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?

[GWFULTZ]

2003 Dolphin

I guess I belong here. I've had 4 Air Conditioning compressor failures as well as other A/C failures since we bought this coach new. Workhorse says it is not a continuing problem even though we had 3 compressor failures in the first 2 years. I'm sure glad they stand behind their product.

[Fulltimers]

RV particulars: 2003 Rexhall 3550BSL
Driveline (Engine, Transmission): 8.1L gas, Allison 5 speed, Workhorse Chassis
Miles: 35000
Year: 2003
Break Down Description: Loss of power
Symptoms: Running along fine, sudden loss of power then resumes running along fine.
Effect: loss of power
Cause: Crankshaft Position Sensor
Outcome: Replaced sensor an no further problems

We were running down the interstate when the motorhome lost power for less than a second then resumed to running fine. Happened 3 times during a 300 mile trip. An engine scanner found codes p1518 and p0336. Apparently the p0336 caused the p1518 code because once the crankshaft position sensor was replaced all codes were gone. Drove another 300 miles with no problem so far.

Update 10/27/10: Over 42000 miles and still running strong.

[J_W_T_]

Hot June day in Texas on I-45 between Houston and Dallas. Cruising with the traffic flow when a tremendous crunching and metal rending noise emaninated from the dog house. We pulled over on the side of the road and after cooling off crawled under to assess the damage. DW said it sounded like the fan blade came off. (What do they know) Yep it was the fan blade. 1/2 of one blade had broken clean off and had traveled down to the balancer where it was stuck and making the horrible noise. I pulled it out and found no other damage so we slowly made it to the next town and a repair station. The break was a cvlean one with no cracks etc. We did not hit anything or have anything bounce up off the raod. We had checked this item when we checked the belt tension before we left. We had made no adjustments so it was a big mystery why the blade would fail as it did.

[jerrit1]

RV particulars: Fleetwood Southwind
Driveline (Engine, Transmission) Chevy 454 4bbl gas, 3spd auto
Miles: 75,000
Year: 1983
Break Down Description: Engine would not start after shutting it off.
Symptoms: Engine would turn over but not start.
Cause: After determining there was no fuel getting to the carb I replaced the mechanical fuel pump...still didn't work, I then replaced all of the steel fuel line from engine to rubber hose exiting the top of the gas tank. Still didn't work. I then replaced the mechanical fuel pump with an electric fuel pump and mounted it on the chassis just after the fuel tank...still no fuel. I then removed the rear queen bed and cut a hole in the floor above the fuel tank and replaced the rubber fuel hose. All working now.
Outcome: The engine runs now.

[BudParrish]

My 2 cents from August 8, 2009:

RV particulars: Monaco Diplomat SFT, Roadmaster Chassis
Driveline (Engine, Transmission) Cummins 8.9 400 HP, Allison 6 Speed World Trans
Miles: 9,000
Year: 2008
Break Down Description: Houston TX to Marietta GA. 2nd day, on I-285 West approx 1/2 mile prior to Exit 18, thought I hit something even though road was clear and traffic light. Immediately "ALTERNATOR FAILURE" light came on. Presumed the fan belt broke.
Symptoms: Alternator Failure light blinking, alarm sounding. Engine Overheat Light and alarm shortly thereafter, "LOW BATTERY" light and alarm.
Effect: Engine overheating.
Cause: The fan belt pulley bearings failed, causing/allowing the fan and pulley to tilt forward and down. The fan (plastic) hit the crankcase pulley and shattered all 8 blades almost to the base. Shards of the fan cut the fan belt. More shards were thrown through and into the radiator. Some of the fan pieces even penetrated the heat shield and there were deep dents/cuts into the floor base in the master bedroom area.
Outcome: Towed to Cummins Power South. This is a Motorhome specific Cummins Service Center. They were terrific, fixed everything in a timely fashion. Bill Thomas, Cummins Service Advisor, arranged the tow after offering three different tow companies. The repairs were covered under Cummins warranty. The tow covered under Good Sam ERS. Fan and radiator had to be ordered from Monaco (YIKES!!!). We were back on the road in 6 business days, most of the delay due to getting parts from Monaco.

Bud

[diceman4848]

We all need a good extended maintenance program for break down's and I though I had one in Good Sam. I had a air compressor go out along at the same time no flow in the air dash. So I was submitting 2 claims.
Good Sam denied both claims. They said because a seal went bad which caused the compressor to leak and seals and gaskets are not covered they will not pay for the new compressor. As I explained to them that this wasn't caused by a seal and according to the invoice it was a leak and there was a bad O-Ring which caused the break down they will not pay for this part of the claim. Almost 1200.00 dollars. After going back and forth with them they send me a check for 531.00 saying they where giving me a good jester payment. My point to them was ok if you are giving me a good jester payment which is saying I'm guilty and here is some I'm guilty money, why not paid for the whole thing.
No such luck. Next part of the claim is they won't pay for the flume because of an alignment problem and alignment in not covered in the policy. Now here is a part that worked for 7 years and broke never to work again and they called it and alignment problem which didn't even read that in the invoice. 1700.00 down the toilet.

