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?

[HappyCamper1954]

BADEYE:::: AFTER READING ABOUT THE 1ST 10 PAGES OF YOUR POST I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT:: If I stay away from DP's GM's And Workhorse chasis and get a v-10 and not drive it in the rain I can get rid of my break-down Insurance,I check all the tires every time I start a trip also ck the oil for leaks and any wet spots under camper, also don't run tires over 5 years old they usually take out $1200 worth of fender well when they blow out Your post is worth it's weight in gold if your readers are smart, we all know they are because they are campers,"Just a little food for thought"

Badeye... LOL..... sometimes it's a "wing and a prayer", "seat of the pants" and/or "lady luck"... I love it.... life in a MH is plain and simple.... a different world..... Rick

[OLD_EASY]

BADEYE:::: AFTER READING ABOUT THE 1ST 10 PAGES OF YOUR POST I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT:: If I stay away from DP's GM's And Workhorse chasis and get a v-10 and not drive it in the rain I can get rid of my break-down Insurance,I check all the tires every time I start a trip also ck the oil for leaks and any wet spots under camper, also don't run tires over 5 years old they usually take out $1200 worth of fender well when they blow out Your post is worth it's weight in gold if your readers are smart, we all know they are because they are campers,"Just a little food for thought"

[CMeyer]

RV particulars:
Driveline (Engine, Transmission): Safari Kenya, Cummins B5.9, Allison 4 speed, Oshkosh chassis
Miles: ~20k
Year: 1992
Break Down Description: We lost the power steering on our 34-foot Safari as we turned north from east bound I-86 onto I-15 at Pocatello, Idaho, in September 2000. We continued north towards Idaho Falls while trying unsuccessfully to locate a shop that was open on Saturday afternoon. Then when I stopped on the shoulder (to ask for help from a helpless state trooper), the automatic parking brake locked up and we were down and out. The Good Sam operator then dispatched Hendrickson’s Pro-Tow from Idaho Falls.
Ron Hendrickson and his son James arrived promptly, dropped the drive shaft, and towed us to Lake City International Trucks, Inc. in Idaho Falls. Ron even gave us his home phone number and told us to call any time, even at 3 AM, if we needed anything! We found an electrical outlet and plugged in to keep the batteries charged and waited for Monday.
Monday morning, Jeff Schow of Lake City International checked out the problem and concluded that an RV service center would more familiar with the system. He called Eagle Rock RV Service Center, which dispatched a mechanic to free the parking brake and guide us to their shop. Meanwhile, Jeff had our drive shaft reinstalled. He would not charge us for this or for the electricity we used, but said we would just have to charge it up to their good will towards getting us on our way!
John Henry, the owner of Eagle Rock, and his wife and staff treated us well, allowed us to stay in the RV inside the shop, and tolerated our dogs while waiting for the parts to arrive. John even let us use his brand-new pickup to go shopping! By mid-day Wednesday we were on our way again. Cost was slightly over $1000.
Breaking down in a strange place is not a pleasant experience. However, the people we encountered were nothing but pleasant and helpful. If you have to break down, Idaho Falls is a good place to do it! Good Sam’s Emergency Road Service came through for us too.

Symptoms: Lost power steering and after stopping, power brakes locked up.
Effect: Initially very hard to steer, then unable to move.
Cause: Power take-off to hydraulic pump stripped on both ends.
Outcome: Required 2 components, one available in Pocatello, the other had to come from Reno. The parts supplier in Reno despite charging for expedited service, didn't manage to get the part to UPS, costing an extra day down-time. Have had no further problems with this, but wonder if it was under-designed!


Seems like breakdowns fall into the catagories of bad luck, someone's screw-up, or possible systemic problems with a make, model, component, or the like. Can't do much about luck. The screw-ups, whether by owner or "service" people, can help up all to learn how to avoid the same problem, but generally don't relate to a problem with the particular rig. The biggest benefit of this effort might be to identify the systemic problems, which seems to be the original intent. Might be worth sorting the tales of woe into such catagories to make it most useful.

Colton Meyer

[Mike_Lutz]

Please consider the truck stops and islands labeled "MH". In the island they dispense gasoline and diesel using the traditional "GREEN" fuel dispenser. The pump had 3 black and 1 green. The green nosel is traditionally for diesel! I accept full responsibility for my error in not checking. This cost $1400 (40 gallons or gas removed from diesel tank) to get service to have the fuel removed and re refined ! The service rep informed me it happends every day because people mistake the green nosel as a diesel dispenser!!! Pay close attention or pay a dear price.

