Community Forums

rayza · 06-06-2018, 10:33 PM

Not a great day today!

Was driving 160 from Durango to Pagosa Springs. A rancher was running their cattle between fields, so traffic had to stop while that was going on.

After it cleared, I went to shift it back out of park and it was loose, and did not shift into RND421 at all! For 45 minutes I had to direct traffic around and try to get a tow that was at least 3 hours away.

Luckily I spoke with the guys at Breman Ford in Indiana and he suggested that my wife press the brake while I crawl under and shift it by maneuvering the lever at the transmission case! Not an easy thing to do with traffic whizzing by, but I got it done and was on my way. I have someone in Denver looking at it tomorrow, hoping it is nothing major and can be fixed before I head on my way.

This is a 2018 Newmar Bay Star

RickySpanish · 06-07-2018, 02:17 AM

Wow, that's a nightmare! I have a 2017 and I am going to get under there and check everything is attached properly. You may not have had time to notice - but was anything visually wrong down there when you manually shifted the transmission? (bravo for being brave enough to do that by the way). I'm sure the bowden cable came disconnected on one end - but which end would be the important thing to know.

RRR · 06-07-2018, 08:40 AM

Did she call the insurance company to see what you were worth first?

If I had to ask mine to do that we would still be sitting in the middle of the road while she analized everything.

Bob_C · 06-07-2018, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RRR

Did she call the insurance company to see what you were worth first?

If I had to ask mine to do that we would still be sitting in the middle of the road while she analized everything.

I would of reversed the roles.....lol

rayza · 06-07-2018, 09:58 AM

Just spoke to a tech and he immediately saw that the shifter cable was routed too close to the exhaust manifold and it literally melted the cable! He says this is Newmar's problem sinc ethey are responsible for routing the cables.

I am going to xpost in the Newmar forum.

TeJay · 06-07-2018, 04:48 PM

Thank goodness for my technical background. I had it solved before I finished the second sentence. Well I had everything solved except how much it would have cost me for the person who who was going to hold the break pedal down while I crawled under the MH.

Glad it worked out for you and it was a good laugh as well.

rayza · 06-07-2018, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeJay

Thank goodness for my technical background. I had it solved before I finished the second sentence. Well I had everything solved except how much it would have cost me for the person who who was going to hold the break pedal down while I crawled under the MH.

Glad it worked out for you and it was a good laugh as well.

I love it when you have an issue and eventually you can look back and laugh at it.

I am not there yet.

TeJay · 06-07-2018, 08:26 PM

Had to do a similar fix on a car (1975) but it was the middle of winter in a K-Mart parking lot. Two of us installed an engine and forgot to install the ground wire between the block and the fire wall. The engine return current path went through the center console shifter cable which melted keeping it in park.

Eventually we laughed about that and I used it often with my classes discussing the need for a good ground.

House Husband · 06-07-2018, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayza

Just spoke to a tech and he immediately saw that the shifter cable was routed too close to the exhaust manifold and it literally melted the cable! He says this is Newmar's problem sinc ethey are responsible for routing the cables.

I am going to xpost in the Newmar forum.

If the chassis manufacture installed and routed the cable and attached it on both ends, how is it Newmar's problem?

Richard

rgmiller32 · 06-07-2018, 09:52 PM

On all the Ford chassis I saw the steering column with shifter and cables, were already installed before they were delivered to the body builders.

ga traveler · 06-08-2018, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayza

Just spoke to a tech and he immediately saw that the shifter cable was routed too close to the exhaust manifold and it literally melted the cable! He says this is Newmar's problem sinc ethey are responsible for routing the cables.

I am going to xpost in the Newmar forum.

Newmar should have nothing to do with the cables. They come with the chassis already installed. Unless Newmar ran new exhaust, they are in the clear.

We_B_Tripn · 08-01-2018, 03:33 PM

I have the same coach as the OP (2018 Bay Star) and found out while at Newmar that my shifter cable is melting for the same reason. The local Ford dealer is replacing and re-routing but this looks to be a serious issue on at least the 24k F-53 chassis. Whether it is Newmar specific or not is up for debate.

TeJay · 08-02-2018, 06:15 AM

As long as it is still stock it is Fords issue. Another example of how they LOVE to try and shift the blame.

We_B_Tripn · 08-02-2018, 06:17 AM

TeJay,

Newmar didn’t blame Ford and Ford didn’t blame Newmar. They immediately called in the local Ford dealer to analyze the issue and then fix it.

My point was IF this is a stock Ford issue it maybe in other brands using the same 24k chassis.