Boondocking in New Mexico, Day 7: Big worry over nothing, a bit of exploring the Gila NF, a Sunrise and a Sunset

The sunrise was pretty mild in terms of scenery but not bad with the lake in the foreground:

Spent most of the morning thinking about and worrying about getting the Oxygen Sensor that the VRRV's computer system has reported as faulty.  At least, that's what the code thrown by the computer says.

P0152: O2 Sensor Circuit High Voltage (Bank 2 Sensor 1).  It started popping up as I drove into the Monticello BLM area, I'd clear it with the OBDII reader I recently bought, only to have it pop up again in a few hours, randomly.  

I had taken the engine cover off inside the VRRV and saw that the sensor was somewhat accessible but quite rusted where it mated with the exhaust pipe leading to the catalytic converter.  Having had nothing but bad previous experiences with rusted-on fasteners, I feared the worst.

When I say accessible, I mean I could see it but getting a tool onto the hex nut to uncouple it from the exhaust pipe seemed not doable at the time.  

Here's a top down view of the sensor and its location on the exhaust pipe.  Not a lot of room to move a wrench eh?

Removing the engine cover does allow easy access to the sensor's connector into the wiring harness however:

I even called RichardM to get his counsel and got not only him but also Chris and Lori Z!  RichardM and Bridget are currently staying with them while their RV gets some work done nearby.  The trio found much amusement at my situation I must say.  Some rather "interesting" suggestions were offered in a totally serious manner, and I quickly realized (luckily) that most were just for their amusement.

We ended up with a proposed solution involving a special 7/8" crowfoot with an extended offset, swivel adapters for a 3/8" drive.  The replacement sensor has been ordered from Amazon and should be in the town of Safford, AZ's main post office sometime tomorrow.  I'll be transiting through Safford not only for the part, but to get the crowfoot, some supplies, dump tanks on the VRRV and fill up with propane and water.

I then drove the Sammy to the end of Bill Evans Road which takes you into a portion of the Gila National Forest.  The day had become quite overcast and so no pictures turned out well, except for one:

The above pretty much sums up what you can see in terms of scenery though.  Most of the trails are closed off and locked.  Only one trailhead was open, the one to Pancho Canyon, I might check it out tomorrow if the skies are clear.

This is the view of the entrance to Bill Evans Lake/Dam

Can you spot Uma, the VRRV?

Returning to camp and after a late lunch, I thought to try loosening the faulty sensor from below.  Tried a few angles with the 22 mm open wrench from my Ural's toolkit.  Finally found one angle which sort of worked but I couldn't apply enough force due to all the obstacles.  Got my breaker bar, inserted it just so, and was able to use it to apply pressure to the wrench, loosening the sensor nut with a strong push by me!

So, I guess the nut really wasn't as rusted in as I had feared.  I really should remember General Colin Powell's advice: Don't take counsel of your fears.  Anyways, it's loose ( I tightened it down a bit for travel) and I don't think replacing it this weekend will be any problem.

Tonight's sunset started off kind of "blah":

However, as I sat in the VRRV beginning to process today's pictures, I glanced outside and saw that I needed to get back outside, pronto!

I believe I will be here one more day after today, heading to Safford, AZ on Thursday and from there to the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area south of the town.