[boondockrookie]

RV particulars: Foretravel FX350 Diesel Pusher
Driveline (Engine, Transmission): 3208 Cat, Allison 4 speed
Miles: 144,000
Year: 1981
Break Down Description:
Symptoms: Overheated on Interstate. Temp guage topped out. Smoke & steam trail.
Effect: Immediate pull over & shut down situation.
Cause: Blown Radiator heater hose
Outcome: Lucky. Hose blew right next to radiator. After the engine cooled down I removed the hose at the radiator, cut off 4", (the part with the hole) and reattached it. Then filled the radiator with fresh water from my tank and I was back on the road. Oddly enough, I had just had the RV serviced and told them to replace any worn belts or soft hoses. At my first opportunity I replaced the broken (repaired) hose myself, and added anti-freeze/coolant. Good thing too, because the hose had another bubble that was ready to burst.

[RCL]

You don't state what chassis you have, but my Holiday Rambler with a Freightliner chassis exhibited a similar problem. Turns out that there are 2 circuit breakers located just above the frame rail on the passenger side near the engine. When you draw too much current, these breakers heat up and open up. In a minute or so, they reset, leaving no trace of what happened. This happened to me about 4 times, and HR was at a loss. A call to Freightliner quickly resolved the problem. One of the breakers had gotten "weak" and would open up, cutting the lights, engine, gauges, etc. It happened at night the first time, and I coasted to the side of the highway. I replaced that breaker and the problem went away.

Hope this helps,

Dick Lucas

[faucet1]

RV particulars: Itasca Sunflyer 36L
Driveline (Engine, Chassis,Transmission): 275 ISB 5.9, Freightliner, Allison md3060
Miles: 31,000
Year: 1999
Break Down Description:
Symptoms: Low air pressure
Effect: can’t drive
Cause: Air Dryer filter mounted under the spin-on filter disintergrated causing valve in bottom of air dryer to remain open.
Outcome: Replaced both spin-on and inter-filter located just under spin-on. Also had to replace the lower outlet valve. Total cost of parts about $180.

[captron33]

I have a 2000 Mtn. Aire.ford v-10. About once a year I get the amber ck. eng.soo mssg. Does anyone have a fix besides going to ford to clear it???? Thanks Capt. Ron

[EngineerMike]

Rig: 96 Safari Trek on 95 (OBD1) chassis
Driveline: 6.5L TurboDiesel (GM) w/4L80E tranny, 23.5K miles
Symptom: started sputtering, then over next 300 miles, got worse till it wouldn't run reliably.
Troubling factor: we were 650 miles south of San Diego
Problem: electronic fuel injection
Problem getting a good diagnosis: GM service rep in La Paz stated elegantly, "We never sell dat chit down here." (He was referring lovingly to EFI, they have plenty of diesels, just not electronics).
Fix: return to USA to get OBD1 computer & spare parts; return to Mexico to try parts & read computer codes; return to USA to get new electronic injection pump; return to Mexico to install.
Moral: for 6.5L GM diesel, subscribe to TheDieselPage.com, and keep a good sense of humor well oiled. And of course, take spare EVERYTHING to Mexico.
See y'all in Yucatan in '06.

[DoubleTap830]

I am afraid I have to once again add to this thread. Nothing would make me happier than to stop posting here.

RV particulars: Itasca Suncruiser 33V
Driveline: 8.1 W-20
Miles: 3978
Year: 2004
Break Down Description: Engine lost power topping a 7% grade, all the lights on the instrument cluster came on and all the alarms sounded. Went into reduced power mode and limped off to a stop on the right shoulder on US 66 between Kingman and Peach Springs AZ Sept 22, 2004
Symptoms: All dash warnings came on and power went away.
Effect: Had to pull over in an area with no cell service and stop.
Cause: Unsecured secondary grounding strap from the factory
Outcome: Turned off the engine and did a visual inspection of the engine. Everything looked fine including temperature. Started it back up, ran fine except orange " check engine " light stayed on. Kept driving another 16 miles watching gauges until I got cell service. Called my dealer "Range RV Victorville, CA" they were no help. Told me to have it towed to the nearest Workhorse service center 186 miles away in Flagstaff. Called the 800 number on my Workhorse card, they connected me with a technician. He had me crawl under the right front wheel and pull off the air cleaner cover and check for major dirt or blockage and mass air flow sensor connector wiggled loose. That wasnt it so he had me turn off the ignition for 2 minutes, then turn the key from dead off to start and back 5 times in 10 seconds. That reset the orange trouble light. He advised me to have fun on my trip and have my dealer download the trouble code history when I got home. No further problems that trip. which was 1400 miles.

