Road trip blues

[davidkerryedwards]

This roadtrip is turning into a sequence of mechanical problems. After we got
the idler
pulley repaired in MO, we made it to WV when the crossover pipe (a second rate
flexible
pipe) failed. FMCA road service sent out a mechanic who removed the broken end
and re
attached it. We got down the road 40 miles and it failed again,. I reattached
it myself and
we limped into Cumberland MD on Saturday where we waited until this morning(in a
shopping mall parking lot) for an exhaust shop to open. Jim's transmissionn and
exhaust
did an excellent quick job and we were on the road by 11am. A mile down the
road the
engine quit suddenly at 60mph. Pulled over, restarted it and set off again.
this happened
three times in 5 miles. I called FMCA road service again since it was dangerous
to drive
since we lost power steering when the engine quit. Were towed to Keyser WV
($431--buy
road service!) where we are currently in a motel. The current diagnosis is that
when the
crossover pipe failed it sooted up the air cleaner resulting in very high vacuum
in the
intake which sucked down a rubber hose cutting off all air flow to the engine
and shutting
it down. We're waiting for a new air filter to arrive by UPS tomorrow. I had
thought the
turbo was failing and seizing up, so if this diagnosis is correct, it's a much
more simple
fix. The diagnosis makes a fair amount of sense since the shut down problems
occured
after the crossover pipe was properly fixed with a solid pipe which would make
the turbo
operate more efficiently than the loosely attached prior repair.
We hope to make it to DC sometime this summer and then have a less eventful
journey up
to NYC, Montreal, and back to Denver.
If anyone has any better diagnoses, jump in. The air filter is within a couple
of feet of the
ccrossover pipe and it was completely black when removed. Apart from a turbo
failing, I
can't think of any other explanation. It definitely had fuel since the max fuel
light was on
when it happened and it shot out lots of gray smoke upon start up. The only
other thing
that could seem to cause a diesel to stop running is lack of compression, lack
of timing, or
lack of air.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver
Singing the blues in WV (or should that be bluegrass?)