John Stephens
Well-known member
It seems my luck with this coach is taking one step forward and two back. A couple of steps forward have been getting RV Flex Armor installed on the roof along with three sheets of luan that had been ruined from weather, and finally getting the salvage title to the beast from my insurance company after repurchasing it from them subsequent to them totaling the coach. I have decided that as long as I don't have any delamination from water getting inside the roof, I'm going to live with the stains on the ceiling fabric the inside luan created. I'll try a 50/50 bleach and water mix to see how much I can get out and live with what I can't remove.
But I now have more problems. The house mechanic I used that stored the coach for me for seven months after backing out of installing a new roof did a few other things for me, and it now seems that everything he touched turned to garbage. Since the front hydraulic cylinder on the living room slide blew out last year while in Yellowstone, and knowing that when one of them goes bad, the rest are usually going to follow in short order, I had him rebuild all six cylinders for the two front slides. He had trouble getting them synced and had to call HWH for advice but told me when I picked the coach up from him that they all were now working well. He also installed a new motor for the steps, a new control board for the gas water heater, found what was wrong with my 12v outlet on the dash, and troubleshot a problem I had been having with the hitch plug. On our last trip, if I didn't disconnect the hitch plug before starting the car on our routine rest stops, I would get a back feed from the car into the coach, making all the lights inside and out come on, including all dashboard lights. He never was able to find the cause of the problem before I picked up the coach to get the new roof, but he said he noticed when looking at the hitch plug that some of the insulation around the wires had melted, making him think there may have been a short in the plug.
Okay, that is the setup. Now, I'll tell you the problems I currently have.
When I drove the coach from that shop to the RV Flex Armor dealer, I had a 25-mile trip. That gave me enough time to realize I had a serious issue with the turn signals. The first time I tried to use a turn signal, it stopped blinking when I put my foot on the brake pedal. My wife, following me, told me each time I used the turn signal, the emergency flashers would come on instead of just one signal or the other. And yes, they would stop blinking when I used the brake. Then, while going down an interstate highway with the cruise control set, I noticed that every time I used the turn signal to indicate a lane change, the cruise control would stop working. This gave me the thought that there was a crossed wire between the turn signals and the brake light because the cruise control was under the impression that I had hit the brakes and therefore, turned itself off until I reset it. Or, there might be something wrong with the emergency flasher since the cruise control will stop working if the flashers are turned on.
When I picked up the coach from the Flex Armor dealer, the first time my wife opened the door to the coach, the steps flopped out as though they had become disconnected. One of the mechanics at the shop climbed underneath and said the gear was completely turned backward from where it should be, as though it had not been synched when the new motor was installed. I know that wasn't the case because the steps worked fine for the first couple of times they were used. I'm wondering if something broke or came loose that allowed the gears to move out of position. The mechanic was kind enough to zip-tie the steps up so the coach could be driven. He also disconnected the motor so it wouldn't attempt to run when the door was opened. I know nothing about the steps and how they operate, so I'm at a loss to repair them myself. I expected from reading others' problems with step motors that wear out that my mechanic would have to buy a new motor and gearbox to make the repair. However, he said he found a motor replacement for that particular model number and thought the gearbox wouldn't have to be replaced. Now, I'm wondering.
From the Flex Armor dealer, I drove the coach to my chassis mechanic to have a little work done while it was in the same general area of town. They called me the other day to let me know they are waiting for a couple of parts to arrive, gave me the rundown on everything they checked including still having 50% of my front brake pads remaining with 64,000 miles after taking the Rockies three times, and then told me that I have a hydraulic fluid leak near one of the slide rams. Apparently, my house mechanic didn't complete the job on the cylinders. I'll take the coach back to him when he returns from his month long vacation and tell him to fix whatever is wrong with the hydraulics.
But it is difficult, as well as illegal, for me to drive the coach without turn signals, and I'm wondering if anyone on the forum has any solid ideas of what might have caused this problem. The coach guy checked the wiring from the hitch plug to the battery compartment and breakers and only found that melted insulation at the plug. His next step was going to be tearing into the dashboard to see if a relay had gone bad, but I stopped him because he was already racking up some serious labor charges and getting nowhere fast. Do you think it would be a good idea to replace that hitch plug? Or do you think this cross signal from the turn signal to the brake signal may be something else? The coach is only a block away from the local LaMesa RV, which is the only remaining Winnebago dealer in town, so I'm wondering if I should simply drive it there when I pick it up from my chassis mechanic and have them find the problem. I'll have them fix whatever is wrong with the steps at the same time unless I can be given instructions on how to repair them myself.
I'll appreciate any constructive feedback on either of these issues, particularly on the wiring and turn signal problem if anyone has had the same issues and can share what they did. I have to have this coach roadworthy before driving it to Palmetto, FL to the Dept. of Highway Safety for inspection so I can get my rebuilt title. That means having turn signals and brake lights that work. Now that I have the salvage title in my possession, I'm anxious to get this put to bed after a full year. If we can get everything working properly on the coach, we already have made reservations for a short trip to the Midwest and the Smoky Mountains in September. I know that when I turn in the paperwork for the rebuilt title, it will take at least 60 days before it is approved, an inspection is scheduled, and a new title issued. If it wasn't for the time frame involved, I would wait until my house mechanic gets back from his vacation and make him fix everything he didn't the first time. But I can't wait that long to start the title process.
