ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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Joined: 03/31/2011
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Take off for Darlington, SC with race car in tow. Tach stops working, oh well, I keep going. Notice volt gauge isn't working right, keep going. About 1/2 way there I pull up to a stop light in the left turn lane the light turns green and my DP don't move. Motor is running, generator is running, we aren't moving. After awhile I figured that the alternator had stopped and the battery that supplied the juice for the transmission was dead. Now What? Middle of no where. I ran an extension cord from the nearest compartment, Generator is running, connected my maintainer up. Then I hooked a set of jumper cables from the house batteries to the chassis batteries. Viola, everything works so I get it out of the road. Taped the extension cord to the side of the bus, bunggy cord the battery compartment as near shut as I could and headed up the road. I mean Jed Clampet had nothing on me. So today I find 2 bad batteries and it goes in the morning for a alternator. Life in an RV
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WNYBob
Tonawanda, NY
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Joined: 02/23/2015
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MacGyver at his best.
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BarabooBob
Baraboo, WI
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Joined: 12/28/2015
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Never underestimate the ingenuity of a RV'r stuck along the road (or in the turn lane.) We were driving up the Coquihalla Highway (British Columbia) on the long steep section with our Class C and the engine started to loose power and speed. I was praying that we would get to one of the infrequent pull offs before it died. I limped into a pull off and it died as soon as we were totally off the road. I popped the hood and stood there looking at the engine expecting something to magically show me what the problem was.
I started to wiggle wires in the hopes that something would start working. My wife yelled out that the heater wire started running. I jambed a thin piece of wood along the side of the offending connector, ran a jumper to activate my battery isolator and used the coach battery to jump start the RV.
The battery would now charge off of the alternator and we finished our trip back to Wisconsin.
That is called farmer engineering here in Wisconsin. I am also a farmer welder (meaning that my work may not be pretty but it will hold up to abuse.)
Bob & Dawn Married 34 years
2017 Viking 17RD
2011 Ford F150 3.5L Ecoboost 420 lb/ft
Retired
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wa8yxm
Davison Michigan (East of Flint)
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Joined: 07/04/2006
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I would have just jumpered house to chassis.. and in fact did that on my Gasser.. But I now that path might not be that easy on a DP due to placement of the batteries (mine were close enough to get by with a single jumper all "Under" the RV)
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times
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JaxDad
Greater Toronto Area
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Joined: 08/02/2011
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One of my fathers favourite lines, usually directed towards my mother, was “It worked didn’t it?”
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ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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I have been told that I have done so much with so little for so long that I can now do almost anything with nothing. Life in an RV.
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schlep1967
Harrisburg, PA
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Joined: 12/08/2005
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It's all about the attitude. I know what I can't do. Now it's time to figure out what I can do.
One of the items always available along any highway are steel cords from discarded truck tires. If something needs tied up, just look around.
I've fixed an nonfunctioning motorized awning with aluminum foil and a bobby pin.
2021 Chevy Silverado LTZ 3500 Diesel
2022 Montana Legacy 3931FB
Pull-Rite Super Glide 4500
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ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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OK, Sat evening it was check batteries. The chassis one is about 24in long and 18in wide. It was less than a year old and ok as were both cables hooked to it. There are 3 more big 12 volt batteries hidden below that in a sliding tray. Here was a mess, cables carroded and 2 of the 3 batteries had failed to the point of leaking acid into the tray. What a mess. I removed the batteries and took baking soda to all of that mess in the tray. Used a stainless steal wire brush and cleaned all the cables and connections till they looked new. Last thing I did was paint the tray 2 coats of acid resistant paint. Early Sunday I headed to town, 25 miles, got 3 new batteries came home and installed everything back to the way its supposed to be. This morning they came and removed the alternator and I have yet to hear back from them. More later!
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LouLawrence
Traveling the US fulltime since 2000.
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Joined: 03/16/2021
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Sounds like you are on the right track! Good luck and give us the end of the story when you can.
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ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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Went by the shop yesterday evening and they still had not got alternator. I have to go out of town for a few days so the bus will have to wait. They kicked this post to the back oif the bus so I had to go find it.
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