Exhaust Leak Repairs 3-13-13

So last Monday, 3-11-13, I took Ellie to PPL & had my generator fixed. Again, yipeeee! It's been blogged about already, but I'm still very happy about it!

On the way back, I stopped at a mechanics in Rosenberg, TX to see what could be done with an exhaust leak. They recommended a muffler shop. So I took the RV there. He said he was booked, but asked me to call him to see if we could work it in on the following Monday, which would have been today. I called him the next day & he said he didn't think he could work on it. He thought maybe my rig was too low to the ground & would not fit his lift. So Tuesday morning, I struck out, looking for another place. Went to one muffler shop, his lift was rated for 12k pounds. Ellie dry weighs 11k, with no gas, water, nothing in her. So we knew she'd be overweight for his lift. Went to another shop. He had a lift that could hold her...but...she was too tall for his garage. Sooo I went back to the first guy I was recommended to & he came out to see Ellie. He looked under her & said he could get under her. He asked me to wait, then after an hour or so, he pulled her into his lot & went to work! Oh joy! I don't have to wait a week or so! Plus I need to make that trip to Dallas, so this is good. 

He finds not one, not two, but 3 leaks! He rolls over his welding tanks & goes to work under Ellie, welding pipes. We get the dog house off  (console) he finds one of the 3 leaks in an exhaust pipe there. He even has me listen to it, yep, there's definitely air coming out of it. But of course, that pipe has to be ordered. It's a $90 pipe! But I need it, so I tell him, yes order it. He says he can probably get it the next day & sure enough, he has it the next morning. So I go over & he puts it on. Alrighty then, we are fixed! Oh, not so fast cowgirl...we still have yet, another leak somewhere. Bummer!! He inspects the manifold. Oh crap, one of the rings that holds a bolt on is rusted! It falls right off into his hand! Dang. So not repairable. Will eventually have to get a new manifold, but at least she's still drivable & the work he did definitely improved Ellie's performance. He can't do the fix, so one day, I'll have to find a used manifold in a salvage yard & find someone that can put it in for me. This guy was a very nice guy. Works alone, but there's also a mechanic that shares the same building beside him, so they help each other on things. It's a good deal for them both. I like giving the small guy my business when they are capable of handling it. I don't like giving the big guys my business when I know their poor mechanics are only making $10 an hour & they are the ones doing all the hard work! Again, this guy was great, One Stop Muffler & Brakes in Rosenberg, TX. If it weren't for him, it would have co$t me a whole lot more at the bigger $hop! So I'm quite grateful for him. Please keep his wife in your prayers. She has cancer. She was cleared & 30 days later, it's back. I hate that for them. I do hope she can kick this horrible disease. 

 This pipe had a hole in it & was just spewing out air. This is the pipe that had to be ordered for ::gulp:: $90.00

                                                 My brand spanking new $90.00 pipe!

 Another good thing he noticed was this hose. It was sooo brittle that it was falling into pieces! So he cut more hose & made a new one for me! I don't know what it is for, but I'd prefer not to find out the hard way. 

The other hose thing  -  note little teeth marks on it! Dang, rodents! Good thing they didn't get through it! 
 

                             Thanks Mom for keeping Ellie safe for us ~ Houston

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~