African driving tips

Contents of this page
Disclaimer
General
Petrol engines
Two wheels
Four wheels
Introduction

Disclaimer

Yes, I'm chicken: I accept no responsibility
IF YOU make a mess of YOUR vehicle.

General

• Service the vehicle regularly. Get a mechanic you can trust. If you can't trust him, sit with him as he does the work. Even if you do trust him, it's not a bad practice to show real interest.

Petrol engines

• Sometimes fuel and engine oil are of inferior quality. I don't know what you can do about the quality of the fuel.

• With the engine oil check it frequently. Do not follow the manual. Change the oil more frequently than recommended. I followed the manual to the letter and lost an engine. By the time I had done the miles for a service the engine oil had the consistency of paraffin oil or kerosene.

• How do you tell if it's time to change the oil? Some mechanics can tell by smelling it or even by tasting it. I touch the dipstick with my index finger and rub a drop between finger and thumb. If the oil's 'slippery-ness' is low or non-existent, it's high time to change.

• Even if the oil quality is poor it may be consistently so. Thus after counting the miles for a few oil changes you should have a good idea of how many miles you will get out of a gallon of that brand and be ready to change.

• If your jerrycans are military green, change the colour before you enter countries that might be suspect mercenaries. Paint the cans white - it reflects the heat, reducing the heat absorbed.

Two wheels

From a congregation under a tree, to a large (16 feet=5 metres diameter) round hut with mud walls and thatch roof. From that to a larger (20 x 40 feet = 6 x 12 metres) rectangular building with mud walls, cement plaster and thatch roof. From that to roof corrugated iron roof. From that to a cement block building with corrugated iron roof. Bear in mind that a church is really a big room. Its size limited by the abilities of carpenters to build a roof from timber no more than 12 feet, under 4 metres, long. Back to the Top

Four wheels

• Give people a lift, especially the poor and the weak. Don't be ashamed to remind them to say, 'thanks' when you get there. On a road that might be difficult, include a couple of strong looking men. Then when trouble happens they will help lift, dig and push. Be sure to say, 'Thanks'.

• Always fix your spare the same day, or better still, carry two and always keep them repaired.

• Before crossing even the most innocent stream, wade across to check the depth and best route. Better still, get someone else to do it and watch the water-level on their legs. However, if he - or she - is inexperienced you might not be told about how firm the river bed is.

• A type of mud we missionaries used to call cotton soil is black and very sticky when wet. At its worst you have to stop every 20 yards (metres) to remove the mud clogging up the front wheel arches: several armfuls behind each wheel. This happens because the front of the pick-up is heavier and the wheels are not driving wheels. In effect the back driving wheels are pushing the front end deeper and deeper into the mud. The solution is easy: turn around and drive backwards. If the back is fairly empty, it means that the working wheels are not digging into the mud. On the contrary they are dragging the heavier wheels 'upwards' out of the mud.

• In sand or mud, let some air out of the wheels. The tyre becomes flatter, more of it is touching the ground. This works wonders by giving you more traction. However, either pump up the wheel immediately or drive very carefully. In particular, when you get back on a good road bring the pressure up to normal as soon as possible. Flat-ish, soft tyres are just begging for a puncture from any sharp object. For example, a rock or a short projecting short just harvested cornstalk end.

• Let the air out evenly. If you don't have a tyre gauge, look at your watch and let the air out for the same number of seconds on each side. If your pump is a hand or foot pump count the number of pumps.

Introduction

I crossed the Sahara twice by bike. I lived and worked for seven years as a priest in Africa. For two years I was in a good sized town - Mubi, then in Gongola State, Nigeria. Now that the state has been divided, it is in Adamawa State. For two years I had a roving commission in the about-to-be-established parish of Karim Lamido and Lau. Lau is on the Benue and was developed as a river port in colonial times. With the development of a national road network the town is no longer so important. Karim Lamido on the opposite (western) side of the Benue about six miles from the river. It was the administrative centre of the local government. Now Lau is also a local government area. During this time I was officially based at Jalingo which with the new states became the Capital of Taraba State. Then I was three years in Zing, also a local government, but far from the river.

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