John Stephens
Well-known member
The last two cross-country trips Judy and I made in our 2005 Winnebago Adventurer 38J were disastrous. In 2021, we lost part of the roof in Washington from 60-mph crosswinds, and four days later, in Yellowstone, a hydraulic cylinder on the main slide blew out. If you read my blog from the 2023 trip, you'll know that we drove to HWH to get the cylinders rebuilt on the front slides, but they only had the time to rebuild the bad one, along with a jack that had blown out. After leaving there, we drove west and completed two of our four-month itinerary before two more cylinders blew out, forcing us to return to HWH. While driving back east, we realized our 18-year-old Norcold was dying, so upon leaving HWH, we drove to JC Refrigeration and had them install a new 12v dual compressor system in the old box.
We wanted to complete the remainder of our 2023 itinerary, but after having two major issues in the state of Washington two trips in a row, we began wondering if that state didn't like us and maybe we shouldn't attempt to return. Our original itinerary was going to have us circle the western half of the country, dropping us down from WA to OR, visit friends on the coast, see Crater Lake again, and then drop down to northern CA to see Mt. Shasta, Lassen NP, and then head east into northern NV before driving to Utah to see its five national parks. The repairs from last year and the ones still needing to be done were cutting into our vacation budget too much to make the long trip. I made an appointment with HWH to have them rebuild the remaining three cylinders on the slides and another jack that had blown out. They agreed to allot two days for the job to ensure they would have the time to get all the cylinders rebuilt this time. It was going to be our fourth trip to HWH since 2019, and even though I have a great deal of respect for the company and its employees, I really hoped this would be the last time we would have to drive to Iowa. We decided to give ourselves a little extra time to save for the trip by making the appointment in September. From HWH, we planned on dropping back down to St. Louis to visit friends and relatives before heading west. We had never visited RMNP in Colorado, so that would be our first vacation destination. From there, we would go to Moab, UT, Kanab, UT, then drop down to Las Vegas to see three generations of offspring, Tucson, AZ, for the same reason, and then head back east. In Dallas, we would visit Judy's sister before driving to New Orleans and then home.
In April, I got a call from a good friend in Kalispell, MT, who used to be one of the largest Collie breeders in the nation, asking me if I would be willing to take a smooth-coated pup being neglected by an acquaintance of hers. Since we had lost our smoothie to stomach cancer the year before, I told her I would rearrange my itinerary for the upcoming trip if the owner could keep the pup until the end of September. He would be 18 months old by the time we got there. I altered our itinerary, cutting out a couple of stops in Utah and reducing the stay in Kanab from a week to only two nights to accommodate the extra driving it would take to reach Kalispell from Moab. Since I had already made reservations for the entire itinerary, I kept the remainder of the trip the same but didn't make any reservations after Tucson. We knew this would probably be our last trip out West and our last chance to see the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids living in that direction.
That was why I didn't cancel the trip entirely when I fell six feet off a ladder while washing the coach eight days before we planned on leaving. I landed on my back on the concrete driveway, breaking three vertebrae, one rib, a finger, and giving myself a concussion bad enough to trigger amnesia for 30 minutes. My doctor told me there was no way I would be able to drive 9,000 miles. He was wrong. But there were enough other issues with the coach along the trip that made us wonder if we should have made the trip.
We left the day after Labor Day from Cape Coral, FL, and drove for two days to Adairsville, GA, when the basement a/c stopped working and began tripping the main coach 12v 55a breaker. I replaced the breaker because it tripped so many times, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the a/c. I had replaced the start caps a few months before but left the run caps because they still appeared in good shape. I had planned on contacting Shelburne RV in Cleveland, TN, next year to have them provide complete service to the basement unit since it hadn't been pulled for about three years. When I looked at the map, I realized I was only about 60 miles from them. We suffered through the night, trying to sleep in the recliners of the living room without air, with the windows and doors open in 90-degree heat, and I called Shelburne the next morning. I talked to the owner, Steve, and told him my problem and that we were on the road. I asked if he had the time to look at the unit, knowing that Coleman-Mach recommends Shelburne RV for all basement unit repairs. He told me to get there as soon as I could. We pulled in at 10 AM, and by 10:30, they had determined one of the run caps was ready to explode. They replaced all three since they were 18 years old. I told Steve about my plans for next year and asked if they had time to service the unit while we were there. He said we were lucky because their last serviced unit had pulled out 30 minutes before we pulled in. They pulled the unit, gave it complete service and cleaning, and we drove away at 4:30 PM. It was an expense we hadn't anticipated, but one that would have taken place the following year anyway. Now, we have a/c that should last for another two or three years without issue.
