DonTom
Well-known member
In our old 1978 Class C RV (junky GM 400 CID small block engine) about six miles east of Wendover, NV (in Utah, near the state line between Utah and NV on I-80), it SEEMED like we had a blow out on one of our new six tires, just purchased two days before. The vehicle shook all over the lane. We were doing about 70 MPH, slightly downhill, when this happened at around 0100 hrs on Friday morning (10, August 2007). When we got out and checked the tires, all looked fine. I knew this was bad news!
We tried to restart the engine. The engine is FROZEN. Only straining the starter by trying to start. Seems the 400 CID broke a rod or other lower end major engine damage.
We used a cellphone and called AAA to be towed to Wendover, NV. We're there by 0300 hrs or so. We find all the hotels and everything else in Wendover is booked because of races in the Bonneville slat flats. We stayed in the lot (that we were towed to) and slept in the RV overnight. This was next to Brad's Automotive Repair in Wendover. Seemed we had a lot of problems. In Wendover, there was no kennels for our two doggies. No way we could think of to get home. We're stuck 420 miles from our Reno home. It's expected to get to about 100 degrees F. that day.
In the end, much later in the day, we made contact with the same tow truck driver and I made a deal with him. He would tow me 100 miles free on my AAA Plus card. And to be towed the other 320 miles to Reno, I pay him a thousand dollars. He drops off the RV at Bob's Auto and Truck repair in Reno (the same place the engine was replaced last time) and from there, drove us home. This old RV has already gone through three engines.
This last engine was a rebuilt with only about six thousand miles on it, most of these miles from this one trip. From Reno, we drove to Grand Teton, on to Yellowstone and then South Dakota and then down to Dodge, KS before the return trip. At least the engine meltdown was on the way home. This rebuilt was more than two years old so no warranty. I also just paid $1,300.00 to get a new 134A A/C system installed before this trip. With the new seven tires (includes spare) and price of gasoline at 7.2 MPG, and everything else, this was a very expensive trip. This trip cost more than our one month long trip to China last March!
The entire trip was a bummer, because we wanted to spend some time in South Dakota, and visit places such as Deadwood (where Wild Bill Hickok was shot) but didn't know the big motorcycle rally at Sturgis (just 15 miles away). Harley noise 25 hours a day for about 100 miles in all directions. We couldn't wait to get out of the area. I should have know about Sturgis, because I ride motorcycles myself, but I never even thought about it or realized it was so close to Deadwood, or that it was going on two weeks ago while we were there. Everything crowded everywhere. RV parks that normally charge $25.00 were then asking for $155.00 per night. Cops everywhere giving tickets like crazy to both bikes and cars. So many people and bikes it was difficult to do much of anything anywhere.
Anyway, I finally decided to junk this old RV. I let my mechanic in Reno have the thing, thousand bucks worth of tires and all. Good riddance!
But I will be shopping for another RV, not new, but perhaps about six years old or so. Not right away, because we won't be going on another RV trip for a while. Anyway, what I will be looking for is a SMALL Class A RV (less than 25 feet) but with an LARGE engine, perhaps a diesel or something that won't have too much problem with the 11,000 foot peaks in Colorado.
Who makes SMALL good Class A's (less than about 25 feet) with a Diesel engine? Gasoline isn't out of the question if it's a large and reliable engine.
-Don- (now in San Francisco)
We tried to restart the engine. The engine is FROZEN. Only straining the starter by trying to start. Seems the 400 CID broke a rod or other lower end major engine damage.
We used a cellphone and called AAA to be towed to Wendover, NV. We're there by 0300 hrs or so. We find all the hotels and everything else in Wendover is booked because of races in the Bonneville slat flats. We stayed in the lot (that we were towed to) and slept in the RV overnight. This was next to Brad's Automotive Repair in Wendover. Seemed we had a lot of problems. In Wendover, there was no kennels for our two doggies. No way we could think of to get home. We're stuck 420 miles from our Reno home. It's expected to get to about 100 degrees F. that day.
In the end, much later in the day, we made contact with the same tow truck driver and I made a deal with him. He would tow me 100 miles free on my AAA Plus card. And to be towed the other 320 miles to Reno, I pay him a thousand dollars. He drops off the RV at Bob's Auto and Truck repair in Reno (the same place the engine was replaced last time) and from there, drove us home. This old RV has already gone through three engines.
This last engine was a rebuilt with only about six thousand miles on it, most of these miles from this one trip. From Reno, we drove to Grand Teton, on to Yellowstone and then South Dakota and then down to Dodge, KS before the return trip. At least the engine meltdown was on the way home. This rebuilt was more than two years old so no warranty. I also just paid $1,300.00 to get a new 134A A/C system installed before this trip. With the new seven tires (includes spare) and price of gasoline at 7.2 MPG, and everything else, this was a very expensive trip. This trip cost more than our one month long trip to China last March!
The entire trip was a bummer, because we wanted to spend some time in South Dakota, and visit places such as Deadwood (where Wild Bill Hickok was shot) but didn't know the big motorcycle rally at Sturgis (just 15 miles away). Harley noise 25 hours a day for about 100 miles in all directions. We couldn't wait to get out of the area. I should have know about Sturgis, because I ride motorcycles myself, but I never even thought about it or realized it was so close to Deadwood, or that it was going on two weeks ago while we were there. Everything crowded everywhere. RV parks that normally charge $25.00 were then asking for $155.00 per night. Cops everywhere giving tickets like crazy to both bikes and cars. So many people and bikes it was difficult to do much of anything anywhere.
Anyway, I finally decided to junk this old RV. I let my mechanic in Reno have the thing, thousand bucks worth of tires and all. Good riddance!
But I will be shopping for another RV, not new, but perhaps about six years old or so. Not right away, because we won't be going on another RV trip for a while. Anyway, what I will be looking for is a SMALL Class A RV (less than 25 feet) but with an LARGE engine, perhaps a diesel or something that won't have too much problem with the 11,000 foot peaks in Colorado.
Who makes SMALL good Class A's (less than about 25 feet) with a Diesel engine? Gasoline isn't out of the question if it's a large and reliable engine.
-Don- (now in San Francisco)
