirt with no tail lights on your trailer, you're likely to get somebody to run up your ass.

[00:36:54]I don't want that.

[00:36:56]Okay.

[00:36:59]Oh yeah.

[00:37:01]>> A quick goodbye to the family.

[00:37:05]>> Then time to make a mile.

[00:37:07]>> River road. Here we come.

[00:37:09]>> The Gibb hasn't improved since Nick and Joe were last on it. It's rough.

[00:37:18]And today it's hot. Over 40° in the shade.

[00:37:33]Then >> the last thing they wanted to hear.

[00:37:46]>> Engine cool temp.

[00:37:49]She's right up on 120 now.

[00:37:57]Even topped up, the engine temperature isn't dropping.

[00:38:06]250 km from the nearest mechanic at the hottest and driest time of the year.

[00:38:12]Nick and Joe couldn't have picked a worse moment to break down.

[00:38:17]>> I'm praying and faming God that it's a thermostat because I don't want to be at the oil cooler. Otherwise, I will be sitting here for 43 days fixing it.

[00:38:32]>> Making matters worse, it's the hottest, driest time of the year with little water about and their trucks been leaking bucket loads.

[00:38:42]>> Couple little creeks still got a little bit of water in them, but yeah, not much.

[00:38:46]>> So, we normally we have 140 L of water >> for the dry road ahead. They'll need all the water they can carry.

[00:38:55]>> Only hope for the best.

[00:38:59]>> Come on, old girl. Give us a good day.

[00:39:02]>> If it all goes well, just a day drive now stands between Nick and Joe and home.

[00:39:10]>> Can an hour tonight hopefully. Better be.

[00:39:14]Doesn't help the road bloody rough either.

[00:39:19]But even with a new thermostat, things aren't looking good.

[00:39:23]>> The temperature sitting around 104.

[00:39:26]Might be a slow trip back home.

[00:39:29]>> Pretty much over 100. 110. You're you're really getting up a little bit too high.

[00:39:37]Now we're at engine cooling temp. Right.

[00:39:40]Come on.

[00:39:42]>> They've only driven 3 km.

[00:39:45]>> Might be pulling up here.

[00:39:47]might be doing that water pump. Might have no bloody choice.

[00:39:51]I think you're just losing too much water out of that water pump. I think >> this truck is refusing to go any further.

[00:39:57]>> Oh, she's just shut down.

[00:40:01]Going to have to let it cool down now.

[00:40:06]>> That's not good. I think she's just packed it in.

[00:40:11]But looks like the new water pump is just going to have to go in. You put the worst jobs off to last and then you end up have to do them anyway.

[00:40:19]>> I hope this fixes it.

[00:40:22]>> Replacing the water pump can be a complicated operation for an experienced mechanic in a welle equipped workshop.

[00:40:30]Nick and Joe are attempting it on the side of the road with limited tools under a blazing sun.

[00:40:39]>> Well, it's 40 and it's only like 10:00.

[00:40:43]It's pretty chancy sort of stuff doing this out in the scrub for getting dirt and dirt and stuff in it and you get dirt in here and that's the end of your motor really.

[00:40:55]That's the nut. We've got to get to that dirty little bastard there.

[00:41:10]Don't drop it down in the oven.

[00:41:11]>> After 4 hours of painstaking work, the final touches.

[00:41:16]>> The do or die question. Did that is that going to bloody fix a problem or is the problem still going to be there? I hope it bloody fixed it. Otherwise, I'm going to be in for a slow trip back into town.

[00:41:30]>> The moment of truth.

[00:41:39]My new water pump. See how we go.

[00:41:43]It's reading 80 now.

[00:41:49]>> It isn't long.

[00:41:52]>> Back up to 100. Over 100 >> before their worst fears are realized.

[00:41:58]>> What is causing this? I don't know.

[00:42:11]A satellite phone call to their mechanic in Brisbane, 3,000 km away, >> could shed some light.

[00:42:19]>> I need some help. I've had a leaking water pump. It keeps getting hot and now I've replaced the water pump thermostat and now it's pushing water back out through the header tank.

[00:42:32]Oh yeah.

[00:42:33]>> The fate of this trip and their customers freight hangs in the balance.

[00:42:39]>> Yep. No worries, Daniel. I'll give that a go.

[00:42:44]>> Right, mate. Bye.

[00:42:49]>> After checking for blocked hoses and fittings and disconnecting the air conditioner.

[00:42:57]>> This doesn't seem right.

[00:43:00]Nick's getting a sinking feeling.

[00:43:03]>> Just looking more and more like head gasket to me, dear. It's somewhere deeper inside the engine. And if it's a head, you got major bloody problems.

[00:43:14]Pretty much an engine rebuild. Really >> time consuming, expensive, and strictly for the workshop. Repairing a head gasket would be a crippling cost for Nick and Joe's small business. Any major mechanical failure is always, you know, a bit disheartening in many, many, many thousands.

[00:43:36]>> All they can do is struggle on and hope the truck holds up.

