The Past Week in Review - It's Always Something

It has been since last Sunday since I posted.  Have you missed me?  It's been a week.  As I previously mentioned, we took the RV out to Cascade Diesel in North Bend to get the dash air fixed.  They needed to obtain a crimping tool, so we would have to go back the following Wednesday.  Returning to the RV park, things were fine.  THEN, while backing into our site things took a turn.  Normally the engine and transmission temperatures never exceed 190.  We were seeing 230 on both on the Aladdin system.  Worse, the check engine and check transmission lights were on.  Bad, very bad. We parked, turned it off, looked at each other and said as one, WTH?!?
So we fretted and stewed about this pretty much all week.  It's the not knowing.  Is it bad telemetry?  Was it really that hot?  Why are the idiot lights on?  What will happen the next time we drive it?  We ended up doing the worst case scenario exercise that Dr. Phil made Oprah do when the Texas Cattlemen were suing her for slander. 

What is the worst thing that could happen? 

• It could catch fire and burn to the ground.  Couldn't do much about that, so we made sure the bike shoes were in the truck before leaving again and that we both had our wedding rings on.  In retrospect, passports and spare glasses might have been good.

What's the second worst thing? 

• We have to be towed.  Based on two websites we found (here and here), and talking to Monaco, this is what we learned about our bus.  Your bus may be different.  The drive shaft must be removed to prevent transmission damage.  Before removing the drive shaft, you must mark the drive shaft and the universal joint into which it inserts with a paint pen to ensure the drive shaft is reinstalled in the correct orientation, because they are balanced.  So, one should have a paint pen on board.  Michael's sells them.

In the end, nothing happened.  We drove to Cascade, they fixed the dash air and replaced the brake shoes.  There is no more groaning when in reverse.  All temperatures were normal, and no idiot lights came on.  At this point, we don't know what happened last week.

Thursday we got up, and the passenger side outboard rear dual was flat.  It's always something!  We called Les Schwab, a local tire outfit, and they were here within 30 minutes.  The tire was fine.  The tech thought it was either a failed valve stem, or the valve stem extensions that make putting air in the rear duals so nice and easy.  Apparently those extension hoses have a habit of failing, and when they do so, it's often in spectacular fashion.  So we had them taken off.  The inner dual was down to 80 psi, instead of its normal 105 psi.  It could have been the hoses failing, or not.  We considered having new valve extension hoses put back on the tires, but after talking to the Les Schwab store manager who was adamant in his opinion that they're the work of the devil, we're leaving them off.  We bought a big honking air compressor so we can see to our own tire pressure in the future, instead.  

Friday it rained all day.  Gruesome!

And finally, a photo for you all.  This is Tyler enjoying Jim's truck.  He's 14 months old now, and is almost running.

It's Seafair Weekend in Seattle.  After the best July in 124 years, August has started out wet, cool and cloudy.  We're hoping it's temporary and that summer will return.