The turbocharger arrived late Monday(6/24) and was installed on Tuesday(6/25). It solved the turbo issue, but not the fact that the computer analysis now showed one cylinder mysteriously was not firing. The tech guessed it was a fuel injector. Needed to order one. Two more days. The tech removed the valve cover (I had no idea the injectors were located there) More tech work and he found one of two exhaust valves on #4 cylinder was not closing properly and keeping compression from making the cylinder fire. (I have learned more about diesel engines than I ever wanted to know.) So they managed to reseat the valve and the engine runs fine(6/25). The question now is the valve and/or pushrod bent or damaged? Is the cylinder head (valve seat) damaged or worn? The shop owner said he could pull the head next week, get it to a machine shop to redo the valve seats, and reinstall the head. He said if I was a gambler I could gamble that the valve and related parts were actually ok and risk catastrophic engine failure. Or I could fix the issue and not have to worry. We chose to get the work done next week…or so. The only good thing about any of this is the currency exchange rate is about 70%. So the $20k we are spending on repairs will only cost us about $14k. Yikes!
Canadians celebrate Canada Day on July 1 and usually tack on a few extra days to give them a long holiday weekend. We experienced this is Quebec City in 2023 when we had to replace our inverter. Now, we are experiencing it again…not the same as celebrating. This year, Canada Day was on Tuesday (7/1). Some folks, not all, began the long weekend on Friday and returned to work on Wednesday. Of course, our repair shop was closed all of those days. Nothing for us to do but wait!
Since the RV engine was functioning, we moved a few miles up the road to the Northern Experience RV Park for 7 days (6/25-7/2). During our stay, we shopped, cleaned, read some books, watched TV, and I played lots of games. We got to know our RV neighbors who were also experiencing technical issues with their RV. Misery loves company!
At the end of the 7 days (7/2), we moved back to the repair shop where everyday seemed to bring a new problem. When will it end? They removed the “head” and sent it to a machine shop. The shop inspected the “head” and reported it was cracked and couldn’t be fixed. Now what? So, the hunt began for a new “head”. Of course, it was Friday and too late in the day to begin the search for the needed part. We had to wait until Monday. All sorts of things were going through our heads… What if they can’t find the part? Should I go home? Should we both go home? Should we go to a motel? What if they can’t fix it?
Finally, Monday came and a part was found and ordered. Two more days of waiting for delivery before the installation could begin. Once the part was received, the mechanic made numerous trips in and out of the RV with various tools. (We had cut up cardboard boxes taped to the steps and floor to reduce the dirt and grime). Finally, after two days, the job was completed. Now for the big test…will it work? Ken, the mechanic, and I took it for a test drive and everything was running good! Smiles all around!
It was a long three weeks of frustration and worry, but, we made it! It would seem as though we would want to get out of Prince George as fast as we could, but, we decided to return to the Northern Experience RV Park for 2 nights so we could just relax. Ken and I were both exhausted!
Alaska is not happening for us this year and we will begin our way towards the USA. We are going to make several stops along the way, see some new things that we haven’t seen before, and spend a few days at one of our favorite places… Yellowstone National Park.
We are on the road again…