We are traveling again, but I forgot about the rock-and-roll, house-on-wheels repair list. After almost nine months not on the road, we are now experiencing a mounting repair list, and I keep my fingers crossed that every travel day does not add to the growing list.
Yesterday, the driver’s side slide started to inch out while we were driving on Interstate 70. Thankfully, my husband noticed it, and we were able to pull off, slide it out, and then back in. Thankfully, it stayed put.
Most of the cabinet doors need tightening and readjusting after an abysmally rough Arizona highway. All of them have a workaround to open and keep closed now.
The baseboard molding in the bathroom continues to fall off. It needs longer screws. The bathroom door is binding.
It is time to caulk the roof again. My job—I am lighter than my husband. (And a lot more detail-oriented.)
The sliding mirrored closet door hanger has given way, but at least the bracket and screw are so wedged that the door is not moving.
Air conditioner issues
The front A/C kicks on and then off immediately. There are extreme heat warnings in Minnesota! It’s almost as hot as in the Desert Southwest. The other two A/Cs are keeping it tolerable until the front A/C is repaired. Or not.
I hold my breath when putting the four slides in or out. So far so good. We are on our fourth Schwintek motor. I now hold my breath that they stay in!
After nine months of using a macerator for dumping in the desert heat, it was clear after an hour or so on the road that a deep, deep flush was necessary for both our gray and black water tanks. The gray water lived up to its name—very gray. This is the method I used, and it works well. But I had to flush both the gray and black water tanks multiple times.
Strange warning light
Some sort of indecipherable yellow warning light came on the dashboard as we were pulling into the campground last night. Took a photo, and Google images pinpointed the cause: a dirty DPF filter. AI did have instructions for regenerating. It worked! (Drive over 40 mph for at least 10 minutes.)
To top it off, I think a rat crawled into the RV storage bay somewhere and died. I have not found where. But the upside is that after having hauled everything out, all the stuff is more neatly arranged. Not like we needed another rat…
I am rather overwhelmed by the growing list of maintenance needs. When the warning light came on, I suggested we just sell the RV, rent a moving trailer for all our stuff, and drive the car home at the end of summer. My husband did not have the same enthusiasm for the idea as I did, though. On we go…
MORE FROM NANCI LIKE THIS:
- Are we becoming non-nomad RVers? Settling into a stationary RV lifestyle
- Should I unhappily downsize or hang up the keys for good?
- Need a sewer hookup? Get a poop grinder!
- The big mistake I made that ended with an RV rat infestation!
RVT1268
“the cause: a dirty DEF filter.”
Nanci: That would be a dirty Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). That’s the first big “cylinder” in the exhaust system that captures particulate and then, on occasion, shoots diesel in it to super heat it to burn off the particulate buildup. Driving it to bring the engine to operating temp triggers the burn off process.
The Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) filter is a small filter you would change just like an oil filter. It’s purpose is simply to ensure clean DEF is going to the injectors in your “catalytic converter,” the second big cylinder in your exhaust.
Thanks, Mikal. It’s been corrected. Have a good night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com