Having grown up in an owner operator trucking family, and also ventured out a bit on my own, working for a trucking outfit, I’ve travelled a bit. I have been from Seattle to Miami, and from Maine to L.A. Seen a great deal in between. Few states I haven’t been in.
I was driving a 13 speed truck when I was 12. An early start.
I learned how to work on our truck. My stepdad was an old school trucker, who had been around the block a time or two. I learned a great deal from him about driving big trucks, as well as how to work on diesel engines, and the things that make them go. We didn’t pay to have things done we could do ourselves. I still carry that attitude with me. We didn’t do transmissions or rear ends, but everything else, we had the tools, and the know how, to handle.
I’ve been working on a motorcycle that was acquired lately, because I can. Replaced the coils in it, because after a time running @ 60-65 mph, it would spit-n-sputter, and sometimes die. 20 minutes later it would fire up and run again. Bad coils have a habit of misbehaving in such a manner. Took it for a ride yesterday, and the issue persists. So I’m looking around for hint or a clue, and I spotted a wet fuel filter, way down deep under the bike.
I pulled the filter, and you should have seen the brown crud that dumped out of it. New filter, fuel line, and a new fuel pump on the way. I think this might be the culprit. (It’s a 2004 bike, that only had 7064 miles on it, so it sat a lot. Which is not good for vehicles in general.) Being mechanically inclined, and having the experience of working on that truck, prepared me for most of my adult life. I’m still reparing most things that need fixing, which is darn near everything sooner or later. Though, I still have a car that myself, a good mechanic in town, and the Ford dealership have, to date, been unable to fix. I haven’t given up yet, but have been to busy and/or too tired to mess with it. It’s on my list.
Among other things, I also worked as a deckhand for a towboat company for a couple of years, I rode the Illinois, the Ohio, the Missouri, and the upper and lower Mississippi rivers. I learned how to handle rigging, ropes, capstans, and how to use a fid to splice rope, both poly and steel. Also, learned how how to make bumpers out of rope, for getting into and out of locks/dams. To this day, my rope experience pays me back in dividends. Knowing what knot to use for what situation is very helpful. Knowing how to splice an eye into a rope, or splice two rope ends together, is damn handy. Knowing how to properly use a cleat (Kevel, pronounced Cav’el, on towboats/barges,) is something I still do often in my boating/diving adventures. I also got to see much of our country from another perspective, from the rivers that run through them. I’ve seen big river towns lit up at night, and enjoyed the serenity of sitting on the front of a tow (a group of barges tied together with steel wire rigging,) far from the noise of the towboat, and only hearing the water lapping up under the barges as the town slips by. Pretty cool. You had to be there…
Of the many things I’ve learned in life, two would be: You can never have too much rope, and there’s no such thing as extra tarp! 😉
So, the things we learn in our travels, as young men and women, can be quite helpful in life later on. Though I gave up driving trucks, and riding towboats a long time ago, the experiences gained are invaluable to me still today.
Still shifting gears after all these years 😉
…and there’s no such thing as “far from home,” when you know how to find your way back, and can meet, and beat, the problems that pop up along the way.
Evidence Based Reality 
I can’t help but be curious about the car that nobody can fix. What are the symptoms?
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Haha! You sound a lot like me.
2013 Ford Fusion 1.6 turbo
It got to where it randomly would buck and jump just a little. Then it got to doing it more. Then it got stupid about it. Felt like it was starving for fuel. So I ran some treatment through it. No improvement. Next thing I did was replace both fuel pumps, one in the tank, one on the engine. While I had the tank out checked it, pristine clean, no issue there. Fuel pumps did nothing to help.
I took a multi meter and started hunting bad grounds. Found one, no improvement. But I cleaned up a bunch of them because they were there.
Had codes checked at O’Reillys. Crankshaft sensor popped a code. Replaced, no improvement. While I was at it, replaced camshaft sensors as well. No improvement.
Took it to mechanic in town, pretty good one. He drove it quite a bit before it finally acted up on him, he replaced fuel pressure sensor. No improvement. I left him scratching his head.
Took it to Ford dealership, we needed this darn car to work. They ran diagnostics and told us it was something to do with the turbo, can’t remember what right now. $1200. No improvement.
Took it back to Ford. Told us it needed accelerator pedal sensor. $400. No improvement.
I called Ford and asked them “at what point does you misdiagnosis, and installation of parts I do not need, become your problem, and not mine?” I did not get a direct answer. Funny that. I am not happy.
Called Ford again a few days later, asked them if they had ruled out the ECC? After a time on hold, they said, no they had not. I ask them how much they would charge me to install one, if I could get one? $200, was the reply. So I found one on EBay from the same car, same year, same engine, dropped the ECC and the car off for the install. Went to pick up the car, they handed me the paperwork, sent me to the window to pay my bill. I got there and the woman told me it going to be $460. Right about now I’m getting a bit hot under the collar. I asked to see the manager. He was out. I asked to see the the service manager, oh he was out too. Son of a… My wife was with me, we waited 20 min or so, and the service manager came in. I confront him about the bill which I was quoted $200 and they want $460 dollars, he look at his computer and replies “Hmmm I have it at $1100!!! Breathe in, breathe out, don’t try to throttle the guy. I explain in no uncertain terms that ain’t going to happen, this is some B.S. and I did not sign off on any $460 worth of work let alone $1100. I paid them the $200 and tax. Never again will I go to a Ford dealer.