We made up the time by driving longer than usual that day and the next. I always plan my itineraries so I drive no more than 275-300 miles per day, allowing for the possibility of something like this happening. For some reason, I-24 through TN and KY is always under construction or torn up and is one of the worst interstates to drive in the country. The poor road conditions slowed us down, but on the bright side, the gas prices in TN were some of the lowest of the trip. Over the next two days, we drove to Mt. Olive, IL, to visit relatives on our way to HWH in Iowa. On our way to Iowa, we ensured we had plenty of gas since prices in Illinois are some of the highest outside of CA and HI due to the higher state tax. The interstates we took through the state were mostly in good condition. Peoria had some less-than-desirable road conditions, but most were good to Davenport.
When we stopped at HWH, they rebuilt the remaining three cylinders for the front slides and one jack all in one day. The only thing I hoped they could do but didn't do was adjust the main slide. Ever since the cylinder blew in 2021, the back of the slide drops too far down when fully extended. When I retract it, something catches and rips up the floor tiles on its way back in. I understand an adjustment can be made, but the service advisor at HWH said they would not do it and suggested that I take the coach to Winnebago.
The gas prices in Iowa were higher than in Missouri but lower than in Illinois. We drove back to St. Louis on Missouri highways, stayed at 370 Lakeside Park for a week, and then headed west. I-70 is one of the oldest interstates in the nation, and parts of it show its age. Sections in Kansas were pretty rough, but for the most part, the highway was without issue. Gas prices continued to climb the further west we drove but remained under $3.00/gal until we crossed into Colorado. With the exception of a Walmart in Colby, KS, we stayed in Cracker Barrels whenever we were on the road. I haven't found a Cracker Barrel yet that has RV and bus parking spaces long enough to accommodate anything longer than 35-40 feet, but I also haven't found one that won't let you park sideways across eight spaces if you stay in the back or the side of their lot. Every CB I have visited has been very gracious and happy to have our business when they know we are dining there for dinner or breakfast. One location on this trip did inform us that we needed to be gone by the time they opened at 7 AM the next morning. I found that odd and remarked to the manager who told us that if he didn't want our morning business, I would be happy to leave before they opened. I think he realized he had shot himself in the foot after my comment.
The bypass around Denver was slow-going at 9 AM, and I assumed it was morning rush-hour traffic. We stayed at Loveland RV Park while visiting RMNP and found the park very nice. The personnel were very friendly and helpful and went out of their way to make our dogs feel welcome. The site was good, with plenty of space, and directly across from their dog run. The only issue we had was the tree canopy partially blocking our Starlink signal. I will recommend this park but suggest getting one of the larger spaces on the edge of the park where we were. The other, less expensive spots were very close together, and every other RV was turned backward, so the front doors of each RV were almost touching.
Rocky Mountain National Park was pretty, but I think we may have visited at the wrong time because we didn't see anything like what we had seen in photographs. I consider Yellowstone and Glacier NPs to be considerably more beautiful. Since this is another park with timed entries, we entered early in the morning because we could not get a timed pass. We drove through the park as much as allowed and simply didn't find it as attractive as other national parks.
From Loveland, we drove two days to Moab, UT. I had concerns about our 19-year-old coach making it through the mountains near the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 since we had never taken it on climbs higher than 9,900 feet, and this exceeded 11,000 feet. We considered unhitching the Equinox and driving both vehicles, but I'm glad we didn't because we had no issues. We slowed to 18 mph on one climb, but I made it a point never to allow the engine to get over 4,000 rpm and tried to keep it under 3,800. Another cause for concern was my Scangauge told me before we got this far that my fuel trims were running high. I disconnected the vacuum line to the dashboard heater controls and plugged the port, but that made little difference. I'm guessing I may have a vacuum leak from the oil filler tube. The engine ran very well through the Rockies, given it had over 80,000 miles on it. I still think the Vortec 8.1 and Allison 1000/2000 combination was one of the best drive trains ever used in an RV.
