Anyone who knows me, knows that I am very meticulous when it comes to the maintenance of our truck. I never want to have any problems on the road that might jeopardize our ability to get to the next show. Before we left on this trip, I had the truck in for a “complete once over.” I had the transmission and rear end serviced, the oil changed, the chassis lubed, the radiator and thermostat replaced (thanks to Death Valley), the belts checked, gages replaced, etc.
With the exception of a tire or two (you can read about those in my blog from a few days ago), everything with the engine has been great. Last night we pulled into Festus, MO just a few miles from our next show. I noticed a drip under the engine and, upon closer examination, realized this was coolant and it was leaking at a steady pace. I called my mechanic at home to see what it could be. Conclusions? Either a leak in a hose OR a “weep hole” as he called it. Basically I either had a hole in a hose or a hole in the water pump. Obviously, one is more serious than the other. I called a local repair service – Interstate Rescue – and talked to the guys there. Within an hour, they had a repair man at my hotel to check it out. Bad news – it was the water pump!
He spent about an hour checking things out and getting the old pump off..and, yes, it’s all on video. Then he had to drive up to St. Louis and pick up a new water pump from the International service center. He was back in an hour, had the new pump on, and the truck was running smoothly once again.
I’ll keep my eyes on the coolant reservoir through the day today as we drive but all should be well!
On another note, the weather has begun to change in the Midwest. While it’s still kind of warm at home, the cold front is moving through and temps are dropping fast. We head to up to Council Bluffs next weekend and it’s starting to snow there. I hate snow.