TS4-2 Hop 1
110 miles via US 70, I-40 and TN 338. Cumulative tow miles: 110. Truck miles: 228. Cumulative truck miles: 228. The extra truck miles were largely due to the trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway as described in the preceding post.
More truck problems. The “whooshing” sound that appeared on the long uphill slog into Asheville was still with us as we left the campground yesterday morning. I was only about 90% convinced that there was no serious problem after three mechanics looked at it the day before and declared it “good to go.” But the truck ran fine on the trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway and seemed to be fine for about the first 50 miles of this hop. But as we were climbing a hill on I-40 I noticed some black exhaust when the engine was running at about 2,000 rpms. Strangely, I did not see any black exhaust when running on the flat or on steeper hills when the engine revved near 3,000 rpms. The black exhaust worried me, but the engine still seemed to be running well, if noisily. I was a bit concerned that we were burning oil, so I stopped in a rest area to check. Nope – oil level was fine.
Then the dreaded “check engine” light appeared. But no dashboard message and no discernable loss of power. At that point we were on a long downhill stretch, coming out of the mountains, so the engine was not being taxed. We got to our turnoff on TN 338 and my intention was to drive the final 30 miles to our destination, then find a mechanic to look at the problem on Friday. But going uphill on 338 I realized that the engine was no longer running fine. I could barely maintain a 30 mph speed going up a not-very-steep hill. It was apparent that if we encountered any uphill stretch in those 30 miles – which was pretty likely – we might very well be stranded on the side of the road.
The section of TN 338 just south of I-40 is bounded by small shopping centers and other commercial properties. I started scanning for a large parking lot where I could stop and start making calls as it was apparent that we were not going to get to Walland TN that night. Then I spotted a sign for Riverside RV Resort, made the turn at the sign, pulled over into a small truck stop area, called the campground and booked a night, drove the final quarter-mile to the campground, got set up and started dialing for a mechanic. I was somewhat desperate to find one quickly because the campground had no site for us beyond Thursday night.
The first three calls – to two GMC dealerships and one diesel repair specialist – elicited nothing better than a promise to look at the truck on Monday. I needed IMMEDIATE service, so I kept dialing, with not a lot of hope. But I was desperate so I tried Tennessee Fleet Service in Knoxville, an establishment which clearly catered to big rigs, not puny little trucks like my GMC 3500. But they told me if I could get to their shop – 20 miles away – they would look at it. I hung up, grabbed my keys, kissed Jett and took off to Knoxville.
The truck ran a lot better when not towing 15,000 pounds.
Tennessee Fleet Service
When I got to Tennessee Fleet Service I was underwhelmed by the building. And I had trouble finding anyone to talk to. One guy was under a truck with only his legs showing and the other was bent over a box truck engine, operating a sander while wearing earphones. The “office” – a tiny cubicle in the corner – was unoccupied. I finally got the attention of the guy with the sander. He asked me what I wanted – with a tone that really meant “what the hell do YOU want” – which I initially misunderstood due to his Tennessee accent. When I finally communicated my problem, he stopped sanding and walked out to take a look. He started the engine, revved it, heard the “whoosh” and opened the hood. He spent about 10 minutes over and under the engine, feeling hoses. Soon the guy who was under the truck appeared and started kibitzing. At first the talk was rather ominous, heading it the direction of “the turbo needs to be replaced.” When I asked how difficult that would be the second mechanic laughed and said the last one he did took him 9 hours.
I wasn’t laughing. I had visions of being stuck in Sevierville for a week and started considering options for where I could put the RV while we were stuck.
Then the conversation turned 180 degrees and went down the path of “the air filter is clogged.” But that turned out to be untrue, just that the guy who replaced the filter neglected to reset the “dirtiness” gauge.
The problem – hose removed
After a few more moments the first mechanic – his name tag said “Moose” – felt a hole in a flexible hose in the turbo air pipes. He removed the hose and showed me a large fissure – about 2 inches – in the hose. He was pretty certain that the hose was the source of the “whoosh.” He took off in his truck to find a replacement. I was left to consider how long this problem had existed.
I think it existed at the time of the Binghamton disaster. When we first had the coolant leak I incorrectly thought that it was this section of hose that was leaking, because I saw it “spitting” coolant. Of course there was no coolant in the hose, so I now believe what I observed was coolant being sprayed onto the hose and the hose, though its split, was expelling air through the coolant, making it “spit.” So add yet another problem to the list of issues that the truck had at the time of the disaster.
We have certainly had more than our share of problems on this trip south. And it is wearing on us. Jett: “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.” I can’t disagree. It has been brutal, reminiscent of our first month on the road back in 2012 – our “ding-a-day” trip.
Ironically, that trip resulted in us being stuck in Knoxville. History repeats, I guess.
But that trip turned around after Knoxville and I have to hope that this one does, too.
Anyway, when Moose returned with the replacement hose – a used part that cost $13 instead of $68 for a new one – he immediately started installing it. After the hose was securely clamped in place he started the engine and revved it. No “whoosh!”
The engine was fixed, the “check engine” light reset and I was back at the campground within 3 hours of arrival. Total cost: $140, including a $25 tip. Just amazing. Better than any “best case” scenario I could have envisioned when we limped into the campground.
Moose installing the hose
Tennessee Fleet Service saved the day. Moose is my hero. I have to view this whole experience positively because (1) we didn’t have to call for emergency assistance, (2) we were able to get to a good campground to deal with the problem and (3) the problem was fixed quickly and inexpensively.
Now I have to wonder why three mechanics on Wednesday were unable to find a gash in a turbo hose, Maybe it took a dedicated diesel guy like Moose to figure it out.
Today’s new Hop 2 will be 27 miles to Walland TN, our original Hop 1 destination. This will be one of our shortest hops ever. But, to make it interesting, it will be done in a driving rain.
Asheville East KOA
Our 2 nights in the Asheville area (actually in Swannanoa, about 10 miles east of Asheville) were at the Asheville East KOA Holiday. This is a nice park which, like so many KOAs, has very tight sites. I had to tuck the nose of the truck under the RV’s front overhang to get it off the road. But we were close to the dog park and within an easy drive of restaurants, food stores and auto services. It had train noise, but none in the middle of the night. It suited out needs but was not luxurious. Looking now at the website I see that it claims to have TWO lakes. I didn’t explore, admittedly, but I saw no lake. Maybe the campground is nicer than I perceived.
El Paso Resaurant
While in Swannanoa I bought some groceries at an Ingles supermarket. I bought a couple of items on sale and asked to use a “courtesy card” as, being a short-term visitor, there was no point in getting a customer loyalty card. The checker said she couldn’t let me use one but I was free to ask another customer to use theirs. I wasn’t about to do that and was pretty shocked, really, that no courtesy card was available. That was a first in our six years of travel. So I complained to the manager. She was sympathetic but said she would be fired if she let me use one – it was a very strict corporate rule.
My advice to full-timers: avoid Ingles. They are not full-timer friendly.
After our tough day on the road, followed by our miraculous timely truck repair, we felt we deserved a dinner out. Jett picked the El Paso Mexican restaurant just a few miles away. It turned out to be quite good. And the margarita was much needed. High marks to El Paso. And it was a relief to have a good meal after the disappointing/awful one at The Coach House in Black Mountain NC. This place gets high marks from many diners, but both my swordfish and pecan pie were about the worst I have ever had and Jett’s steak, while tasty, was overdone. Low marks to The Coach House.