Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

Yeef. Happened down around the exit to go to Sabra and Haverty's.

http://wtvr.com/2017/12/06/tractor-trailer-crash-shuts-down-i-95

 

I was on that one for the Hazmat response.

 

Today wound up being Moving Day.

Put my truck in the shop last night for a noise that sounded like an air leak coming from the driver's side wheel well, and also because the check engine light was on. Called today to check on it and was told that it was going to be out of commission for at least a couple of days, because they'd found a major oil leak and needed to send it to the dealer.

FM suggested that I come in and get a loaner, and one thing led to another, and Bill and my FM started talking about permanently reassigning me to a new truck.

I've been dreading this moment. I've been living in and driving a Volvo for over a year of my life and nearly 250k miles. But you gotta do what you gotta do, so I was prepared to start learning the ins-and-outs of one of our Kenworths or our Freightliners or <shudder> our Macks.

Bill said "You want a Volvo or a Mack?"

Well, hey, THERE'S an easy question to answer.

So now I am in a 2016 Volvo instead of a 2015. Getting used to having the transmission be some push-buttons on the dash will take some getting used to, but I was at least able to basically cut-and-paste the contents of my old truck into the new truck without having to figure out new places to put stuff.

 

Yesterday: My first trip in my new bedroom. Hauling a load to Seattle, some place I've never been. Driving across South Dakota on I-90, a road I've never been on, and a state I've never been in. I am excited!

This morning, at a truck stop just north of Indy:



<sad trombone>

Looks like it's coming from the radiator. Not 100% sure, though. I lifted the hood and crawled around under the truck and couldn't find a smoking gun. But I saw a few drops on the bottom of the radiator, so I'm going to guess that it's coming from there untill I'm given a clear reason to do otherwise.

 

Check Ur Hose Clamps to and from the Radiator, they tend to leak overnight when the Temps change

 

This is where my near-total lack of mechanical knowledge has bit me in the backside. According to the mechanic, whoever filled the coolant tank before I got in the truck overfilled it. The "leak" I saw this morning was just the pressure release valve venting the pressure from the extra coolant.

So, bonus, there's nothing wrong with the truck. The downside, though, is that they're still switching me off this load. So I don't get to go to Seattle and I don't get to drive I-90 through South Dakota (one of the five remaining states I haven't been to yet) and I get to sit here at the Loves until ~5:00pm waiting for JohnBoy and his new trainee to come repower this load while I get to take their load back to Ohio. And I feel like a moron besides.

All in a day's work!

 

I had that issue a couple months ago. A cold water leak. Every morning I'd find a wet area under the truck. It wouldn't leak at all during my trips. Only after the engine was off for a couple hours, would it start to drip.

 

First thing to check would’ve been the coolant reservior on top of the radiator. It’s the see thru tank with the red coolant in it. As long as it was full to the cold line, you could’ve rolled. Oh well. Now you know.