[TeamCaffee]

Breaking down beside the road!

It finally happened and I am happy to say we lived through it and we are still married!

We had been having an intermittent problem with our truck that had been driving Bob nuts plus in and out of shops. Just like any motor when we would go into a shop the truck was fine and no codes. The problem was worsening with the truck losing all power but the motor was still running fine just could not pull itself.

We had decided enough was enough we were going to go home after we finished the load we were on put the truck in the shop and start changing parts. Well the truck must have heard us talking and the problem worsened. While driving I was pulled into a scale and was beginning to wonder if the truck was going to get off the scale but like a trooper it grabbed and off we went.

We made it to within 300 miles of home and the truck had enough it lost all power and would not regain it so Bob pulled over along side of the road. I normally get very uptight when the truck does not run perfect and start asking a million questions Bob cannot answer and that makes him get uptight. When the problems had started with the truck on this problem I had vowed I was going to just chill and let Bob handle the problem which I am glad to say I did.

Bob opened up our Cat dealer book found a dealer who recommended a tow truck. Next I called a car rental place that would pick us up at the Cat dealership. I can testify to this that our truck went a lot faster being towed then it has ever been driven. Wow did that guy fly! Nice guy drove well but he did drive the speed limit. On the way down the highway he could just about tell us what had happened at every black mark put on the interstate! We made it to the dealership, car met us and we went home for the weekend!

Bob was relieved when the truck finally did quit as the mechanic had to find the problem which turned out to be the fuel pump.

I learned a valuable lesson through all of this as once I chilled and let Bob deal with the problem my stress level went to zero and his stress level was just on dealing with the truck and not a nagging wife!

I hope we do not have to go through this for a long long time but it is all part of driving something that is mechanical.

[pelicn]

Good to hear that they found the problem. It's irritating and unnerving when you know that there's a problem but the mechanics can't find it.
Now, if the problem happens again, you will have a clue as to what it might be.
I can relate to the "asking a million questions" I do the same thing, and it's a conscience effort to keep my trap shut
Enjoy your home time!!

[TeamCaffee]

I should have been a little more clear this happened on Friday before Labor Day weekend so that is why we rented a car and came home as they would not work on the truck till Tuesday!

I think my fear of the unknown is what keeps me asking Bob a million questions. This time though it went very smooth no big fight betweent the two of us. It was kind of funny though as afterwards he said you know I kind of felt by myself trying to solve all of the problems as he would ask me on what do you think? My reply was I do not know as I do not understand what all is wrong with the truck you do what you think is best and we will go from there. First time in thirty years I believe on a major happening I just stepped back and said you go for it as you know best!

I know that the results were great Bob solved the problem as I knew he would and could and I just got out the check book and did what I do best the finiancial side! I am a slow learner that is for sure!

[Turtle]

See, that's what happens. You get married to a man, like all men, who really and truly does already know all the answers. But, you just can't have any of that.

You work on him, wear him down, beat him down, work tirelessly to ensure that the last decision that he made on his own was, "I do," and you break him to the point where he actually believes that he's making some decisions, when, of course, nothing of the sort is happening.


Then, suddenly, after a lifetime, cold turkey, you step back and let him have it. He doesn't know how to react.

He's forgotten everything he learned before he got married. It's utterly alien to him. He's a fish out of water. It takes time to adapt, time to massage that part of the brain that has been dormant lo these many years, atrophied into irrelevancy. But, of course, when left alone, the atrophy reverses itself, comes back, strong, healthy, in charge, takes control. A decision gets made!


And, of course, the woman who stepped back and allowed this transformation to take place is fearful that it will happen again, that he will continue to make decisions on his own. So fearful that she says, "I hope we do not have to go through this for a long long time..." and thus ithe beating down begins anew.


Sorry, Bob.

[iceroadtrucker]

Hello

Just to let you know Hope the mechanics was realy True.

Alot of these so called reptable shops will tell you its a fuel pump and replace it when it was nothing more than a loose fuel filter or a pin hole in a fuel line. which can get U to loose power as well.

Let me tell ya I got a cousn that been a mechanic on disels engines at Mack in Siouxland area for the last 27 years.

Learing all the little crap the TA Petros Pull and alike other drives who dont have nothing.

Mechanics have thugs do thier dirty and then reap the rewards.

It happens all the time. from pin holing a fuel line to to air line to joking down the brakes to removing the bolts only to leave them on the ground dum move. Smacking the oil filters or even the fuel filiter oops. should i go on.

How about dumping water down air lines.

should I keep going. The best med is be there while they do the PM or the Work and check and recheck your truck.

Its just like the Nuckel head that replaced the wheel seals on the trailer in Richfield ohio the same ones that couldnt figure out what was wrong with the reefer. hmmm need I say more.

The person that brought it to me didnt check it but I did they didnt spin the wheels so you could check the air pressure in the tires. After 500 miles away its 60 bucks a tire mount and dismount a tire for relignment so I had to buy a differnt tire tester. then I found the tires had 75 PSI both inside tires so I had to air em up what a pain the U know what.

In any case are U if you got a new Truck I hope it was under warrenty as I had the Fuel Pump replaced on the FLD Tractor at Angels in Truck Repair in Olive Branch Mississippi it was over a thousand bucks and with a new fuel line to boot.

Did I get taken well its anybodys guess but at a million miles maybe it was time.

[Jack_Berry]

hey linda,

gracie and i have the sme type of personalities. like you we have found that sometimes an individual just has to let the partner take over and handle something. the other does all the every day stuff and is supportive until the problem gts solved. we've been the other way too.


what was the problem with the truck?

[TeamCaffee]

The fuel pump finally went out. Took it almost 6 months to finally give up after visiting several shops.

[ihamner]

Yahoo!! Isn't it amazing how these things turn out to be lessons we learn along the way? I'm so glad you finally got it all resolved and the truck is running like a new truck again. These mechanical things truly drive me crazy = and it is a short trip!! Thanks for sharing your experience, Linder. We all have our strong points and our weak areas and we have to learn to let the strong one be strong in their area.

I have a friend that says when she gets to Heaven the very first thing she is going to ask the Lord is, "How come you made us SO different then expected us to live together?"

[cheri1122]

But if you both think exactly alike, then one of you isn't necessary.....

[davekc]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

But if you both think exactly alike, then one of you isn't necessary.....

Wait a minute............my wife keeps telling me that.

[GUNSLINGER]

My wife tells me "You have always been wrong about everything for the last 30 years so you just need to get use to it"..andI have.

[ATeam]

Originally Posted by TeamCaffee

I learned a valuable lesson through all of this as once I chilled and let Bob deal with the problem my stress level went to zero and his stress level was just on dealing with the truck and not a nagging wife!

I hope we do not have to go through this for a long long time but it is all part of driving something that is mechanical.

You demonstrate an important truth of expediting. Attitude is everything! Your good money management practices and financial reserves helped too. Imagine the plight of someone who could not have afforded the tow and car. For you it was an event. For some, it would have been a disaster.

[TeamCaffee]

You are right it was just an event and we made it through it. Another fear faced and conquered!

Having our emergency fund takes away so much stress as our truck has not had any warranty for a long time. IRT is pretty close the bill was almost 2000.00 without the cost of the rental car to get home with.