Uh-Oh
We got up early Sunday morning, packed our things, and had coffee. We waved goodbye to our host, Loraine, and were on our way a little after 6 a.m.
We took a few back roads to I-10 and got on heading west. It was my intention to go to the next exit and take more back roads. Before we could do that, I noticed the Check Engine and Cooling System lights were on. Fortunately, there was a rest area less than a mile ahead where we stopped to investigate the issue. I added a little water to the coolant tank, checked the fan fuse and the fan relay. Both were good. The diagnostic code was P1019, meaning there was something amiss in the engine temperature control. By the time I finished doing all of that, the lights went out and we continued on our way following state roads and US-84.
The early morning weather was much better than yesterday. There were high, thin clouds and lots of sunshine – until – 10:30 a.m. when we hit the first shower of the day. I lost count of how many showers we went through. Luckily each downpour lasted only 3-5 minutes and our gear kept us dry.
Our morning breakfast stop was at a McDonald’s. We are getting proficient at using the app to order daily deals.
We attempted to find a city park in Laurel, MS, but ended up fixing lunch on a bench in the green space surrounding a drainage canal.
Apparently, we were in the nice part of town because, as we were leaving, a pink, “City Homes Tours” golf cart-style trolly came down the street.
Our afternoon gas and snack stop was at a gas station I recognized as having stopped at before – probably in 2017. We sat at a table inside, had coffee and a snack, and chatted with a young man, who obviously enjoyed having a conversation with travelers.
The pictures show a sunny interlude between showers.
Just before getting on I-20 east of Jackson, MS, we stopped for gas and I made a hotel reservation in Monroe, LA, which was about 120 miles west. About a mile down the road after getting gas, the Check Engine and Cooling System lights came on again. We pulled into a Walmart parking lot and checked things as I had done in the morning. The bike cooled down, but the lights would not go out. I posted the issue on the RG Friends page on Facebook and got a lot of helpful advice. Since the bike is both air and water cooled, it was safe to continue. I stayed in 5th gear and kept the speed about 60 mph.
The bike ran hot, but kept going until about 50 miles from Monroe when it went into limp mode. I pulled over and waited for it to cool down. Beth suggested she pull the trailer, so we hitched it to her bike.
We made it to our hotel and parked everything. The Harley dealer is closed on Mondays, so we will wait until Tuesday morning to take my bike in and have the water pump replaced.
This morning, Monday, I was able to start the bike and run a test that reveals the fans are running, but the water pump is not. Stay tuned. There’s never a dull moment on a Beth and Tim adventure.
Travel distances (day/total): 485/823
You guys are real troopers for hanging in there after so many “glitches” on your journeys. It all adds to the adventure, but dang, it can get old! Hope you enjoy your rest day and all goes well with the necessary repairs. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride. Safe travels always!
Yes, it would be nice to have back-to-back stress-free days. Thanks for following along.
Yikes! You two always up the standards for determination and flexibility! Glad you keep us in the loop. Hope the next set of repairs does the trick!
So do we. Let’s hope it goes well tomorrow.
Glad you are safe. Hope you can get your bike fixed soon.
Thanks Karen
I love reading about your adventures. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I hope repairs are made quickly and you get back on your safe travels.
Thanks Billy. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Oh My, All part of the adventure when out on the open road. You have lots of miles on the trikes so issues will arise. But you are a pro where and how to get to a dealer or parts and get it all working again. Be Safe!!! We got back from the Eastern Canada trip on The 13th. Trafalgar runs a great tour and we are off to Europe next summer. Keith & Darlene
Glad you had a great trip. We just keep moving ahead. We look forward to seeing you when we back.
I can recall, at one point soon after going wet head, the HD water pumps were crap. HD redesigned them and now they have gotten more reliable. If you had one of the crap ones, they made an adapter, or something, that allowed you to put the good one in where the crap one used to reside. You might ask about that.
Right you are. Beth’s water pump went bad on the way home from SWX. She was able to ride on with the bad pump from Charlotte to St. Pete. In diagnosing the problem we could see that she had the “bad” plastic pump and I had the new improved metal pump. I think this one just wore out. We’ll see what the dealer says tomorrow.
I have two fans on 2018 Trigld. The second is under the seat and cools the rear cylinder. I had it installed at the dealer as part of the purchase price. I think it helps keep the seat temp down when temp is over 90 degrees. If it fits your bike it would help with the trailer load to cool the engine.
that fan sounds interesting. Do you have a link to it?
Standard Harley Davidson part, you can find it online at HD. I will look it up. Moving air around an air-cooled engine is always a plus.
https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/shop/coolflow-fan/p/26800120
Thank you. I’ll consider it.
Love traveling with you & Beth;; always an adventure. My hats off to you for pulling the rebuild & trip off in spite of everything that has happened! You truly deserve an award; but then I think the adventure IS the prize!
Thank you, Chris. It’s true that the adventures are rewarding, but I could use fewer dis-adventures.