Cooperhawk
Well-known member
Our coach has been driven in Winter weather being from Minnesota. As a result there have been corrosion problems that we fix as they become apparent. We have replaced the floors in two roadside compartments over the years as well as the hoses that carry trans fluid to the trans cooler, and we keep a sharp eye out for more.
We thought we had it all covered, but alas, we didn't.
A week ago I took the coach into town to fuel it up. It has an eighty gallon tank. After filling I left the station returning home but only got two blocks when I heard a very loud, what I thought, was an explosion. I looked in the mirror and saw debris flying from under the coach and quickly pulled over to the shoulder and stopped. I jumped out with my fire extinguisher and looked under the coach for the cause. To my surprise the fuel tank was hanging down and one end was dragging on the asphalt. The straps had broken. One corner had scrapped enough to wear a small hole and diesel was leaking.
I called my regular mechanic and he said he and his partner would get there as quick as they could. I then called 911 and told them that there was no fire danger, but I was stalled on the shoulder of a busy street, and perhaps they should dispatch a police car to park behind with the lights for protection. They agreed and very soon a city policemen was there. He was very nice about it and kept me company waiting for my mechanics.
The mechanics got there and with jacks they raised the tank back in place and secured it with nylon straps so that I was able to drive it the eight miles to their shop. Using a bar of soap they also got the leak stopped. Once there we lowered the tank out of the unit only to find that it was damaged beyond repair. The hole was right on a corner where no patch would work. Next we started a search for a used tank, but to no avail. All the ones they found were too rusty to use. Just more problems if we used them. Freightliner had one in Atlanta but it cost thirteen hundred dollars plus shipping. Also new straps were three hundred dollars. Ouch! What we did was strap a small tank in place and I drove it the mile home and put it in the shed.
In the end we ordered the tank from Freightliner and found out that if they shipped it to a dealer, the shipping was free. It will come in tomorrow to a dealer twenty miles away and I will go pick it up. We did not order the straps as my shop can make new one out of heavier metal for a lot less. On Monday morning I will take the coach back to the shop and it should not take too long to install it. Meanwhile my fuel was pumped into two barrels and will be pumped back into the new tank.
I am fortunate that I have a shop so close and that they are very accommodating. I took them to a very nice lunch the next day.
So here's the lesson. We thought we had the corrosion under control, but those straps were invisible to us unless we removed the tank. You may want to find some way to check yours.
We thought we had it all covered, but alas, we didn't.
A week ago I took the coach into town to fuel it up. It has an eighty gallon tank. After filling I left the station returning home but only got two blocks when I heard a very loud, what I thought, was an explosion. I looked in the mirror and saw debris flying from under the coach and quickly pulled over to the shoulder and stopped. I jumped out with my fire extinguisher and looked under the coach for the cause. To my surprise the fuel tank was hanging down and one end was dragging on the asphalt. The straps had broken. One corner had scrapped enough to wear a small hole and diesel was leaking.
I called my regular mechanic and he said he and his partner would get there as quick as they could. I then called 911 and told them that there was no fire danger, but I was stalled on the shoulder of a busy street, and perhaps they should dispatch a police car to park behind with the lights for protection. They agreed and very soon a city policemen was there. He was very nice about it and kept me company waiting for my mechanics.
The mechanics got there and with jacks they raised the tank back in place and secured it with nylon straps so that I was able to drive it the eight miles to their shop. Using a bar of soap they also got the leak stopped. Once there we lowered the tank out of the unit only to find that it was damaged beyond repair. The hole was right on a corner where no patch would work. Next we started a search for a used tank, but to no avail. All the ones they found were too rusty to use. Just more problems if we used them. Freightliner had one in Atlanta but it cost thirteen hundred dollars plus shipping. Also new straps were three hundred dollars. Ouch! What we did was strap a small tank in place and I drove it the mile home and put it in the shed.
In the end we ordered the tank from Freightliner and found out that if they shipped it to a dealer, the shipping was free. It will come in tomorrow to a dealer twenty miles away and I will go pick it up. We did not order the straps as my shop can make new one out of heavier metal for a lot less. On Monday morning I will take the coach back to the shop and it should not take too long to install it. Meanwhile my fuel was pumped into two barrels and will be pumped back into the new tank.
I am fortunate that I have a shop so close and that they are very accommodating. I took them to a very nice lunch the next day.
So here's the lesson. We thought we had the corrosion under control, but those straps were invisible to us unless we removed the tank. You may want to find some way to check yours.
