Breakdown Information

[Badeye]

Moderators Note: This thread is intending to report a problem and its resolution. If you are seeking help or information to help you resolve a problem you would best be served by initiating a thread on the class A forum proper

After some conversation with Diesel-Lover and others on this forum I thought I would try to start a thread concerning breakdowns on the road. We try to prevent this by good maintenance and driving reasonably but it can still happen. As I observed in a previous post, on a roughly 350 mile northbound drive on I-75 I saw 4 class A MH broken down. All were southbound.

If we should have a breakdown and would post the following information on this thread it could be a resource and reminder for others.

RV particulars:
Driveline (Engine, Transmission):
Miles:
Year:
Break Down Description: (You can add any description of the problem here that you think would help others in understanding the situation and problem.)
Symptoms:
Effect:
Cause:
Outcome:

This is the type of information that is recorded in the aircraft industry and other maintenance activities to track failure trends. It will take a while before we see a lot of value in this. If it continues for a time and sufficient data is available, I will analyze the data and put it into a form that I can send by email to any interested parties. I would suspect that an initial report could be done in about three months or when we have about 100 to 150 cases.

What do you think?

[MartyAndPeg]

You can see what were driving below. We left north FL this morning, made it about 38 miles north of the GA border on I95 and the brake failure warning chime came on. Pulled off at the next exit (exit 58) and checked the emergency break switch...OK. Brake fluid OK. Wheels normal temperature. Called Workhorse, they said it could not be driven. They dispatched a tow truck, and here were are, sitting in the parking lot of a dealership called Sonnys Camp and Travel in Summerville, GA. They have been very nice so far; said they will look at our coach in the morning. They closed at 5pm, but two fellows stayed until we pulled in. They put us in front, hooked us up to electric, and said they would see us at 8am.

I'll follow up tomorrow.


Well, tomorrow came and is almost gone. They never did get to us today. So, they put us back in "our spot" and said tomorrow looks much better. They are very polite.

It is now Thursday night.
After pulling apart the emergency brake assembly, it has been diagnosed as a bad switch. It is acting very erractically now. The tech took it out for a 10 mile test drive after he pulled apart the emergency brake assembly, and for the first 8 miles it was fine. As we slowed to a stop, it went off again. This time playing with the emergency brake handle made it go away. Next we drove with the wire off the switch...no problem. Once we re-connected it, the problem came back. All other brake systems check out fine, and Workhorse is overnighting a new switch. I have to say these folks are extremely polite. Each night they make sure we have electric and plenty of water. They have also offered their dump station when we finally do get on the road. Maybe tomorrow.

OK...it is now Sunday, June 20th. Happy fathers day. We left the fine folks at Sonnys on Friday afternoon. We drove about 120 miles with no issues. Stayed two nights at South of the Border on I95, then headed out this morning. Got about 140 miles and the brake light/alarm went off again. Touched the emergency brake pedal...stopped. 10 minutes later, back on. Touched pedal, stopped. Eventually even moving the pedal did not help. Drove to a park in Skippers, VA and called Workhorse. They will see where we can get in tomorrow. So, here we sit...and we thought we had it fixed.

Ok, it is now Tuesday night. Workhorse sent us to a truck repair facility (a Workhorse sponsored repair facility) in Rocky Mount, NC. It was 60 miles the wrong direction, and instead of being towed (Workhorse really wanted to tow us) we drove....with the chime going off all the time. I did not know I could have silenced it by pressing the trip button. Anyway, two days at the repair facility and it could not be diagnosed. We did find out that if it was truly a brake failure, we would not only get the light, but also a buzzer (not a chime) and a dash message. This is telling us that the parking brake is still applied...it is not. We also know the emergency brake swith works because when it is disengaged, the slides/jacks will not operate. We simply have an errant alarm. It has been determined it is safe to drive, we can silence the alarm, and now have an appointment at a Workhorse repair facility in Central Square, NY on Monday, June 28th. Hopefully I can post a solution then.

Oh, and the kicker....we stopped for fuel just past the NC/VA line, applied the brake, shut off engine, filled up, started engine, released brake...light is now off. Don't you hate intermittent problems?

Well, it is now 7/1/2004. We had the problem come back as we hit WV, and had it all the way to Clay, NY. Well, the light was on but we now know how to silence the chime. We had an appointment in Central Square, NY for Monday, June 28th. As luck would have it, when we went to leave for our appointment, we released the brake, and all is fine. We even drove it an extra 20 miles (took the long way to the repair shop) only it would not fail. They looked at it for about two hours, but could not find a thing. They are going to order pressure switches, but unless it happens again (I'm sure it will, only not whiles we are in this area...with my luck anyway) there is not much they can do. There are no codes from the computer. So, unless it happens while we take the coach to the dump station every two weeks (until we leave July 19th), we will just have to wait and see. Workhorse is still aware of it, and has been VERY cooperative.


Marty and Peg

[bill_h]

Driveline: P30
Miles:80K
Year: 84
Symptoms: Loss of power
Effect: Flooding
Cause: Crud in float valve
Outcome: Carb full of black kitty litter.

