2 nights ago broadside to the wind rocking me sideways. Battened down the hatches, no windows even cracked open. Laying in bed torso leaned into the headboard reading. OK, I say the book moved in front of my eyes. Heater was running. Bed time and lights out. Recall says the hour was 2 AM I woke up as usually I do not sleep thru the entire night of 8 hrs under the covers. One flashing red LED from the heater control box. No fuel signal. Would not restart after enough repetitions to not be considered insane. Backup infra red heater was out from under the covers close but I was still warm in bed, my thoughts were on the future of wake up to cold van. I chose to fire up the other heater which will be season first use. Lesson learned from past method of starting it if it was balking. Sure enough, the pilot light lit but the main fuel valve did not open, past conclusion was percussive maintenance frequently and vigorously applied would cause the valve to open hence light. Can’t say whether this time more whacks were needed, the end result was the heater burning. Went back under cover later to brave the now warm interior in my pajama bottoms.
After the heater would not ignite I started imaging how I would solve this Propex heater issue. Ft Collins is where I would go to buy a new one if available then waiting for a shop to install. Long flow time.
Took care of morning things to do then drove into town. Taking a rest day as my legs were really played out from yesterday’s hike a biking. I was looking for a paved parking spot to lay on as I slithered under the van checking what I saw. For postponement of work I gave the control knob 2 clicks to the right starting the heater ignition sequence, first the blower for maybe 30 secs then the click of a Piezo sparker, then sound of flame when ignition happens. If not, error 1 blinking red LED. Heater ignited and ran as it should. WTF ( not Welcome To Fruita)? I did my town things then drove back to Loma. I switched on the heater, sequence started but stopped before ignition and flashed the 1 LED. Big WTF? I cycled the control knob then waited for ignition. Heard the sparker the the whoosh of ignition. I did set the heat higher to keep the heater running all night instead of cycling as temp changed.
There, that’s the other half of it.
So who do you trust and why? Last summer the shop my van is attended to noted front end items that I did not attend to while in Bend. I selected a repair shop in Junction with Sprinter knowledge and scored an appointment for today. Once at his shop I remembered I stopped here with Vanagon problem. Kept going. It was on a laundry day, I learned a laundromat was bike pedaling carrying a large sleeping bag storage bag nearby. I did not take my cable and lock with me. At the laundromat I slipped my bike inside until the yelling attendant that it did not belong inside. Nothing found not working on the Vanagon. Today this Sprinter van emerged with only new brake fluid as was asked for. Front end was determined to be not needing any work. To me the van is not sending fix me signals except the transmission makes noises. The mechanic had seen my van around and he became really tickled when he got to see it and me up close.
I read Eric Ryback’s account of hiking the AT and later the PCT. He said on the AT he noticed what he thought was instrument failure. He wrote for the PCT he took 3 compasses for validation. I could seek a third shop’s evaluation.
So, I arrived at the shop just after 8, I left about 2. Don’t expect smooth running operation to be in and out. Nice day, I went for a walk around this mass of commercial buildings. I approached a company sign in front of a building, MRP, name of mtb component manufacture. A guy was picking up locust seed pods. I asked him about if it was mtb stuff? Yes, He invited me in and be given a tour. Yes, I went in and was given a guide to walk me thru their plant. Like 180 parts go into a fork and they make 170 of them.
I found a pin hole in my slimed the I carry which was cause of not holding air. Slime did not seal the hole. Bought a new tube that shop pumped slime into. Flat back up complete stored in box at the bottom of my pack.. All spokes seem tensioned correctly.
Next Wed the van will have oil changed then I am free to leave.
Weather has adversely affected the Palisade Plunge for this Sat. I backed out as did my companion Conor. Seasonal window to ride the trail.