We had visited Arches and Canyonland NPs before and wanted to see Arches again. I had two things on my bucket list that I wanted to see after failing many times in the past, and we finally were able to scratch one of them off. After driving through Arches during the day, we returned at night to see the Milky Way and got several very good photos of it coming through one of the larger arches. I'm still waiting to see the Northern Lights. We planned to see Canyonland the next day but chose to take a day off and rest since we knew we had three long days of driving ahead of us to pick up that puppy in Kalispell, MT. One of the highlights of the entire trip was having lunch with Jackie and Steve MacKenzie from this forum. We still owe you a dinner, guys.
It took three days to drive to Kalispell. We stayed two nights at Montana Basecamp on the south edge of town and were very disappointed with the cost compared to what you get. It seems the owners think they are close enough to Glacier NP to charge the same rates as those parks, which are only a few miles from the entrance charge. Actually, I paid more for this park than I did when staying at North American RV and Yurt Park in Coram, only five miles from Glacier. I will not recommend this park.
We picked up the pup, had dinner with friends, looked at an RV they considered buying, and began our drive back south to Kanab, UT. I planned to take four days with two short days of driving, but I changed my mind and made it in three days, allowing us an extra day and night in Kanab to see more sights. J&J RV Park is a venue we have stayed at before and will heartily recommend. They have good rates, clean and well-kept sites, and the owner is helpful and friendly. We were able to pick up the extra night without a problem.
Since we had to change the itinerary to get the pup, we could not do everything we wanted while in Kanab. Although we have visited Zion several times, we wanted to go again. Same thing with slot canyons and hoodoos; we love seeing them, but we didn't have the time. We drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and got some good views and photos of both it and the Grand Staircase on the way back that afternoon. If we ever have the chance to return to the West, Kanab will once again be on the list of places to visit to see the sites we missed this time.
For the first month of this trip, I had little issue with the injuries sustained in the fall off the ladder other than being unable to sleep on the side with the broken rib and the broken finger hurting when I tried to grip the steering wheel the wrong way. The coach was a different matter. Besides the a/c having problems the first few days of the trip, I also couldn't keep the generator running for longer than two or three hours. I switched out the fuel pump twice, buying cheap ones from Amazon, and still had problems. Fortunately, it was cool enough that we didn't need the a/c very much until later on the way home. But between the generator and the engine's fuel trim levels, I continually worried about the coach getting us home.
Things went from bad to worse when we pulled into Oasis RV Resort in Las Vegas. I realized I was going to need eye surgery because the lens in one eye became detached. My refractive surgeon in Fort Myers, FL, is one of only a couple dozen surgeons worldwide who can perform the surgery required to repair the eye, but I still went to a surgeon in Vegas to confirm what I already knew. I was told to go home for the surgery as quickly as possible. The doctor even suggested I fly home and have my wife drive the coach across the country. I laughed at that for two reasons: first, my wife doesn't drive the coach, and second, Hurricane Milton was hitting the Gulf Coast at that time, and the regional airport had been shut down, so there was no way I could fly in, even if I wanted to. I tried to make an appointment with my surgeon back home for when I returned, but his office was also closed for the storm. Knowing this would probably be the last time we could see the kids and assorted offspring, I chose to remain in Vegas for the week that had been planned and then drive home as quickly as possible, skipping Dallas.
We stopped in Tucson for one night instead of three, seeing our other daughter but not her kids, and headed home. Still having issues with the generator, I decided to break down and spend the money for an Onan fuel pump - $260 instead of $26 - ten times the cost. I ordered one from the Cummins dealer in El Paso and picked it up on our way through town, planning to put it on whenever needed. While there, I spoke to the service manager and told him the issues, and he asked me how many hours I had on the generator. When I told him 2,650, he asked if I had pulled the unit out of the coach and performed the 1,000-hour routine service. I told him the owner's manual says nothing about 1,000-hour service, but I religiously stay current with the 150 and 450-hour service. He said only the service manual mentions the 1,000-hour service and printed out the entire manual for me, telling me my problem may be the cooling fins on the back side of the generator needing to be cleaned. He said I was almost ready for the third 1,000-hour service, and the generator most likely also needed a new drive belt. Why doesn't the coach manufacturer provide that service manual along with the owner's and installation manuals? They are the only manuals I received when I bought this coach.
