April 2006

1 - Smog pump siezed. Replaced with refurbished one with the help of Mike B.

May 2006

1 - Rear leaf springs sagging, had them replaced with new BDS springs by Lou at Elias 4WD Center in Townsend, MA.

2 - Driving on the highway from Albany, NY to Long Beach, NY, the solar power panal attached to the top of the roof tent flew off. We had to buy another one

3 - Bad gasoline in Astoria, NY. Truck was not able to stay idling without stalling out. We had to siphon out the gas and refill the tank and after a few hours drive to Albany, NY it started behaving again. As a preventive measure we now carry a few bottles of Dry gas in case this happens again somewhere.

4 - After sometime driving, the truck was still sagging way too much in the back and handling funny. We had the rear springs replaced one last time at 4 X Heaven in Gloversville, NY by Vince. These new springs were prototypes sent to us thanks to Elias's request to BDS directly. The truck still sags a bit, but handles much better now. We're just too heavy in the rear, but hey, that's how we roll;-)

5 - One night while we were in New Jersey and we were sleeping in the roof tent, it rained and the tent leaked around the zippers. After numerous calls to Rich at Autohome US and trying to waterproof it some more, he shipped us a brand-spanking new roof tent once we got to Roanoke, VA. The new tent still has the same type of leak, but not quite as bad. We will be letting the company know of our recommendations for improvements to future models.

6 - Power Steering pump shits the bed in North Carolina. Mike B. and JP replace it in the back of Advanced Auto Parts in the hot sun.

June 2006

1 - The damn Power Steering pump blew once again. We believe the one bought in NC was faulty. The guys at Dick Poe Toyota in El Paso, Texas were kind enough to help us out replacing the faulty pump. Even though it still leaked after the first day I was able to tighten the main pressure hose and fix it, mostly. It still needs a refill every once in a while, but hey nothings perfect.

2 - The A/C fuse blew while in extremely hot weather in El Paso, TX. We couldn't find the exact fuse it needed (hard with 22 year old trucks to match things exactly) so JP McGivered it and it is working well once again.

3 - Through some very tough roads in the mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico, we broke the right front shock crossing an empty river bed. We later replaced both front shocks in front of a shop in Cuauhtemoc.

4 - Lost in the mountains of Sonora, Mexico we got our first flat tyre. Thanks to the highlift jack and some elbow grease we got it fixed and kept on driving. A bit tired and lost, but still moving.

5 - Leaving the beach town of Mazatlan, we were involved in our first car accident. The car we hit was in need of repair, but Ola sustained no injuries.

July 2006

1 - After hours of driving through the Jungle, we were driving through Valle Nacional when the clutch broke. Thanks to the help of strangers and the local clutch mechanic, the clutch recieved a new grommet and fluid refill.

2 - On route to Merida, MX, we got an early start for a long day of driving and we were stopped by another flat.

3 - In Orange Walk, Belize, while looking for a place to stay, the smog pump in the truck seized up. JP spent many hours in the heat the next day removing the parts he could because we couldn't get a replacement.

September 2006

1 - Attempting to leave Placencia, Belize, Ola's radiator hose blew, and we had a few different contraptions with Keiths help, because the right hose was nowhere to be found.

2 - After driving a few hours on Keith's contraption, Ola overheated and some friendly help showed us that we had an air bubble in the radiator

3 - One day in Guatemala, Ola'a batteries went dead, because of the intense heat and the power the fridge was using. It was our first need for a jump.

4 - And then, another flat in the mountains...hey we're getting good at this. This time because we were on a hill, we needed to use the jack and the exhaust balloon to lift the rear axel.

5 - Trying to meet up with a friend in Guatemala City, we had smash number 2 with a red bus...see our before and after shots.