3000 miles; two weeks; 6 people; a 21 year old RV and a tour of the southwest

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The engine trouble may be a simple fuel filter. Did you change it during the time you serviced the MH?
J
 
Battery tip. To check it under load, use 11.7 V as an indication of 50% charge. Try to not let it get below 50% to maximize the life of the battery.
 
Things ran like normal the rest of the way into moab.  I fueled up again, been doing that often!  Averaging 8.2 mpg for the trip.  Searched out parts stores in moab and they were all closed.  Everything seemed OK so we drove on out to the campground in arches where I had a reservation for two nights.  The camp host read the rule sheet to me and I setup in the dark.  Thankfully my personal raincloud was gone so I was able to setup dry for a change.  The trouble with the engine quitting, the heat, the late hour and the broken latches on my primary chock storage bin tried my patience.  I seemed to lack the ability to properly set my ramps up and had to try three times.  The spaces are not very level in arches so I used 4 of my specially made 2x6 ramps to level it up.  They consist of 3', 2' and 1' 2x6 bolted to each other with angles cut at each level and a chock bolted to the top level.  They stack up on each other and store compactly.  I try to get the rig as level as possible with ramps first and then use the HWH jack system for stabilizing and small adjustments. Arches was the most challenging leveling job of the whole trip.

After getting setup and level as I could (still ended up 2 degrees nose down) I did a final walkaround the rig and heard an odd noise coming from the rear of the rig.  I had never heard anything that far back on it before and I realized it was coming from the fuel tank.  It was running continuously and changing pitch slightly up and down.  Obviously it was the fuel pump, still engaged even though I had shut the ignition off 30 minutes ago.  I went and cycled the ignition on and off and the pump kept running.  I used the battery disconnect and that got it to stop.  Re-engaging the battery did not bring it back online so I figured the fuel pump relay had been stuck and was hoping it was the source of my troubles.  It was hot in arches, but cooled off some that night.  Dinner was meager it was so late and so hot that by the time I got done setting up that no one felt like making anything much.  Sleep was challenging in the heat and the sites are completely dry with no services.  They have some toilets and washing facilities.  We all turned in for the night and I pondered the unfolding fuel issues as I tried to sleep.
 
The next morning in arches we fell into our usual routine again with early morning coffee for grandma and tea for me.  The views of arches from the campground are really nice.  The early morning air was cool and refreshing after the frustration of the day before.  I decided to get back into moab and get a fuel pump relay installed, I already knew where the parts stores were.  After breakfast I loaded up my ramps and everything was running just fine.  We stopped by the delicate arch overlook on the way out and saw that sight.  We saw several other nice views and got to a checkers in moab. 

Checkers had the fuel pump relay in stock and after seeing what it looked like I went out to find it.  After a fruitless 30 minute search I inquired if there were any truck/rv repair shops around.  The only game in town was just down the street.  I pulled in and the man on duty was working on a broken El Monte rental class A rig.  That was the fourth broken El Monte rig I had seen, one being towed, one on the side of the road, one at another shop and now this one. Wonder what is up with that?  The repairman told me he was tracing a short in the electrical system and would be with me in 10 minutes.  I went back to the RV to have lunch with the family.  I made the discovery that my 6000 watt onan would run both AC units at the same time.  We battened down the hatches and fired it all up and enjoyed the cool air.  After 30 mintues lunch was over and still no sign from the mechanic.  I went out to inquire and the boss had shown up and they were chatting.  They told me another 10 minutes.  I waited 10 and then went out to tell them I needed to move on and he said he was almost done and ready to help me look for the thing.

After a few more minutes he finally came out and started searching.  I got my flashlight and now that the engine was a bit cooler was able to look a little more closely.  I found two relays that looked exactly like the new one.  The mechanic told me he was pretty sure the aft relay was the fuel pump.  I wanted to positively identify it so I unplugged it and turned the key on.  The fuel pump still ran with the ignition on.  I unplugged the other one and the same test proved that neither relay was for the fuel pump.  We searched for a while longer and could not find it.  He told me the other RV was unfixable and I got the impression that I needed to go somewhere else for help.  I packed it up and headed out.  We decided to go back out to arches and spend the night at the campground.  I have no idea what those two relays do or where the fuel pump relay is located.