Keep in mind that your RV is pretty much made up of seals and gasket's and including the engine so if you have a Good Sam Extended Maintenance Policy you may want to re think it.
I did find another company who will cover seals and gaskets and read all the fine print and hope they will up hold the policy on my next break down and I'm sure I will have another break down along the way.

I'm not saying all of Good Sam is bad as I had good luck with there road service in the passed but now my life time membership doesn't even feel like a friendship.

Thanks for listining and happy motoring

[PittsburghDave]

I was crossing Rt80 in Pennsylvania at the end of June with cruise control set for 60MPH and was just at the top of a slight rise when the speedometer went from 60 to 0 a couple of times then the cruise control turned off, the digital mileage display turned off, the tow/haul light came on and the transmission dropped into third gear. I continued a short distance to a truck plaza and when I pulled off of the exit the transmission stayed in third gear. I shut the engine off and started it again and when I put it in gear it was still in third gear. Reverse worked ok but only third in forward positions. Called Ford Service and they arranged storage locally until today when we attempted to tow it to a local Ford Garage. When the tow truck arrived I had to move the rig to hook up and found that everything worked ok. Ford said it was the speed sensor on the output shaft on the transmission but could not get it to reoccur and sent me on my way with instructions to call if it happened again.

Well it did happen again this time 1200 miles laer as I exited the Kanas turnpike on Rte 35. Ford sent me to Enid OK. (Stephens Ford) and they replaced the speed sensor on Friday, the altanator on Monday, ignition coils (two at a time) on Tuesday and then determined it was the Powertrain Command Module. They had to order that from Pennsylvania. They replaced the Powertrain Control Module after it arrived by UPS at three in the afternoon on Thursday and I went with them for the 50 mile road test. The situation did not occur so I packed up and headed north. Two days and 1200 miles later I made it home with no problems. They said Ford felt it was a bad PCM that kept reading a bad speed sensor when the sensor was ok. It sure kept me on edge all the way home waiting for it to happen again. Sure was glad to get out of Enid Oklahoma after spending a week there. I will be going after Ford for some compensation for hotel rooms as it happened under bumper to bumper warranty to first time making it a recurring incident. Stevens Ford in Enid were great to deal with and went out of their way to look after us while we were there. Great to be home.

[hhornig]

I can't believe that I read the whole thing. Sixty seven page, over approximately 6 years. Still no summary, but I can see how difficult it would be. It would help to break it into gas and diesel for one thing.

My stories and I am sad to say they are plural go back to when I first bought the coach on consignment from a dealer. Unfortunately the low mileage was due to the coach sitting a lot while the owner was on various assignments around the country. It helps to drive these babies as they are made for that. Most of my problems have appeared here before so I won't go into great detail, suffice it to say that it was very traumatic at the time. I have met several small shop diesel mechanics who are really a great breed. The following is my expierience since 2004 when we bought the coach:

RV particulars: Monaco Dynasty, Roadmaster Chasis
Driveline (Engine, Transmission):Cummins 8.3 325 HP, Allison 6 Speed
Miles:30,000
Year:1997
Break Down Description: First trip after purchasing it used. Pulling a flatbed trailer with SUV on it. Stopped for fuel and engine wouldn’t turn off. Finally found a fuse to pull which shut off the engine.
Symptoms: Engine won’t turn off.
Effect:
Cause: The RV dealer installed a trailer wiring kit which did not have a solenoid disconnect and the trailer break away battery fed back into the coach.
Outcome: Disconnected the trailer plug every time I stopped during the rest of the trip. Never did fix it since I switch to towing 4 wheels down shortly afterwards.

This particular problem has been experienced by another forum member who I was able to help via the internet while he was on the road experiencing the problem.


Miles:35,000

Break Down Description: After camping in the rain for a few days the engine would not start.
Effect: Fuel solenoid would not open shut off valve.
Cause: Corrosion on wire connector.
Outcome: I hot wired the valve with a fuse and switch to get home.
Seems like every owner should know the ins and outs of their particular fuel shut off valve since this appears to be a frequent problem.


Miles:35,000

Break Down Description: Alternator was not charging.
Cause: Broken wire.
Outcome: Ran on battery until it dropped to 11 volts then stopped and charged battery off of generator.


Miles:37,000

Break Down Description: Fuel fogging the toad.
Cause: Loose injector
Outcome: Found a truck shop and mechanic tightened the injector-$20. Cost $30 to clean toad and engine.
I am going to check fuel lines and injectors more frequently since this appears to be a common problem.


