Chores and Repairs

I took Umarang, the VRRV to the shop to have an O2 sensor OBD code which sprung up just before I got to Elephant Butte, NM last month.

The Bank 1 Sensor 1 O2 sensor was diagnosed as faulty, causing sporadic "too lean" fuel mixture errors.  The sensor was replaced, Uma got an oil change and filter and a lubing of the underside grease zerks 

The weather has been quite cold here in the cesspool known as the Denver Metro area.  Spent the last week or so on chores such as chasing down a water leak which had caused discoloration in the ceiling of the house's main floor.  It proved to not be drain pipe related but instead it was coming out of the corner of the shower stall!

The holes I cut into the ceiling for access:

The temporary panel (extra false ceing tile from basement) I used to cover the unsightly holes while troubleshooting and waiting for next leak.  I'm glad I used a temporary panel as a leak showed itself a day or 2 after it was installed!

The water would pool and slowly drain into the wall and then on to the openings used by the hot and cold water pipes for the shower:

It took several tests before we could easily replicate the leak.  A lot of caulking work later, I'm cautiously optimistic it won't leak again.  We'll see.

Today, Thursday, December 4

I rode Scarlett to the RV storage yard at Buckley Space Force Base where both the VRRV and the Sammy are in storage until Spring of next year.

The plan had been to disconnect the POS terminal on the Sammy's battery so it won't discharge much before Spring.  Forgot the darn keys so it'll have to wait a couple of days 

I saw a camping rig at the nearby FamCamp, with a Sammy parked behind it!  I was tempted to knock on their door and see if they wanted another one!  But no.

Feeling a bit under the weather with some bug, hopefully it won't hang around for long.

The definition of Insanity

The common, widely-quoted definition of insanity is often attributed to Albert Einstein, although it predates him.

​It is defined as:

​"Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Such turned out the case with the Sammy I am sad to say. 

Thursday, November 20:

Suffice to say today was a day of issues that ended up at the point where enough was enough and it was time to throw in the towel.  

Basically, oil is getting past at least one piston's oil rings and causing a military-grade smoke screen to be generated.  The oil is, along the way, pouring out ( while driving ) at the connection between the engine's exhaust manifold and pipe leading to the catalytic converter.

She was putting out quite the smoke screen:

The oil leak viewed from underneath:

Where exhaust manifold connects to pipe leading to catalytic converter:

I am unwilling to throw more money and time down this particular rabbit hole.

I will be towing the Sammy back to New Mexico the next time I go camping in that direction, back to Mike W.  He is completely blameless and the issues are all on me. He and I had a long talk and we're all good in spite of of the Sammy issues.  He will regain ownership and the Sammy's fate will be in his hands.

It is what it is, and I am moving on. The Sammy will sit in the RV storage yard till it gets returned to New Mexico.

I am out a very small amount of money, and as my father-in-law used to say : There's always a tuition to pay for life's lessons.  

At the RV storage lot, out of my garage and hopefully out of sight, out of mind to my overthinking brain.

Martha joins me for the drive back to Colorado

 Tuesday, September 18

A driving day today for the CRV and I.  Drove down the 2 hours or so to El Paso International Airport to pick up Martha.  El Paso, TX, is on the border right across from the Mexican city of Juarez.

Martha and I hurriedly escaped north away from this overcrowded area and soon we were heading north on I-25 headed towards Elephant Butte.  

We got back to Mike and Laura's place with no issues and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening chatting and having dinner.  I cooked up the last of my Mom's roast pork with some Bak Choy.... turned out pretty good 

Our thanks to Laura and Mike W., great friends and Suzuki Samurai Foster Home hosts!

Wednesday, November 19

We left Elephant Butte around 8:15 am and were setting up camp at the KOA in Las Vegas, NM.

What?  Me in a regular campground?  Yep, I'll be dumping tanks and prepping the VRRV for winterization in the morning as we drive the last six hours or so to our home.

Here's Umarang all set to start towing the Sammy....a simpler process when compared to towing the CRV!

A good sunlit day for driving on the I-25 Interstate.  No issues encountered be me or by Martha who drove the CRV separately of course.

We'll be home tomorrow afternoon assuming no weather delays.

A Little More Test Driving the Sammy

 Monday, September 17

Well, the FAA has announced no more curtailment of flights due to the government shutdown being over.  So the is to drive to El Paso airport tomorrow to pick up Martha and bring her back to Elephant Butte.

Took the Sammy for a bit more of driving within the Elephant Butte SP, found sandy trails which required the use of 4WD in both Low and Hi mode on the transfer case.  No issues getting going again but would have dug myself in on a car without 4WD!

Tiring of sandy four-wheeling, I got back on pavement and headed for the Elephant Butte Dam Overlook to see if this time I could "see the elephant".

Here's the last time I was at the overlook:  link back in February of 2021.

The revisit was inspired by this paintwork on a water tank a few miles away that I saw yesterday.

I think I can see the reclining elephant based on the AI generated description below.  How about you?  To me, the elephant's face is in shadow.

Here's what Google Gemini said:

The name comes from early settlers who thought the shape of the rock, particularly when viewed from a certain angle, resembled an elephant lying on its side.

Look at the large, rounded mass of the rock. This can be seen as the elephant's body.

The high point on the left side (your left in the photo) could be viewed as the head or hump of the reclining elephant.

The slope leading down to the water on the right side might be interpreted as its hindquarters.