Nov 13, 2019
Sadly we are still here in Tucson
I have a small update from the Isla, the noseeums are very bad so be sure to bring “a lot of the good stuff” referring to bug spray. I brought enough Vitamin B6, 100 mg, to take one per day to help stave off the mosquitoes and the noseeums. Something new. Hopefully it will work.
Another chilly morning here in Tucson @ 53F. We were driving separately at 7:20AM and arrived at Accu-Trac on the dot of 7:30AM as they opened. The owner was just behind us and took Colin into the office and checked him in. By 7:50AM we were backing into the shop. They did some fiddling removing the vent, etc in order to get closer to the radiator.
Lady, the company mascot. She is five and ever so friendly.
However a semi came in and everyone rushed over to do what needed to be done. He was soon gone. At 9:25 they started a combustion test to check that the engine does not have a crack where combustion gases can go into the water jacket. A double check on what Cummins had done November 4th, only this time the engine was running.
The test result shows that our engine is good. If the water was yellow it would have been bad news.
Not a lot of space to work with.
A fellow worked non stop from then until noon when he took an hour for lunch. Colin headed out to Walmart to buy noseeum protection. The shaking and pulling started again at 1PM. It seems like the radiator did not want to come out. He pulled and rocked the RV over and over. Finally two other guys came over and at 2:10PM the radiator was expelled. I felt like I had given birth.
Taken out with the radiator in the case.
The old radiator.
It does take a lot of space.
The new radiator before being placed in the case. By 3:30PM it was back inside but there was still a lot of attaching of hoses and connections plus a reinstall of the charge air cooler.
Meanwhile Hector arrived a few hours late but he did show up. I had been concerned about the hot sun beating on the window all morning but he worked under a small filter of some sort.
Turns out it was a UV filter that stopped the sun’s rays from hampering the process.
He never stopped talking for one minute. He was explaining to Colin about the new Hermosillo bypass and what signs to watch for and said that it was tricky. He talked about Mexico, family and lifestyles, etc. He was born in the US and only spoke Spanish for the first six years of his life. A very personable fellow who knows his trade.
That round black thing on the left was a UV light. Look at those eyebrows.
Hector did a great job for $75.00 It truly appears that he does have that magical touch. Hector is the manager for Tony’s Auto Glass here in Tucson, 520 889 2422 and his personal cell is 520 444 8870. As he left he mentioned that he might be able to get a windshield here in one day. Wish he had mentioned that on Monday 😕 Perhaps it’s because he and Colin bonded.
As did Lady with Colin. She loved to have that ball pulled from her mouth and thrown, over and over and over.
By 3:10 the new rad was being put into the old case. I was starting to droop as it was 88F inside the RV. We are mostly out of the bay and in full sun. I am beginning to feel like a blob. I haven’t even moved 1000 steps today. I need to get walking on that beach.
I caught my first Arizona stink bug here in the RV. They are about half the size of what ours are back home.
So here we sit at 3:45 waiting. They are not certain that they can finish tonight. It took much longer than anticipated to get the radiator out. They close at 4:30PM. Meanwhile at least we have wifi.
They worked until 5:15PM bolting it all together and the mechanics went home. We pulled out of the bay about 5:40. Had to wait for a tow truck to drop off a truck. We were locked in the yard by the owner. I asked for the code to the gate in case of emergency. Colin already had the tow hitch and tow shield on the car. There was no point in taking that all off just to go for dinner. I had been dreaming all day of driving to the Desert Diamond Casino and parking there for the night. We would have each signed up for their rewards cards and received $10.00 to play the slots and $10.00 towards dinner. Truly I saw this as my reward for the last two weeks of stress. Twas not to be.
Putting it together so that we could move the bus out of the bay. The fellow on the right is the one who worked all day on our radiator. He kept sneezing. I really hope that it is only allergies.
The owner was surprised when I asked for a 15AMP cord. Turns out that they run off a generator and inverter. He could not believe that we had no generator nor batteries. Actually neither can I. It is going to be a long night. Oh, I asked him to please leave the internet turned on. Good thing I did as he usually shuts it off. We are living with the slides in due to not enough power and are using one low voltage bulb put into our regular overhead socket. It did feel a bit lonely after the owner left at 6:10PM. There aren’t even any yard lights on.
Anyway they need another 60 -90 minutes in the morning to do tests and such which is an excellent idea. We don’t want to drive an untested radiator. Especially not with our track record.
So here we sit listening to two howling dogs in the distance. Time for brie, cranberry crackers and wine. Dinner won’t be so elegant but I will come up with something. We do have a fridge full of food 😉
Beautiful from what I could see from here. Time to publish before we run out of power.
Mexico update by Ferne regarding Pemex 4925 in Los Mochis which is fenced for security.
I am so mad I could spit!!! Last year when I overnited at the common to us spot in Los Mochis. Someone CUT both of my bikes off and stole them!!!! It had to be a truck driver , the only people who would carry such equipment. In my generosity, I hoped someone else needed them more than I.
So this year, I had replaced both bikes, one an electric, one a pedal bike, new bike rack, new non cutable cables etc., you couldn’t get them off. The night before last I was in the same place in Los Mochis….supposed to be secure with a chicken wire fence and a SECURITY GUARD……… the bikes are there, but someone STOLE the 2 SEATS from the bikes. Both seats were not stock, new ones, costing 50 bucks each….. GONE………. Most of us who come that way, think we are secure in the lot, we are not.
Had to be stolen by the truck drivers so beware !!!!!
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Well lots of positives today! The windshield seems to be fixed, Lady is a beautiful dog and I think she would be good company, you had a chance to get noseeum spray, the engine isn’t cracked, and you had a beautiful sunset. I think you are on the right track and have a feeling everything will go well tomorrow and you will be on your way to Mexico.
It has been warm in Yuma, even early in the morning when I go for my walk.