Total Lose of Control

8 Days ago a power supply wire slipped off the the fuel pump. We had a sudden lose of power on the step hill we were climbing and the bus slowed and died. I immediatly recognized the symptom as is was identical to the problem I had we hooked the pump up the 1st time; with only 1 poewr supply. So after looking for spewing fluids in the engine I looked at the wiring for the pump, discovered the loose wire and put it back together.

We were over an hours drive from any town with more than 1 diesel mechanic. The 1 local guy came out and insisted that the loose wire could not have damaged anything and then dismantled the veggie fuel lines so that he could understand what was going on with the engine.... His help was cheap but then again he did more damage than good.

We crawled 70 miles over the next 3 days with the longest stretch of driving being about 10 miles; most attempts would net us a couple hundred yards before the engine would die and we would have to let it "rest" before moving again. The 1st mechanic also rewired our back up fuel pump (which we knew was not strong enough for the bus and had forgotten that it had been collecting dirt for about a hundred miles of dirt roads we had traversed on the reservation). Using it spewed dirt into the fuel filter further slowing our progress. He wired it to run directly off the alternator... which meant that each time the engine would die we would have to jump out of the bus and throw the hood up and physically rip the wires apart to stop the fuel pump... and tape them back together we we started back up.

The 3rd day an angel named Terry held our hands for most of the day. He was a diesel mechanic for the railroad and we tried a few more things each time the bus died, but nothing changed our fuel starvation issue. Terry ended up towing us the last few miles just so we could get to Chadron before dark.

The local bar patrons suggested 3 mechanics and we called each of them our 1st day in the WalMart parking lot...none had time, all were turned off by the use of vegetable oil for fuel. We then found an interested gas mechanic who guided me through several other process of elimination type procedures... nothing changed the performance of the bus.

Tuesday we vacationed for fixing the bus by filming a meeting of the Republic of Lakota and interviewed Russel Means.

After 4 days in the WM parking lot the mildly mentally deficient "greeter" came out to inquire about how long we were planning on staying... We had run out of things to try so we chanced being able to drive it across the street to the guy who had been helpful's shop. It died on the street in front of the shop as we were discussing where to park it. Today we tested the main fuel pump (which I had feared was now dead) and it appears to be working properly. Which means that the problem is still unknown but the possibilities are getting scarier. It now appears to be a blown injector pump or clogged injectors or .. something.

These problems are all over the head of the gas mechanic who has been helping us. The team at the shop is supposedly calling the diesel mechanics in town this evening .. on our behave, trying to find us appropriate help.

It's been 8 days since the wire slipped off.. We can't leave Chadron until somebody here steps up and fixing this. EVERYONE in town knows us by now.. knows where we're parked.. knows enough about what we're doing to like us OR NOT...