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Alan24601 · 07-15-2013, 11:48 PM

Murphy is alive and well in California!! Last Wednesday I was scheduled to get the MH serviced for our extended trip since my retirement. Started it and it says" low coolant level", about three miles to the shop and makes it with no problem. They say they serviced the coach and tightened a hose clamp and filled it with anti freeze. Warning is out so home I go for a Sunday departure to Oregon. Sunday I need to move the MH and the check engine light glows brightly and the display says low coolant, check the tank and it is full. We decide it is the low coolant sensor so we remove it, clean it and No joy! Being this is Sunday help is hard to get.
My able assistant says please move the coach to clear the driveway so I immediately move the coach, BIG noise from the roof, oops I forgot to stow the Sat antenna and the house power line cable did a marvelous job of ripping the LNB's from the antenna assembly. Ouch!
Up on the roof and unhook everything, remove the broken parts and off to my friend who has a machine shop in his garage. He makes a new piece far superior to the original and back together in about an hour, push the on button and it finds three sats but no pix on the TV, I am crushed. Finally throw in the towel and hit the sack late.
Up at 4 am and go out to the MH and and try the sat antenna again and there is joy in Newhall as it works, guess it just needed a rest. Good day ahead me thinks.
Spent several hours on the internet and found enough info on fault codes, schematics and such that I finally understand what might be wrong with the engine, won't even run now as the safety systems shut it off after about five minutes. I spent about an hour calling Freightliner and after getting a part number for the coolant level sensor. i found one for a mere $107 and about 20 minutes from the house. Installed and life returns to wonderful. So it's Monday and at about 2 pm we are off for our three to four month adventure exploring America.
Left a bit late so we finally decide to stop and our daughter arranges for a place in Stockton, WOW what a surprise, River Point RV park. It is beautiful, cool weather, 74 degrees when we pulled in and our space is right on the water. Our reward for slogging through the problems in 105 degree heat.
I have learned there are two types of coolant level sensors, those about to fail and those that have, buy a spare when it is not an emergency and change it on time just like tires. A sort of long post that does not cover all the emotion, despair and elation the last few days have had but tonight a great bottle of wine and a beautiful wife make life complete. Check out our wine storage solution using Ikea $10 wine racks, holds 16 bottles in an otherwise unused space. I am sure we will have much to share as this new phase of our lives evolves. Off to Newport Oregon for two weeks and then off to Michigan and Mackinac Island, then Iowa for the IRV 2 get together and then where ever we want as life is very good. Did I mention 9.3 mpg today! A blog is on the way, maybe by next week. As RVM 21 I can add there is little I miss or want until?

flaggship1 · 07-16-2013, 02:02 AM

Hey there RVM21 - hope the rest of journey is trouble free! You know the MH Magazine Oops Awards were in a recent issue. May think about entering the satellite for next year.

Love the wine rack and looks like you're on your way!
RVM2
Steve and Annie

Koop · 07-16-2013, 06:33 AM

Bon Voyage!! This is my last week at work and we'll hit the road full timing next Tuesday (the 23rd).

JudyH · 07-16-2013, 06:42 AM

That Murphy! He certainly is not needed or missed, good thing you are a mutant. Now that you have suffered the challenges, I hope you have smooth travels from now on.

Kathryn · 07-16-2013, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan24601

... Check out our wine storage solution using Ikea $10 wine racks, holds 16 bottles in an otherwise unused space...

Hey Alan, glad you persevered. But ... forget the wine rack ... I want pics of the antenna accident!!!

No, seriously, I checked out the wine rack at Ikea, but for the heck of me I can't tell from your picture where that "unused space" was ...

??? Another pic, with lights on ... or just tell us plz.

Thx.

Kathryn

~~~

Alan24601 · 07-20-2013, 11:58 AM

Here is our wine rack with the lights on.

MSHappyCampers · 07-20-2013, 12:10 PM

Congrats folks! Hope you have a great trip! You deserve it after that rocky start! Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Mystery · 07-20-2013, 07:58 PM

Have a wonderful trip! As Richard Pryor once said the only thing a wino is afraid of is running out of wine. Love your wine storage and will show my wife because we need wine storage too!

BACKDRAFT161 · 07-21-2013, 05:13 PM

Turn the bottles upside down to keep the cork lubricated. Cork dries out....bad tasting wine. Unless you drink one everyday!

Alan24601 · 07-21-2013, 07:47 PM

We considered the cork issue and decided they will not have sufficient time to dry out prior to use. Originally I was going to mount them at an angle and attach a line with a small loop to keep them from falling out but we got over the idea that the corks would dry out given the short time our small cellar might last.