Still Crazy After All These...

Repairs for one

In the last post we were still having trouble with the HOW (House On Wheels). We had already spent way too long and way too much money on rent at Rainbows End in Livingston, TX. We had also spent way too much money on diagnosing and replacing a bad CAT (catalytic converter) and a failed PCM (Powertrain Control Module).  Now we had to deal with whatever was causing the engine to shudder whenever it was under load, like going uphill or a downshift.

After I (Paul) spent a LOT of time on the Internet reading about this problem, specifically in the configuration we have, it looked as though it wasn't a transmission problem or a computer problem. I called the local Ford dealership to see if they were able to see if they could figure out what was actually going on. I was delighted to find out that they deal with large vehicles all the time. 

I guess with being in ranch and farm country, they service a lot of kinds of trucks and equipment built on truck chassis with truck powertrains. I scheduled an appointment and crossed my fingers. 

Now's when I have to give a shout-out to Cecil Atkisson Ford in Hondo, TX. They were great! When we got there for our appointment, they had their most experienced mechanic hop into the HOW and take a ride with me. The first time the rig shuddered, he said, "Classic misfire symptom." We drove around for a little longer to determine exactly under what conditions the engine misfired. After the ride, we headed back to the service bay and plugged the OBD II diagnostic monitor in to the PCM. Sure enough, the code showed the coil on cylinder 10 wasn't sending power to the spark plug. 

We went for some breakfast while the mechanic worked on the problem, and when we returned we had a new coil and spark plug on cylinder 10. When I turned the key, the mighty V10 roared to life and idled smoothly. We drove the HOW around a bit and then reread the OBD codes. The engine ran perfectly and the computer didn't throw any more codes. 

Weather and illness for two and three

We got back to our lot at the Lone Star Corral and the weather turned cold (well for down here anyway) and wet. Penny came down with a nasty cold that wouldn't go away. I was stuck inside the HOW since it was too unpleasant to go outside, and the shed is too large to heat with a portable heater. Instead we decided to watch marathons of Criminal Minds and Blue Bloods since that was what was on TV. It helped the time pass.

Right when Penny started getting better, I got the same cold. Theweather was still pretty yucky, so we opted to watch Season 4 of 24. Now that was exciting! We bought a lot of our favorite TV series before we retired, for just these kinds of situations. Pretty smart if I do say so myself...

That pretty much catches y'all up. 

The pictures featured in this post are from a vacation we took in 2006. Don't forget that if you click on the pictures you can see the full size versions







We were driving down a road and Penny caught a glimpse of these weird statues. We turned around and found ourselves at Fred Smith's Wisconsin Concrete Park. 

This whimsical gem was created because Fred Smith decided that Wisconsin needed a concrete park filled with his statues. Talk about folk art! If you ever find yourself near Phillips Wisconsin. You gotta check this place out.

Til next time...