[lbrachfe]

Uh Oh, I hope nobody exposed the secret handshake yet !!!!

[lbrachfe]

To be a "Newell Guru", one must have broken down and been unable to move without 24/7 technical assistance walking you through a fix at 11:00pm on a Sunday night, done entirely by flashlight held by a faithful co-pilot and with screwdriver and test equipment in hand, you fix it yourself and get under way the next morning and made good notes so there won't be a next time on the same issue and you now have the ability to pass that fix it knowledge on to the rest of us. That's a "Guru''.

[Foodsman]

"Double secret probation" is that like the Hallmark Card I got from my wife saying "I'm so miserable without you, it's almost like you're still here."

Hand shake, there's a handshake? I love handshakes...

That's just so wrong!

[Yachts]

I.bought 701 from the factory and it had been there 2 years. I am glad I had the warranty. But my coach had the old"lot rot" syndrome.. Like the techs at Newell said coaches are much more reliable if they get used than if they just sit. Mine had some issues when I first bought it but now it has been pretty reliable.

[Foodsman]

Ibrachfe said: “with screwdriver and test equipment in hand”

Hi Larry, that is really a great point and you don’t even know why... Is there someplace, remembering I don’t have the handshake yet, where I could find a list of “Must Have Tools and Test Equipment”? I have a reasonably complete toolbox for around the house. But I’d love to know of tools and equipment especially good for a motorhome. You know, the list of “MUST HAVES”

Like a good woman, yah lets try for that!!!!

[Foodsman]

Hey Mark,

I understand the "Lot Rot" but how long would you think is too long for a coach to be sitting until "lack of activity problems" sets in? And are there ways of finding out how long a given coach has been sitting too long?

[encantotom]

list of tools is very dependent on you. most of us have erred on carrying too many.

tom

[ccjohnson]

Harry, Coach is a 1992. Had 127k on it when we bought it. 165K on it now. Jury is still out on engine cause. It suddenly overheated pulling a steep grade. After shutting down coolant got into crankcase. Pistons were galled to cylinders & cylinders were scuffed pretty badly. Still no definitive reason for coolant getting into crankcase from re-builders. We might have gotten by with just an in-frame cylinder kit job with heads rebuilt and used most of the old accessories for a lot less cash. But, decided since that is also a major repair, it was a good time to bite the bullet & do a complete rebuild with all new or reman parts. DD gives 1 yr warranty on reman parts & 6 months on new. (go figure!) Should have virtually brand new engine now. With less to worry about.

[77newell]

I agree with Tom that I err on the side of too many tools. I disagree with Tom that my extensive list is entirely wasted. With proper understanding and process it is possible to solve most electrical problems with a fairly basic Volt/Ohm meter. However, I find that my clamp-on meter and proximity meters speed things up. I could just use a basic wire stripper and crimper plier to install crimp-on terminals but I feel more secure with a crimper that punches into the terminal.

It is really hard to separate must-haves from helpful-to-haves from "darn I just like that". A tool left at home is as useful as the runway behind you. Now, if I can just figure what will fail on my next trip I will fix it before I leave and all my tools will remain in the garage.

[lbrachfe]

I carry everything and that includes "Everything", except what I will be needing in the future , that I don't own or can borrow now .....