[Jerry]

That was perfect Big Al, I will forward the check tomorrow.

Thanks

BCO

[Jerry]

We did without our bus air for 680 miles this week while dealing with another problem that I will post about later. We ran the generator and roof airs but no comparison. There is no way I want to do that all the time.

Davy

[Jerry]

That or a dry teflon was what I used. WD40 or equivalent eventually seems to get a lot of grit on the pin and slide.

[Jerry]

Guys,

Here was what caused me to wave off the two I got. I had prevost send me Tow Instructions. I read them a couple of times in the 9 hours i was waiting. I can try and post them here it’s a PDF if that would be helpful too others… everyone should have it.

Prevost suggests lifting the coach with axel forks not by underneath the wheels like a typical wrecker. My tow guys had the forks but were not set up to use them. Red Flag number #1

They started to boom out the lift and there was no way it was going to clear all the stuff under the front.. Geny raditor lines etc.. They asked what all that “stuff” was and I said… its important and it’s not broken… Red Flag #2

The final thing for me was both these guys were super nice but they were both really big guys… it was going to be a major ordeal to get them under the bus to disconnect the drive axel and secure it.

The final straw was it was raining like a mother…. so I opted to run the risk of getting killed by a truck rather than damaging the bus further… had it not worked out the way it did…. it might have been a bad call.

I Hope to never have to go thru something like this again but….But stuff happens…

Bill

[Jerry]

I also would like to know what to ask AND look for if we ever need to be towed.

We have Coach Net and Good Sam’s (didn’t realize that our insurance included Coach Net from previous policy and also bought GS). We have never needed a tow (7.5 yrs. with the previous coach).

I felt like I kept on top of maintenance that may have very well kept us from a breakdown. Things can and do happen that we can’t control.

So, what is a big red flag that you would say “NO…. go away”!

Mark

[Jerry]

Dick,

Misery loves company…..There must be something in the air !

We can share the same pain as our 15 year old Amana (original) has failed.

In my case it was a spring restart after refrig storage shut down last fall. As per Truk4u this spring I replaced all 3 items he suggested. Prior to doing that I simply turned on the refrig for a couple of minutes, heard a fan run, thinking all is good. Pulled the plug and replaced all 3 items. That only took about an hour and with the feeling of doing the right thing restarted it.

It goes down hill from this point as it never got cold. Calling my friend Sam who has a full time appliance tech. He owns several hundred apartment units around KC. Long story short a 15 year plus is not worth repairing and also believes it’s not worth spending “any” money to repair. Cause of failure is loss of freon which in his experience is about 5 years extra life in 15 years of service.

We also have a raised floor that requires building a platform to slide prior to removing doors.

We are making arrangements for replacement.

[Jerry]

Already did, Peter. Impressive. Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance… Looks like you learned from the best. You don’t have anything near us on the schedule, but if you are ever passing through Nashville and have time for lunch, give us a shout. We’re between Brentwood and Franklin… definite horse country!

I was out in Central CA for 10 years. Have you ever run across Doug Williamson at the Triangle D, out there in Bakersfield. He and his wife Carol are old friends of mine. I’ve seen him and his horses do some amazing things. http://www.championcowhorses.com

[Jerry]

This story should remind us all to methodically go through EVERYTHING! The cause of the problem could be something big … or relatively minor. Leave NO stone unturned.

[Jerry]

I’ve never owned a bus with the 8V92, but I have in over the road trucks. We never touched the valves, until 2-300,000 miles. I doubt you would notice any difference, fuel mileage or power.

I would leave them alone.

[Jerry]

George, here is what the roof vent looks like on mine. Featherlite really went to a lot of trouble to build this dryer vent. They must have built the coach around it. I finally had to remove the shelf it sat on, and drop it straight down. Not easy.

Truk, you need to fix these too, don’t know why they do that.

[Jerry]

A) To find the itinerary for the Petoskey 3 day pre -rally drop down to the Yellow high lined “Please see……

B) To see the crossing info… USA to Canada drop down 2 paragraphs Yellow high lined “Hearthside to Quebec”

C) Travel talk about crossing USA to Canada most agree Port Huron is preferred.

We would like to invite all Marathon Québec Rally goers to a Pre-Rally at Hearthside Grove RV Resort in beautiful Petoskey, Michigan, just minutes from Lake Michigan. Please see the attached itinerary (Marathon Rally – 2015) for information regarding the Pre-Rally. The Pre-Rally is two nights, from Sept. 8 to Sept. 11. To make your reservations, please call Hearthside Grove directly at 888-476-8388, and tell them you are with the Marathon Coach group. Please note, the resort is offering a rally rate of $50 per day, up to seven days prior to the rally start date (as long as space is available), so come early and enjoy Hearthside! For those wishing to head on to Québec with other rally goers, please see the attached itinerary for that trip (Hearthside to Quebec). We will depart Hearthside Grove on Sept. 11 and go to the KOA in Port Huron, Michigan for one night. Please call the KOA there directly at 800-562-0833 to make your reservation. On Sept. 12, we will cross the Blue Water Bridge from Port Huron into Canada. After a drive of approximately five hours, we will arrive at the Brighton KOA. Please call them directly to make your reservations at 800-562-0906. Each KOA has agreed to hold a group of sites for us until Sunday, May 24. After May 24, the KOA sites will be open to the general public and are first-come, first-served. From Brighton to Québec on Sept. 13, there will be a drive of approximately seven hours. We have also included a list of RV parks that we have stayed at on the way from Eugene to Hearthside Grove (RV Parks – Eugene to Petoskey). Depending on your route, you may find some of these convenient for your trip. If you have any questions, please contact Carol Gluckman at ctgluckman@gmail.com We look forward to seeing you in Petoskey, Pam & Lou Watson Carol & Ken Gluckman Québec Pre-Rally is a Privately held Rally with the Gluckman’s and Watson’s and is Not Controlled by Marathon Coach Club or Marathon Coach.

[Jerry]

Well, I finally figured it out, even though, I haven’t figured out how to get the bracket loose. The only way I could see back there was to slip my iphone between the cabinet wall and the side of the bus and take a few pictures. Here is what I found. There is no vent going to the floor, It does go out the roof. And the vent looks a little overkill to me.

I need a real skinny arm, or a robot! First picture sideways for some reason.

Fixed it for you Jerry.. Truk

[Jerry]

Chris,

Good catch on solving the problem. If you get a chance could you post a picture of the item that caused the little repair bill.

Thanks,

AL

[Jerry]

I never mentioned valve stem extensions because I know the folks on this forum are too well informed to use those.

[Jerry]

joe, did you get 24V markers or are yours 12v? Mine are 24V.

Bill