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Monday, March 19, 2012

Breaking News / TacocaT TacocaT Tour Van Breaks Down In Durango, CO

Posted by on Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 5:12 PM

Sometimes heeding all of your own advice can still cause a tour to hit a snag. Such is the current case of TacocaT and their broken van.

Crummy on the Inside
  • emily nokes
  • "Crummy on the Inside"

The band treated their van (nicknamed Hondyssy) to an oil change at a Firestone in Albuquerque, NM (two stars on Yelp!) before heading toward Utah. A gnarly snowstorm forced them to backtrack to Durango, CO. Stopping there for the evening, TacocaT splurged on a Super 8 motel and spent the night watching Summer Heights High. Four hundred approximate miles between the oil change and sleeping two to a bed at the Super 8.

Repair Shop Mascot
  • emily nokes
  • "Repair Shop Mascot"

When the band loaded into the van this morning, prepared for the haul to Provo, something didn't seem quite right. "It smelled like burning," singer Emily Nokes reported. The band then drove 15-20 minutes up a steep hill, when a loud clicking noise began in the engine, which then stopped. TacocaT's main driver, guitar player Eric Randall, then turned the van around and coasted back to a repair shop. The good news is there was a cuddly repair shop cat, the bad news was the van's engine was toast.

Within the last hour, the band has shelled out $900 for a white Astro Van Aerostar that they found on Craigslist. What will happen next? Will they make it to Provo? Boise? Missoula? Spokane? Seattle?

Durangos Great White Hope
  • emily nokes
  • Durango's Great White Hope

TacocaT would like to "shout out to all of the rental car places that fucking suck and cost $2,000 for two days."

EDIT: TacocaTs report that the new van is an Aerostar, not an Astro Van as earlier stated.

 

Comments (16) RSS

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1
Those cats always land on their feet. God-speed, little pussies!
Posted by paulus on March 19, 2012 at 5:53 PM
2
Maybe trying to drive thousands of miles in shitty minivans with loads of band gear wasn't the greatest idea. Just get a sturdier steed next time kiddos.
Posted by dan nads on March 19, 2012 at 6:04 PM
3
Somebody ought post a Kickstarter that 900 of us could throw a buck at to defray the cost of Tacovan 2.0 purchase. Being a touring band in the land with slim cash in hand is rough, man.
Posted by doghorn fogbrawler on March 19, 2012 at 6:34 PM
Emily Nokes 4
Our baby took us on three successful tours and got great gas mileage. RIP sweet Hondyssy! I am always going to blame the oil change place.
Posted by Emily Nokes on March 19, 2012 at 6:37 PM
derek_erdman 5
@2: Yeah, why doesn't TacocaT just buy a Sprinter? They're really reliable!
Posted by derek_erdman http://www.derekerdman.com on March 19, 2012 at 6:47 PM
6
Would have been stoked if TacocaT played at Desperados (behind the Super 8) in Centennial Plaza last night. The new van looks like an upgrade.
Posted by mmmspinach on March 19, 2012 at 8:15 PM
7
Too bad TacocaT didn't play at Desperados (behind the Super 8). The van looks like an upgrade. Come back to Durango!
Posted by mmmspinach on March 19, 2012 at 8:18 PM
sikandro 8
The old Aerostars I've seen in action have all worked pretty well. But that was mostly with city driving, not distance.
Posted by sikandro on March 20, 2012 at 9:59 AM
tallchris 9
If it were me, I'd ditch the rest of the shows and get home before the new van breaks down/bursts into flames.
Posted by tallchris http://policeteeth.bandcamp.com on March 20, 2012 at 10:19 AM
ItsAllOverNow 10
The first gen Toyota MiniVans (pre Previa) were ported over from their industrial work vehicle assembly line and designed with industrial use life cycles in mind. Consequently, those are one of the most surprisingly reliable Van models ever sold.
Posted by ItsAllOverNow http://nowaybro.blogspot.com/ on March 20, 2012 at 10:40 AM
11
There is no winning with vans. They have caused the premature end of 3 Bismarck tours, one of which was completed in a Uhaul, while the shattered differential of our $500 1977 Dodge Tradesman leaked all over the back parking lot of a Billings, MT motel 6. Did you know that Billings has a department of junk vehicles? Did you know you can fax the title to them and they will haul it away for you?

Godspeed. Provo to Boise is a short day (by western standards) so it is probably advisable to take a few minutes to have the oil changed/quick look over. Even if it isn't the best van, you'd be amazed at how far you can get by nursing it a bit. We made it from Lincoln, NE to home in 36 hours limping along at 55mph w/ a failing transmission- just had to stop every 150 miles to pour in a quart of trans fluid. Have fun.
Posted by Chris Jury http://www.thebismarck.net on March 20, 2012 at 11:35 AM
derek_erdman 12
THE PLOT THICKENS: the repair shop in Durango has discovered that Firestone mistakenly used a double gasket (?) (details scarce) during the oil change and are to blame for the failure. Firestone is apparently sending a rep to inspect the old van.
Posted by derek_erdman http://www.derekerdman.com on March 20, 2012 at 3:27 PM
13
The Aerostar is a solid choice. In that era they almost all were built with a Ford Vulcan 3.0 engine, and those engines are time-tested and nearly indestructible. It's not likely to throw a rod like the Honda. The transmission and rear end in the Aerostar was the same over-engineered setup used in the Ranger pickups, built to tolerate towing and general abuse.

That said, it'll be an uncomfortable, noisy ride, and none of the accessories are likely to work properly.
Posted by Lack Thereof on March 20, 2012 at 3:53 PM
14
@12
A double-gasketed oil filter would destroy an engine if not noticed.

The gaskets come with the filters, pre-installed, you see. However, on rare occasions, when the filter is being changed, the old gasket sticks to the engine instead of coming off with the filter. You are always supposed to check for this. It's company policy at many quick-lube shops that the person changing the filter has to hold the old filter and gasket up for the manager on duty to verify.

If the old gasket is left on the engine, when the new filter & gasket are screwed on, the old gasket will be in the way and the filter will not seal properly. The gasket will likely blow out soon after the car is started, which will cause the engine to both lose oil pressure, and pump all the oil from the pan out onto the ground.

If, when the double-gasket blows out, you don't notice the oil-pressure warning on the dash and shut the car off immediately, the engine is completely done for - even if it keeps running, it will have so much internal damage to warrant a complete rebuild.
Posted by Lack Thereof on March 20, 2012 at 4:02 PM
derek_erdman 15
@14: Oh, that's probably what happened the last time I mistakenly went to the Jiffy Lube on 4th Ave. to get my oil changed and noticed oil leaking the day after. What dicks!

I'll keep this tread posted on the TacocaT van inspection debacle.
Posted by derek_erdman http://www.derekerdman.com on March 20, 2012 at 4:14 PM
16
Used to tour in an Aerostar, they are pretty awesome for as cheap as they are these days, tons of room compared to other mini's. Hope the rest of the trip goes smoove!
Posted by LBrady on March 23, 2012 at 4:08 PM

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