Back To Normal

So far, my road trip from Wisconsin to Arizona was going way too smooth. No car problems, no trailer problems, no lodging problems... this was not normal.

Leaving Flagstaff and heading south on I17 toward Phoenix yesterday, normalcy erupted at mile marker 283.

Going up the mountain, the Jimmy kept losing power and started overheating. Finally, I had to pull off the side of the road to check it. The car killed when I stopped. I got out to pop the hood and saw steam exiting the engine at various locations. Just as I was pulling up the prop rod for the hood, a hole blew in the top of the radiator sending an explosion of steam and vapor all over the car and me. (I'm OK, and thanks for asking). This was not something I could fix with the stuff in my car.

I decided to call my brother in Phoenix (about 90 miles away). My phone battery was almost dead, I had no car charger, and being in the mountains, I had no signal.

I walked a little way down the road where I got some signal strength (one bar). I called my brother, it rang, he answered. My phone died, but I was pretty sure he heard me say where I was, and that I was broke down.

This is the part of the story where the police and the fire trucks came screaming in. Apparently, someone had called them with the report of a car fire.

Fast forward a couple of hours. It's dark now, my brother has arrived, and to kill time while I was waiting, I took the front of the engine apart and removed the radiator.

We hook my trailer to his truck, since I couldn't leave my Harley unattended by the roadside.

In order to get the lights to work, I had to crawl under his truck and tap a new pigtail into his truck wiring.

It is now 8:30 p.m. My brother has located an auto parts store about 20 miles away with his magical Internet cell phone. They have a radiator. They close at 9 p.m.

An hour and a half later, we are back to mile marker 283 with the new radiator. A couple of hours later, the new radiator is in (everyone should carry a headlamp at all times), we even flushed out the overflow tank.

I jump in the Jimmy to start it... nothing. Dead battery. No, I don't have jumper cables. No, my brother doesn't have jumper cables.

Time to think.

I have an extension cord in the car with my tools. I start cutting it up and braiding wires. There are no clamps, but we come up with a method of connecting things from his truck to my Jimmy. (Don't try this at home, kids). Surprisingly, it works. The Jimmy starts. The engine is running, but it sounds bad. It is knocking and clunking.

I only make it 2 miles up the road before the engine seizes up and stalls.

I finally arrive at my brother's house about 2 a.m. My Harley and trailer are here, safe and sound, but the Jimmy is still sitting at mile marker 281, unable to run, but sporting a shiny new radiator.

There are plenty of things for me learn from this experience. The feeling I have right now is that you can win a lot of battles and still lose the war.

Can I get the radiator out? - Won

Can I get the lights working with the truck? - Won

Does the auto parts store have my radiator? - Won

Can we make it there in time? - Won

Can we get the new radiator in? - Won

Can I make a set of jumper cables from an extension cord? - Won

Is the car still busted after I spent $260. on a new radiator? - Yes

Don't get me wrong. This story is not yet over. The war is not really lost, I just have to keep fighting. But its nice that things are back to normal.