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| Trials in Prince George | Short Cuts | ||||
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By: George Reiswig - 7/2002
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| Here's the head gasket failure that resulted in pressurized coolant shooting out of the rear of the engine. It is still unclear what caused this, but our best guess is that the head bolts were not properly retorqued during the critical period right after installing the gasket last time, prior to our ownership. |
Trial in Prince George
When I said before that things could be worse, I was right. After finishing the valve work (note: AFTER), we went back to have a look at the block. It turns out that this was something we should have done sooner...
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| Ron Sutherland and George work on grinding the valve seats. None of the cylinders held vacuum well, so this may improve our performance a little. If the rest of the engine survives, that is. |
All the cylinders show signs of scoring, and one piston has had an edge burned. What caused the latter is literally a burning mystery, of course, but the mechanics feel that it is either a bad piston ring or a faulty injector. The injectors were replaced not long ago, so the current ones should be good. The scoring isn't too bad, but all the mechanics here agree that the engine looks tired. The engine hasn t used too much oil, and I haven't allowed it to overheat since I got it. But, as with all pre-owned vehicles, who knows what the prior owner did to it?
The burning question (there's that word again) is this: will Grog take us all the way into the wilds of Alaska and get us back home again before the engine goes kaput? Will getting the valves working better cause other problems due to the higher pressures? Will my wife kill me for dragging her along on an Auto Shop Tutorial Expedition? Should we get a new long block? And what about Naomi? This is supposed to be a TRAIL adventure, not a TRIAL adventure. But the trial in Prince George just keeps continuing.
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| Charlie Graham, AKA Roger by the name on the borrowed coveralls, poses after helping to pull the cylinder head off the engine. An invaluable help in all sorts of situations, we're glad to have Charlie along. |
I have to confess that, at this juncture, my confidence is more shaken than ever. As I mentioned before, I bought this vehicle because it only had 3500 hours on an engine that should last 10,000 before it needs a rebuild. I bought it because it was supposed to be rugged and reliable. I am indeed grateful that this happened within striking distance of Ken Shultz's shop, instead of out in the middle of the Yukon backwoods somewhere. But I would give my eye teeth... maybe my eyes AND teeth.... for a soothsayer who could tell me how and when the engine will give out if we just bolt it back together.
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| Angela and Krista at a hilltop park overlooking the pretty town of Prince George. Well, at least we're getting SOME time outdoors! |
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| George plays hide-and-seek with Krista during an evening respite from work. |
This is one of those times when you may be grateful that you're reading this, rather than experiencing it. We are out of money... hotel rooms, parts costs, and other expenses that we hadn t bargained on have depleted our reserves. Our reserves of patience and confidence are shot, too. This is supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, since I may never have this length of time free from my normal work. I didn't plan on spending it in a shop, no matter how nice the people there are.
So you see my dilemmas: go forward, or back? Use this engine, or a different one? Tonight or tomorrow, our dear friends the Fitzgearlds will have caught up with us. Fred has more experience with engines than I... he'll have some wisdom to impart. We'll certainly feel more secure traveling with someone else.
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| George works on something he's capable of -- cleaning off the block in preparation for the new gasket. This view is from the front, looking through the engine compartment with George where the doghouse should be. (i.e., George in the doghouse as usual.) |
But for now, the decision has been made: we are going, based much on faith, and we will not dally further here. The plan is to clean things as best we can, bolt up the cylinder head with a new gasket, retorque according to manufacturer specs, and to be very, very careful to not overheat or otherwise push this engine too hard. We sincerely hope that it will get us to Denali and then back to Oregon, where Grog will have a long rest awaiting sufficient funds and a new engine. Meanwhile I'll finish the CD I ve been putting off for the sake of this expedition.
I mentioned faith, and I mean that. Adventures and expeditions like this are exercises in faith to some extent to begin with. True, we haven't the risk associated with expeditions like Lewis & Clark, but there is risk nevertheless. At this point, I feel like our vehicle will be running by the skin of its teeth, or rather by the Grace of God. We feel good about the decision to go forward, but it is not without some trepidation that we do so. I for one will be saying even more prayers than usual that we'll get through it all without catastrophic failure. As they say, we shall see.
| Related Links |
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North by Northwest Expedition: - Introduction - Sponsor List - Reviews - Photo Galleries Before Departure Shakedown Cruise Lower British Columbia More Lower British Columbia Busted in BC BC with Coast Mountain Crawlers Upper British Columbia Almost Alaska |
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