Good day, bad day....

[Freightrain]

Went over to Beaver Springs last Thurs for the annual FE Reunion.  I won the Gamblers race on Friday.  Yay.  Didn't fair as well in the big race on Saturday.  Had a great time overall.  Saw lots of old friends, met some new ones.

 

I had plans Sunday(local show that I am involved with) so headed out about 6 pm.  Got fueled up, buddy followed me home that lives nearby.  We made it back safe and sound.  Sorta.  I got off the highway at my exit and something seemed out when I tried shifting gears at the bottom of the ramp. Ugh.  I got it moving and continued on without fuss. It had me wondering.

 

I went about 5 miles and came into Mogadore, Ohio(about 10 minutes from home).  There is a light on a slight grade.  When I tried to switch gears and roll as the light turned green, the shifters wouldn't move.  It lugged and stalled at the stop bar.  Luckily of sorts.  It's 12:14 am and I can't seem to move the shifters, even aux.  Set brake, push clutch...nothing.  all jammed up.  WTH??

Luckily it is quiet and no real traffic.  I quickly start assessing the situation.  Thought maybe transmission issue but that would not cause the little Spicer box to jam.  It has to be clutch.  Bit pedal feels "normal".  I push pedal and bump starter, nothing.  Ya, clutch.

The issue is, the whole weight of the truck is leaning on all the transmissions and holding them in gear.  WTH do I do now?  I can't screw around too much as I can't run the tanks out of air and be really screwed.  Call a friend (wake him up?), call wrecker?  My buddy got off previous exit so I call him.  He is home and will drop his trailer and come assist.  He just has newer Power stroke pickup but at least it is something for now.

I get to thinking and realize "if" I can jack up one side of axle I can release the tension on the trans and get them in neutral.  It would be a step forward.  I get bottle jack out of bunk storage(has just put it back in before this trip).  The jack has a leak out of the front knob and had leaked a bit out.  I added another o ring and it seems to hold fluid so I put it back in the truck.  I didn't have any extra fluid for it but I figured I would address that sometime.  Seems sometimes was now.  I blocked a few axles with lumber and found the jack would not pick the axle high enough to let tire turn.  Ugh.  

By this time the local cop showed up to check on me.  I was scurrying around getting this set up.  He likes the outfit and my drag car.  I dumped some 75-90 gear lube in the jack and proceeded to jack truck up.  It worked.  The officer said traffic is light and won't make me tow it.  If it was 3 pm and busy he would have to make me call a wrecker.  He said that I looked like I knew what I was doing and wonder back to his car.  I told him for 24 yrs it has never left me stranded, even if I was 3 states away.

Buddy showed up and I had it running by then to build air.  I then shut it down, got it in 1st low, released brakes and hit starter.  Nope, too steep.  Fudge.  Now it is stuck in gear again!!  Jack it up and started over.  This time I let it Coast back down the grade a few hundred feet to level ground and it then started in low and I took off. I tooted the horn at the officer and made my way South.  My buddy followed as I now had to make a few turns and  8 lights and knew stop sign to work through.  He ran blocker for the stop sign as it is kinda hard to see traffic and it is a main road.  Got through there and the last 6 lights, turned into my neighborhood and into my drive.  Whew.....  Home, safe and sound.

After poking around through the bottom hole it looks like maybe one lever is low(broke,damaged,etc) and not allowing clutch to fully release.  I was able to unhook trailer and get truck back around in front of its garage space.  It is too tight to just be able to back in without clutch.  Likely push it with pickup.

I haven't really determined what is going to transpire.  I have engine, trans, and soon to be new dual disc clutch to install.  No sense in spending money on old clutch.  I think it is done for the season.  I have one last stick race next weekend but not ambitious enough to have it done for that.

My work has a 2016 f250 with a gooseneck ball.  I will bring it home to move trailer into its parking spot.  I will see how well it holds the weight.  It does have towing package and brake controller.  It may be okay?  Will see tomorrow night when I drive it home.

To top it off, when I walked into the kitchen at 1 am there was water on the floor in front of fridge.  Thought maybe just defroster tray had moved.  I wiped it up but Sunday morning a bunch more water.  It had died and was warming up.  Oh jeezus.  I let my buddy know that I wasn't bringing rig and make other plans.  He was fine with it, not catastrophic.  We just use my big trailer as a hospitality tent for coffee and donuts.  A friend used his 28 ft tag trailer instead.  Life moves on.

I drove black car to the show and hung out.  I was whipped and everyone knew it.  Karen and I just sat in our chairs and relaxed.

Took Monday off to purchase a new fridge, I am in break down list so I get preferred delivery.  I have little college frig that I bought when I had my little 28ft trailer that has been sitting in garage for years, It has my perishable stuff in it.  I will make it a few days.  I have old side by side torn down so it will be easier for them to haul out.

 

Life is good.  It can always be much worse.

Picture with me and a friend Dan(right) who also sponsors me.  He is part of the event and I wanted him in the winners picture.

[mowerman]

oh my god,,,what an ordeal glad you got it back,,,and hooray on the great time,,and yes,,,,sometimes air starters do now help at all...bob

[Brocky]

If it ain't cars, its trucks, or the house!!!! Am glad you made it thru OK.. Had the same problem a month ago, both the refrigerator and the house air conditioning quit on the same 90+ degree weekend..

[Freightrain]

4 minutes ago, Brocky said:

If it ain't cars, its trucks, or the house!!!! Am glad you made it thru OK.. Had the same problem a month ago, both the refrigerator and the house air conditioning quit on the same 90+ degree weekend..

My AC "quit" back in early July/June?  Get cool, then warm.  Repeat.  I checked everything I could think of.  Cleaned filter, etc.  I had service come and found a piece of insulation had come loose inside the plenum which was blowing against evaporator and blocking air flow which made it hot.  Geez.  They screwed it back to and works flawless again.  If I had thought to pull access panel off and look inside I could have saved a $90 call. Oh well, lesson learned.

[Brocky]

Your $90 was a lot better than my$9000+ as my 26 year old compressor died.. Parts unobtainable!! Plus refrigerant 3 generations old.. Thank you EPA!!! 

[mowerman]

our water heater,,and frig are getting close to 20 years old,,,im expecting issues with both at some time,,bob

[mrsmackpaul]

Well Im stunned at this turn of events, as we say out here "you must of killed a China man" with that much bad luck

Stunned you have to wait for a fridge unless it's something special maybe

We just buy one and it gets delivered that day 

Country town maybe are different 

Cool photos

 

Paul

[Freightrain]

2 minutes ago, mrsmackpaul said:

Well Im stunned at this turn of events, as we say out here "you must of killed a China man" with that much bad luck

Stunned you have to wait for a fridge unless it's something special maybe

We just buy one and it gets delivered that day 

Country town maybe are different 

Cool photos

 

Paul

Times they are different.  Hard to find help, so deliveries are a bit slower then they used to be.  Like everything today.

[mechohaulic]

3 hours ago, mowerman said:

our water heater,,and frig are getting close to 20 years old,,,im expecting issues with both at some time,,bob

my2nd marriage is close to 20 plus yrs AND I KNOW  there are issues there !!!LOL anyone want to exchange !!!