Igor is fixed, and we are ready to get back on the road!

Igor is running and fixed... but not fixed properly. Mexicans mechanics are really good at making things work, but the two mechanics we were dealing with needed some guidance from me.

We're not convinced they would have ever found the problem. It was me who did that. Well, me and ChatGPT!

The evening before, I kept thinking about the fact that the pollution air pump had started making odd whirring noises around the same time that Igor started losing power. It seemed too coincidental, so I got onto ChatGPT and input the vehicle statistics and the symptoms Igor was displaying.

ChatGPT's response was three possibilities... 1) Clogged catalytic converter, 2) Fuel pump, or 3) MAP sensor.

But with the fuel pump gauge reading 40 psi, that wasn't the problem. And we had changed out the MAP sensor with another one the day before and it made no difference. That left the catalytic converter. 

So I explained it to the mechanics yesterday morning, and they both agreed that it was possible. If the catalytic converter is clogged, the exhaust has nowhere to go and causes the engine to bog down. Also, the excessive pressure would cause the valves in the pollution pump to flutter in reverse. It totally made sense to me.

Ruth and I went for a morning walk, leaving the guys to work on the problem.

We think this is the name of the neighborhood.

Really pretty painted letters though.

The exterior of the church was nothing special, and actually the interior wasn't either, but it had a lot of stained glass windows.

The walls could use a little more decorating!

This house had a nice garden.

On Wednesday's, this little town holds a huge used clothing market...

You have to be patient enough to sort through things. I am not!

But Ruth spent some time... and bought a top for 10 pesos ($0.79 CAD, $0.58 USD).

The market also had a couple of grocery stands and fruits and veggies. We didn't need anything except eggs. We bought a flat of 30 eggs for 55 pesos! That's the equivalent of 22 pesos ($1.75 CAD, $1.25 USD) per dozen!

Me, carrying our eggs back to Igor!

So the way to test for a clogged catalytic converter is to give the exhaust somewhere to escape. ChatGPT suggested to remove the oxygen sensor from the exhaust pipe in front of the catalytic converter, leaving an open hole that the exhaust can escape from. Sure enough, the engine fired right up and ran normally! A little loud, but that definitely proved that the problem was the catalytic converter.

Now, what to do to fix the problem? Well ideally, you would replace the catalytic converter. But there are two problems with that. The first being that we are in a tiny town in Veracruz, Mexico. A new catalytic converter would almost guaranteed have to be ordered in from the United States and might take a week to arrive... and that's if your lucky. The second is that it would be quite expensive.

Or, you do it the Mexican way... remove the old catalytic converter, break out the blockage, which involves removing all the ceramic emissions material inside, and reinstalling it... essentially the same as a straight pipe with no catalytic converter. So that's what we did.

Igor, at the mechanics shop!

It was almost 7:00pm by the time they declared he was ready for a test drive. I took him up to the main highway. He ran fine, although slightly louder than before. Not much though. The "check engine" light is on, which makes sense with a defective catalytic converter. Either way, it seems he is ready to hit the road!

I asked what the total bill was. I had a figure in mind of maybe 1,500 pesos and I was pretty close. He asked for 1,700 pesos ($135 CAD, $98 USD). Incredibly cheap by Canadian or American standards... but mechanics in Mexico are cheap. That would have cost $1,500 in Canada.

We hadn't had dinner yet, so we walked into town and found a taco stand.

Ruth, waiting for dinner.

We haven't had tacos al pastor yet this trip!

They were delicious and really hit the spot.

We camped out in front of the mechanics shop again last night, but we are due for a treat. So we've decided to head to a fairly expensive campground where they apparently have hot showers... and we are in need! It's only about a half hour drive, and we are looking forward to getting there!

Despite the problems of the last two days, things could always be worse. At least we are in Mexico!

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