Click on a photo to enlarge it.
We went to Acapulco Trailer Park just outside Acapulco in Pie de la Cuesta where they knew of a good mechanic who had helped other
motor homes in the past. They phoned Jesus (his name sounded promising seeing as we might need a miracle!) and Kirsten spoke to him
and tried to explain what our problem is. We have had a number of repairs done in Mexico over the years so we speak fluent (car repair)
Spanish! Jesus understood and came over later that afternoon to take a look.
Diagnosis - warped engine block and cylinder head. We had the same problem 4 years ago in Reno but the engine block was within the
tolerance limits and so we only needed to get the cylinder head grounded down to level it off. It still cost us $3500 US dollars but
would have cost $5000 for the engine block!
Anyway, now the engine block is warped even more but it was only 6 months ago that we had new valves put in and had the cylinder head
ground down again. We've done a few thousand miles since then but the costs are mounting and now we have another major engine problem.
The good news is that this time it happened in Mexico and Jesus gave us a quote of just under $1000 US dollars for the complete repairs
which will basically mean that we have a remodelled engine - five times less than the quote we had from the US 4 years ago!
That made the decision a lot easier for us to make and particularly seeing as Jesus would do all the repairs here on the camp ground
so that we could stay in Winnie and avoid extra hotel costs and wouldn't have to worry about the safety of the motor home which is a
problem here in Acapulco.
The next day Jesus and another mechanic came and spent 5 hours taking the engine block out. Some parts were loaded into a car to be
taken to his repair shop and the rest was put onto Winnie's front seats. The engine would need to go to a different work shop to be
ground on Monday and by Wednesday or Thursday everything should be finished.
Last time we spent a month in Reno and that was just for the cylinder head and in Mexico everything is Mañana, Mañana. But Jesus gave
us a very good impression and we certainly couldn't argue with the price.
So we had time to work on photos, videos and our website but we also had to see Acapulco and in particular the number one attraction -
the cliff divers.
The bus ride into the city was quite an experience but then that is always the case in Mexico. Bus drivers rely on God for safe passage
rather than any driving skills and the passengers know no different. The first bus ride of the day was standing room only and the music
was not as loud as it normally is and whilst we couldn't see out of the windows it was very brightly painted inside! But then it was
only 40 US cent for a 45 minute hair raising ride - it costs a great deal more for a similar ride in Disneyland!!
The old part of Acapulco has a shady central square, a church that Pope John Paul II visited, several pedestrian areas and a promenade
with views of the new Acapulco and all the hotels. We had time to wander around before the first cliff divers performance of the day.
They obviously make an effort to keep the place clean and despite warnings about the safety here we didn't feel or experience anything
dangerous ... besides the bus rides!
We walked up to the viewing area for the cliff divers and were surprised at how small it seems. It certainly didn't look like the
highest point meant a dive of just over 100 feet. Entrance fee was $3 per person and there weren't many tourists there as it is the
start of the season and a Monday. Helmut stayed near the top and us ladies went down to the lower platform.
View from the lower platform onto the cliff - 360° Panorama(move mouse over panorama and click on the arrows)
The performance lasted for 30 minutes. There were 9 divers rather than the normal 5 because there was a camera team taking videos and
photos. The divers had to clear the water of debris first and then climbed bare foot up the cliff. There were single and tandem dives
from 75 ft and one from the top. During the evening performance they dive with torches lit by fire. They attend a proper diving school
here and the proceeds of the entrance fees goes towards the costs.
The famous cliff divers in action
We saw the rest of the town by getting onto two more buses - one out to Coleta Beach and the other all the way along the main road
through the hotel district - a cheap way to see Acapulco if your ears can stand the loud music. The bus ride home was mainly in the
dark with the bus driver going through red lights and blocking intersections which caused a cacophony of angry car horns!! We didn't
get back until 7-30 pm. A long day.
The next day we armed ourselves with old toothbrushes and tried to clean some of the muck and grime out of the engine block area
before everything is put back. This will be the only chance we have ... we hope! It was so hot we had to get the umbrella out for
shade!
