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?

[Scatback]

This is a breakdown incident on our 2004 Itasca Meridian, Freightliner chassis, Caterpillar C-7 engine with 48,000 miles on it.
Upon exiting an interstate hiway in Wisconsin, the engine died when pulling up to the stop sign on the off-ramp. It simply would not start. After many attempts and after putting the accelerator to the floor when cranking, it fired and roughly came up to RPM. It ran rough after that so I had both fuel filters changed. That didn't work, it still ran rough, misfiring at lower speeds. I took it to the nearest Freightliner dealer and they diagnosed it at a faulty HEUI (Hydraulic-Electric Unit Injector) or fuel pump. After it was replaced the engine ran fine. However, the Freightliner service dept. contacted Caterpillar and was told that if there are any metal particles found in the old HEUI, all six injectors should be replaced. Since the engine ran ok at cruise speeds, I elected not to do this due to the high cost. We drove it back to Arizona and it ran just fine and appeared to have more power than ever before.
In summary, it appears that Caterpillar installed poor quality HEUI's on 2004 C-7 engines, I learned this from several RV forums. I would be interested in how many of these specific problems with the Cat C-7 are mentioned in this forum topic.

[GordonH]

2005 Holiday Rambler Neptune
Cummins 300 hp/Allison
35000 miles

Problem: ABS light lit, engine seemed low on power.

On way west from Brandon, MB. Towing car, first time with this MH.

Condition worsened and eventually we had to stop. I checked that everything seemed to be normal in battery compartment. All "OK" but did NOT use a multi-meter..

Last year we had similar trouble and eventually the alternator was reconditioned in BC.

By using the generator and jumper cables connecting engine and house batteries we limped to Swift Current, SK. I wasn't too happy about using the cables. Tried about 6-7 places in S.Current but no place could, or perhaps, wanted to find the problem. Most were too busy.

Limped further west to Medicine Hat, Alta. with my wife driving the car.

Same problem, most places too busy. An rv tech who was passing volunteered to find the problem. I told him I suspected the alternator. He found the alternator was not functioning well.

Next day we found a shop, told them to install a new alternator. two hours later we were on our way. Problem solved. Engine had lots of power. Moral...check electrical system before leaving and, for me anyway, never install reconditioned items.

Gordon.



300 hp Cummins

[noe-place]

2004 Winnebago Itasca Spirit
Ford E-450 with V-10/Auto Trans
Problem: Engine started missing on return trip from New England in June. Labor Day weekend engine would not start. Diagnosis: Fuel not getting to injectors. Repair: Fuel Pump found to be defective; replaced same.
Coach Net Roadside Service got me a tow but had to wait overnight in rv park due to holiday. Tow arrived early next AM towed me to Knoxville (40mi.) Had to wait another night for new fuel pump to be delivered from parts house. $1200. labor and parts. Coach Net paid $600. tow bill. Very satisfied with overall experience. First major breakdown with my RV.

[newxmar]

Probably lost the ammonia refrigerant thru a crack in the tubing or weld. Look for the color deposit of yellow or green where the amonia may have escaped.

Found in a Dometic last fall, solution was a new refrigerator.

[holidayrambling]

HELP HELP... any1 have any ideas in ref to my NORCOLD 1200LR i just had a recall done... new icemaker installed and a recall fixed.... it was working wonderful.. until the other day NOTHING it stopped wprking.. i checked the breaker... power to all the house just not refridgerator.. ANY OTHER things i can check b4 it goes to the shop..... I APPRECIATE the HELP

PM sent

JohnnyT Moderator

[fortytwo]

2000 Rexhall Rose Air
Ford F-53 with 210hp V-10
126,000 miles
US Highway 421 between Wilkesboro and Boone NC
Blew a sparkplug - 4th from rear on left bank

Called Good Sam Road Service at 12:28 August 29, 2011
fonecon results:
I clearly told phone rep I needed a shop that could work on a Ford V-10 engine;
Boone Ford claimed to be busy
Good Sam rep said Robert Handy Camping in Wilkesboro could do the service;
At 01:30pm Good Sam Rep said a tow company had been contacted and would arrive within 100 minutes;
Mountain View Towing arrived at 3:00 pm, very professional, towed to Robert Hamby Camping - THEY DON'T DO ANY ENGINE OR CHASSIS SERVICE!
Moved up road to truck stop where Mountain View Tow operator waited while I drove over town looking for a service shop. Couple of leads were dead. Advanced Auto Parts clerk was my savior. First lead declined to service. Second was small home based mechanic who didn't have room in shop, but said if I could get it towed to a Food Lion parking lot near him he would look at it and thought he could fix.
Mountain View Towing had waited while I searched and towed the MH to Food Lion where I received permission from the manager to park it waiting service.
5:30 pm Ronnie (home based mechanic) arrived, found blown plug and left to get plug and coil replacement;
6:15 pm Ronnie returns with parts, replacement plug different type, but apparently authorized replacement, wouldn't tighten; need helicoil, will return in morning to install.

