I like to think of myself as a somewhat optimistic person. So when life throws a pothole in my way...maybe that analogy is too weak...when life suddenly removes the bridge that I'm on, causing me to plummet into the murky depths below, I try not to let it slow me down too much.
Last weekend, I was driving home with my wife after a day with the in-laws. We took the truck because I was driving and I like to drive my truck. It behaved well all day, and we were about 5 miles from home. Suddenly, I turned the radio down and my wife gave me that *look*.
"Do you hear that?" I asked.
"No, you turned the music off," she replied.
"No, listen...," I insisted.
Somewhere in the engine bay, there was a strange noise. It started softly, a light, almost ticking, sound. I continued driving, as we were getting close to our exit, and the sound kept getting louder and louder. It was definitely a knock. A bad knock. The kind of knock that makes the blood drain from your face. I got it home, waking the neighbors in the process, and shut it off. It was dark out and I'm no mechanic - it would sit until morning.
The next day, I decided to call a tow instead of risking more damage by driving it to the local dealer. I was about 77 miles from my regular mechanic, so I figured that was my best bet. I left it there and waited. On the second day, I received a call from the dealer.
"It's not good," they said.
"I didn't think so...what are we looking at?" I asked.
"We determined that it is not a fuel knock. Before tearing the engine apart, we decided to pull an oil sample...it's full of metal. You need an engine rebuild."
"...."
Long story short, I wanted a second opinion, so I had it moved down to my regular mechanic and he confirmed the diagnosis. Without tearing the whole thing apart, we won't know what exactly happened. Regardless, I was faced with a hard decision...
Rebuild the engine or replace the truck?
This is where the optimism comes in. Since the bridge was already gone, I figured I may as well enjoy the ride.
I decided to replace the truck...and bought "Daisy". She's a 2017 Sierra Denali 3500HD, 4x4 CC/LB dually, dressed in Stone Blue Metallic. She's probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen (don't tell my wife). The L5P is so far beyond the LLY that I hesitate to even call them related.
Here's to a great ride. :beer:
Last weekend, I was driving home with my wife after a day with the in-laws. We took the truck because I was driving and I like to drive my truck. It behaved well all day, and we were about 5 miles from home. Suddenly, I turned the radio down and my wife gave me that *look*.
"Do you hear that?" I asked.
"No, you turned the music off," she replied.
"No, listen...," I insisted.
Somewhere in the engine bay, there was a strange noise. It started softly, a light, almost ticking, sound. I continued driving, as we were getting close to our exit, and the sound kept getting louder and louder. It was definitely a knock. A bad knock. The kind of knock that makes the blood drain from your face. I got it home, waking the neighbors in the process, and shut it off. It was dark out and I'm no mechanic - it would sit until morning.
The next day, I decided to call a tow instead of risking more damage by driving it to the local dealer. I was about 77 miles from my regular mechanic, so I figured that was my best bet. I left it there and waited. On the second day, I received a call from the dealer.
"It's not good," they said.
"I didn't think so...what are we looking at?" I asked.
"We determined that it is not a fuel knock. Before tearing the engine apart, we decided to pull an oil sample...it's full of metal. You need an engine rebuild."
"...."
Long story short, I wanted a second opinion, so I had it moved down to my regular mechanic and he confirmed the diagnosis. Without tearing the whole thing apart, we won't know what exactly happened. Regardless, I was faced with a hard decision...
Rebuild the engine or replace the truck?
This is where the optimism comes in. Since the bridge was already gone, I figured I may as well enjoy the ride.
I decided to replace the truck...and bought "Daisy". She's a 2017 Sierra Denali 3500HD, 4x4 CC/LB dually, dressed in Stone Blue Metallic. She's probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen (don't tell my wife). The L5P is so far beyond the LLY that I hesitate to even call them related.
Here's to a great ride. :beer:
