7/16/2023. COW down

In the morning prior to leaving we noticed that the coach batteries were not charging while the generator was running. The inverter was showing negative amperage draw. I had Sandy turn off the inverter which turned off the refrigerator as I didn’t want to run the batteries to low thereby ruining the batteries. 

We had to continue driving West as we need to arrive in Portland Oregon by Fathers Day. As we drove west I was thinking what could cause the generator to not charge the batteries. After almost 200 miles I came up with a couple ideas. I pulled over at a Rest Stop just East of Boise Idaho

1. Possibly the battery inverter/charger burnout or tripped an overload. I cycled the inverter. It did not fix the issue
2. The COW has 4 different Electrical Panels. I checked the panels and sure enough a 30 Amp breaker had tripped. I reset the breaker and we were charging again. Problem fixed except continue reading

After fixing the electrical issue I decided to  walk around the outside of the COW and tow car to-make sure everything was buttoned down and in place. I noticed the rear of the COW was hanging low. Luckily the rest stop was fairly empty as I could hear an air leak underneath the coach. The air bag and the brakes require compressed air. The coach has an air compressor on board that provides 120 PSI into two air tanks. Even though we had a leak in the air lines the compressor pumps enough air to compensate for the leak. We could not continue much further without getting a diesel mechanic to fix this problem

We called the local freightliner dealer to see if they could work us in. They did not have the time or desire to handle the fix. They did recommend another company named “RentForFun RV rentals, repairs, Parts and Sales”.  Well you can’t judge a companies capabilities by its name. I called them and they said come on over. Thirty minutes later (had to drive appx 30 miles) to arrive.  When we pulled in the Service Manager immediately dived under the coach as the air bags were loosing air and the coach was lowering. I hate getting under the coach as it looses air in the air bags. It can crush you. He identified the hole in the air line and also found a set of fuses that was rubbing against the frame (which probably tripped the breaker that I had previously reset).  Turns out that a bundle containing  coach battery fuses and air lines had rubbed holes in the bundle casing, the air lines, wiring, and shorted the fuses to the frame. Knowing that we were traveling he pulled a team of 3 people to work on our coach to get us back on the road. Total bill was less than $300. Cheapest work I ever have had done on the COW. They fixed it, encased the repair in hoses so would not rub holes in the line again. 

Now we are back on the road. 

We will definitely return to them to get some additional work done on the way home

If you ever travel through Boise Idaho I highly recommend RentForFun RV rentals, repairs, Parts and Sales”