Smoke Screen

This year actually started off on a high note with my truck. I had dropped it off at one of our terminals on Christmas Eve along with a repair list of 21 items. These were not all major items. A new lock pin here, a little slip plate there.. But there were several big ticket items to be addressed, such as the perpetual oil slick and extreme in cab exhaust issues. I am happy to announce that in 2.5 days ALL repairs were completed along with a few additional tasks that I had not even asked for.

I made it exactly 5 days before my next issue became evident.

On a Saturday evening, I spent a few hours loading BMWs and as I pulled out of the loading area, my normal pre-flight exhaust issue became ridiculously absurd. This truck has always smoked a little bit for the first quarter mile. But this was equivalent to a blown turbo. It was so bad, that as I was exiting the facility, all of the guards had to come out and take a look at the truck. I pulled over twice before hitting the freeway, just to make sure I wasnt losing oil. After an extensive vacation through the holidays, I was not prepared for more shop time, but the smoke was so excessive that I decided to hit the motel and head for a shop in the morning. However, by the time I made it 10 miles up the road, the smoke was beginning to thin out. The next morning, there were only the original traces of exhaust that I have been accustomed to for the past several months. So.....  I made my way to New York.

On Monday, my return load was to be picked up at JFK in Jamaica, NY. I can assure you that I was not thrilled with the prospects as Jamaica has some of the worst roads in NYC. I managed to get the load on with no problems, but once again, as I was leaving, I fumigated the area. This time the smoke was so bad, that airport security showed interest. With no signs of it thinning out, I pulled over on the shoulder and a nice tow truck pulled in behind me to check it out. After determining that I might be able to keep going (with my head hung in shame) I decided the tow bill would be much cheaper on the Jersey side, should I actually become immobile. The smoke continued to billow from the exhaust pipes until I crossed the George Washington and then it diminished. My thoughts... I am losing an injector!

I was able to make it back to Nashville and get unloaded. I had scheduled an appointment at Mid-Tenn Ford to have the truck checked out. They ruled out the injector, but suggested there was one of three problems present. Each would put me out of service for nearly a week. My maintenance supervisor suggested I head to Atlanta so I could at least be at home during the repairs.

Peach State Freightliner had my truck for 7 days. During this time, I acquired a $1000.00 repair bill. The diagnosis was inconclusive. No repairs were made. No indications of any problems. I am still thinking injector!!  On the seventh day, I demanded that they release the truck back into my possession. I needed to get to work. I have been back in the truck for 5 days and nothing is amiss. Not the first sign of excessive smoking....  However, I would not be surprised if I have to get an injector replaced in the near future.

Loading beside the Air Train at JFK International Airport