100 miles earlier, I had put in some Red Line fuel system cleaner, which was well recommended. It apparently did its job well, and loosened up a lot of crud in the fuel system. A piece of crud apparently jammed the float valve, resulting in flooding, and loss of power. When I removed the air cleaner top, the carb was completely awash with gasoline. There were puddles of gas sizzling in the pockets on top of the intake manifold. I did th usual rapping of the float area with a screwdriver handle with no effect. Slipping a hacksaw blade in the slot between the primary and secondary barrels allowed me to work the float up and down to allow the crud to pass, and the flooding stopped. HA! Success.

But the motor ran rough and unevenly.

Removing the top of the carb revealed the float bowl to be half full of what appeared to be black kitty litter, evidently charcoal from the emissions canister. I am guessing that the gasoline overflow into the canister caused some charcoal granules to float back up the vent tube due to a failed check valve in the canister. I removed the carb, disassembled it and blew it out with a couple cans of spray cleaner. All hoses going to and from the charcoal canister were plugged with available screwdriver tips and bolts to continue the trip.

I should add that my genset runs better than it ever has since I added the Red Line fuel system cleaner.

[Boxer_Lovers]

We had an unfortunate experience in a previous d.p. while driving through the Wyoming desert. We had a rapid change in altitude along with an eqully rapid change in air temperature and humidity, when to my suprise the "water in fuel" caution light came on. I pulled over and after a couple of minutes cool down, shut off the engine. Thank goodness a service tech had walked me through this problem before when I had purchased some bad fuel. Apparently the rapid change in air temperature and humidity produced condensation in the fuel tank which was only around half full, thus creating too much water in the fuel line.
This coach was a 5.9 Cummins on a Freighliner and you could crawl under the engine where the primary fuel filter was equpped with a small plastic plunger on the bottom of the filter that you pressed to release accumulated water from the fuel line. Its a nasty job because their is no way to keep the fuel from running down your arm, but it worked! Fired the engine back up, no warning light, drove the remaining 2,000 mile trip without a hitch.

Always, ALWAYS, keep fresh (truckstop) diesel in the tank, and when experiencing rapidly cooling, damp, weather conditions don't run the fuel down past half empty. I had fresh fuel, but more air than fuel in the tank produced condensation that caused big problems.

[Allegro]

I have a 98 Freightliner chassis with a Cummins 5.9 ISB. At 91,000 miles, and about 3 mile from destination camp ground in Lancaster Co. PA, the engine dropped a valve ruining the head, injector, piston and cylinder wall. Lucky for me as Cummins was giving a 7 yr warranty so they paid the bill. Two weeks after we drove our car home am ready to drive 600 mi back and retreive the rig. They valve broke at the weld holding head to stem. Just hope I can trust the engine for another 91,000 as by that time I will be ready for a new one, if I'm still able to enjoy the RV life. Roger

[RodSams]

Diesel, 125k miles, 1984 blueBird with a 1993 remain CAT 3208T.
After fueling, the bus would not start. Bus finally did start, but the ignition switch was smoking from an electrical fire.
Cause: there was a bare wire near the alternator that caused a spark to jump to the top of the fuel solinoid. This caused the solinoid to burn up and the ignition switch.
Until I could get home, removed fuel solinoid and removed the center from the solinoid. This allowed the engine to start. To turn off the engine, I had to remove the fuel solinoid and push a screw driver into the hole to shut off the fuel to the engine.
I couldn't find an ignition switch and used 2 on-off switches to rig a way to start the engine.
Rod

[LuvRving]

1997 Winnebago Brave 33Q
Ford 460
7,200 miles

Transmission would not shift out of lower gears. Called Ford, they had the mh towed on flatbed truck to Ford dealership 100 miles away.
Problem: Sensor between speedometer and transmission had lost fluid.
Replaced sensor: Problem solved.
Cost to Ford: $2200...

[gullbreezer]

Check with freightliner as well as Michelin. After 5000 miles at 85 psi as recommended on the chassis decal, Frtlnr sent me a recall notice saying the pressure should be 100 psi. That was about 2 months after our first blowout. Michelin no help. Frtlnr no response, except to check with coach mfr. Allegro ref to Mich. Sure is lots to keep track of... Gordon This was meant for #173, darbyjun (sp?)