We drove back out to arches and I still had a full tank of gas.  I ran the genny while driving and both ACs full blast to battle the heat.  As I slowed down into arches campground the engine cut off and we coasted to a stop in the middle of the entry to the campground.  People were able to get around us and thankfully no more RVs came while we were stuck there. It would restart for only a few seconds.  I let it cool down as I was now thinking it was heat related. Running the genny probably didn't help with its exhaust and other heat blowing around down there by the fuel tank.  I had my wife start it while I listened to the fuel pump and it pulsed and sputtered and the engine died.  It never stopped running completely but was erratic in it's sound.  I was beginning to face the reality that I had a fuel pump dieing.  We let it cool for about 15 minutes and then with two starts got it into the campground and parked in front of the first restroom.  I decided to take a hike and let it cool and then get it into the space.  I would use the hike to think about the situation and decide what to do.  I got the family together and we started out towards the devils garden hiking area.  I met the camp host along the way and explained to him that I needed to let it sit there for an hour or so to cool and then I would eitehr have it towed if it wouldn't run right or move it out of the common parking area.  The host protested and complained that I was using up valuable bathroom parking.  He insisted that I do something.  I told him my only option was to leave it or attempt to move it right now and end up blocking the entire campground with it's stuck bulk.  He told me he didn't like it and walked away.  We went off to hike the landscape arch trail which is about an hour out and back.

Landscape arch is huge, over 300 foot span with a very small amount of rock making up the span.  Very impressive.  During the hike I decided that I needed to drive when it was as cool as possible and try to get to a bigger city for repair.  We finished the hike and the big 454 started and ran like normal.  I got it into the space and cooked chicken over a wood and charcoal fire along with potatoes wrapped in tin foil that I set in the coals to bake.  Nothing like campfire food!  Still tough to sleep and had the alarm setup early to get started while it was cool.  I figured I could always call the AAA for a tow with my handy RV grade of membership if I got into a jam during the next days travels.
 
The next morning everyone was up for an early departure.  I decided to forgo our final destination of bryce and head on the interstates back towards home on the most direct route possible.  I refilled at moab to have as much fuel as possible and bought several gallons of extra drinking water in case we has an extended wait on the shoulder somewhere.  I drove at a bit faster clip than usual up to the I-70 to get off of the road from moab/arches with no shoulder as quickly as possible.  On the 70 I set the cruise and started pulling down the miles at 62 mph.  750 to get home.  I stopped in mesquite for fuel and filled up from a half tank in the beginnings of the desert heat.

We descended on into the valley and came into las vegas.  I had a nagging feeling that slowing down would cause me to lose the engine again, just like happened in arches the day before.  I hit traffic near the Sahara exit and had to slow down.  As soon as I did, the engine cut out.  We had done more than 400 miles.  I was two lanes from the shoulder trying to avoid traffic.  I signaled to get over and no one would have any part of letting me over so i started cutting it anyways as my momentum kept me moving.  People honked and flipped me off, but they let me in.  I got to the shoulder and stopped it.  It was the same deal, restart for a few seconds.  I didn't care for being on the shoulder of the I-15.  we were stuck between a concrete wall taller than the RV and the first lane of traffic.  Nevada DOT stopped by and put out flares for us. (triangles or flares are another thing to add on board).  I called AAA and they took all my info for a tow.  After 30 minutes on the phone with them they told me I had already used the 1 RV service I got with my RV membership back when I had them put the spare on.  They offered to connect me to a tow company.  Hadn't read the fine print very closely.  I decided to wait it out, we had been there for 45 minutes by then already anyways.  Another 15 and I fired it up, floored it and booked it for the next exit which was only a few hundred yards away.  I took it and headed AWAY from the strip.  It started stumbling me and I fought the accelerator for more distance.  I made it to the stop light and it died while the light was red.  I saw an empty lot to my right so when it was green and the  coast was clear I fired it up again and managed to get around the corner and into the empty lot.  it died again.  Things were stacking up against me but I felt fortunate to have made it this far.  I evaluated my options and concluded I either would have to store it in vegas and get my family home or get it fixed on the spot.  It was friday at 4 PM and the air was 105 degrees.  We sat sweltering in the vegas sun until a tall building across the street offered shade in the late afternoon.  I called around to motorhome repair shops and none were up to the job, it was a bigger rig than they could handle.  I then decided to try calling truck repair shops and found a place called J&S diesel service.  He agreed to leave his yard open for me so I could limp it over the 3 miles to his shop.  After almost 2 hours of cool down the rig started and drove normally again.  I used side streets and my wife guided me with the map on her phone.  We found the yard, parked it and hoofed it down to a motel 6 that was conveniently only a few hundred yards away and was nearly the cheapest game in town.  I didn't want to sleep in the RV with the genset running all night long in a truck repair yard in the vegas heat with no showers for everyone.  We all slept pretty well.
 
