[Peter]

Had my trans seal fee placed at Prevost JAX in Sept. The old seal had worn a groove in the shaft (only 54000 miles but 15 years). Prevost has a sleeve that fits over the shaft so the groove does not destroy the new seal. Also replaced the U-joint as the old one was VERY rough. Less than 1qt of trans fluid added. Invoice $740

[Peter]

Thanks for the follow up I think that’s an awesome recommendation. At this point I don’t know where else to turn in going to take a pro to check this thing out. They do all types of electrical like inverters house batteries etc.?

Tully

[Peter]

I just wanted all you 55º folks to remember us snow folks up here. I obviously didn’t get the memo. We had just a little lake effect last night here in NE Ohio (nothing like MN or the UP of Mich) and it’s still pretty- isn’t it? I took this going out the my drive early this AM. Temps are nothing like Peter’s out there in WY.

It seems that everyone is recommending little cube heaters to keep the the inside of the bus & the plumbing bay warm. Won’t the toe kick heaters work? I have three new (post recall) cadet heaters inside the coach (thanks to Peter for the heads up on the old ones that were recalled a long time ago) and one in the bay. I can’t get into my heated storage until Dec and it’s going down to the teens (so they say) next week. It’s been in the low 20’s at night and so far the inside temp has yet to drop below 40º. The plumbing bay is even warmer.

I know the best answer is to get in the darn thing and head south.

[Peter]

But Jon … isn’t the market cruel to everything that is higher end? Like cars, boats, yachts, airplanes, and oftentimes real estate? The notable exceptions sometimes (except for any real estate I buy!) are primary homes and second homes.

[Peter]

I’ve got a chance to buy a set of 6 Michileans that are 5 years old which still have the tit’s on them for $300 each installed. The size is 12R x 22.5 instead of 315 80R that is on the coach now. They are supposed to be the exact same height and about 1/2 narrorwer according to the manager but they could be a little narrower. Is there any problem with using these ?

[Peter]

XLII

[Peter]

As the complexity of a product approaches infinity the time between failures approaches zero.

For me, simple as possible. That has different meanings for different people. I want more comfort than an air mattress and a propane heater. I
don’t have a need for a control pad that controls every light and
system in the coach at the entrance door, the driver area, the kitchen,
the bathroom and one on each side of the bed. All that control
requires a box that spreads across the front wall of the first bay. That
box is filled with proprietary circuit boards and relays that was designed by a
company who is now out of business. One rocker switch per light is fine
with me and one generator control panel. It’s not like I have to walk
several 1000 feet out in the cold to turn a light off or stop/start the
generator. That’s one reason I like this old Angola, it’s reasonably simple. Although who ever did the wiring, it must have been their first day on the job. Most of it is poorly routed, some was dangerously routed and the plumbing was not much better. I’ve made improvements but it’s still not my ldeal of a professional job.

Ken

[Peter]

Be nice driver or I’ll show everybody a picture of you.

What’s up with the Queen BA? They run you out of Coburg and now your in Dallas?

Later

bv

[Peter]

Just for kicks, check the low coolant level switch if it has one. I had one go bad, and even though coolant wasn’t low, it would cause it to start, not start, shut down. and so on. It would kill power to the fuel solenoid.

[Peter]

That’s similar in complexity as a question to trying to answer “how high is up?”

If you are a mechanic, if you have the space and weight capacity, if you have the tools, if you can diagnose your problems, if your travel schedule is critical, and if you are willing and able to do your own repairs by all means carry spares. And fluids. And the diagnostic tool, etc. etc.

If I am not mistaken we can count the number of times a PC member has been shut down and had to be towed on the fingers of both hands. Out of all our members and the number of trips taken the percentage has been extremely low. Then if we consider the situations in which a spare widget would have saved the day the percentage of instances when spares would have helped is even less.

In a lot of cases just carrying some basic spares is all that is needed to put the odds well in your favor. Belts, spare relays, and even a spare tire (not practical) along with some knowledge of some tricks will get you going, and keep you going. By tricks I mean a way to use a jumper on some sensors, or knowing to get the bus to the driving height you might need to replace or swap a solenoid coil.

You have a lot of assets already available such as a coach that you can keep going if the alternator quits using the on board battery charger, you have lots of water to keep the radiator full, you have an air supply to fill tires, and in most cases you have enough relays to swap out with others to replace the critical ones.

Some things a trailer full of spares won’t help are blowouts that take out critical parts like air bags or brake chambers. A fire will stop you. An engine or transmission failure shuts you down or even a blown hose in the intake will keep you from driving. We have heard of owners who have been sidelined by minute problems that took days to diagnose, such as leaks in a fuel line that were sucking air.

I used to carry a boatload of spares. A tire, brake chambers, generator fuel pump, fluids, etc. Then I made sure I had the tools such as a torque multiplier so I could change a tire. No more. I would rather replace perfectly good parts like belts, air bags, brake chambers, tires, etc. prematurely than risk an on the road breakdown. I do still carry belts, light bulbs, relays, tools, etc. but only for the simple things. Other than that my best protection is 1-800.

[Peter]

Yeah, but now we have Guru’s…..only have to listen to one person….much easier.

[Peter]

Mine does not run unless I use something air operated , I put ball valves in all things that use aux air when parked so I can shut them off then turn one on at a time and see witch one is leaking if air goes rushing into line that might help you find what thing is leaking

[Peter]

Transporting a shotgun through Canada in the bus was a non event. Had the form filled out before I got to the border, paid the 250 bucks and away we went. No inspection or any questions. Of course the handguns were left at home…

[Peter]

On our 98 Vantare H (97 chassis) both control boxes were in the first bay passenger side on the very top of the forward wall… there was a panel about 12″ deep with screws… had to look closely to see it.

Diane

[Peter]

Yes, when installed on my Ram I have to adjust the ball upwards to get the tow bar level.

Level tow bars are likely not a big deal if the toad is light in weight. But when the weight of the toad exceeds 3 tons I think keeping it level is of great importance.