Around the US in 40 Days

[DonnaR57]

DAY 30 - THE UNEXPECTED AND THE UNPLANNED STRIKE AGAIN

Setting off at 7:30 in the morning, we pointed the truck south on US-71. However, it wasn't going to take us to the Twin Cities as we originally planned. Instead, we changed our plans and headed for North Dakota, hoping for the Lewis and Clark Trail stuff near Bismarck and Washburn. At Park Rapids, we turned west on MN-34, then got on US-10 West towards Fargo. That was a lovely drive, plus 4-lane divided with few traffic lights or slow downs. We took a shortcut, MN-336, to get to I-94 west and go around the southern end of Fargo and avoid the downtown area. Stopping for breakfast at IHOP, and then fuel in West Fargo, we had a little less than 200 miles of I-94 to go.

It was fairly smooth sailing into Bismarck. Twenty miles before we reached our destination, west I-94 was down to 1-lane in two different areas. Of course, it never fails that one gets stuck behind someone who wants to go 55 in the 65 zone!

As we pulled up to a traffic light to turn into our motel, the truck started to buck more than we'd ever felt it before. It almost didn't make it into the motel drive! Checked in, got the information about the local Ford dealership. When hubby moved it to the parking slot, it behaved beautifully. So we thought we'd drive it to the dealership. Nope -- as soon as he turned the engine over and put the vehicle into Drive (and also Reverse), it did the same thing, bucking. If a truck had feelings, it was like a stubborn child that didn't want to go to bed. Yet we had NO problems with this vehicle since long before Gettysburg -- and even that was very slight.

AAA was procured and the tow truck driver arrived in a timely manner. In the meantime, hubby had called the Ford place and talked to the diesel shop manager. He said, "bring it down, I can look at it tomorrow!" (This after the main shop had told hubby that they had a 2-week waiting list. Glad ours was diesel!) We both rode with the tow truck driver, who knew diesels fairly well. He said if he were looking at it, the first thing he'd check would be the fuel filter, wondering if we'd gotten a bad batch of fuel someplace or three, and the second would be the IPR - internal (?) pressure regulator. He proceeded to tell us what that does within a diesel.

At the Ford diesel shop, we were treated with respect. After talking with the service manager, I told him what the tow truck driver had said, and he answered that those would be in their checks. The dealership sent for the shuttle, who drove us back to our motel where we are comfortable. We had everything we needed, including restaurants and fast food places nearby, and the motel had a hot breakfast to order that includes eggs, pancakes, and waffles -- Days Inn Bismarck.

Not exactly what we expected after changing our plans, but honestly -- one has to be relieved that the issue took place right in town, not out in the boondocks someplace. (And have we been in some very remote places where there was very little cell service.) The AAA membership has paid for itself twice now, and the tow service was excellent.

UPDATE: Injector pressure regulator, not internal. Sorry.

Donna