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The Lincoln Highway National Museum & Archives 102 Old Lincoln Way West Galion, Ohio 44833 (419) 462-2212 Voice |
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Number 22
Trouble in Paradise
Kids,
Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...
When I first bought the Fire Truck I noticed a slight humming noise coming from the drive train.
At the time, I took note but didn't think much of it.
All throughout the trip last year and the trip to Washington for the Inauguaration
and Lincoln's Birthday it remained constant, so I just assumed it was normal.
As you might recall, prior to leaving on the third leg of my Journey the radiator sprung a leak and the rectifier blew-up.
In keeping with the old adage, "Good things happen in threes" almost simultainiously I heard a terrible grinding noise.
Being in the cab, it was hard to isolate its exact location, but it was no doubt coming from the drive train.
I called Tim, the previous owner and he said it always made the humming noise.
Yea, I know, but it's much worse now.
Just to be sure, I called the Chief Mechanic from the former Maxim Fire Truck Company and he said, "It should run quiet."
So obviously, there was a problem, but where?
I checked with a friend who runs the local NAPA auto parts store and actually drug him kicking and screaming from a
family affair late one Sunday afternoon in order to make sure I didn't miss anything, but everything checked out.
To make matter worse, it would come and go seemingly at random.
So once again, I crawled underneith to inspect the drive train.
The carrier bearings looked well greased so I left them alone.
I even took apart one of the U-Joints, but it seemed fine as well.
So the mystery continued...
Several times during the trip, I asked a fireman to take the wheel while I tried to pinpoint the problem.
But, still no luck...
Twice I lubed the carrier bearings and U-joints, but it didn't seem to make much difference.
Once in Central City, Nebraska the subject came up and I commented, "Guess we'll just have to
wait for major catastropic failure before we find out what's wrong."
Well, sure enough...I was in Pine Bluffs, just inside the Wyoming border.
I'd traveled late into the evening that night looking for a place to stay, which for the first time on the trip was the
front seat at a truck stop. It was quite cold that night and when I awoke there was frost on my sleeping bag.
I had to bypass several small towns in Nebraska earlier due to darkness and lack of accomodations.
When I started back the next morning to put up the Flags and take pictures, I noticed a distinct vibration around 50 mph.
I stopped at the first gas station some 20 miles down the road to check it out.
Well, I guess we know which one it is now...
The carrier bearing closest to the cab was noticably hot and you could see liquified grease dripping from the seals.
I called my friend in Galion at the NAPA store and said, "Trouble in Paradise."
He said if I filled it full of grease, I should be OK for a while.
The mechanic had just gone to lunch, so I had to check elsewhere.
I got lucky and found a patially used tube at the local implement dealer,
so I quickly shelled out the $2.00 and crawled under the truck.
I started back thinking I'd dodged a bullet.
About 20 miles down the road and just yards from an exit, it was all she wrote.
There was a big thump and then a terrible grinding noise, so I stopped the truck and began to survey the damage.
You couldn't belive it. The bearing had opened up and was in shreads.
You could see the ball bearings inside and they were RED HOT.
I tried to cool it off with WD-40, but it burst into flames.
So much for that idea, so I got a pint of drinking water and tried that.
It just bubbled then quickly evaporated.
Later I learned that steel turns red at 1200 degrees. Ouch!!
So now what do I do...wait for a tow truck at a cost of untold millions, continue down the berm on the Interstate
for the next 20 miles at 5 to 10 miles an hour, or get off at the exit and risk the extra 3 miles to Pine Bluffs?
I called my friend again and repeated, "Trouble in Paradise...Big Time."
Dismissing the tow truck idea, I opted for the extra 3 miles thinking it was safer than fighting traffic going by at 75 miles an hour.
Almost immediately the grinding got worse, but I had not choice but to proceed.
Several miles down the road, I stopped for directions and maybe some help, but was told the best bet was to move on since
there were no facilities capable of fixing my problem.
Soon the grinding stopped and I was able to travel at 10 miles an hour with an occasional loud noise or two.
When I arrived in Pine Bluffs, an hour or so later I was guided to the local truck stop and repair shop.
I coaxed the attendant to crawl under the truck and check it out...he just shook his head.
The grinding had stopped because there were no ball bearings left, it was just metal to metal now.
In addition, the vibration had been so intense three of the four bolts holding the bearing in place were long gone.
A few more miles and it would have been more than, "Trouble in Paradise."
It was now 3:30 in the afternoon and there was only an hour or so of daylight left,
not to mention the 40 miles of "No mans Land" that lay between Pine Bluffs and Cheyenne,
so the attendant gave me three new bolts and wished me well.
Talk about a "Wing and a Prayer".