Miles:40,000

Break Down Description: Lost power due to low turbo boost
Cause: PacBrake cylinder pivot mount broke and causing butterfly to block exhaust flow to turbo.
Outcome: Because mechanics thought the turbo had blown they suggested the mh be towed to a truck shop. Mechanic checked out turbo and then found the problem with the PacBrake. He wired it open. Cost tow $680 covered by insurance, mechanic diagnosed problem with temporary fix and re-install drive shaft $65. I fixed the PacBrake for the cost of a new cylinder $78.


Miles:42,000

Break Down Description: Engine high temperature light and alarm went on while gage indicated normal engine temperature.
Cause: Suspect faulty sensor.
Outcome: Cooled the engine to ambient and restarted. Alarm was still on while gage indicated a cold engine. Disconnected the sensor and carefully monitored engine temperature gage. Have not fixed it yet.

[Danielwin92]

i have the same problem with a winnebago 1992..

how do you make the repair..

Daniel

namvet wrote:
RV particulars: Itasca Suncruiser
Driveline: Workhorse 8.1L, Alison Transmission
Miles:36500
Year:2001
Break Down Description: While driving along highway the "Auto Park" light began blinking on and off. I could hear the hydraulic pump cycling as though it was trying to release the parking brake. The default position for the brake is "applied", which could have resulted in a 'catastrophic' event.
Symptoms:"Auto Park" light blinking; hydraulic pump cycling
Effect: Loss of hydraulic fluid from auto park brake reservoir
Cause: End of hydraulic ram had loosened allowing fluid to spray out when pressure was applied to release the brake
Outcome: Removed access cover, tightened end of ram as tight as possible, and refilled reservoir. Suggestion : Keep a regular check on reservoir fluid level

[Livin_Good]

jermaregoolsby wrote:
need advice on fogged windows on 98 bounder 36s how to get to top screws
thanks

Wrong thread...re-read the rules.

[edalegsd]

Int' will not start
1994 GulfStream Sun Voyager
Cummins 5.9
Allison 6 sp

Turns out that the "NEUTRAL SWITCH" in the Tranny was starting to fail.
Symptoms = turn the key and the engine would not turn over.

Quick Fix? - by pass the neutral switch on the tranny 😉

[jermaregoolsby]

need advice on fogged windows on 98 bounder 36s how to get to top screws
thanks

[namvet]

RV particulars: Itasca Suncruiser
Driveline: Workhorse 8.1L, Alison Transmission
Miles:36500
Year:2001
Break Down Description: While driving along highway the "Auto Park" light began blinking on and off. I could hear the hydraulic pump cycling as though it was trying to release the parking brake. The default position for the brake is "applied", which could have resulted in a 'catastrophic' event.
Symptoms:"Auto Park" light blinking; hydraulic pump cycling
Effect: Loss of hydraulic fluid from auto park brake reservoir
Cause: End of hydraulic ram had loosened allowing fluid to spray out when pressure was applied to release the brake
Outcome: Removed access cover, tightened end of ram as tight as possible, and refilled reservoir. Suggestion : Keep a regular check on reservoir fluid level

[gstar]

One handy trick that worked for us was when we stopped at a fair on our trip. When we returned, the engine (rear diesel, class A) wouldn't start. In fact, we got nothing, not even a click or a moan. BCAA couldn't find us so we were on our own. A older guy (older than me...) came by, took his hammer and banged our starter. Bingo, we were up and running again. Apparently this was fairly common in the "old" days, esp for farmers. He said a rock or anything heavy will do. Haven't had any problems with it since but he suggested it would need to be replaced at some point.

Gary

[Mainship]

Boblou wrote:
I had not heard of this one before. A friend was traveling in a mountainous area and when he got into town his brakes gave way. Pedal went to the floor. RV specialist drained the brake fluid and put new fluid in system and everthing worked fine. RV spccialist said when the brakes got hot from riding them down hill, your4 brake fluid boils away. Have since reseach and called local RV repairs and they said this was true. So in order to prevent and occurance on my RV i took a turkery baster, sucked out a lot of brake fluid and put new in. I hope i took out any brake fluid contaminated with water vapor.

This month I drove MH from FL to Ohio. After all the hills and mountains on return trip, MH brakes failed when No hills or mountains flat land for 20 miles and normal city driving just before getting to CG. after entering CG in Kentucky stopped normal at gatehouse, started to go to site and at first speed bump tried to apply brakes and it went to floor. slowly manuvered to site and checked all wheels temps, found rear drivers side was 300 degrees while rest were about 150. Bled cylinder, when mechanic showed up from GS's he bled passenger side and helped jack drivers wheel up to check rotation and stopping, gave it his ok to drive. Checked it in cg, cautiously drove and braked all was normal.
Used about pt of brake fluid, fluid I removed from system was black looking actually dark green on pouring.
Side note, most parts on chevy chassis are american, brake bleed valve needed 10mm metric.