Additional Engine Work and the Bear Creek Festival Part I

Please note this post should have taken place on Thursday the 12th and here after.

I have completed the tune up that again the dealer did NOT do. Plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Still the engine surges. Replaced the speedometer output sensor as well as the transmission fluid and filter.

I took it for a test spin up to 55 mph on US 19 later that day. WOOT! The speed-o works. The transmission finally shifts out of second in Drive. The cruise control works and the ABS light is off.

Looks like we are ready to head out tomorrow to the Bear Creek Festival.

Friday the 13th -

And there is a reason they call it that. We were out on the open road finally to head out to the Bear Creek Music Festival in Live Oak, Florida - the Suwannee Music Park. We were about half-way there when I noticed in the rear view mirrors (and smelling something BURNING), our RV Hope was fuming with smoke behind us.

Great.

I pulled over and thought that the smoke was from the back tires. But as the smoke cleared and by the traffic speeding past us blowing the smoke away, I noticed it lingered in the front in the engine compartment. I removed the inside cab cover to the engine and noticed that the insulation by the manifold was smoldering and red embers were present. My first immediate reaction was 'Get the fire extinquisher in the pantry!!!'. After depleting the canister it was still smoldering so a good thing I left some water in the water tank. After a few cups of water, the fire was out. A very courteous mechanic pulled up after noticing our problem. Once he inspected the situation came to the conclusion that the insulation had been touching the manifold and eventually caught on fire. I ripped the rest of it out and away at this point.

We proceeded to the nearest rest stop and checked the problem area again. No flames or smoke this time but the whole rig reeked of burned something, aweful. We continued on to the festival another 100 miles and no further problems. We arrived obviously later than we had anticipated but made it nonetheless.

Let's just say, beer was in order and we set up camp. Whew! Tomorrow I will post part two of our weekend with photos.

Rik