[1_2_Canadian]

I guess every once in a while someone has to jump in and remind us to try and follow Badeye's requested format when telling us and him of your experience(s). It will help him develop his composite eventually, so please check the initial entry (page 1) before entering info and give heed to the requested specifics; that way everyone is consistent and some comparable particulars have a chance to emerge when he analyzes them. :W

[hairlessinmiami]

that happened to me as well going through texas last year. everytime i went over a bump i lost all power. it then came back 1 of the times it stopped and did not come back. i figured it had to be something loose. I turned the key to on and fiddled with some of the wires under the dash and found the ignition wire loose. got some plyers and squeezed the connection. never had a problem since

good luck

[nsdiblasi]

1993 Tropical
460 Ford
E40 Transmission
Would Not start
We were coming back from RV camping in NC, left Whittier NC @ 0800. No problems other than rain and hauling our two motorcycles in an open trailer in the rain (that will be corrected before we go again). Ran over normal road debris (retreads, sticks). Stop in Welcome Center in Ga, shut down the coach for rest stop. Got back in and turn the key and it would not start. All lights work everything came on but it would click but nor start. Call Sam's ERS, this is Memorial Day, someone showed within an hour. Tried to jump it off this did not help. Meanwhile my wife called the RV center where we bought the pre-owned coach and the service dept was open. She told the service mgr what had happened. He said the starter is stuck, have your husband tap it with a hammer as you try and start it, then bring it in the next and they will ck it out. So I crawled up the coach, and there was the wire from the solenoid to the starter hanging, not attached to the starter. I had my wife turn on the coach, I touched the starter, she started up and we only lost two hours. When we got home I made a permanent fix to the wire and tie wrapped everything up. Not to bad for our first breakdown, had the Gen running and made coffee while we waited.

[Xoffset]

Kountry Star with 300 HP ISB Cummings & 6 Speed Allison
17,500 miles
2001
Brought coach used in NC and drove back to CA in 6 days with no problems. Had coach serviced by recommended Newmar dealer, transmission service, oil & filter change (specified 6000 mile service, radiator checked and stabilizer added. Took off with bride of 45 years for our first big trip. Up to Vegas and the the canyon area. On way to Bryce had two back fires when using exhaust brake. Called Cummings in Saint George and was told probably a sensor but sounded like engine was fine, just don't use exhaust brake. Which I didn't. Looked for peak torque and governor rpm in manual and on engine and couldn't find it for gearing down specs. Heading down 95 toward Monument Valley I blew out the Turbo. 75 miles out of Blanding, no cell phone service, no people, very little traffic, no place to pull over. After 2 miles found a dirt road. Drove to Blanding and back to motorhome and met tow truck and back to Blanding where all places to eat were closed. Motorhome now in Grand Junction, CO and I'm in CA 850 miles away. Thank God for Good Sam they handled the towing great. Personally I think the back fires affected the turbo. Wife is talking about For Sale signs. Just kidding we had a great time except for 3 days.

[waltbens]

Barnyard: Same symptoms on my '01 Journey DL with Cat 330 on a Freightliner. Instruments went bananas. First time, only the fuel gage, but it said "empty" --in the desert--scary.
Freightliner terrific about overnighting a new EDC both times to a Freightliner service center.
No charge, just inconvenience.

[Jim_P]

Torque converter went out. I always use engine braking to slow down when coming to a stop sign shifting from drive to second and then to low and finally using brakes. On accelerating from the stop sign I inadvertently placed transmission in neutral and then stepped on the accelerator thinking the transmission was in Drive. Needless to say the diesel engine accelerated to high speed. I dropped the transmission back into Drive without allowing the engine to drop RPMs which was when I lost the converter. Seems the torque converter wasn't able to handle the high RPM of the engine with the wheels still at a low speed. Stupid thing to do. Had to coast about 300 yards to get off a bridge and finally was able to pull over on shoulder.

4 speed Allison and 8.2 L Detroit

[JimReling]

Monaco 36 ft Cayman with 300 cummings

[1_2_Canadian]

Driveline: 454 Chevrolet, 3 spd AT
Make: Pace Arrow
Year: 1984 (on February-built, '84 chassis)
Symptoms: Noise like AC compressor engagement, on and off while driving.

Effect: Starters burning up (4 in 6 weeks)in 1999, and mechanics couldn't find the reason.

Cause: Chevrolet decided to replace their ignition/starter in-line solenoid with a small relay with points. Mechanics weren't aware of a switching device existing, so didn't look for it. It was mounted to the engine, curb-side front, hidden behind wires and hose bundles. In frustration and determination, I read through my Chev Motorhome Chassis Service Manual (glad I ordered it on Motorhome Magazine's recommendations years ago) and discovered the bulletin where Chevrolet decided to go back to the old (Ford type) solenoid in March of '84, 2 weeks after mine was built. The little relay's points carbon up over time thus shortening the point gap so that a bump in the road could close the ignition circuit to the starter, thus engaging it while the engine was already running, and overheating the starter's motor, burning it up. I was aware of the noise when the starter engaged on the road but thought it was an odd AC compressor sound or something, although I couldn't zero in on it 'cause it only happened while we were moving and I couldn't get under the rig to look.

Outcome: I located the relay, removed it and broke it open. Sure enough, the point on one side had carboned up so much the gap between it and the opposing point was a third of what it should have been. I could've cleaned it and put it back, but eventually it would have left me stranded again. So I replaced it with the solenoid originally used in Chev motorhome chassis', and in the process cleaned up and improved some of the wiring (soldered & sealed connections, and better bundling & routing). Ne'r a problem since.