Breakdown Information

Date of incident May, 2003
RV particulars: 2000 Country Coach 40'   
Driveline Cummins ISC 330, Allison 4000   
Miles:11,000
Break Down Description: Engine Quit

Symptoms: Everything stopped, all gauges went to zero, no warning lights, power steering, all indications of ignition key being turned off.

   Effect: Fortunately we were on a private road to our church parking lot. We were going only about 10MPH so we pulled over without incident. Could have been dicey anywhere else.

   Cause: This was the first time we had driven the MH with cats on board. Being new to this environment, the cats hid in the bedroom closet and only came out when things were quiet. When I started up the engine and started moving, they stayed in the closet until we went over the first speed bump on the road to our church. This, along with clothes falling on them and cans crashing out of the pantry, caused them to race to the front of the MH and away from the noise. One cat, an 18 lb Main Coon, had previously discovered a safe place under the dash to hide to which she made a beeline. In the confusion and turmoil of the speed bump, neither of us knew she had gone there, but in her dash to safety, she pulled the wire harness away from the ignition switch.

   Outcome: After checking out the chassis battery and other electrical connections that might have been ignition related, the absence of any wires attached to the ignition switch was discovered. Reconnecting the harness fixed the problem. After an additional search, cat was found hiding in the vacant area behind passenger side dash panel.

Solution: 1) Safety wired harness to ignition switch, 2) cardboarded and duct taped underside of dash to prevent cat entry, 3) put cats in cage in dingy when underway.

Postscript: As cats became accustomed to travel, they now ride in the motorhome, unsupervised on the bed, most of the time sleeping while underway. The engine now seems to have a calming effect.

Oh yeah, and I now drive very slowly over speed bunps.