One Expensive Camping Trip

You may remember a recent entry where I discussed the joy of camping with my family. What I didn't talk about in that entry is how much the trip ended up costing. I'm not talking about basic costs such as travel expenses, campground fees or food, though these things all cost a good chunk of change as well. Allow me to set the scene...

I own a 4X4... one of those spiffy newer jobs that allow me to shift in and out of 4WD on the fly. It's really handy during those Midwest snow storms that hit us once or twice per year. When I purchased the truck, I actually read the owners manual and it said not to drive in 4WD on dry pavement, and not to drive over 60 MPH in 4WD. Fast-forward to last weekend...

As I drove home from our camping trip, we stopped at a gas station to let the kids use the restrooms. When pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed that the truck handled funny, but couldn't find the cause. Once I got on the road, things seemed to fall back to normal and eventually, I figured the "problem" was in my head and forgot about it.

When we got back home, I backed the camper into the driveway and discovered that the truck was once again handling funny. That was when I realized what had happened... the truck was in 4WD. I managed to drive 75-odd miles at 75 MPH on dry pavement, towing a small camper. My heart sank as the implication hit me and I saw the little dollar signs fly out the window of my beloved truck. I turned the switch back to 2WD and nothing happened. "Oh, shit!"

Sometimes, the transmission won't change from 2WD to 4WD unless the vehicle is moving ever-so-slightly, so I coasted around the block, hoping that the front end would disengage. I cruised around the block with absolutely no luck, so I gave up, pulled in the driveway and, just as I was getting ready to shut the truck off, it popped into 2WD. The dollar signs magically stopped evaporating. Awesome, I thought.

The next day, I took the little 'un out for dinner -- just the two of us, because it was her birthday. As I drove, I recalled the close call with the transmission and had another realization. I got it out of 4WD, but never tried to get it back in. I saw the dollar signs once again preparing to take flight, but knew that I had to give it a try. After all, with any major problem it's always better (and usually less expensive) to find out early and get it fixed before things get worse.

I turned the switch -- and nothing happened. Even the little idiot light that indicates "please wait while I try to get into 4WD" failed to blink. Shit! There go the dollar signs again! The next afternoon I took the truck to the mechanic. An electronic module had fried, costing me just shy of $400 to get fixed. Considering that it was the transmission, it could have been far worse, but let me tell you, camping can be expensive.