I got back home and turned the rig in for service. They found a ground strap which was not bolted to anything. There were 21 trouble codes saved in the PCM which made no sense, so they dug deep and found the hanging grounding strap.

Waiting now to pick it up from service. 29th day in the shop in the first 9 weeks of ownership.

God Bless workmanship.

Workhorse says Winnebago must have disconnected the grounding strap during the coach build and forgot to reconnect it before roll-out.

[karel]

RV particulars:
Driveline (Engine, Transmission): 330 Cat, Allison Transmission
Miles: 21,000
Year: 2001
Break Down Description:
Symptoms: Would overheat when climbing, never on the flat roads
Effect: Alarms would go off and we would have to stop and wait
for the temp to come down
Cause: A bracket had come loose that was holding an expansion joint causing hot air to spill out and be trapped under the coach
Outcome: We got it fixed.


A little more info: WE were told that there was a problem with the radiator collecting road dust from an oily discharge from the engine. It was a design failure. They told us just to keep the radiator clean and we would not have a problem. However, when we headed for the mountains, we would continually overheat. It finally overheated to the point that our hydraulic lines to the slides and the air hoses to our breaks melted. THe guy that was sent out for road side service shined a flashlight down into the engine and noticed the loose bracket. He said by the looks of the carbon built up, it was loose for quite a while. Since we got everything fixed, we haven't had ANY problem at all. Karel

[G_L_Hallenbrook]

Had your pinched front brake line twice, both on GM chassis. I won't tell you how many things I changed before I figured it out, you'de think I'de learn. They happened about ten years apart

[frac]

Lil Truckr,

The same thing happened to me. Same symtoms and all. Our coach quit near San Antonio and started again before I came to a stop. This happened two more times. The forth time it quit I was at an exit an pulled off with a dead engine. I sat there for a minute and said 'well, we have Good Sam Road Care'. I tried to start the engine one more time and it started. Did not have a problem all the way to out destination Fort Worth. Turns out the a battery disconnect I had installed on the battery was intermittently losing contact. I found this out quite by accident but removed the disconnect and have not had any problems since. Driving a '99 Ford V10 gas banger.

[bobpie]

bobpie,
I have a Coachmen Sentara with a 2001 V-10, I could have written your post myself..... except Check Engine Light did not come on. You have saved me a painstakeing troubleshooting routine. Only in heavy rain, I would get the mometayr "hick-up".. started subtile, then would get worse..... thought I had bought bad gas first time experinced.
Thank you for your input - you saved me a ton of time!!!!!!

Glad to be of help. My coach has run great since. Altough I have yet to drive in a very heavy down pour like that time.

[slobote]

Break down info,

In may 2004 going from Florida to California while climbing the grades to Amarillo the red shutdown light and buzzer went on and then went away. 40 miles later the shutdown light went on and shut the engine down in the truck lane. it started right away and since the temp and oil pressure was ok we limped into the cummins dealer in Amarillo. They could find no faults with computer testing and sent us on our way. When we started the grades into California the same thing happened several times. We went into to a cummins dealer in Arcata California. The computer told him that the engine had been derated and shut down 20 times since we left texas. they replaced the fuel injection pump under warranty for the cummins 350 ISC and we headed to the state of washington. Around 300 miles on the way the check engine light came on and we felt a pause in the engine power. This only lasted for a few seconds and we kept going. It kept happening more frequently so we went into the cummins dealer in coberg Oregon. We spent almost two weeks there while they replaced the ECM, the the engine wiring harness, the fuel filters, a 200.00 fuel sensor, and isolated the entire fuel system and found no air leaks. At this point we left, and 100 miles later the check engine light came on with the same loss of power for a few seconds. When we reached Ventura California we went into the Cummins dealer and they thought that they had fixed the problem and we headed to Florida. 200 miles later the same light came on and we continued to Kingman Arizona when the check engine light kept comming on every 20 miles. At this point we realized that the engine was being derated when the light came on and we had to climb the small hills into Kingman in Second gear at 2000 RPM. Great western trucking was not a cummins dealer but was authorized to do warrantee work. The computer indicated that the problem was the fuel injecter pump that had been replaced two months earlier in Arcata california. While starting to replace the pump they found a wire socket to the pump had become loose and was sending incorrect messages to derate the engine. Torqued it down to the proper torque and we were on our way to Florida. From Kingman arizona to where we are now (Fort Myers) the engine has performed as it should, getting an easy 8.2 MPG at 65 MPH+ while pulling a PT cruiser with a 40 foot Newmar Mountain Aire.

It sure feels good to be home,

BOB