[00:43:43]But now they're hitting hill country, putting their engine under maximum strain.

[00:43:53]>> He's straight back up again. 20.

[00:43:58]>> Dangerously hot. The truck's losing power.

[00:44:02]>> You dirty mangle. It does not want to let us go.

[00:44:07]>> And now the computer has shut it down completely.

[00:44:11]>> Well, I know where to start, honey.

[00:44:14]>> A day's drive from hell. Nick and Joe are stranded and fast running out of options.

[00:44:21]>> We got major problems.

[00:44:24]Major problem.

[00:44:26]That's not good.

[00:44:33]With night falling, they need to move their crippled truck off the road.

[00:44:39]>> I'll tow it up the top of there with a loader.

[00:44:43]Using a 100 horsepower loader to pull a 60tonon triple road train is a big ask, especially over one of the steepest hills on this track.

[00:44:54]>> Leave it out of gear.

[00:44:55]>> Leave it out of gear and I'll I'll just >> steer or don't >> and just steer.

[00:44:58]>> For Joe, the pressure's on.

[00:45:02]>> Yellow button off.

[00:45:07]>> Yep.

[00:45:10]Get out of line and she could push Nick into the bush.

[00:45:15]>> Part of a job I hate.

[00:45:18]>> Am I like straight enough behind you or?

[00:45:20]>> Yeah, that's good. You just follow me.

[00:45:23]>> Oh, it just makes it feel sick.

[00:45:26]>> Adding to Joe's stress, even idling, the truck's still dangerously hot.

[00:45:33]>> It's at 102. It's just sitting on.

[00:45:36]But the only way over the hill ahead is with the truck and loader working together.

[00:45:42]>> I wouldn't want to be going halfway up there and then have it get hot and shut down and then it's just a world of hurt, you know. So, >> the big climb begins.

[00:45:51]>> And two levers on your gear stick, honey. Push them both down.

[00:45:56]>> They're down on a big hill and it's steep and it'll be a hard pull.

[00:46:07]And I'm not real steady on the accelerator.

[00:46:15]>> If the truck overheats now and shuts down, >> still sitting on 102.

[00:46:20]>> Getting moving again would be near impossible.

[00:46:32]Perfect.

[00:46:34]Perfect.

[00:46:36]It's >> just sitting on 103.

[00:46:40]It's >> not far to the top.

[00:46:44]So close. Last little bit is quite a pull.

[00:46:49]Really happy we're not doing it in the dark. Glad there's a tiny little bit of daylight left.

[00:46:55]Pretty nervous doing it in the dark, but They're over the ridge and can move off the road.

[00:47:09]>> Stay out. Right. Right out that way.

[00:47:17]>> It's the end of a day Nick and Joe would rather forget.

[00:47:21]>> I've got a low water level light showing.

[00:47:24]>> Steve Graham is in trouble.

[00:47:26]>> Serious. I don't know. I'll have to stop and find out. Nearly 4,000 km from home.

[00:47:31]>> I need to pull up pretty quick and find out what's going on.

[00:47:34]>> A few hundred from the nearest help.

[00:47:38]>> I got a major hemorrhage under there. I don't know what's going on, but it's a bugged water pump. It's the first time I've had one go with no warning.

[00:47:51]Bugger it. You usually get a bit of leakage out of these water pumps before they actually let go. But this one's let go.

[00:47:59]>> Steve's had one piece of luck. He's broken down right next to a truck stop.

[00:48:04]>> Can't believe that's a nice place to live while I get a water pump sent out to me.

[00:48:10]I'll pull my road train in there, get the satphone out, and get a water pump on the road.

[00:48:21]The amenities in this little breakdown area are just I got everything. I got I got picnic tables. I got rubbish bins. I got toilets.

[00:48:33]But all jokes aside, it's uh going to be an expensive repair.

[00:48:43]Steve staring at one lost day, possibly two, while he waits for a new water pump to be sent from Darwin, 400 km away.

[00:48:51]>> That's good, cuz my mate's going to pick it up. He's waiting for it, and he'll head on out.

[00:48:56]>> It's a stoppage that could prove more expensive than just the truck repair bill.

[00:49:02]>> He'll have it in Alice shortly. No, not Alice. Sorry, Catherine. Sorry, mate.

[00:49:07]I'm getting stressed.

[00:49:09]He's heading west where rain from a tropical cyclone has created an inland sea.

[00:49:15]>> The customers involved with this all know that it's the wet season. They've all been given notice that I've got wet season problems.

[00:49:26]>> Finally, after a long wait, a welcome sight.

[00:49:31]>> It's the outback really. It's a north attitude or something. The way people just come out and help you when you when you're in the bush is just amazing.

[00:49:39]How are you, D? Good to see you, Colin.

[00:49:42]Good to see you.

[00:49:43]>> You're broken down. You're on the side of the road. You're 100 km out. And an hour after that red light coming on my dashboard, my gears on the way.

