Elko, Nevada: Today saw some excitement of a mechanical nature. It is in the nature of our Ford diesel pickup's motor to blow the turbo-charger. This is the second time it has happened in 50,000 miles.This doesn't mean the truck won't start and go, it does mean the truck only has maybe half it's power.
Naturally this event occurred on Emigrant Pass, one of the two tall passes on I-80 in Nevada. We crawled up that grade at 10 mph with hazard flashers going, pouring out a plume of black smoke. NB: The diesel doesn't smoke when the turbo is working and our normal speed on that pass would be 55.
So we're sitting in the waiting room of Elko's Ford dealer, waiting for them to validate our diagnosis of the problem. At this point they seem skeptical, maybe because the "check engine" light didn't come on. I suppose it could be failure of some sensor that tells the turbo when to boost, that would cause the same lack of power. We'll see, hopefully soon.
The RV is in a nice nearby RV park. I'm not sure how long we will be here. On another note, my nephew, the truck driver, says we should replace the Ford turbo with an aftermarket unit which handles the heat of towing. I'm leery of getting involved with the people who install essentially hotrod parts; that's not how I drive the truck.
I find Nevada pretty at this time of year, others might not. It's still somewhat green and not too warm, as yet. Late September will be another story ... dry and toasty hot.
