2021 Trip To Texas

[BigAl52]

I would to my batteries were more than that. But Im not a lead acid guy I like AGM batterys because I dont like dealing with corrosion

[BigAl52]

Here anything on the truck today Jim

[JEBar]

nothing and I really didn't expect to hear anything until tomorrow at the earliest ... if we don't hear anything tomorrow, I plan to call him or run by his garage on Thursday .... we have to move to a different campground on Monday and if our truck won't be ready, we are working on a plan B for a lady camped next to us to move our camper ....

[Sir Henry]

What about water/coolant, given your recent coolant level problem?

That’s what I was wondering. Hope it’s an easy fix.

[JEBar]

well, the diagnosis is in .. .. the EGR Cooler has failed and allowed coolant to leak into the exhaust .... hence the white smoke .... due to their age, the mechanic recommends replacing all related hoses, gaskets, etc .... expensive, Yep --- in the $3,000 neighborhood .... we've given him the go ahead and he hopes to have it back to us over the weekend .... from what I've been given to understand, if we'd of taken it to Houston Freightliner, they would not get around to diagnosing the problem by until sometime next week and depending on the number of commercial trucks that they have to give a higher priority, it could easily be weeks before they could complete the work .... in addition, the cost would have been considerably higher ....

[The Wiz]

Ouch!

[JEBar]

my wife said a bit more than that ...

[JEBar]

during our travels over the years we've met some really interesting folks .... the folks whose truck is shown below certainly fit into that group ..

[markiver54]

Not surprised at all with the diagnosis. I would give him the go ahead as well, despite the cost, instead of falling in line behind the MANY commercial repair needs....I feel for Ya Jim. God speed and I wish you well. You cannot put a price on safety and piece of mind.

[BigAl52]

At least you have a diagnosis. Not good on the pocket book but nothin is anymore and things are not lookin to get any better either

[JEBar]

just spoke with the mechanic .... the OEM EGR Cooler is being removed as this is being typed .... a replacement should reach his shop today .... the amount of time he will have to work on the install will depend on how early it arrives ....

[JEBar]

well, just received a call .... our truck is ready to roll .. .. in speaking with the owner/mechanic I learned that on big rigs he prefers to use OEM (instead of aftermarket) parts .... having dealt with Freightliner, I've learned that their OEM heavy duty parts are well made and expensive .... can't say the same for noncritical parts .... consequently, I'm happy with his decision .... a good portion of this morning will be spent returning our rental car, picking up our truck, picking up an Amazon order at one of their hubs and getting prepared to move to our next campground on Monday

[markiver54]

Good news....safe travels!!

[BigAl52]

Good deal Jim I hope you dont have anymore issues. I have found another issue here with the Dodge but its not anything that takes us out of rolling down the highway. I think our pacbrake air compressor is telling me its tired as it keeps blowing 30 amp fuses. I checked all the wiring for shorts and didnt find a thing. The guy who installed it did a good job and all the wiring is in split loom protecting it from rubbing through the insulation.

[Sir Henry]

Bummer Al. I hate electrical problems.

[JEBar]

SHE'SSSSSS BACK .... we've driven her less than 10 miles (most at interstate speed) and she seems to be running just fine .... the mechanic said that so long as we continue the way we keep her serviced, she should be good to go for who knows how long .... he saw nothing with his eyes or on his scanner that caused him any concern .... hopefully, he's right .... I have had first hand experience with removing parts in the area around EGR cooler (shiny part in the second picture that's bolted to the side of the motor) .... his bill shows 6 hrs labor, it would have taken me considerably more than that .... $630 in labor, the rest of the $3,200 in parts with a little going to taxes ....

[JEBar]

I think our pacbrake air compressor is telling me its tired as it keeps blowing 30 amp fuses.

Bummer Al. I hate electrical problems.

10-4 on hating electrical gremlins .... do you plan to have it worked on prior to leaving for home

[BigAl52]

No while I like the brake alot I will wait till I return home to have it replaced.I just will teat it like it isnt there.

[JEBar]

tomorrow is moving day so today is pack-up day .... everything outside but the utilities has been taken up and stored .... rock chip in the truck's front windshield has been patched .... naturally the chip was in the middle of the windshield where I had to borrow a step ladder to get to it .... its nice to camp among friendly, helpful folks .... tested the truck last night with a 100+ mile round trip run (mostly at interstate speed) to meet some of Maureen's relatives ..... all seems to be OK .... nothing much on tap for the rest of today

[BigAl52]

Anyone who owns an RV they know RV doesnt stand for Recreational vehicle. Repair vehicle fits the house on wheels better. I was doing some research online about Norcold RV Fridges. The entire time we have been here ours has been having water in the bottom of the fridge. I wasnt really searching for that I was searching for other issues and stumbled upon a few threads that had the water in the bottom of the fridge problem. I discovered that our left front door has issues with the center flap that flips close supposedly when the door is closed. Ours was hanging up just like all the others were doing. When to you put items like milk and such in the door pockets it causes the door to sag just enough that the flap drags on the bottom of the inside of the fridge. Ours was doing that and that slight opening was causing the moisture issue in the fridge and it was running alot naturally. I went to the local Ace Hardware and got some stainless steel and nylon washers. I got lucky and found the right size. The door comes off easy and it has now been shimmed eliminating the problem. Works like its supposed to.