Mar 05, 2024
Puzzler time. An automotive puzzler this time. Here we go.
Years ago a customer of ours was driving her car on vacation, about 50 miles from her home. And while she was driving along she hears this awful crashing, crunching, thudding sound and she realizes her car is no longer moving forward, though the engine is running, and the car is in gear. So she coasts to the side of the road to await the tow truck.
So the tow truck comes and tows the car to the gas station. So the mechanic at the gas station puts the car up on the lift and says, "Oh, you have a broken axle. That's why the car won't go and that explains the noises you heard on the road."
And she says, "Oh, what is that going to cost me?"
So, he looks it up and then tells her, "It is going to cost between $500 and $600 to replace that axle."
And she says, "Kind sir, take that estimate and stick it back on your shelf! I'm going to find a way home without replacing it!"
Then she leaves the garage and goes back to the car. She opens her truck where she has no tools at all. She has what people typically have in the truck. A couple of empty pizza boxes with a few slices left over. Tire iron. A jack for jacking up the car. A blanket. A broken bicycle chain. Spare tire. Six pack of beer. Stuff like that.
Anyway, she manages to drive that 50 miles back home without fixing or replacing that broken axle.
How does she do it?
Remember she does not repair or replace the broken axle. And here is a hint. It is a front wheel drive car. And another hint, it is not a four wheel drive car.
How does she do this?
Good luck.
So, how does she manage to drive that 50 miles home without fixing or replacing that broken axle?
And remember the hints! The car is front wheel drive, and not four wheel drive. And in fact, now it is a no wheel drive car, because of the differential, all the power is going to the one wheel that won't turn...
How does she do it?
What she does is this. When she looks at the car, with the engine running and the thing in gear, she sees the axle is just spinning around, and it's making all those noises. And she realizes, in fact, that if the axle is not turning, the other axle would be turning.
So, she goes to the trunk and grabs the jack. Not to jack up the car, but to use it as a wedge between the axle and the frame of the car. She does this so that the axle won't turn, so it forces the other wheel to turn. She creates a new thing, a one sheel drive car.
And that is how she gets home. In a make-shift one wheel drive car.
(This is just for a hypothetical puzzler! Do not try this at home...)