We stayed two nights to get off the road in Ft. Stockton, TX, and again in New Orleans. I don't like driving more than three days in a row without taking a day off to avoid turning into a zombie. While in New Orleans, we found what we thought was the best fried chicken of our lives, so that was a plus. When we made it to Tampa, I called an awning repairman who had previously replaced all of my slide toppers and had him readjust my awning, which didn't want to unroll because it was crooked. While driving through Florida in late October, it was finally cool enough not to need the a/c, so the problems with the generator never reappeared.
I will have my mechanic pull the generator and give it the 1,000-hour service that was recommended. Earlier this year, he had to replace the fuel line from the intake inside the fuel tank all the way to the generator's fuel filter and pump because, after 18 years, it failed. Due to various issues, I have had to sink over $9,000 into the coach in the last year. Now, it appears another $3,000 will be in order since, along with a list of things I know need attention from our previous trip, it is also time for 90,000-mile maintenance, including an engine tuneup and a transmission fluid change. If I'm lucky, he might be able to make the needed slideout adjustment, so I don't have to drive back to Iowa and have Winnebago do it.
All this leads to an important question: where do you draw the line and say enough is enough? I am 72, and while I have tried to do as much of the repairs and maintenance as possible, I'm now at the age and physical condition that will require almost everything other than oil changes to be done by someone else. I have already put over $70,000 in addition to the purchase price into this coach, and at the age of this coach, I can expect more of the same in the future. Right now, it seems we are in a vicious cycle - you sink money into the unit and then want to get some use for that money, so you keep the coach for another year and take another trip. But during that trip, you must spend another $5-10,000 to keep it running well enough to sell. So you spend that money, and you can see where this is going. Currently, the coach will bring between $20-28,000 if everything is fixed and considered turn key. Judy and I are thinking of keeping it for one or two more years and hope nothing else major goes wrong. We'll take shorter trips to the Midwest and the Smokies, but I think our cross-country trips out west are concluded.
Even though this blog contains a lot of negative, I still try to look on the bright side of things. So, I'll end by saying that at least we missed two more hurricanes while we were on the other side of the country. That makes four in the last seven years. Yeah, this coach does have its advantages.
For anyone interested in the facts regarding this trip, here you go:
Total mileage: 7700
Total gas cost: $3,890 Range in price: $2.29-3.65 Cheapest state: Texas Most expensive state: Nevada, only because we stayed away from California
Average gas cost: $2.90/gal
Average RV park: $69.20/night Range in price $40-105
Total cost of repairs and parts: $3,067
We wanted to complete the remainder of our 2023 itinerary, but after having two major issues in the state of Washington two trips in a row, we began wondering if that state didn't like us and maybe we shouldn't attempt to return. Our original itinerary was going to have us circle the western half of the country, dropping us down from WA to OR, visit friends on the coast, see Crater Lake again, and then drop down to northern CA to see Mt. Shasta, Lassen NP, and then head east into northern NV before driving to Utah to see its five national parks. The repairs from last year and the ones still needing to be done were cutting into our vacation budget too much to make the long trip. I made an appointment with HWH to have them rebuild the remaining three cylinders on the slides and another jack that had blown out. They agreed to allot two days for the job to ensure they would have the time to get all the cylinders rebuilt this time. It was going to be our fourth trip to HWH since 2019, and even though I have a great deal of respect for the company and its employees, I really hoped this would be the last time we would have to drive to Iowa. We decided to give ourselves a little extra time to save for the trip by making the appointment in September. From HWH, we planned on dropping back down to St. Louis to visit friends and relatives before heading west. We had never visited RMNP in Colorado, so that would be our first vacation destination. From there, we would go to Moab, UT, Kanab, UT, then drop down to Las Vegas to see three generations of offspring, Tucson, AZ, for the same reason, and then head back east. In Dallas, we would visit Judy's sister before driving to New Orleans and then home.
In April, I got a call from a good friend in Kalispell, MT, who used to be one of the largest Collie breeders in the nation, asking me if I would be willing to take a smooth-coated pup being neglected by an acquaintance of hers. Since we had lost our smoothie to stomach cancer the year before, I told her I would rearrange my itinerary for the upcoming trip if the owner could keep the pup until the end of September. He would be 18 months old by the time we got there. I altered our itinerary, cutting out a couple of stops in Utah and reducing the stay in Kanab from a week to only two nights to accommodate the extra driving it would take to reach Kalispell from Moab. Since I had already made reservations for the entire itinerary, I kept the remainder of the trip the same but didn't make any reservations after Tucson. We knew this would probably be our last trip out West and our last chance to see the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids living in that direction.