[00:49:54]>> Steve's still confident the mechanic can have this fixed quickly.

[00:49:58]>> Yep, there she goes. Straight out the bottom.

[00:50:01]>> Running out.

[00:50:01]>> Yep.

[00:50:02]>> But the mechanics not so sure.

[00:50:05]How much water?

[00:50:07]>> It's coming out of the telter.

[00:50:11]You put your hand under, you'll feel.

[00:50:13]>> That's amazing, isn't it?

[00:50:14]>> It's unreal, isn't it? You're like, I've never seen it.

[00:50:18]>> Never. Nor have I. That's what That's what I said. You know, I started having second thoughts. Did I misdiagnose?

[00:50:23]>> The only thing they're sure of is that this isn't going to be a quick fix.

[00:50:29]>> He's got a slight hiccup now. He's got to pull the whole assembly out.

[00:50:33]filter housing won't separate from the water pump. So, the whole lot's going to come out, which might need me helping him. And that's scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit. I got faith in him.

[00:50:49]You've >> done well, mate. You've done well.

[00:50:55]>> Beautiful.

[00:50:57]>> Next problem is detaching the water pump from its housing. First is get that housing off.

[00:51:08]>> Water pumps are an ontheshelf part, but this housing behind it the water pump bolts to would be, you know, I don't even want to think about it.

[00:51:18]Might be ringing America.

[00:51:21]Please not budging. So, we can't afford to do any damage that whatsoever.

[00:51:31]pop back in.

[00:51:32]>> It's rubber. Whatever it is, it's rubber. It's gasket cement or something.

[00:51:35]It's rolled over the edge, mate. That water pump should just pull off the housing, but it just hasn't. There's a bit of rubber, a bit of gasket cement or something in there. It's gone over the edge of the sleeve and is hanging on to it. Probably didn't have much chance of getting it off on there.

[00:51:48]>> No.

[00:51:49]>> When gentle force doesn't work, Steve has the idea of using straps to pull at both ends and >> see if we can get the thing to come apart.

[00:52:10]But it's not budging.

[00:52:13]>> Same as he's always been.

[00:52:15]No more.

[00:52:20]The only way to get it out is melt it out. So the jobs grow and all these jobs grow. You can do without this. The costs that are involved in all of this really chew into, you know, what would have been a nice run home.

[00:52:35]>> We got a big problem pulling this apart.

[00:52:37]Damian's going to have to take it back to town where he's got oxy and that hurts me. Might hurt him, too. He's probably got a lot of other jobs to get to, but I'll sit here with a gear tonight and hopefully he turns up in the morning. He can't leave me on the side of the road to die. So, he is going to come back.

[00:52:56]>> After a frustrating day and night at a standstill, Steve's crossing his fingers his mechanic has fixed his water pump problem.

[00:53:04]>> He got the other bit apart last night with heat, so I'm confident today's going to be a better day.

[00:53:11]I was sitting out here last night thinking about it. You can do without this, but it'll go in the maintenance log and the truck will keep working.

[00:53:17]Another 500,000 KS with this water pump touch wood. So, uh, here we go. Damian's just got here.

[00:53:27]It was spooking me a bit yesterday when and was encountering the problems pulling it apart. You know, he hadn't struck that before with one of those pumps and nor I hadn't seen it. So, yeah, that worries me a bit. But looking at what he's bought out this morning and putting together, it all looks good now.

[00:53:42]>> Have you ever played that game Tetris?

[00:53:45]This is about what I'm trying to get here.

[00:53:49]It's always a they're a bastard of a thing to get in there.

[00:53:54]It's always a bit scary when you're doing them on the at the roadside. You just can't turn around and grab consumables off the shelf.

[00:54:03]We're minus one gasket here. I'll just find the old breakfast cereal box, I think. Make a gasket out of it. Neutral grain.

[00:54:18]Well, there you go. That's a uh it's a breakfast cereal packet gasket. That How's that cheap? Perfect. Has it got plenty of vitamins on it? Yeah, that's a good one. It's It's got love.

[00:54:30]>> Well, that'll go forever.

[00:54:31]>> Should be a good one. It's a Champions Breakfast Tucker.

[00:54:37]>> The cereal box gasket fits, but will it work?

[00:54:43]>> Damian's just having his last final look. I'll give her a start. We'll try and bring her up to operating temperature and the thermostat's open.

[00:54:51]Hopefully, there'll be no leaks.

[00:54:53]>> This breakdown has robbed Steve of nearly two full driving days. He can't afford anymore.

[00:54:59]>> Fingers crossed. Outback trucking.

[00:55:04]>> You good?

[00:55:10]I'll take her up to 1500.

[00:55:23]I believe the thermostat's opened. It's come up to 70° sitting in here. It appears to have gone to plan. I'll go outside and have a look. See if anything's coming out the bottom. Hopefully, it's good.

[00:55:42]All dry and running like a dream.

[00:55:46]>> Much appreciated, mate. We'll do that.

[00:55:48]>> Not a problem.