Posts from the ‘RV Maintenance’ category

Winnebago 2003 Adventurer 33V

Details for the Winnebago (2003 Winnebago Adventurer 33V):

Living room with slide out – passenger dash area has a pull-out workstation where I set up computer, printer and external monitor on top of the printer. There is power (110 and a 12 volt outlet) under the passenger window.

Not a bad galley space – I cook the same things on the road as I do at home. I’ve cooked my homemade pizza, cherry pie and all manner of baked items in the gas oven. For Christmas in AZ (12/05) I baked a prime rib roast in the convection oven.

Dinette has under seat storage as well as making into a bed – for short people or kids! But the sofa is an electric multi-position which makes into either a double recliner with foot rest or a queen bed.

Nice shower! – separate from commode. The shower/commode area can be separated from the forward area and the bedroom by the pocket doors, thus giving 2 sleeping areas private access to all of the bathroom facilities.

Bedroom – RV Queen and a bedroom TV. Lots of storage and plenty of closet and drawer space. I especially like the windows on the ends of the slide which makes for plenty of fresh air.

Windshield shades – daytime, you can see out, but no one can see in. Additionally, keeping the heat off the windshield keeps the forward interior cooler in hot weather.

There is an awning shade which makes for shade and privacy under the awning.

Wyoming Sunset – Don’t ya just want to go RVING????

got Jacks, got Rooms, got Stars in my eyes!

The beast aka “Wild Thing” is home!  The jacks work, the rooms work…. a pump relay was replaced and the old one found to have arcing.  The BIG question is….what caused the arcing and the motor failure and are we cured or just treating symptoms.  I actually think we are cured but time will tell.  I’m planning some overnight trips VERY close to home along some bumpy roads – to mimic a long trip – and see if a literal shake-down brings up more trouble or if we are good to go.  Still – a motorhome – house on wheels – made of atoms (not my line but I like it!) – things are going to break…

Jacks 

Motorhome

Stars in my eyes – well, the “stars” I’m writing about…several days ago, Karl and I bumped heads playing…  His head hit me on the browbone above my left eye hard enough that I saw stars – Pretty, but OUCH and I thought I might get a black eye, but no so I forgot about it until yesterday when all of a sudden a large floater in my eye and then last evening a flash of light when I moved my eye. 

I looked on the internet and scared myself silly so called my eye Dr. this a.m. and they fit me in to the Sat a.m. schedule… So far so good – the thing that floater and flash “possibly” signifies is detached retina – which they can fix but better to find and fix sooner than later.  At any rate, the retina is not detached and they will keep an eye on it.

The good news is this fun eye patch that they gave me – they dilated the pupil extra to really get a good look and it is extremely light sensitive until it returns to normal…and I have 1 or 2 more checks so….

EyePatch 

from the motorhome repair shop

Working

Sadly, today’s post comes from the motorhome repair shop.  I did write a draft there although am posting from my home office.

The service writers and staff at Loren’s Auto Repair are used to me bringing my computer and today offered me a desk!  I’ve downloaded PDF’s for them while there so I guess got semi-official status today.  I had a quiet corner, my iPod, a good cell signal for my aircard so work as normal.

That’s the good news… I was there in the first place because when I went to run the jacks down prior to some final trip preps they were not working.  Slide rooms work fine so the new electric motor is fine.  I checked everything I knew how to check. 

Shop

The shop got them working but not by a method I was willing to go home with.  After checking all power to and from the switch they started thumping things and then the jacks worked.  I’m not up to writing the entire ugly scenario but by end of the day it was determined that the problem is a pump relay – the relay that sends power to one of the room solenoids or the jack solenoids.  Hopefully they will find one tomorrow and get it replaced.

Meantime, I cancelled the trip – I’ve now spent a day and a 1/2 of time and not sure about the $$ and it just put me over the top with the motor, transmission service and playing catchup with work.  Disappointing but part of the RV thing. 

“Wild Thing”…spending the night away from home…

Motorhome

Clean ‘er up!

