Dog Fights and Our Brave Little Sunrader

        Today, I broke up a dog fight, and that wasn't the most costly choice I made.

        Now, with the melodrama aside, here we go!

        First, we have been in the Tucson (sorry about earlier misspellings), AZ area for a little over a week and a half. We spent much of that in the pleasant company of one of Morgan’s sets of an aunt and an   uncle. (I swear, I couldn't think of a better way to word that.) They were incredibly hospitable, and we enjoyed our time with them immensely. The primary reason for our extended stay, however, was that our gas tank was leaking profusely, and needed to be re-welded. Sigh

        During that portion of our time, we saw Saguaro National Park, Biosphere 2 (Earth is Biosphere 1, how human-centric is that?), some beautiful caves at Kartchner Caverns, Sabino Canyon, and a lovely casino, which proved a gambling methodology, which I had been itching to try, was very sound…so much so that the casino directly blocks its implementation…sigh - no free money for me. :-P

        Now, not to move on from such wonders, but that phase of our stay ended on Tuesday. Ah, Tuesday, we were so young and innocent, then.

        I will call this next phase: “The Little Engine that Could.” (Please don’t sue me, it just fits so well!)

        Our transmission has been slipping lately. Cue groans from the audience. Yes, there are issues, but here are the amazing parts:

1.      We have AAA trip interruption insurance, thus our hotel/meal/rental car bills will be paid, until the car is fixed. (I cannot recommend AAA more highly. They have been fantastic, in every regard.)

2.      We have been getting 18miles/gallon. (Remember this for later.)

3.      We have been able to do some dirt road camping, and take some steep grades. (Again, remember this for later.)

4.      Looking back, the first indication of transmission issues was, likely, as we were leaving Sonora, back on March 5. After that, we drove all the way to Texas, and, then, all the way back to Arizona. That is a long way.

5.      The AAMCO, here, decided to help us out with a big discount on the whole rebuild, and to double the usual warranty. (Hurray!)

     Now, the information that makes #2-4 above, amazing: (I apologize, in advance, if I get any of the mechanical terms wrong.)

1.      The mechanics that disassembled our transmission said that they have rarely seen a transmission in such bad shape.

2.      It looks like people tried to repair it before, but just sort of jury-rigged it. (There is even an internal part that looks to have been spray painted sky blue, for no particular reason.)

3.      The accelerator cable, which tells the transmission how fast the engine is going was shot…completely.

4.      The valve plate, which was described to me as the “heart” of the transmission, was warped to the point that the technicians are baffled that it could fit were it was mounted.

5.      Several springs were completely unwound, not in the correct place whatsoever.

6.      A “handful” of ball bearings were free floating inside.

7.      Now, combine #3-6, and understand why the AAMCO manager had no idea how the thing was still running. He said that it should not have been able to drive…at all. He has seen transmissions in twice as good a shape, kill their engines on start-up. (i.e. Start the car, put it in gear, engine dies.) This is because of how much resistance the transmission is giving.

8.      Remember #2 above? Yeah, we were getting 18miles/gallon on this baby, and we are assured that the transmission was “killing” the engine’s efficiency.

9.      Remember #3 above? So, with the transmission fighting the engine so hard that it really should have killed it, very, very little power was actually making its way to the wheels, yet we were still able to do all that we did.

     So, there we have it. Our little engine that could, fought through a bleeding gas tank, and ornery transmission to carry us nearly 2.5k miles. The human analogy that comes to mind is a man with a gut wound and an active taser trying to bring him down, carrying an old lady so that she wouldn't get her skirt dirty. WE LOVE YOU LITTLE SUNRADER!!

        Side notes:

        If you are ever in the Sacramento area, and need a mechanic, Exclusive Motors is a fabulous place. They have helped us out so many times, and they are always up for fielding questions, even a year after we left the area. They are amazing! Give them business! ;)

        The most costly decision of today was to go ahead and do the complete transmission rebuild. :)

Now:

        Was I silly enough to stick my arm between our Akita mix and a bulldog as they went at each other? Yes.

        Did I find my arm in a mouth, surrounded by sharp teeth, on multiple occasions? You bet!

        Did my martial arts training kick in, with God’s providence, and allow me to slip around the snapping jaws of unhappy dogs as I pinned the bulldog (who was the aggressor, by the way), in a sort of one handed, shoulder lock? Oh yeah. :-D 

        The important question: Will I, now that I have had time to think about it, ever interfere in a dog fight, again? If I am sane: no…but who knows what I will do in the moment? :-P

        May God bless and keep you all, through what life brings your way and the silly decisions you will, inevitably, make.