That was why I didn't cancel the trip entirely when I fell six feet off a ladder while washing the coach eight days before we planned on leaving. I landed on my back on the concrete driveway, breaking three vertebrae, one rib, a finger, and giving myself a concussion bad enough to trigger amnesia for 30 minutes. My doctor told me there was no way I would be able to drive 9,000 miles. He was wrong. But there were enough other issues with the coach along the trip that made us wonder if we should have made the trip.
We left the day after Labor Day from Cape Coral, FL, and drove for two days to Adairsville, GA, when the basement a/c stopped working and began tripping the main coach 12v 55a breaker. I replaced the breaker because it tripped so many times, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the a/c. I had replaced the start caps a few months before but left the run caps because they still appeared in good shape. I had planned on contacting Shelburne RV in Cleveland, TN, next year to have them provide complete service to the basement unit since it hadn't been pulled for about three years. When I looked at the map, I realized I was only about 60 miles from them. We suffered through the night, trying to sleep in the recliners of the living room without air, with the windows and doors open in 90-degree heat, and I called Shelburne the next morning. I talked to the owner, Steve, and told him my problem and that we were on the road. I asked if he had the time to look at the unit, knowing that Coleman-Mach recommends Shelburne RV for all basement unit repairs. He told me to get there as soon as I could. We pulled in at 10 AM, and by 10:30, they had determined one of the run caps was ready to explode. They replaced all three since they were 18 years old. I told Steve about my plans for next year and asked if they had time to service the unit while we were there. He said we were lucky because their last serviced unit had pulled out 30 minutes before we pulled in. They pulled the unit, gave it complete service and cleaning, and we drove away at 4:30 PM. It was an expense we hadn't anticipated, but one that would have taken place the following year anyway. Now, we have a/c that should last for another two or three years without issue.
We made up the time by driving longer than usual that day and the next. I always plan my itineraries so I drive no more than 275-300 miles per day, allowing for the possibility of something like this happening. For some reason, I-24 through TN and KY is always under construction or torn up and is one of the worst interstates to drive in the country. The poor road conditions slowed us down, but on the bright side, the gas prices in TN were some of the lowest of the trip. Over the next two days, we drove to Mt. Olive, IL, to visit relatives on our way to HWH in Iowa. On our way to Iowa, we ensured we had plenty of gas since prices in Illinois are some of the highest outside of CA and HI due to the higher state tax. The interstates we took through the state were mostly in good condition. Peoria had some less-than-desirable road conditions, but most were good to Davenport.
When we stopped at HWH, they rebuilt the remaining three cylinders for the front slides and one jack all in one day. The only thing I hoped they could do but didn't do was adjust the main slide. Ever since the cylinder blew in 2021, the back of the slide drops too far down when fully extended. When I retract it, something catches and rips up the floor tiles on its way back in. I understand an adjustment can be made, but the service advisor at HWH said they would not do it and suggested that I take the coach to Winnebago.
The gas prices in Iowa were higher than in Missouri but lower than in Illinois. We drove back to St. Louis on Missouri highways, stayed at 370 Lakeside Park for a week, and then headed west. I-70 is one of the oldest interstates in the nation, and parts of it show its age. Sections in Kansas were pretty rough, but for the most part, the highway was without issue. Gas prices continued to climb the further west we drove but remained under $3.00/gal until we crossed into Colorado. With the exception of a Walmart in Colby, KS, we stayed in Cracker Barrels whenever we were on the road. I haven't found a Cracker Barrel yet that has RV and bus parking spaces long enough to accommodate anything longer than 35-40 feet, but I also haven't found one that won't let you park sideways across eight spaces if you stay in the back or the side of their lot. Every CB I have visited has been very gracious and happy to have our business when they know we are dining there for dinner or breakfast. One location on this trip did inform us that we needed to be gone by the time they opened at 7 AM the next morning. I found that odd and remarked to the manager who told us that if he didn't want our morning business, I would be happy to leave before they opened. I think he realized he had shot himself in the foot after my comment.
