Launch Aborted

October 7th. We finally left Blackhawk Valley Campground for our slow leisurely meander to Texas. We got about 35 miles away and the truck started smoking. We pulled over right away and had a look. I (Paul) noticed what appeared to be transmission fluid leaking from a fitting at the bottom of the radiator. Last month we had the radiator replaced and apparently one of the lines popped off and transmission fluid came shooting out and spraying all over the drive train and exhaust! That was what caused the smoke. 

Fortunately, we have Good Sam emergency road assistance. Unfortunately it is not worth a damn! They said they'd line up a tow truck to take the truck and the trailer to a repair center capable of doing this kind of repair, and that they'd call back in 15 minutes with info, but an hour and a half later we still didn't hear from them. When Good Sam finally did get back to us, they told us that the only tow truck they had could only tow the truck. The trailer would have to stay on the shoulder of the interstate. WTF is THAT?! They're supposed to be an RV road service provider. What a crock of $h!t! 

In the mean-time, I called Kurt's Auto who installed the radiator. I spoke with Nathan, one of the owners, who asked for pictures of the suspected leak, and the puddle of fluid. After seeing the pics, he devised a plan. Nathan drove about 40 miles to where we were with 6 quarts of transmission fluid. He popped the line back on, and noticed it didn't feel like it was seating the way it should. He put the fluid in, and then drove with us back to the shop to make repairs the following day. On the way, Nathan arranged to have new Ford lines and another radiator delivered first thing in the morning, so they could get us back on our way ASAP. 

That's a LOT of tranny fluid

They gave us a spot to park the trailer for the night. So there we were, camping in the parking lot at Kurt's Auto Lube and Service.

 

Camping at Kurt's Auto Lube and Service

Quite an inauspicious start to our new life!

Turns out, the radiator was still fine, but the installed lines were machined slightly different than the ones from Ford. At highway speed the buildup of heat and pressure on the transmission lines, was more than the other brand of lines could bear, and one of them unseated, causing the fluid leak. Nathan put the new lines on and they snapped right in securely. Just to be extra sure they couldn't fail again, he also installed new locks on the line fittings.

We were back on the road that afternoon!

The roadside service trip, the fluid, the parts, and all the labor was covered by Kurt's warranty on the previous work. Talk about above and beyond! (Nathan also contacted the manufacturer of the failed line to explain the defect, and how to resolve it.)

Oh, almost forgot, Good Sam called back while we were driving back to Kurt's. I told them to F__ck Off!

That's it for now; we're almost caught up...       Oh yeah, we made weight, but just barely...