Discovery after Transmission problems

[deltamaster]

I have the V-10 in my 2004 Fun Mover and on the last trip the transmission started leaking badly. To the point that the overdrive off indicator started flashing. I pulled off the interstate and in to a small town in Illinois called Vienna.

The employee at the first gas station sent me a mile down the road to a garage that had opened just a year earlier.

Turns out that the owner was a ten year master certified Ford mechanic and as soon as he saw the puddle on the ground he knew what was going on.

The front main seal had blown. Then he proceeded to tell me that the main reason for this problem was that under load the pump could not evacuate the fluid as fast as it entered the pump due to the outlet port being too narrow so over time it would cause the seal to fail and fluid would be forced out.

He could not get to it that day but let me camp out overnight in the parking lit and even offered me an outlet and WIFI.

Then his wife was really good enough to do some research on points of interest in the area and gave me directions to a nice park called the Garden of the Gods.

They were really nice people, treated me very well and the cost of the repair was reasonable considering he had to remove the transmission, take it apart, enlarge the outlet port, drain all the fluids, replace the filter and so on.

So, if you happen to be on I24 in southern Illinois and find you need some service work on your vehicle give a stop in at the Vienna Auto Center right off the interstate.

The trip to the Shawanee National forest and the Garden of the gods recreation area was fantastic. The area was a prehistoric sea bed made from sandstone and there are some really great rock formations as well as some spectacular views. It is well worth a stop off in there if you happen to be going that way as well... even if your rig is not broken!

There is also a really nice camp ground up in the recreation area with some fantastic views from the camp sites.

Here is a random link to information about the recreation area.

Garden of the Gods

[naturist]

It is always good to hear of a shop (of any sort) that treats folks well. Thank you for posting that.

[noe-place]

Calisdad wrote:
It's great to hear about honest mechanics who go the extra mile and who's judgment isn't clouded by dollar signs when you pull in the driveway. Thanks for posting. Almost makes me want to break down in Vienna- almost.

noe-place our Ford dealership can't fit RVs either. I think it's pretty common. It might be a good thing.

You may have a point there. :B

[Harvey51]

Great report - thanks for posting good news!
I only took a vehicle to a transmission shop once. It made a nasty screech when I shifted into drive. The mechanic walked around the van looking under a few times. Finally he held his boot on the exhaust pipe and the squeal stopped. It was some kind of rattle in the exhaust system, calling for a clamp. No charge, sir. I did bring a box of donuts.

[deltamaster]

I am registered there. I use America's Mailbox. They started out in Rapid City and outgrew their offices a couple of years ago and built a big facility right off the interstate. Not only do they have the mail room but now they have a small camp ground and a few hotel rooms. They also have an RV maintenance garage. I am not sure but I think it might have a mechanic or you can do repairs on your own. I am not sure.

[gkainz]

Good post! deltamaster, are you really from Box Elder or just registered there? Retired from Ellsworth?

[deltamaster]

I agree Old-Biscuit.

While it cost me money it did not cost me a job and it was a much more pleasant experience than some of the things I have read about on these boards.

[Old-Biscuit]

There was a 'reason' you had the tranny problem when/where you did

Blessing for ALL

[Calisdad]

It's great to hear about honest mechanics who go the extra mile and who's judgment isn't clouded by dollar signs when you pull in the driveway. Thanks for posting. Almost makes me want to break down in Vienna- almost.

noe-place our Ford dealership can't fit RVs either. I think it's pretty common. It might be a good thing.

[Moderator]

Moved from ATC

[noe-place]

This somewhat restores my faith in mechanics. My local Ford dealership won't touch my V-10, E-450 on the Ford chasis because they say my RV is too BIG to fit through their garage doors !! So I go to a local over he road truck repair center for any engine/trans work and they are very professional happily.

[5er4ever]

Sometimes good things do happen to good people that appreciate it.

[deltamaster]

I just found this link to their Facebook page.
Vienna Automotive Center

[deltamaster]

5er4ever wrote:
The single best "Transmission problems" thread I have ever read!

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. I was thrilled to post it. I was so impressed with the garage and the owners that I felt I HAD to put a plug in for them. They took a weary traveler in a bad situation, treated him right and went above and beyond to be helpful so as to make the "problem" less problematic.

I have never met these people before but they made me feel like neighbors and friends. Gives a guy a little hope for America knowing there are still young people like that out on the road!

[deltamaster]

Lady luck was riding with me on that trip.

I had three weeks to get to the next work assignment but the park allows us to arrive and camp early so timing for repair work was great! I could take several days and still get here in plenty of time.

I stumbled on to a place where a certified Ford mechanic was knowledgeable of the problem and knew a modification to prevent it from happening again.

Then I was provided with all sorts of information about places to visit while I was broken down. I would never have visited those places had I not broken down there.

AND the price for repairs was reasonable.

Turning lemons in to Lemonade!