Broke Down and Stuck in Clarksville, Arkansas

Our grand adventure took a slight detour on Sunday in Clarksville, AK. We were making good time when around noon the check engine light came on and we lost 3 of our 6 cylinders as the truck went into 'limp home' mode. This has happened 3-4 times in the last year but it always cleared in a few seconds and the dealership refused to do anything about it. Looking at the engine codes I always thought I had a marginal fuel injector.

Anyway, the problem did not clear. We turned the truck off and restarted a couple of times with no luck. We tried clearing the codes with a code reader with no luck. Since the truck would still run but had little power we drove on the shoulder to the next exit while Bradley was trying to find a Dodge dealer on the iPad. At the next exit we saw a Wal Mart so we knew we could park in their parking lot. Then a great stroke of luck! There was a combined Dodge/Ford dealership within 1/4 mile of the Walmart. However this was Sunday so it was not open.

We fired up the generator and had an easy afternoon watching movies and getting all our Wal Mart shopping completed.

The next morning Tucker and I were in line at the Dodge dealer when the service department opened. They had one diesel mechanic and we were third in line but they assured me they would get to me that day. I checked with the service department and they had 3 injectors for my truck so we would not have to wait for parts.

Then the waiting began. I just hung around where I would get a chance to chat with folks. I soon found out that everyone there drove Dodge Cummins trucks and did not care for Fords. Most of them had campers and we started talking about where we were headed. They gave us good advice on a campground in Amarillo and talked more about the Dodge Cummins. Then they moved me up in the line.

The diesel mechanic was a good ole boy and did not mind me watching him work. I now know exactly how to replace a fuel injector in my truck. We talked more about how sweet the Dodge Cummins is, the agony of raising teenagers, the different jobs we have had and just life in general. He lived on 20 acres and had 6 kids.

Before long we were back on the road and the 100,000 mile engine warranty paid for the $995 fuel injector. We lost exactly 1 day but we picked a perfect place to have a breakdown.

And I enjoyed talking with the local folks. Regardless of where folks live most of us are just good decent people trying to make a living and raise our kids well.

The next posting will be 'There Goes That Car Again!