On Wednesday we felt something shaking Winnie and thought someone was leaning against us but there was no one there. We are on blocks
so we would feel more vibration than normal. After it happened several times we think it must have been small earthquakes! Our first
thought was Tsunami but it didn't matter about an evacuation route because without an engine Winnie's going nowhere! Fortunately the
sirens stayed silent.
Sunset at the Acapulco Trailer Park - 360° Panorama(move mouse over panorama and click on the arrows)
Sunset at the Acapulco Trailer Park - 360° Panorama(move mouse over panorama and click on the arrows)
Jesus and Silvino, the mechanic came at 5-50 pm with the reassembled engine and it was put back inside using a winch. It was quite an
effort to reattach it to the gear shaft seeing as the engine weighs at least 300 lbs and it had to be finished in the dark.
Silvino returned just before 9am the next morning to start putting everything back together and Helmut came along to help. Jesus and
another mechanic came at 11am and everything was finished by 3pm. We'd also taken the opportunity of getting our radiator cleaned and
the outlet tube at the bottom soldered to strengthen it. We'd had the upper one done some time ago.
So, the moment of truth. It was time for the engine to be started. A mechanic got behind the wheel and turned the key ... click.click
nothing!! Winnie is an automatic and he'd put it into Drive before switching on the engine which means it wouldn't start anyway because
it has to be in Park. We knew the problem right away seeing as it has happened to us in the past!
Next try and Winnie started right away but ... Oh God, he sounds terrible! Not surprising because it takes a while before the oil and
other fluids move through the engine and he finally sounded really good! But there was a problem. We had an oil leak and quite a big
one. The front gasket. That meant that everything in front of the engine had to be taken out again! Jesus went off to get another
gasket. It took 2 hours and it was dark again.
Winnie's repair on the campground
Jesus came back at 9am the following day to go on a test drive with us. We hadn't even driven a mile and the engine warning light came
on and Winnie sounded like a Harley Davidson! Oh boy. Now what?? Jesus found the problem straight away - we need a new seal for the
manifold so the warning light had come on because of the emissions sensor. All Jesus did was disconnect the sensor and when we drove
the warning light didn't come back on. So the problem had been localised.
Anyway, that meant we had to go to a different garage that specialises in exhausts. But they didn't have the right seal until Jesus
remembered that he still had the rest of the gasket and seal kit that he'd bought for our engine in his car and the seals were in there.
But they still had problems getting the manifold back on because one of the screws had lost its threading. Well it's 25 years old and
it's probably the first time these particular seals have ever needed to be changed!
They managed to find a screw that fit but the seal still wasn't tight enough so they used part of the old one as a double seal. All
improvised but at least it was sealed. So finally we could leave Acapulco.
We'd only done about 5 miles when Helen had a real problem turning the steering wheel. Fortunately our GPS had sent us into the back
of beyond, a completely wrong turn off and we'd landed in a small village and were only driving slowly. Helen managed to force the
wheel where she needed it to be. After turning the wheel back and forth it seemed to be okay.
We had left the trailer park quite late so we only managed to get around Acapulco and a bit further east, through traffic and some
hairy situations when faced with oncoming traffic going the wrong way!! Road works but without any signs to let you know what's
happening - somewhat typical in Mexico. We parked at a petrol station for the night and took a look under the bonnet.
We found out that they'd forgotten to re-attach a cable which they'd wrapped around the steering column to keep it out of the way
whilst putting the engine back together. We were lucky that it hadn't happened at 50 mph in a curve! But what is this cable and where
should it be attached??
We have a Haynes manual for our engine but it didn't help seeing as we didn't know the name of the cable or what we were looking for!!
We managed to sort out the problem ourselves by looking at all of the photos that Kirsten had taken before the repairs to actually find out which cable
it was - the ground for the alternator - and then re-attached it ourselves. We are slowly becoming really good mechanics!!!
We also found a small coolant leak from one of the engine block seals. So we bought a special powder to seal radiator leaks etc. and
after a few days the leak had stopped.
