The Van No Vanna Go
28th January, Mackay and Carmila, Australia
This flamin' van. I tell ya, it's gonna get a good beating with a branch from the nearest tree I can find if it doesn't stop playing us up.
We were all set to depart from Airlie Beach but the van wouldn't start. Starter motor was turning over, but it didn't kick in to life. After several tries, I gave up and phoned the RACQ (rescue service) - no point running the battery down, eh?
The RACQ guy appeared shortly after and explained that there was nothing wrong: "Just turn the key and wait a few moments - the fuel pump needs to get the fuel to the carbs; when the ticking stops, you can start it." With that, he turns the key and the engine starts for him first time. I make my apologies for not knowing the quirks of this old van and he leaves. We get in the van and put our seat belts on, wind the windows down (there's our air con right there) then I turn the key. Nothing. Try again. Nothing. Try agggggggaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiin (that means I left the key turned for a long time, folks). Nothing - except for smoke rising by the steering column and a singeing smell. I stop trying and call RACQ again, hoping that the man can come back before going on to another job, all the time sniffing to be sure that the singeing smell doesn't come back.
Of course, once I have placed a call with the RACQ, the van actually decides to start again, so I phone them up and tell them to cancel the call-out, I'm gonna get going while the going's good!
We drove on through to Mackay where we did some stocking up on more odds and sods then continued on until it started to get dark, pulling over at a van park for the night (in a place called Carmila). I hopped out of the van to fill in the necessary paperwork, then hopped back in and turned the key to find that ... the engine wouldn't start. No worries, the red-faced ("I'm pissed as a newt!" she explained) sheila from the van park soon got us going again: "I'll give you a push, pop it in first with the clutch down ..." and so on. We got a jump-start that saw us to our place for the night, but who knows if it'll start tomorrow? Damn, that battery's brand new, so something strange is happening with this van. Jinxed perhaps?