I have not been as faithful posting updates lately. It's really a shame, I have been working so much that I don't have the time. (And I really don't like that cliche). I figure it is another non-glamorous aspect of my adventure. I need to make a little more money so I will have more financial freedom. I still retain my anti-consumerist slant, but only in the since that I don't buy non-useful 'stuff'. Everything has a purpose.
One of my biggest expenses has been bus repair. No big surprise, it is a 38 year old bus. But the combination of a being a large vehicle, vintage model, and no longer made makes finding competent repair stations very difficult. My last repair place was a giant shop for Big rigs and semi's. They deal with mostly commercial accounts and deal with fairly new vehicles. (Think dealerships for 18 wheelers). I cross my fingers and hope to find a salty, old fellow that gets all nostalgic looking at my bus. Nope, I get the 25 year old guy, fresh out of diesel mechanic school. I took the bus in for service because the radiator fan was making a very bad noise- loud clunking, metal on metal grinding that traveled the length of the bus and vibrated the floors when I drove. Turns out the bearings were shot (I had guessed as much). Nobody could find a replacement part so a machine shop had to fabricate new bearings (I figured as much). In fact, I knew what was wrong and what needed to be done but had no time to remove fan, find fabricator, and accurately explain problem. Plus I was only 99% sure of the problem. The other things done were fixing that pesky, leaky slave cylinder and getting a new high amp alternator.
These repairs left a little to be desired also. The alternator works great but it isn't connected to the gauge up front that says it's working. I guess I will find out the hard way when it goes out. The slave cylinder repair seemed to have worked...no leaks. But clearly the mechanic assigned my bus, clearly as punishment for some prior offense in the shop, didn't know how to properly adjust the thing once he found a new part. It took me a couple of days to notice the clutch was slipping. I thought my shifting was smoother due to the repair. In reality, the clutch wasn't ever making full contact with the flywheel. It wasn't until my trip yesterday to Greenville that I realized the full extent of the problem. I thought it was just slow getting to full contact. Until driving through the mountains and continuously spelling a curious burning smell, similar to brake pads. I chalked it up to some trucker up ahead who clearly didn't know how to downshift going down a mountain. I thought maybe it is burning rubber, I did have an under inflated rear tire. I pull over check tires, smell around. Yes, you must use all 4 of the 5 senses when diagnosing a bus problem. I only hold off tasting stuff because the State of California said something bad might happen to me. Anyhow, as my trip progresses, and my clutch heats up from all the slipping, I lose most of my power going up hills. As long as I kept moving I was ok, I could keep it over 40mph uphill. I used every bit of the law of inertia- you know the one, an object in motion tends to stay in motion...
So this morning, I pulled the new slave cylinder out (2 hours labor) and readjusted. Labor, by the way, at the shop in Tennessee was $92/hr. My repair worked!! I am again the smartest man in the world!!
So, bus crisis averted, I am now resting in my hotel room. I am calculating how many free nights I have accrued through the hotel loyalty program. I am at platinum status now, 6 more nights and I get Diamond Status. This might be helpful if the bus doesn't cooperate fully in the future.
This one I call Curious George
These cats seemed to blend in nicely with their surroundings. Camo cats.
Momma struck a protective pose when I got in position behind the Garden Center shelves to snap this shot.
Then she relaxed and let the babies feed.