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Designed By: The Starman
You are Visitor #
Since December 23, 2001
Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...
When I first bought the Fire Truck I noticed a slight humming noise coming from the drive train.
At the time, I took note but didn't think much of it.
All throughout the trip last year and the trip to Washington for the Inauguaration
and Lincoln's Birthday it remained constant, so I just assumed it was normal.
As you might recall, prior to leaving on the third leg of my Journey the radiator sprung a leak and the rectifier blew-up.
In keeping with the old adage, "Good things happen in threes" almost simultainiously I heard a terrible grinding noise.
Being in the cab, it was hard to isolate its exact location, but it was no doubt coming from the drive train.
I called Tim, the previous owner and he said it always made the humming noise.
Yea, I know, but it's much worse now.
Just to be sure, I called the Chief Mechanic from the former Maxim Fire Truck Company and he said, "It should run quiet."
So obviously, there was a problem, but where?
I checked with a friend who runs the local NAPA auto parts store and actually drug him kicking and screaming from a
family affair late one Sunday afternoon in order to make sure I didn't miss anything, but everything checked out.
To make matter worse, it would come and go seemingly at random.
So once again, I crawled underneith to inspect the drive train.
The carrier bearings looked well greased so I left them alone.
I even took apart one of the U-Joints, but it seemed fine as well.
So the mystery continued...
Several times during the trip, I asked a fireman to take the wheel while I tried to pinpoint the problem.
But, still no luck...
Twice I lubed the carrier bearings and U-joints, but it didn't seem to make much difference.
Once in Central City, Nebraska the subject came up and I commented, "Guess we'll just have to
wait for major catastropic failure before we find out what's wrong."
Well, sure enough...I was in Pine Bluffs, just inside the Wyoming border.
I'd traveled late into the evening that night looking for a place to stay, which for the first time on the trip was the
front seat at a truck stop. It was quite cold that night and when I awoke there was frost on my sleeping bag.
I had to bypass several small towns in Nebraska earlier due to darkness and lack of accomodations.
When I started back the next morning to put up the Flags and take pictures, I noticed a distinct vibration around 50 mph.
I stopped at the first gas station some 20 miles down the road to check it out.
Well, I guess we know which one it is now...
The carrier bearing closest to the cab was noticably hot and you could see liquified grease dripping from the seals.
I called my friend in Galion at the NAPA store and said, "Trouble in Paradise."
He said if I filled it full of grease, I should be OK for a while.
The mechanic had just gone to lunch, so I had to check elsewhere.
I got lucky and found a patially used tube at the local implement dealer,
so I quickly shelled out the $2.00 and crawled under the truck.
I started back thinking I'd dodged a bullet.
About 20 miles down the road and just yards from an exit, it was all she wrote.
There was a big thump and then a terrible grinding noise, so I stopped the truck and began to survey the damage.
You couldn't belive it. The bearing had opened up and was in shreads.
You could see the ball bearings inside and they were RED HOT.
I tried to cool it off with WD-40, but it burst into flames.
So much for that idea, so I got a pint of drinking water and tried that.
It just bubbled then quickly evaporated.
Later I learned that steel turns red at 1200 degrees. Ouch!!
So now what do I do...wait for a tow truck at a cost of untold millions, continue down the berm on the Interstate
for the next 20 miles at 5 to 10 miles an hour, or get off at the exit and risk the extra 3 miles to Pine Bluffs?
I called my friend again and repeated, "Trouble in Paradise...Big Time."
Dismissing the tow truck idea, I opted for the extra 3 miles thinking it was safer than fighting traffic going by at 75 miles an hour.
Almost immediately the grinding got worse, but I had not choice but to proceed.
Several miles down the road, I stopped for directions and maybe some help, but was told the best bet was to move on since
there were no facilities capable of fixing my problem.
Soon the grinding stopped and I was able to travel at 10 miles an hour with an occasional loud noise or two.
When I arrived in Pine Bluffs, an hour or so later I was guided to the local truck stop and repair shop.
I coaxed the attendant to crawl under the truck and check it out...he just shook his head.
The grinding had stopped because there were no ball bearings left, it was just metal to metal now.
In addition, the vibration had been so intense three of the four bolts holding the bearing in place were long gone.
A few more miles and it would have been more than, "Trouble in Paradise."
It was now 3:30 in the afternoon and there was only an hour or so of daylight left,
not to mention the 40 miles of "No mans Land" that lay between Pine Bluffs and Cheyenne,
so the attendant gave me three new bolts and wished me well.
Talk about a "Wing and a Prayer".
BACK-21 |
Email-Index |
NEXT-23 |
HOME |
Designed By: The Starman
You are Visitor #
Since December 23, 2001