Hurricanes, dogs and Allison transmission

[Brigadoon]

The day before hurricane Wilma hit South Florida, I went to the rv storage yard to prepare our motorhome for the storm. I fired up the engine with the intent of moving it into another position. When I tried to put the Allison trans into gear, nothing happened- no matter what button or combination of buttons I pushed the trans would not respond.

Upon investigation, I found that the main wiring harness leading to the trans had been chewed nearly in half! In addition to that, a lower coolant system hose had been chewed and was leaking, as well as a couple of other wires had been severed. Too shorten the story, it was the storage yard owners Rotwieller security dog that had done the damage.

Due to the hurricane, I was not able to tackle this problem until the last couple of days.

I repaired the coolant leak and replaced the coolant ($142 of coolant!) and made repairs to the couple of easily reparable items, but the big problem remains.

A friend of mine, who has more experience than me in this area, made temporary repairs on the Allison trans wiring harness. This enabled me to move the motorhome to a better location to work on it. As a matter of fact, the trans appears to be working normally- I even took it for a 20 mile drive after fixing the coolant system.

But the big question is, what should I do for permanent repairs to the wiring harness? Should I solder and shrink-wrap the repairs and seal it against the elements or should I take the mh somewhere for a wiring harness replacement? Or is there something else that I should do?

All suggestions will be carefully considered and appreciated. Thanks.

[Brigadoon]

The day before hurricane Wilma hit South Florida, I went to the rv storage yard to prepare our motorhome for the storm. I fired up the engine with the intent of moving it into another position. When I tried to put the Allison trans into gear, nothing happened- no matter what button or combination of buttons I pushed the trans would not respond.

Upon investigation, I found that the main wiring harness leading to the trans had been chewed nearly in half! In addition to that, a lower coolant system hose had been chewed and was leaking, as well as a couple of other wires had been severed. Too shorten the story, it was the storage yard owners Rotwieller security dog that had done the damage.

Due to the hurricane, I was not able to tackle this problem until the last couple of days.

I repaired the coolant leak and replaced the coolant ($142 of coolant!) and made repairs to the couple of easily reparable items, but the big problem remains.

A friend of mine, who has more experience than me in this area, made temporary repairs on the Allison trans wiring harness. This enabled me to move the motorhome to a better location to work on it. As a matter of fact, the trans appears to be working normally- I even took it for a 20 mile drive after fixing the coolant system.

But the big question is, what should I do for permanent repairs to the wiring harness? Should I solder and shrink-wrap the repairs and seal it against the elements or should I take the mh somewhere for a wiring harness replacement? Or is there something else that I should do?

All suggestions will be carefully considered and appreciated. Thanks.

[RV Wizard]

Terry, sorry to hear about the dog chewing up your stuff. Did the dog get sick or die from the antifreeze? AS far as the wiring to the trans is concerned; the best repair would be to replace the harness but if you use good grade of wire, solder connections covered with heat shrink tubing with sealant should perform very well and the need to replace harness may not be absolutely neccessary. Good luck and let us know your decision.

[Richard and Babs and a Bob Tail Cat]

Sorry to hear about this. The dog is supposed to protect property and not destroy it and was probably trying to catch an animal of some kind that took cover under your coach.

Get with the storage facality and ask for reinbursement for repairs back to the condition before your motorhome was damaged. The storage facality owner is liable for the damaged cause by their dog.

If they do not accept responsibility you can file a police compliant and either take them to court or file an insurance claim under the comprehensive coverage portion of your motorhome insurance policy. Your insurance company will cover the loss less the deductible then subrogate against the storage facality for reinburseement and your deductible.