There aren't any mountains in Montana that your Deuce can't handle, with the trailer on. The only problems that you might have now, is your attitudes. Just fix that pan gasket, if you want to, and go for it. So what, if you go up hills at 20 MPH. You'll never get into trouble on hills, if you go down them, in the same gear, that you go up them in.
In the short driving that you have done since you left the shop, has the engine been leaking more oil? Are you sure that the pan is leaking? Oil is cheap. You aren't the first that has had an oil leak in a Deuce. You can make it!
Thanks Rosco, maybe you're right. We have a friend of our who is a truck driver, who basically said the same thing about staying in the same gear going up and down hill as you did. And no we don't care if we are going 20mph, just so long as the brakes work good, and its safe to drive. Other questions answered below in the 'update'.
Update:
We went back over to look at the deuce this morning, and took it for a test drive, about 5-6 miles. The front left brake was squealing every time Dad hit the brakes, but it got a little better by the time we got back. They didn't sand the shoe or drum to break the glazing from it being stuck the day before...
When we got back from the test drive, we went around and felt of all the hubs again, all were cold except the passenger side center axle, which was once again warm.
While we had the truck running, we got down and looked under the truck to see the oil pan gasket which they had said was the cause of our oil leak. But the oil pan had nearly no oil on it, it was one of the cleaner parts of the engine... We went ahead and checked the pan bolts but none turned more than 1/8th of a turn. Gasket looked good, saw no leaks. So the mechanic that said the main leak was the oil pan gasket, either didn't take time to check anything and just wanted to write something down or
So anyway, We went back in to the service desk, and they called out a guy named John to talk with us, who I believe is the Shop Foreman over the mechanics. He was also the guy who I had talked to on the phone the day before, when we stopped at the truck stop and found the front wheel smoking, and sent sent out Matt in a service truck to find out what was going on.
Anyway, John told us that after they had to tow it back yesterday, the mechanic who worked on the deuce was supposed to have re-pulled
All 6 wheels yesterday and recheck
All of the brake adjustments and shoe clearance. Which we told him didn't happen, because we made the guy at the desk take us back into the shop yesterday as we wanted to see the condition of the stuck brake shoes and such, and they had already put the passenger side center duals wheels back on, and were getting ready to put the front driver side wheel back on, and that was the only 2 wheels they had pulled.
We also told John that oil pan wasn't the oil leak, as the first mechanic had said. He was aggravated that the mechanics had done a halfway job
again, and said that he would get it right back in the shop, and would pull a mechanic off another job to get this done right today. He also said the first thing he himself would do is get the engine completely steam cleaned down, and find the source of our main oil leak, and see if they can fix it. We told him we would appreciated it if he could, as the service desk guy from the day before said
'they didn't have the time to do it, and it would be a week before they would be able to check it out.'
So, we left, but then drove back over about 45 minuets to an hour later, to talk with the service manager. But just after we pulled in, John called me and told me he found the oil leak, so I told him we were there, he came out and took us back through the shop and showed me. Sure enough he had found the leak, it was the gasket on air compressor, which we had just replaced the air compressor with a brand new one a few months ago.
The engine was completely clean this time, except for the oil in the tiny groove between the air-compressor base and the engine block, and it was dripping down the engine by the injector pump and on the ground. So John said they would pull the compressor, clean everything, make a new gasket, permatex it, reinstall, and make sure it didn't leak anymore.
While John had been searching for the oil leak, he also had a mechanic named Jim working on re-checking and re-adjusting all the brake shoes. Which at that time the only one he was finishing was the drivers front wheel. Which John told me they had also hand sanded the shoes and drum while they had it apart to break the glazing caused by it overheating yesterday, so it shouldn't be squealing anymore.
They still had the other 5 wheels to check and re-adjust at that time, but it should be done in a few more hours, by time they do that and pull the air compressor to fix the oil leak.
I have to say, John has been very helpful, and actually cared if the repairs were done right.
After we left from talking with John, we went and talked with the service manager about having to get a hotel last night since they had to tow the truck back yesterday. He said he would reimburse us for the hotel cost for last night, as it was their fault the truck had to be towed back and that we lost another day that we couldn't travel.
Since it will be late afternoon to evening before the truck will be finished, we have decided to just go ahead and stay another night and leave out in the morning.
I Hope and Pray that we won't have any more problems, but it looks like everything will be repaired before we continue our trip.
I'll post another update as to the compete outcome when I'm able.
~Peace
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EDIT: Don't know if I said this before, but the bearings were fine, and looked to be in new condition. It was just the brake shoes forced so hard out against the drum, the front drivers wheel wouldn't turn by hand yesterday when they had to tow it back.
.... They might have bent something... will get under it and check everything. 