11-07-14 BREAKDOWN !! Alabama

 11-07-14 I really hate having breakdowns !! They mess with the grand plan!!
We were rolling along EB I-10 without a care in the world for about an hour when suddenly we heard a weird sound. We both noticed/heard a change in road sound. I slowed a bit and we turned the radio down and everything seemed to be okay. Hmmmm! But then a car pulled up on the drivers side and pointed “ pull over” ! OH-OH ! So I did.
As soon as we stopped we noticed a blue puff of smoke. Got out and the right side exhaust was putting out a lot of blue/grey smoke. NOT GOOD !! So we put 'er in D and limped to the next exit. Alabama, EB I-10, Exit 53. I immediately saw a “truck repair” to the North. Pulled into it and a guy said pull the rig in and we'll take a looksee ! Whew!
After an hour, he started the engine, took the valve covers off and said “ do you hear that rod knock? He then proceeded to quote a repair bill of $7 to 10k TO REPAIR IT !! HA HA HA HA HA !! “ I have worked on a lot of engines and really didn't hear anything except lifter noise. So I had him put the valve covers back on ( with silicone? That'll never work ! ) and researched the area on internet. Found an RV park about ½ ml South and limped there with a lot of smoke about 5PM. OKAY Now , FHU and very good rate. I guess we'll work this out from here! Didn't do anything except hookup and pop beer! Whew...what a day !!
The next morning I had a coffee in hand and went out and sat on the picnic table. Gotta think !! Had quite a few neighbors stop over and after intro's I told them about our dilemma. Got a lot of info about the area. One of them, Dave, drove me to a store and took a scenic route. He pointed out all the thing we need to know. Stores, repair supplies, etc. , he knows the area because his daughter lives here. My friend, John Nichol, lives about a ½ hr. South of here in Foley. I called him today and he said he'd be home by the weekend from his job as a truck driver. He said he'll help us if he can.
Sounds like it'll be a busy week. Tomorrow I'll do a compression test and see what that tells me. Sure am glad I have tools with me.
11-11-14 … Took a few days off...(decompress) .. We're safe, FHU's, good neighbors..all okay !! I've been making a lot of local calls. No luck on finding an affordable mechanic yet. I found a few 454 engines nearby. Also found a few used motorhome deals too ! It's always been an escape plan of ours to just find another used motorhome if we had any catastrophic failures. We may go with that plan! One of the great things about driving an older rig is that there are a lot of good deals out there.
My Honda Goldwing has been having problems with the starter. Before we use it for chasing down a deal I decided to order a new starter. It should be here by Friday. It only takes an hour to replace. I have 4 motorhomes I'd look at within an hour of here. I found most of them on Craigslist.
I really don't care if we stay here for awhile. Wilderness CG has FHU's for $300/month and is close to shopping. Our neighbors are friendly and helpful. Ya gotta love other Rvers !
I dug out the test tools and ran a compression test today. NOT GOOD !! #4 cylinder is flatlined @ 28 #s. 120 to 165#'s on other cylinders. Kinda looks like bad news.
And the saga continues !!
REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY !!

Charlie & Heather.