Murphy's Law

You know about Murphy’s Law, right? The law states that if something is going to go wrong, it will, at the most inopportune place and time....

We just experienced Murphy’s Law on our trip across country. We were approaching Dallas-Forth Worth, yeah...what fun! Suddenly, Mr. Dreamy commented that a light had popped up on the dash, and he asked me to find out what the light was trying to tell us. That all sounds reasonable and calm - but it wasn’t. Trust me!

A quick look through one of several manuals told me the light is an MIL light. Now, that’s helpful! I didn’t suppose that it stood for Mother-in-law! I couldn’t find out what it meant in any one of a dozen books we have, so I had to call Cummins to find out that it is a “Malfunction Indicator Light”. It means something isn’t working, or wasn’t working, quite right. It means the engine sensed a problem. It may have fixed the problem, or it may still exist, but we should have it checked out. Okay.... it is approaching 4:00 PM on a Friday. Who are they kidding?! 

We have a list of repair facilities. I call the Dallas number. “Sorry, M’am, we close in 45 minutes. We can’t fit you in tonight. We will reopen on Monday.” Mr. Dreamy drove on. I call the Fort Worth number. “Sorry, M’am, we close at 4:30. Our shop is full. We will reopen on Monday and might be able to fit you in then.” Mr. Dreamy drove on. I call the Abilene number. This time I preface my call by saying, “I don’t suppose you guys are open on Saturday?” Imagine my surprise when I get a positive response. I am connected to service and talk to Carlton. I explain our situation. Carlton tells me that as long as no other lights are on (on the dash) we should be OK to continue. He also explains that although they are open on Saturday, he doesn’t have a mechanic who can see us, as his shop is full. However... if we want to stop by, he’ll run the diagnostics and tell us whether it is a “NO! or GO”! God Bless Carlton! 

The next morning we pull into Corley-Wetsel Freightliner in Abilene, TX. Carlton hooks his computer up to a plug hanging under the dash. Technology is Amazing!! 

The history of the engine is downloaded to his computer and Carlton is able to tell us what is going on. We had a problem with the EGR valve. The problem is not active, so we should have no problem going on. He clears the codes, and lets us know that we should seek service if the MIL light reappears. He charges us nothing. Zero. Nada! He is amazing! Corley-Wetsel is amazing! 

Mr. Dreamy purchased some items from the parts department and we went on down the road towards our destination. 

PS The light came on... again, as we approached our destination. At least we now have time to make a reservation for service when we are prepared to leave.