- 319
- 13
- 18
- Location
- Gardnerville, NV
Chapter 1.
We had been planning a long trip in 'Thor' for some time. Overland Expo seemed like a great way to test the recent modifications made and see some beautiful country at the same time.
We departed Gardnerville, NV at a decent morning hour on Tuesday the 15th. The goal was to travel as far as Alamo, then head into an early camp spot near the venue in Flagstaff on Thursday morning. We had passed through Tonopah and had just about gotten as far as Warm Springs, when we began to hear a loud intermittent clicking noise coming from the front of the truck. I also noted that the volt meter twitched each time the 'click' was heard. The further we went, the more frequent the clicking. We eventually pulled over for a break and I left the truck to idle. Now, each time I heard the click there was a slight hesitation, like a miss, in the engine. As the truck was still running strongly, it was decided to keep pushing on to Alamo where I would pop the cab and have a closer look. The clicking continued, and as we descended toward the 93 junction, it quit running! I muscled it over to a shaded area, and began looking for the problem. As first, I thought it was fueling as there appeared to be a clogged vent line for the dual tanks. I blew out the debris with the truck air, and tried pumping fuel back into the system, but no go...
I called the Windmill Inn, to let them know we were going to be a late check in, and asked if they know anyone locally who was good with diesels. They said Yes, call Jason. I took the number as the afternoon was quickly turning to evening, I called the number. Jason answered, and I briefly explained our problem with the 3116 Cat that had died. He said he would be out in 20 minutes. Jason turned out to be a local rancher who had another business of fixing things. All kinds of things. We finally narrowed the problem down to the Fuel Cutoff Solenoid. We guessed the intermittent clicking was due to a loose ground lead with eventually caused the unit to burn out. After securing the truck for the night, he and his son gave us a ride to our hotel. He said not to worry and he would give me a call in the morning.
At this point I was amazed at the generosity of this stranger who took time away from his family (7 kids!) to come out in the dark and rescue a complete stranger. I made a comment to his son about angels appearing when you needed them most, as we said good night and parted company. At least we wouldn't be sleeping in the back of the truck next to the highway that night.
Pointman
We had been planning a long trip in 'Thor' for some time. Overland Expo seemed like a great way to test the recent modifications made and see some beautiful country at the same time.
We departed Gardnerville, NV at a decent morning hour on Tuesday the 15th. The goal was to travel as far as Alamo, then head into an early camp spot near the venue in Flagstaff on Thursday morning. We had passed through Tonopah and had just about gotten as far as Warm Springs, when we began to hear a loud intermittent clicking noise coming from the front of the truck. I also noted that the volt meter twitched each time the 'click' was heard. The further we went, the more frequent the clicking. We eventually pulled over for a break and I left the truck to idle. Now, each time I heard the click there was a slight hesitation, like a miss, in the engine. As the truck was still running strongly, it was decided to keep pushing on to Alamo where I would pop the cab and have a closer look. The clicking continued, and as we descended toward the 93 junction, it quit running! I muscled it over to a shaded area, and began looking for the problem. As first, I thought it was fueling as there appeared to be a clogged vent line for the dual tanks. I blew out the debris with the truck air, and tried pumping fuel back into the system, but no go...
I called the Windmill Inn, to let them know we were going to be a late check in, and asked if they know anyone locally who was good with diesels. They said Yes, call Jason. I took the number as the afternoon was quickly turning to evening, I called the number. Jason answered, and I briefly explained our problem with the 3116 Cat that had died. He said he would be out in 20 minutes. Jason turned out to be a local rancher who had another business of fixing things. All kinds of things. We finally narrowed the problem down to the Fuel Cutoff Solenoid. We guessed the intermittent clicking was due to a loose ground lead with eventually caused the unit to burn out. After securing the truck for the night, he and his son gave us a ride to our hotel. He said not to worry and he would give me a call in the morning.
At this point I was amazed at the generosity of this stranger who took time away from his family (7 kids!) to come out in the dark and rescue a complete stranger. I made a comment to his son about angels appearing when you needed them most, as we said good night and parted company. At least we wouldn't be sleeping in the back of the truck next to the highway that night.
Pointman