Lessons Learned:
1. I should have called Robert Hamby Camping to verify they could do the service. They claimed Camping World had not contacted them. Apparently they did a "Google" for RV service.

2. Never trust Camping World Road Service to find you a shop capable of doing the repairs needed.

Edit 1: Plugs installed 8 years ago at 42k miles.
I apparently have the "4 thread heads" on my V-10
Plug blew at normal cruise power.

[munkalido]

RV particulars: Dodge B300 C-class, Beaver Monterey
Driveline (Engine, Transmission): 440-3 / A727
Miles:55,000
Year: 1976
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: Won't start after sitting in storage
Effect:
Cause: corrosion on the coil pickup sensor
Outcome: by chance I measured the tolerance in the pickup and by doing so cleaned the corrosion and it fired right up.

[missscarlet9]

2000 36' Monaco Knight
61,000 miles
5.9l Cummins Turbo Diesel pusher.

Bought this unit (our 4th Class A) in August of 2010. On our 3rd trip from Regina, SK to Calgary, AB, I had a "low water" warning for low coolant. I pulled over and inspected everything and found no leaks, topped up the radiator and continued on. Within 100 miles I had the same low coolant warning. Again topped up the radiator and found no leak. When we finally stopped in Calgary and stayed the night, I crawled under the engine and had a good look with a flashlight. I found that the engine block was cracked (behind the turbo) and had been patched with steel epoxy. Someone had patched the block prior to my purchase. The coolant was evaporating as quickly as it leaked which led to no evidence of a leak. The only reason I was never stranded was that because I was in a RV, I carried enough water to top up the rad and continue on.

Long story short, the Cummins 5.9l blocks stamped "53" are flawed and known to crack. If you are buying a unit with the Cummins powerplant, inspect this closey and stay away from anything with this block.

I have since replaced the entire engine with a factory rebuilt #51 block with 300hp injectors and it now runs like a top. It has very good fuel economy (lows of 10.4 MPG, highest 14.2 MPG) and all kinds of power.


Bob

[roadhousecharle]

05WAF350 wrote:
Not knowing exactly where this goes so my question is we have Good sam emergency road side assistance, first time we used it in 5 years. We were in our POV, not towing and located at Seattle/Tacoma internaional airport. Returned to a dead battery and could not get assistance for a jump for over 3 hours. I would call and they would say we will have somebody to you in 30 minutes but they would not show. This went on 3 times and we finally arranged for and paid for and got the truck started ourselves. Of course, as we are getting it started at 11:45 pm somebody shows up, writes down the vin number, asked me to sign and off they go. I was happy somebody eventully showed but 3+ hours later in the city seems a lot to long to wait. Do others have this kind of poor responce from roadside assistance or did this look like a one time issue.

Don

I've had fairly good luck with Good Sam Roadside Assistance. Used it 3 times. Had to wait an hour once but that was early AM in Northern VA traffic and they woke the guy up to tow my car.

[roadhousecharle]

1995 Thor Pinnacle

8.2L Chevrolet engine

Workhorse chassis

Fuel pump, water in gas tank, rusty gas tank

low power

Last MH was a gas unit that had been sitting for a few years. Got sold to a dealer and I got a "great deal" on it. Drove fine during the test drive and on the way home, about 75 miles total. Next trip out it started losing power and ultimately wouldn't go faster than 25 mph.

Problem turned out to be rust particles in the gas tank. A LOT of rust particles, resulting from the 3 1/2 gallons of water I siphoned out of the tank. The rust particles would get sucked up to the fuel pump pickup sock (first line filter) and starve it for gas. When I stopped the rust particles would settle away and it would run great for a couple miles.

The solution was to thouroghly clean out and seal the tank since a nationwide search using 3 independent sources couldn't come up with a new tank. I used a couple of pounds of dry wall screws as abrasives and rolled the tank around the yard. You don't shake an 80 gallon tank in your hands like you would a motorcycle tank. Then I rinsed it out with water a couple of times followed by a couple of rinses with acetone.

After it dried it was fairly clean but with all the baffles, there was no way to get all the rust out of it. After doing a bit of research, I used an epoxy sealant from Caswell Plating. It was spendy and a lot of work, but it was a great solution for me.

