Here I am , traveling a round trip total of 11,000km give or take, stuck in a hotel in Gallup NM, with a dead computer. Fortunately I had my small tablet and a working cell phone.
Seems FS can replace some parts but not others. Great... that means that another entire day would be lost. and even when they hand me the $500 some odd, paperwork I need a push across the alley to an old fashioned repair shop.
Problem after the FS repair is the damage inflicted by the broken belt has severed the auto trans to the cooler line from the tranny to the rad.
Can't go anywhere like that, can't even start the engine.
Takes several hefty dudes pushing and my "steering" to get into the jobber shop. Good thing it was downgrade. I suggested to the FS people that a re-enforced rubber line and a couple of hose clamps would do it, but they won't do that.
They are talking to me about dropping the tranny and replacing the broken line... a job quoted at over 10 hours labor.! After checking out Monday morning from the El Rancho, my old fashioned hands on mechanic Dave, splices in a rubber line secured with (you guessed it) hose clamps, and I'm good to go. My two day stop has cost me over a grand USD, and I'm not even in AZ yet!
I drive the FORD gingerly, worried about the repair the last few hundred miles to my home in Glendale.
That's when the real problems show up!
I'm planning on putting some Goodyear, *RWL Wranglers on at my neighborhood Wal Mart, for the trip back home in Canada.
I buy the tires, show up at 7 am, first in line, explain to the foreman who I am and what we are doing.
Three hours later, I'm called in to pay my bill and walk around to the bay, to find the RWL are facing inwards!
Say What? I complain to the foreman and he says nobody "told him." him. I am not giving in. I bought the RWL tires and the RWL were going to be visible! Another 2 hours goes by, before I get my truck back and in the mile and a half home... I notice my steering getting heavy. At first I thought, "Flat tire" in my brand new tires, maybe something in the workmanship given the circumstances but then I see the needle on the coolant temperature gauge and I just make it into my parking spot before the rad blows and of course steam everywhere, coolant flowing freely and a broken down serpent belt. Exact problem that was "repaired" in Gallup.
I find a tow service, Jose and I become friends we see each other so many times over the next few days.
I make arrangements at a nearby Firestone in Peoria where the diagnosis is... you ready... the serpentine belt has broken... I already knew that. Unfortunately the idler/adjustment pully that tensions the belt in it's serpentine travel, is damaged. They (Firestone) tells me the bolt holding the belt is bent and has now damaged the carrier arm. Work they are not equipped to do.
Jose, tows it to a huge automotive repair service called Wilhelm's Auto Machine shop in Peoria, where the tech is away on his honeymoon but would look at it Monday morning. I'm thinking, buddy is going to be so worn out and hung over, who know what will happen., haha.
Didn't need to worry after all, Kent and crew were very professional and they had me fixed up late Monday. Turns out. they say, the bolt was not tightened too much... but in fact was not tightened at all. A mere few threads were holding the thing together. Thank goodness I didn't suffer the same failure from Gallup to Glendale!
In near 100 heat, I make use of they're courtesy shuttle and pay the bill (another near 400 US dollars) and head 'home.
I've now spent nearly $2000 usd! Yikes!!
*Raised White Letters
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