TeamD Adventures

The Gnu had a couple of rough spots

– well marked in the route book, mind you — including a short concrete bridge after a turn.  The bridge’s near-side underbracing is sliding into the gully, causing the far side to heave skyward. A pothole is building just past the tilted bridgedeck, which makes the drop-off after the slab particularly deep.

I think that trailing edge was what scraped one of the button-head bolts off the skidplate, taking a piece of the aluminum crossmember with it. The freshest aluminum color shows where the last bit was attached before I plucked it off.

Marvin and I smelled oil during the trip

First it seemed like motor oil, then towards the end of the weekend it shifted to the fetid odor of gear oil. With the skidplate off, the sheen on the front differential led my eyes naturally to the … missing cover bolt. I haven’t checked the level in the diff yet. Your good thoughts are welcome. The motor oil may be coming from the camshaft seal, not a big deal.

And to complete this trilogy

Our flat tire treacherously cooked itself as it slowly lost air. Another smell story, I fear — shortly before we reached RMH Friday night, I  thought I smelled rubber…  but in the rush on Saturday morning, I didn’t investigate; and when I re-mounted the street tires for our return, I neglected to check their pressures. So when we set out early Sunday morning, she was probably already toast. BF Goodrich thoughtfully discontinued the Traction T/A in that size, but my favorite tire store found a replacement in Texas.

But wait — there’s more

This isn’t just a whining post…

Psst: don’t look now, but I do believe that Mistah Crippen is 2-for-2 in the BC Rally Series.