It goes without saying that I'll be finding another house mechanic for things I can't fix myself.
But I now have more problems. The house mechanic I used that stored the coach for me for seven months after backing out of installing a new roof did a few other things for me, and it now seems that everything he touched turned to garbage. Since the front hydraulic cylinder on the living room slide blew out last year while in Yellowstone, and knowing that when one of them goes bad, the rest are usually going to follow in short order, I had him rebuild all six cylinders for the two front slides. He had trouble getting them synced and had to call HWH for advice but told me when I picked the coach up from him that they all were now working well. He also installed a new motor for the steps, a new control board for the gas water heater, found what was wrong with my 12v outlet on the dash, and troubleshot a problem I had been having with the hitch plug. On our last trip, if I didn't disconnect the hitch plug before starting the car on our routine rest stops, I would get a back feed from the car into the coach, making all the lights inside and out come on, including all dashboard lights. He never was able to find the cause of the problem before I picked up the coach to get the new roof, but he said he noticed when looking at the hitch plug that some of the insulation around the wires had melted, making him think there may have been a short in the plug.
Okay, that is the setup. Now, I'll tell you the problems I currently have.
When I drove the coach from that shop to the RV Flex Armor dealer, I had a 25-mile trip. That gave me enough time to realize I had a serious issue with the turn signals. The first time I tried to use a turn signal, it stopped blinking when I put my foot on the brake pedal. My wife, following me, told me each time I used the turn signal, the emergency flashers would come on instead of just one signal or the other. And yes, they would stop blinking when I used the brake. Then, while going down an interstate highway with the cruise control set, I noticed that every time I used the turn signal to indicate a lane change, the cruise control would stop working. This gave me the thought that there was a crossed wire between the turn signals and the brake light because the cruise control was under the impression that I had hit the brakes and therefore, turned itself off until I reset it. Or, there might be something wrong with the emergency flasher since the cruise control will stop working if the flashers are turned on.
When I picked up the coach from the Flex Armor dealer, the first time my wife opened the door to the coach, the steps flopped out as though they had become disconnected. One of the mechanics at the shop climbed underneath and said the gear was completely turned backward from where it should be, as though it had not been synched when the new motor was installed. I know that wasn't the case because the steps worked fine for the first couple of times they were used. I'm wondering if something broke or came loose that allowed the gears to move out of position. The mechanic was kind enough to zip-tie the steps up so the coach could be driven. He also disconnected the motor so it wouldn't attempt to run when the door was opened. I know nothing about the steps and how they operate, so I'm at a loss to repair them myself. I expected from reading others' problems with step motors that wear out that my mechanic would have to buy a new motor and gearbox to make the repair. However, he said he found a motor replacement for that particular model number and thought the gearbox wouldn't have to be replaced. Now, I'm wondering.
From the Flex Armor dealer, I drove the coach to my chassis mechanic to have a little work done while it was in the same general area of town. They called me the other day to let me know they are waiting for a couple of parts to arrive, gave me the rundown on everything they checked including still having 50% of my front brake pads remaining with 64,000 miles after taking the Rockies three times, and then told me that I have a hydraulic fluid leak near one of the slide rams. Apparently, my house mechanic didn't complete the job on the cylinders. I'll take the coach back to him when he returns from his month long vacation and tell him to fix whatever is wrong with the hydraulics.
But it is difficult, as well as illegal, for me to drive the coach without turn signals, and I'm wondering if anyone on the forum has any solid ideas of what might have caused this problem. The coach guy checked the wiring from the hitch plug to the battery compartment and breakers and only found that melted insulation at the plug. His next step was going to be tearing into the dashboard to see if a relay had gone bad, but I stopped him because he was already racking up some serious labor charges and getting nowhere fast. Do you think it would be a good idea to replace that hitch plug? Or do you think this cross signal from the turn signal to the brake signal may be something else? The coach is only a block away from the local LaMesa RV, which is the only remaining Winnebago dealer in town, so I'm wondering if I should simply drive it there when I pick it up from my chassis mechanic and have them find the problem. I'll have them fix whatever is wrong with the steps at the same time unless I can be given instructions on how to repair them myself.
I'll appreciate any constructive feedback on either of these issues, particularly on the wiring and turn signal problem if anyone has had the same issues and can share what they did. I have to have this coach roadworthy before driving it to Palmetto, FL to the Dept. of Highway Safety for inspection so I can get my rebuilt title. That means having turn signals and brake lights that work. Now that I have the salvage title in my possession, I'm anxious to get this put to bed after a full year. If we can get everything working properly on the coach, we already have made reservations for a short trip to the Midwest and the Smoky Mountains in September. I know that when I turn in the paperwork for the rebuilt title, it will take at least 60 days before it is approved, an inspection is scheduled, and a new title issued. If it wasn't for the time frame involved, I would wait until my house mechanic gets back from his vacation and make him fix everything he didn't the first time. But I can't wait that long to start the title process.
It goes without saying that I'll be finding another house mechanic for things I can't fix myself.