I woke up at 7:30 the next morning, a Saturday.  The truck repair shop was open at 8 so I grabbed a vending machine snack and walked over to the shop.  They were open until noon so there was only 4 hours to find out what would happen.  I talked with the owner and he already had a fuel pump, inlet screen and fuel filter on the way.  His tech put the RV up on a massive lift and started working on it while I made payment arrangements and signed off on the quote.  I waited in the lobby mostly since they didn't want me out in the yard.  I would have liked to have seen how they wrangled the 700 pound tank nearly full of fuel off without draining it!  He told me he had two techs on it to try and get it done by closing time.  If it wasn't done we were going to have to spend the rest of the weekend in vegas and wait until monday.  At 12:05 the owner came out and told me they were done and it was just being test driven.  He had actually reduced the labor and the parts cost a bit less than the original quote so it came out to a few hundred less than I had been expecting.  He used OEM parts.  The new pump had a completely different tone to it and ran at a different, steady pitch.

We boarded and prepared for the final push to San Diego.  2700 miles down, 300 to go.  The big block chevy ran smoother and seemed to have a bit more power.  The idle was noticeably improved.  I spooled it up to my usual 62 mph and headed south on I-15.  I followed a trucker for a while that was swerving from lane to lane, onto the shoulder and generally driving like a drunk.  I got on the CB and told him I was going to report him to nevada highway patrol.  He stopped swerving for a minute or so and then went back to it.  He nearly hit several cars passing him on the left lane.  I called 911 and reported him as drunk.  He got off on an exit, came to a stop and was last seen hanging off the side of his rig, maybe he was throwing up, I don't know.

After crossing into CA and the late afternoon coming on I decided to stop for some more ice and some bread to make a late lunch.  I had been hearing a bit of an odd sound but with the wind noise and other motorhome noises couldn't place it.  As I slowed down I began to hear a screeching sound.  The sound got louder as the other noises subsided and seemed to be following my wheel speed.  I thought of the new front bearings I had put in and was thinking one of them had gone bad.  I gave it some gas and the pitch increased with throttle, not speed.  Then I realized it was a fan belt issue. I finished pulling over and shut off the motor, preparing myself for a frozen item on the fan belt circuit.  I had seen the voltage before I shutdown so I knew it wasn't the alternator and figured it might be and idler or tensioner.
 
Gary, the tire advice given here is right on.  Unfortunately I had to learn it myself first hand to really believe it.  An explosion that sounds like a shotgun going off next to your head is enough to smack some sense into a person.  I am thankful it was a rear and not the front.  I can't imagine how violent a front blowout would be.

Believe me a blowout on these big trucks is NOT a pleasant experience even on the rear, and that is not including the time and inconvenience of dealing with it in a location far from home. I am certain that if I had replaced only two tires I would have left a string of blown tires across my path and delayed my journey by days as I scrambled to find more tires of the right size.  I was fortunate that the thing blew only 24 miles from a shop with enough 19.5s in stock to outfit my entire rig on a Saturday.  I may replace the two front double coins with a better known brand just for peace of mind, but I am not sure.  I have no idea how to tell if those tires are decent quality or not.  They have 3000 miles on them already and their DOT code dates them as only 6 months old. I like the all steel belt construction and am willing to trade a little ride comfort for strength.  The balance beads seem to work really well, it may be my imagination but it seems like when you first start out you get a bit of vibration and it smooths out as you roll along.  I assume they are just rolling around in there dynamically balancing as I go.

Thanks for the other tips and the battery advice everyone.  I bought some digital volt meters to install on the wall so I will have more than the 'good/bad' dummy light that came with the RV.  The 11.7 under load will come in real handy.  I had not changed the fuel filter during my servicing I should have done that, but the fuel pump was certainly on it's last leg.
 
I am really enjoying the story. Sounds like you have a bit of the same luck I have. I have a 99 Bounder, It seams like us with the older rv's have none of the luck. I had a older Pace Arrow with the same engine as yours and the fuel pump left me the same way. I thought it was having battery troubles because it would not turn over again. Found the Alternator bad, the battery bad and still had to replace the fuel pump. I found the wires going to the old tank pump and installed a inline pump and got it off the road. It ran great with the pump like that.
 