Motorhome

Ann

It was a beautiful day and I was ready fairly early so took the motorhome for propane and then a rinse off at the local car wash which conviently has a motorhome/truck bay.  It is a sort of “Keystone Cop” drill of back and forth and up and down – rinse, suds, brush, rinse – move the motorhome forward a bit, repeat – twice…  But gets the worst of the road dirt off and the water/mess goes down the drain.

A bit of fine tuning at home and she’s fairly clean.  I don’t make myself crazy over getting every bit of stuff and water spot off but nice to have a wash every now and again.  And it was just one of those days that made me feel like being outside doing something. 

The wind came up which might not be good for the fires but the sound of the wind in the pines and the light which is getting that fall angle – nice…  

RV Transmission – Part 3

10:45 Monday morning – we are at the shop, the part is here!!! – so just waiting for the service tech to finish whatever.  I have power and internet so “life” continues – Bob and Karl napping as usual.

 It is not quite as smoky this morning as last night but smoke is supposed to drop and thicken so I don’t expect much improvement here or on the way home.

 3:40 – Home!  Transmission fixed very quickly – wasn’t as much “stuff” in the way as anticipated, trans serviced with fresh fluid and filter (yep, Al 25K!) and trip home was easy.

 It is VERY smoky and ash falling but still good to be home – nice break in the anxiety.  Will leave the motorhome mostly loaded and ready to roll but I think we’ll be ok for the duration. 

Repair and service details:  The internal F Solenoid had an electrical short causing the transmission failure warning and not allowing Reverse after the failure warning.  The failure warning disappeared on engine shut down – reappeared after shifting into 2nd gear at approx 28-30 mph.  Once the failure warning was on, Reverse was not available and the “range inhibit” light came on if Reverse was attempted.  D1,D2,D3 all available.  Reverse was available on a fresh engine start.

 The wiring harness for the F Solenoid was also replaced.  The original harness looked fine, but a new harness had been ordered “in case” so all new parts was the decision.

 The pan was dropped and trans fluid drained to do the solenoid/harness replacement so fresh fluid as well as a new filter were installed (mileage = 26214).  The Allison tech recommended 25K change of trans fluid and filter and it turns out that this is a quick and easy service on this coach.

After service we took a 15 mile round trip test drive which included a short but moderately steep pull up Evaro Hill.  No bells, whistles or warnings and shifting was smooth and normal.  Trans fluid was at the proper level on return. 

RV Transmission – Part 2

No problem getting to the shop this morning.  The tech who will do the work was filled in by the service manager/tech that did the diagnostic test on Wed and everyone is cautiously optomistic… at any rate, I have confidence in this place and the tech assigned to do the work. 

Shop 

Another shop…BUT my tech, Paul, VERY professional and competent but friendly and he loved Karl.  You can see his tool bench is very neat and organized.    He went right to work – we chatted a bit waiting for his computer to sync to the motorhome computer but otherwise he was all business which was a nice contrast to Wed.  In the photo above he is on the far right accessing the Allison computer.  Anyway, it is an internal solenoid gone bad – shorted so sticking and only problem is they didn’t have the right one so it is on it’s way “overnight” but since it’s Friday, that means Monday.  However, since they know for sure the problem, they were able to tell me ok to drive back and forth from Jim n Mary’s – worse case is it (transmission) will decide it only likes one gear – probably 3rd, but definitely not reverse. 

So… we are back at Jim n Mary’s until Monday.  I was paid through Monday and that should let the fire weather calm down a bit.  Monday we don’t have to be at the shop until 10:30 and they think they will have me on the road home 3ish – I’ll be happy with 5ish…anything earlier will be a bonus.

The parts cost is minimal… is it is the 4 hours of labor on Wed, 1.5 today and probably 4 on Monday that is the $$$.  Well, it’s only money and as said before – better here in Missoula, close to home and with an Allison shop – than somewhere without the service options.  The motorhome across from me came in “on the hook” per Paul – broken rear axle – now there is heartbreak!