I don't think I have enough money to have work like this done.

[William__Bill_]

Engine: V10
Mileage: 30000 +
Year: 2000

Description of breakdown

Symptom:
While driving back from Boston Ma to Louisiana, we stopped at a Flying gas station in Chattanooga TN. I was filing the tank when I noticed the compartment doors on the slide out were out about 2 inches on the bottom but flush on the top. After filling, I found that the compartment was swinging freely only supported by the attachment to the front of the slide. The back of the four door compartment is supported at the rear by a 1/2 inch bolt on each corner with the top of the bolt welded to the slideout support beam. On the compartment the bolt goes through a bracket with an adjustment nut on the other side. Both bolts had broken at the weld.
Took the toad to Lowes and bought two band straps. Strapped the compartment up in place, not easy, and came home.

[chrisnjackie]

We were 75 miles into our first trip in new MH when the low coolant indicator came on. Luckily we were only a few miles from rest area. Since we were newbies, called RV dealer for help. Tech told me I could keep going but keep eye on temp gauge. Luckily I went to back of unit to take a look before moving on because radiator fluid was spewing out. At that point, I called CoachNet and they had a rep from Freightliner contact me. He sent out a mobile unit within 90 minutes. A split in the radiator hose was found and changed out. Unfortunately, the mobile unit had no coolant but I was only a few miles from an auto parts store. Got there 10 minutes before closing and told the clerk I needed 9 gallons of coolant for an RV. Back to the RV with the antifreeze only to find out that I didn't get radiator coolant, but was sold winterizing fluid for the plumbing system. In the end he used water and got us on our way. It took us 7 hours to go 200 mile, not a very fun inaugural ride. Luckily, a very relaxing 4 days at the campground tempered my desire to get rid of the RV.

[FSTEDYRV]

On my trip home from Myrtle Beach, 10 miles from I95, noticed white cloud in rear vision monitor. On inspection found radiator fluid all over the engine and my toad. Called my insurance company for tow or repair. ABC Discount Towing Mullins/Marion SC could send mechanic in one hour or tow 2 hours. Elected to have mechanic come as that seemed the quickest. They found a ruptured hose(3"OD) just before the water intake/thermostat connector. They removed the thermostat and hose. The Cummins trained mechanic claims he has seen several of this type failure after the thermostat sticks closed and burst(1"-Tear) the hose. He made field expedient repair to thermostat by cutting the valve portion off. No replacement thermostats were available within 200 miles. Made it home to DE after 11 hours the next day. After 4 hours at the side of road and $400 for the repairs and parts.The mechanic also recommended replacing thermostat ASAP before winter. ABC road service was great and fast.
Ed Bowler
2006 Presidio
335 hp Cummins ISC

[Your_Old_Dog]

RV particulars: Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40 foot
Driveline :Cummins ISC360
Miles: 25,000
Year: 2008
Break Down Description: Engine alternator failure.
Symptoms:Low Voltage warning - alternator not putting out full power
Effect: alternator could not keep up with coach and motor battery demands
Cause: Pilot error I believe. In getting RV ready for next day use the shore power cable came loose and that resulted in sapping the coach batteries pretty hard. The Coach engine alternator put out extreme power to meet the demand and failed after 200 miles of thruway driving.
Outcome: New alternator put in from air cleaner side of engine (not top bedroom cover where it isn't accessible). Shop took alternator to truck alternator specialist and brought back another. Cost was s$280.00 for unit and $740.00 for everything. DON'T LEAVE HOME WITH NEARLY DEAD COACH BATTERIES OR YOUR ALTERNATOR MAY NOT FINISH THE TRIP.

[mtrumpet]

RV Particulars (Mfg, Type, Model): 2002 Newmar Dutch Star

Driveline (Engine, Transmission): Cummins 350 ISC / Allison M-3060 / Spartan MM Chassis

Miles: 78,500

Model Year: 2002

Break Down Description: About 3 miles down the road upon departing for a weekend trip, thick white smoke bellowing from engine compartment. Pulled into a shopping center parking lot. Fluid pouring down into ground and trailing behind us.

Symptoms: (Above) Engine was operating fine.

Effect: Hydraulic fluid being throw around engine compartment and on exhaust pipes cause the smoking.

Cause: Cooling Fan Hydraulic Motor Shaft Seal(s) failed causing extreme hydraulic leak.

Outcome: Called Coach Net who arranged to have the rig towed to a nearby service facilty. I had to order a new Hydraulic Motor from Spartan Chassis (Spartan P/N 0700-FF1) and have shipped overnight. Repair facility installed new motor the next day.