For the two of you who have been looking for an update, my apologies for the delay. Spent the last week in Texas: Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Sweetwater before arriving in Clovis, NM for a night. Yesterday, we arrived in Santa Fe.
A couple of mechanical issues. First, after leaving Bella Terra RV Resort in the Alabama Gulf Shores area, they called to tell us that they noticed something leaked on our site. BTW, this was a great place to stay and will try to schedule longer next year, hopefully around the Hangout Fest. We had noticed a slight gas odor a couple of evenings (non-consecutive), but saw nothing. Propane looked fine as did oil. So, when we parked that night I checked and saw nothing. Traveled one more day, and this time, when we got up the next morning, there was a fairly large pool stretching between the two front leveling jacks and just in front of them.
We were in Houston. I checked with the front desk at the RV park and they gave me a couple of names. I called them and a few more but could find no one who could help me that day. One guy did suggest that it was probably hydraulic fluid from the leveling jacks. (For those who think they know RV's or mechanical stuff in general, stop now and guess what the problem is. Diesel engine is in the rear, generator in front. We had not run generator since the day we left. You have the clues to get close.) Called a couple of mobile repair techs in Austin figuring we would have to drive on. Called Tiffin and got some suggestions and finally got a call back from a shop in Houston that would be able to take a look. But when we got there, the technician was gone and unreachable so after waiting about 15 minutes we decided to go back to the Austin plan.
The Austin tech came out and met us shortly after we arrived. We looked at the jacks and saw nothing. I extended the front jacks to see if we could see a leak and also to get the coach higher so someone could slide under and look. And once it had been raised we saw the problem. There are diesel fuel fill inlets on the coach, the one I always use, on the driver side, and a second, on the passenger side. Both are in the front, below and just behind the front seats. The hose to the tank on the passenger side was loose, and diesel was slowly dripping. The reason the problem was intermittent was based on how much fuel was in the tank. Took about 15 minutes to find and fix by moving the hose and tightening the clamp. Much better than replacing leveling jacks, or worse, having them stuck in the down position.
Second issue was minor, just a bad bathroom LED (one of three). It was flashing, not just out, so I had to cut the lead to stop the strobe effect and order a replacement from Tiffin which should be in Las Vegas when we arrive. One of the reasons we bought a Tiffin coach is that they have a great reputation for customer service. When you buy, you get the owner's cell number. Haven't needed to use it, but nice to know. Wouldn't you love to have the cell number of the Comcast, AT&T or United CEO? I have called them now a handful of times, mostly about electrical issues, but the last two issues as well. They have always been responsive and helpful. The tech who handled my second electrical issue walked me through the long process of diagnosing over the phone and correctly identified the problem.
Back to the trip in the next post.