Fixing as I go... - Printable Version

Fixing as I go... - Printable Version

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Fixing as I go... - Burlyman - 07-12-2023

I bought coach #125 in April and drove it without issue from Arizona to it's new home in Oregon, but have been so busy with other commitments that I haven't had a chance to take it out on its first vacation until last week. However, being a nearly 30 year veteran of RVing, I knew it was only a matter of time until something needed fixing.

So last week I found the bathroom exhaust fan screeched like it was being stabbed with a dull knife.

This week, I bought WD-40. Problem fixed! Last week I noticed one of the cabinet doors had a hinge with loose screws. I added a few slivers of wood I found on the ground in the campsite and put them in the screw hole. The screws went in snuggly and stayed tight. (A trick I learned when fixing cabinets as a former home remodeler).

As I pulled into the campsite a few days ago and turned off the engine, I heard a small motor running. Turns out the water pump (#1) was running constantly and water was spewing out of the compartment. It turns out the flex hose connected to the copper pipe had come loose, but the clamp was still on it. I loosened the clamp and pushed the hose back onto the pipe and tightened down the clamp. Problem solved!

I found another cabinet door that had separated at the hinge connection. All I needed was a screwdriver to pull out the retractable portion and reattach.

Had I been a new RVer, I may have been overwhelmed and frustrated. Stuff happens. Problems occur. This is a 1986 model, so I expect things to happen. I'm thankful that Mark and Marion, the previous owners, had gone through and breathed new life and fixed many of the mechanicals prior to selling it to me. Regardless, things break. I know that I am probably "preaching to the choir" in this group.

Despite these little things happening, my wife and I are having a great time in the coach. I love how solidly it is built, how much power it has compared to my former gasser coaches, and the quality that, even in 1986, still stands the test of time. We keep discovering new "features" of the coach. This week we found the switch for the floor "night lights".

RE: Fixing as I go... - Fulltiming - 07-12-2023

Congrats Steve and Linda. You have the discovered the secret to owning an older Newell. Roll with the punches and find a simple solution rather than losing your mind over minor issues. Many issues can be addressed if you know what to look for or where to go for help. Buying a well maintained coach is a big plus although things will break no matter what you do.

RE: Fixing as I go... - hbens - 07-14-2023

"Fixing it as I go..." sums it up for us. With any RV I've owned every time I took it out I had to fix something. Most of the time it was very, very minor such as tightening a squeaky thing-a-ma-bob. Sometimes it was a little more involved $$ and time.
With our older coach my list is prioritized by issues I must fix to issues I'd like to get around to.
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RE: Fixing as I go... - Burlyman - 07-14-2023

As RVing fate would have it, last night I was running two ACs (they are almost new) and they stopped running suddenly. I checked the breaker and it was still on. And somehow, at the same time, I lost all 120 volt power to the coach. (No coffee this morning was hard to take. Haha)I'm going to call Mark, the previous owner, tomorrow and see if he knows what is going on. If he doesn't have an answer, I'll be posting about it in the " help" section. Lol. Eventually I'll know everything about this coach. It just may take me a little while.

RE: Fixing as I go... - Fulltiming - 07-14-2023

Losing all power to the coach sounds like either a tripped breaker at the park's breaker, or a tripped main breaker in the coach.

RE: Fixing as I go... - Burlyman - 07-15-2023

(07-14-2023, 10:34 PM)Fulltiming Wrote: Losing all power to the coach sounds like either a tripped breaker at the park's breaker, or a tripped main breaker in the coach.

I agree. The 30 amp breaker at the power source was intact. I'm not sure where to look for a breaker in the coach. I wasn't even aware there were breakers on the coach. I found a bank of fuses in front of the passenger seat, but those were all small ones.

RE: Fixing as I go... - Richard - 07-15-2023

Look in the rear closets.

RE: Fixing as I go... - Burlyman - 07-15-2023

Only this is present.

RE: Fixing as I go... - Burlyman - 07-15-2023

Update. After talking with Mark, I found the breaker panel in the bedroom at the back of the side cabinets. A 50 amp breaker was tripped. And a double 20 amp breaker was tripped on one of the switches,.but will not go back. It has a red square below. Not sure if there are readily available or not, but I'm sure I'll find out. Lol

RE: Fixing as I go... - Burlyman - 07-15-2023

It's been a "fun" day of problem solving. Confusion, followed by frustration, and thankfully followed by answers (thank you, Mark!) and a feeling of accomplishment. I'd like to bask in that for a moment before the next fix. Lol.

I went to start the coach and it decided not to start. No cranking of the starter. No draw on the amp/volt meters, but definitely some kind of "bogging down" of things when I turned the key. I mentioned to Mark that the Stone Bennett shift control had been a little "fidgety" going into Neutral from either Reverse or Drive, but it was definitely in N when I put on the parking brake and shut it down. He suspected, correctly, that it was not fully in Neutral. He got me under the coach and guided me to the mechanical (air actuated) lever to shift it physically into the Neutral position. The coach then started with no issue at all!

Mark said he had the shift mechanism rebuilt pretty recently, so I think my shift controller may be going on the fritz. I looked online, but didn't find an identical match. Maybe someone here has an answer?