The bypass around Denver was slow-going at 9 AM, and I assumed it was morning rush-hour traffic. We stayed at Loveland RV Park while visiting RMNP and found the park very nice. The personnel were very friendly and helpful and went out of their way to make our dogs feel welcome. The site was good, with plenty of space, and directly across from their dog run. The only issue we had was the tree canopy partially blocking our Starlink signal. I will recommend this park but suggest getting one of the larger spaces on the edge of the park where we were. The other, less expensive spots were very close together, and every other RV was turned backward, so the front doors of each RV were almost touching.
Rocky Mountain National Park was pretty, but I think we may have visited at the wrong time because we didn't see anything like what we had seen in photographs. I consider Yellowstone and Glacier NPs to be considerably more beautiful. Since this is another park with timed entries, we entered early in the morning because we could not get a timed pass. We drove through the park as much as allowed and simply didn't find it as attractive as other national parks.
From Loveland, we drove two days to Moab, UT. I had concerns about our 19-year-old coach making it through the mountains near the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 since we had never taken it on climbs higher than 9,900 feet, and this exceeded 11,000 feet. We considered unhitching the Equinox and driving both vehicles, but I'm glad we didn't because we had no issues. We slowed to 18 mph on one climb, but I made it a point never to allow the engine to get over 4,000 rpm and tried to keep it under 3,800. Another cause for concern was my Scangauge told me before we got this far that my fuel trims were running high. I disconnected the vacuum line to the dashboard heater controls and plugged the port, but that made little difference. I'm guessing I may have a vacuum leak from the oil filler tube. The engine ran very well through the Rockies, given it had over 80,000 miles on it. I still think the Vortec 8.1 and Allison 1000/2000 combination was one of the best drive trains ever used in an RV.
We had visited Arches and Canyonland NPs before and wanted to see Arches again. I had two things on my bucket list that I wanted to see after failing many times in the past, and we finally were able to scratch one of them off. After driving through Arches during the day, we returned at night to see the Milky Way and got several very good photos of it coming through one of the larger arches. I'm still waiting to see the Northern Lights. We planned to see Canyonland the next day but chose to take a day off and rest since we knew we had three long days of driving ahead of us to pick up that puppy in Kalispell, MT. One of the highlights of the entire trip was having lunch with Jackie and Steve MacKenzie from this forum. We still owe you a dinner, guys.
It took three days to drive to Kalispell. We stayed two nights at Montana Basecamp on the south edge of town and were very disappointed with the cost compared to what you get. It seems the owners think they are close enough to Glacier NP to charge the same rates as those parks, which are only a few miles from the entrance charge. Actually, I paid more for this park than I did when staying at North American RV and Yurt Park in Coram, only five miles from Glacier. I will not recommend this park.
We picked up the pup, had dinner with friends, looked at an RV they considered buying, and began our drive back south to Kanab, UT. I planned to take four days with two short days of driving, but I changed my mind and made it in three days, allowing us an extra day and night in Kanab to see more sights. J&J RV Park is a venue we have stayed at before and will heartily recommend. They have good rates, clean and well-kept sites, and the owner is helpful and friendly. We were able to pick up the extra night without a problem.
Since we had to change the itinerary to get the pup, we could not do everything we wanted while in Kanab. Although we have visited Zion several times, we wanted to go again. Same thing with slot canyons and hoodoos; we love seeing them, but we didn't have the time. We drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and got some good views and photos of both it and the Grand Staircase on the way back that afternoon. If we ever have the chance to return to the West, Kanab will once again be on the list of places to visit to see the sites we missed this time.
For the first month of this trip, I had little issue with the injuries sustained in the fall off the ladder other than being unable to sleep on the side with the broken rib and the broken finger hurting when I tried to grip the steering wheel the wrong way. The coach was a different matter. Besides the a/c having problems the first few days of the trip, I also couldn't keep the generator running for longer than two or three hours. I switched out the fuel pump twice, buying cheap ones from Amazon, and still had problems. Fortunately, it was cool enough that we didn't need the a/c very much until later on the way home. But between the generator and the engine's fuel trim levels, I continually worried about the coach getting us home.
