Preventive Maintenance and common sense.......

[Ncbob]

For openers I'll have to admit that I'm an old dog and crawling under my bus to work on fuel filters is not one of my greatest forms of entertainment. Be that as it may. We are about to embark on our annual pilgramage to the Great State of Florida to sun our buns and shed the cold of our beautiful mountains of NC for the winter.

It struck me that I'd not changed the fuel filters since I accepted this beauty from the P/O some 18 months ago and we'd been up and down the road like a red squirrel for some time. Hmmm.  But, I was pleasantly surprised when the guy at my local Wix filter distributor only charged me $20 bucks for the pair!  For this I should take a chance?

I have read story after story about our folks who got caught on a Friday, in a strange town with a problem which might have been avoided if they'd taken the time to do the PM thing before they left home. I'm not taking anyone to task...don't misunderstand me...but we have to take care of these mechanical monsters or they'll end up biting us in the butt and the wallet if we don't.

To each and all who will travel this fall and winter...I wish you a safe and happy trip and hope that this will fall in receptive ears....do it before you leave home.  There is no sentiment out there in the road for those us us who don't do our homework!

Don't leave home on FRIDAY! Being stuck on the side of the road can't be fun!

Bob

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Great post Bob...

Thats what I was doing today when I found my turn signals acting up.

Thanks
Nick-

[bobofthenorth]

Strange that you should mention that Bob, I just pulled the bill for a new primary & secondary out of my pocket & was getting ready to punch the details into MessyMoney.  $41.73 complete with 2 levels of taxation for my 2 filters.  Of course with the way the Yankee buck has been going against the Canuck that's like $8000 US but whatever.  

I like to do maintenance in my driveway/shop and I absolutely HATE doing repairs along the road so I tend to go overboard.  F'rinstance - new airbags all around because 2 failed on the driver's front.  New bearings all around when one ran hot on the drive axle.  I know its overkill but I just don't want to ever be sitting by the side of the road thinking "I knew I should have done this before we left home".

[ChuckMC9]

Me too! Me too!

Just changed all filters, new oil, gauges fixed, and replaced two DD3 brake chambers! Gettin it done before it gets cold...

Good post!

[Ncbob]

There must be something in the BusNut philosphy, to which most of us subscribe, which prompts a part of our brain to advise us that "it's time to do this or that."  Generally speaking I listen to my inner voices..well not always...because I haven't made the best decisions at times.....

But in this case I was right on! I replaced both the primary and the secondary fuel filters today and was supremely surprised! My fuel tank couldn't possibly contain that much gook and water!

Now I'm laughing at the thought that I might have considered for even a moment not replacing such an important item.  I might have blown a tip with all that water in the primary!

So, tomorrow we're off (isn't that what the monkey said when he backed into the lawn mower?) to Madison FL to see our friends Fred and Carolyn Hobe for a few days then home to Bushnell to drive Florida Cliff crazy for the rest of the winter.

So, if there's a moral here..."If you think it should be done....do it!"..is my advice.  Better than sitting by the side of the road wishing you had......

Bob