Joys of motoring

Sorry for the delay in updates! The photo above is my truck being towed on March 24, 2021. It's been in two shops and has been at the Ford Dealer since April 29th. The issue began when I topped off my fuel tank trying to stay a step ahead of the rising fuel prices. After filling the tank with less than 3 gallons, I started it up and tried to drive off. Wasn't happening! It acted as if it was out of gas which clearly it wasn't. I limped across the intersection to the fairgrounds parking lot and attempted to keep it running but it continuously kept stalling out. No other options, I called my insurance company and had it towed to my place. Several friends and neighbors came by offering to help me figure out the problem. I took it to a shop a neighbor recommended. They were certain it was a "spark issue". They replaced the plugs and coils but it didn't fix the issue. Another neighbor, a mechanic at a local shop ran several diagnostics and suggested I have it towed to his shop where they had better equipment and tools to diagnose the problem. Long story short, they couldn't figure out the issue and I had to have it towed from his shop to the Ford Dealer where it still is today. 

I know next to nothing about engines and even Ford themselves have had a difficult time figuring this out. Exhaust? Manifold? Heads?  They just haven't been able to get it fixed! They've ordered additional parts (don't ask me what they are) which are supposed to be in the middle of next week. The service tech seems to think they will correct the issue. If not, I don't know what the next step will be!

After several weeks at the dealer and without "transportation" I asked the dealer to PLEASE provide me a loaner vehicle which they did about 2 weeks ago. I'm still driving the truck they loaned me and it's been a relief when I need to buy large bags of dog food, bottled water or other heavy items. But, until I received the loaner vehicle, I've been getting around by my trusty bicycle! Going to the store, running errands and just going for rides around town. In fact, I've ridden more in the last 2 months than I have since I completed my ride across the country in 2017 and have been loving it! I've been using the panniers I had from my bike ride across America, to carry groceries and other items. It's amazing what you can accomplish on a bike! 

This episode has been frustrating, not so much because I haven't been able to use my truck but because it has been so difficult to get properly diagnosed and fixed. For crying out loud, it's a pickup truck not a jet fighter!
Life will throw us curves, they can be short disturbances to our daily lives or go on for a long time as this incident has. But, we must adapt and make the best of it.