Things went from bad to worse when we pulled into Oasis RV Resort in Las Vegas. I realized I was going to need eye surgery because the lens in one eye became detached. My refractive surgeon in Fort Myers, FL, is one of only a couple dozen surgeons worldwide who can perform the surgery required to repair the eye, but I still went to a surgeon in Vegas to confirm what I already knew. I was told to go home for the surgery as quickly as possible. The doctor even suggested I fly home and have my wife drive the coach across the country. I laughed at that for two reasons: first, my wife doesn't drive the coach, and second, Hurricane Milton was hitting the Gulf Coast at that time, and the regional airport had been shut down, so there was no way I could fly in, even if I wanted to. I tried to make an appointment with my surgeon back home for when I returned, but his office was also closed for the storm. Knowing this would probably be the last time we could see the kids and assorted offspring, I chose to remain in Vegas for the week that had been planned and then drive home as quickly as possible, skipping Dallas.
We stopped in Tucson for one night instead of three, seeing our other daughter but not her kids, and headed home. Still having issues with the generator, I decided to break down and spend the money for an Onan fuel pump - $260 instead of $26 - ten times the cost. I ordered one from the Cummins dealer in El Paso and picked it up on our way through town, planning to put it on whenever needed. While there, I spoke to the service manager and told him the issues, and he asked me how many hours I had on the generator. When I told him 2,650, he asked if I had pulled the unit out of the coach and performed the 1,000-hour routine service. I told him the owner's manual says nothing about 1,000-hour service, but I religiously stay current with the 150 and 450-hour service. He said only the service manual mentions the 1,000-hour service and printed out the entire manual for me, telling me my problem may be the cooling fins on the back side of the generator needing to be cleaned. He said I was almost ready for the third 1,000-hour service, and the generator most likely also needed a new drive belt. Why doesn't the coach manufacturer provide that service manual along with the owner's and installation manuals? They are the only manuals I received when I bought this coach.
We stayed two nights to get off the road in Ft. Stockton, TX, and again in New Orleans. I don't like driving more than three days in a row without taking a day off to avoid turning into a zombie. While in New Orleans, we found what we thought was the best fried chicken of our lives, so that was a plus. When we made it to Tampa, I called an awning repairman who had previously replaced all of my slide toppers and had him readjust my awning, which didn't want to unroll because it was crooked. While driving through Florida in late October, it was finally cool enough not to need the a/c, so the problems with the generator never reappeared.
I will have my mechanic pull the generator and give it the 1,000-hour service that was recommended. Earlier this year, he had to replace the fuel line from the intake inside the fuel tank all the way to the generator's fuel filter and pump because, after 18 years, it failed. Due to various issues, I have had to sink over $9,000 into the coach in the last year. Now, it appears another $3,000 will be in order since, along with a list of things I know need attention from our previous trip, it is also time for 90,000-mile maintenance, including an engine tuneup and a transmission fluid change. If I'm lucky, he might be able to make the needed slideout adjustment, so I don't have to drive back to Iowa and have Winnebago do it.
All this leads to an important question: where do you draw the line and say enough is enough? I am 72, and while I have tried to do as much of the repairs and maintenance as possible, I'm now at the age and physical condition that will require almost everything other than oil changes to be done by someone else. I have already put over $70,000 in addition to the purchase price into this coach, and at the age of this coach, I can expect more of the same in the future. Right now, it seems we are in a vicious cycle - you sink money into the unit and then want to get some use for that money, so you keep the coach for another year and take another trip. But during that trip, you must spend another $5-10,000 to keep it running well enough to sell. So you spend that money, and you can see where this is going. Currently, the coach will bring between $20-28,000 if everything is fixed and considered turn key. Judy and I are thinking of keeping it for one or two more years and hope nothing else major goes wrong. We'll take shorter trips to the Midwest and the Smokies, but I think our cross-country trips out west are concluded.
Even though this blog contains a lot of negative, I still try to look on the bright side of things. So, I'll end by saying that at least we missed two more hurricanes while we were on the other side of the country. That makes four in the last seven years. Yeah, this coach does have its advantages.
For anyone interested in the facts regarding this trip, here you go:
Total mileage: 7700
Total gas cost: $3,890 Range in price: $2.29-3.65 Cheapest state: Texas Most expensive state: Nevada, only because we stayed away from California
Average gas cost: $2.90/gal
Average RV park: $69.20/night Range in price $40-105
Total cost of repairs and parts: $3,067