Here’s a little more background on the car, and the dealership. We bought the car, we had it for a bit, and got a recall notice, I took it in for the recall thing, a door latch I believe, and I told them “I’ve been getting a whiff of hot oil now and then, and nobody told us when we got the car it had an oil leak, please look into that while it’s here.” Diagnosis, cracked head. Bad news. Good news is, it’s a known issue due to a bad part, and it was covered by Ford. They put a new engine in our car. WOW! That was cool. Started driving the car home and it was making a mechanical clatter. Took it back. Diagnosis, cracked flywheel. $1000. Now I know darn good and well, that flywheel was fine when we took it in. The Ford techs manhandled the engine replacement, or reused the old flywheel bolts, and cracked it. I know that as sure as I know I’m typing this. But I say to myself, it’s a new engine, I can eat the flywheel, even though I know they did it. It is hanging in my shop now with the $1000 tag on it. But that ain’t all folks! There’s more! The new engine started acting up. Took it back to Ford. They put another engine in it! Would you believe me if I told you they wound up putting a new engine in that car 5 freaking times? It happened.
I’m officially done with Ford Motor Co.
Anyway, the car seems to run fine for a while, and starts the missing/bucking thing again. Back before I decided I was done with Ford, they had told me their techs were certain a new wiring harness would fix it. I’m sure they have enough of my money and the testing of my self control, already. I think they are full of it, and I’m not sure I can keep myself from punching someone in the nose… Better to leave it be and figure this out.
During all this time with engine swaps and then the ensuing mechanic work trying to fix the issues described, we had like 3 batteries go bad. Last time I put a new battery in the car it cranked up and ran great for like 3 weeks, so good it was scary! Then it started acting up again. Oddly the battery doesn’t want to charge like it should. Alternator charges fine. But as the car sits for a few days the battery goes dead. I got to thinking maybe a parastitic draw, but I think I’m going to take the alternator in and see if its diodes could be failing. If there’s essentially a dead short in the system, it could cause all sorts of voltage issues within the system. Which could also cause good sensors to pop a code, or maybe even cause the bucking we are getting. I just need some free time to yank the alternator. We have a rebuilder an hour away, I’m sure he can confirm, or rule out the alternator.
Anyway, that’s where I’m at. If you have an idea though, I’m all ears.
I hope this essay of a reply doesn’t run down the page like some tend to do…
P.S. I sent a letter to Ford Motor Co, outlining the issues mentioned here. I got back some stupid, ignorant, canned reply, that failed to address any of the problems at the dealership.
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Thank you for taking the time to fill me in. Five engines is an amazing statistic. Regarding the current problem, I confess that I am not an expert, and only know what I learned over the years to keep my various heaps running. The bucking may be due to the computer receiving erratic input which in turn may be due to the electrical issue. When they did the last engine install, what did they replace? Something was fine with engine #4 but the problem cropped up with number five. Did they attach something incorrectly? Just throwing things out there.
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Every engine exhibited the same exact problem. They put in new engines, but they were long blocks, so they reused all of the bolt on neceessaries, like ECC, flywheel, intake/exhaust/power steering pump, and alternator.
They could not find the problem, and kept throwing in engines… Supposedly, highly trained Ford techs. I believe the only thing they get trained on, is how to use computerized diagnostic tools, and if that doesn’t tell ’em what the issue is, they are stumped. Then tell the customer they probably need a new car… Cynical bastrd I am.
So if the problem followed the engines, chances are good it isn’t all of the engines. It has to lie somewhere else. Both statistically and common sense-ally.
I’m no expert either lol. But experience is a good teacher.
Weather will be turning to fall and winter soon. Well, fall is already here pretty much. I’ll have some days to piddle with the car when it’s too cold/windy/and rainy to do much else.
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Maybe a vacuum leak?
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Possible, but of the three places that worked on it, we haven’t found one…
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I know it’s been a while, but I had a thought recently. My diving rig has a 5.5 HP engine driving my oilless compressor, and I have an alternator in the system. It’s an old Chevy 1 wire alternator that keeps my system charged, because I use a light on my helmet. It would drain my boat battery without it, but I digress. A while back I kept having to charge my boat battery, it was draining down. Replaced the battery, it was draining down too. I finally investigated and found that the diode in the alternator had failed, allowing the charge to bleed back through the system, basically a dead short.
This stupid Ford has had a couple of new batteries die. I had the alternator rebuilt back before the issues began, it was still charging, but the car was erratic at best and the battery kept going down.
It finally freaking occurred to me to check the diodes on the Ford alternator. 3 of the 6 diodes were bad. I’ve had a new rectifier installed, with all new diodes, and have it sitting, waiting for me to get to it. I think I’m on to something. Will update when I get time to mechanic.
Busy digging shells at the moment. Been sidelined because of a retracted ear drum of all things. My year is short. I’ve got to make what I can while I can. When Windvember gets here I’ll have time to mechanic on that damn Ford. I think, this is what’s been causing all the issues. Hopefully optimistic.
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My good man, you have been around a while. I have this dream to drive a haulage truck but still haven’t found the right contacts.
Oh, and one other thing is to be in the deep seas to experience the loneliness of it, the gigantic waves and all that comes with it. This one too, I have not found the right contact.
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I know a guy 😉
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Hook me up
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