My pulloff was at a tow company. A large wrecker and several disabled large vehicles already occupied the large paved lot that I joined.  With the engine off I surveyed my situation and thoughts of serpentine belt replacement inside a miserable doghouse area filled my mind.  Finding parts in this tiny little town would not be easy.  I looked over the dash and noticed that one of the dash A/C buttons was depressed.  A light went off in my head and I realized I had bumped the dash A/C controls when I got on the CB many miles back.  I placed it back in the 'off' position and restarted the engine.  The squeal was gone.  The dash A/C does not work and I had never turned it on before since owning the rig.  Problem solved.

The final issue was finding some bread to make sandwiches with.  I stopped at a gas stations with a 'food mart' sign.  Inside the store was the typical fare, minus the 'food'.  Seems they had forgotten to put the work 'Junk' in front of their food mart sign as any basics one might require such as bread were soreley missing from their inventory.  I grabbed a bag of ice from the freezer and a few liquid treats for the other inhabitants of the motorhome.  At the counter a tip jar was labeled 'help me get out of this town'.  I couldn't have said it better myself.  I considered putting a dollar in his jar but thought better of it since I might need that dollar for an RV problem down the road.  Breadless I loaded myself back in the motorhome and fired it up.  Rejoining the I-15 southbound we travelled on mile after mile.  Soon familiar exits and sights began to appear and we were home free.

Our journey had come to and end, but the repairs, enhancements and updates have not.  My list of to-dos has grown while some items have been checked off.  As I look over the envelope full of repairs past and trips taken by PO I wonder if a newer rig would really bring much more reliability.  Seeing newer Class A DPs on tow trucks along our journey makes me think that no matter what equipment you utilize there is always a chance that problems will be encountered and repairs will be necessary.

My concerns of cooling system failures and transmission problems never materialized into reality.  Hopefully preventative maintenance and better instrumentation can hold those concerns at bay for future trips.  Considering this was really the maiden voyage of a new to us motorhome I feel that we did pretty well with only two real problems.  The tires could have, and should have been avoided in the first place, and better instrumentation (like a fuel pressure gauge) would probably have foreseen the fuel pump issue.  My to do list includes adding some real gauges to monitor vital signs with useful information and probably include TPMS as well.
 
Thank you very much for your story.  I quite enjoyed reading it. 

Also nice to see you figured out the squealing yourself from the indash A/C.  I suspect you sat there thinking about things a bit rather than just panicking and "gotta do something right now!"  Which is a very good thing.
 
You know, J.K.Rowling was destitute before she visited the publisher...


I think you have a spectacular ability to write, and I look forward to future posts from you.


Joe
 
GREAT STORY ;D You should become a writer!! You make me want to write my story from IL to TX going in a 1984 and returning in a 1996. ::)
 
Gosh, that was as good as a novel.  Thank you so much for writing it.  I really, really enjoyed reading it AND made me appreciate that the problem we had last year in Flagstaff was not such a big deal after reading what you've been through.
Thanks.

Ruth
 
I agree - you're definitely a good writer.  I'm just happy you all made it back home safely, albeit a little poorer than expected.  ;)

ArdraF
 
You know, J.K.Rowling was destitute before she visited the publisher...

A Star is born, again... would make a great personal blog. Maybe a Novel..

  Good reading, nevertheless, Thank you.  8)

Carson FL
 
Speaking of writing I quite like the stories at Spearfish Lake Tales.  No murders, no science fiction or fantasy, no politics just reasonably regular folks, with a few quirks, going about their lives.  He posts a chapter three times a week.  One or two novels are set around rafting trips down the Grand Canyon.

My point being that he is selling these books online.  Is he making a living?  I don't know.  But I do spread the word when I can.

(Ok, so there are a few serious quirks in some of the stories.  :) Like Jennlyn who owns her own jet.)
 
Scott,

I find you to be a true RVer.  You are able  to think on your feet and you don't let  the issues of the road get you down.  Your reporting is  exceptional, informative, entertaining and a very  good read.  I will follow your stories anywhere.  Keep on telling us like it is and  find a rally to join.  You would be a hoot around a campfire.  I'm glad you  made it home  safely!  Looks like  you are a fast learner!



Betty
 
Thanks for all the positive comments!  I enjoyed writing about it almost as much as experiencing it.  Everyone had a good time in spite of the challenges.
 
swinn said:
Thanks for all the positive comments!  I enjoyed writing about it almost as much as experiencing it.  Everyone had a good time in spite of the challenges.

You remember the trips that are "eventful" a lot more than the ones where nothing happens. But I'm wishing a nice uneventful trip for your next outing :)

Wendy
 

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