Van Update: A Little Good, A Little Bad
After months of trouble, this is a magical sound — the van finally running strong again.
Today brought a bit of good news and bad news.
The good: the rebuild is holding steady and running beautifully.
The bad: we’re still battling the emissions system (DEF/DPF), which keeps trying to throw us into limp mode.
This afternoon, we visited a shop that specializes in Ram trucks and vans. They ran diagnostics using their proprietary system and helped narrow down the culprit. Tomorrow, we’re heading to an exhaust shop to replace a bad flex pipe. Once that’s done, we’ll test again to see if a NOx sensor has also failed. 🤞
For those who haven’t followed the whole saga — the engine blew up back in December while we were in San Diego. A glow plug snapped off inside the engine, sending pieces rattling around the block and shattering a fuel injector. That chain reaction caused a redline rev, damaging the piston head, cylinder walls, and severely harming the top end.
Since then, it’s been a long road. My current mechanic completely rebuilt the engine — and honestly, it runs like a dream. Now it’s just the emissions system standing between us and the open road again.
Hopefully tomorrow brings some closure to this chapter.
Thank you all for sticking with us through the highs, lows, and countless wrenches thrown our way. Your encouragement means more than you know. ❤️
🎥 Watch the video above — the sound of that idle is pure magic!
On a side note:
Does anyone have any remedies for noseeum bites? They have eaten me alive. My legs are nearly as bad too.
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