I finally got someone on the phone who got me to a chassis guy. He told me to call him when we got to the campground and do not turn off the coach. ( I had already figured that out).
We got to the campground pulled into a spot and I called him. I determined that the shifter was dead, no neutral, no reverse just stuck in drive. I checked fuses, and took the panel off the door to make sure the shifter was plugged in good. He called some local places to see if anyone could look at it.....Nothing...
So, we had a choice. Hook up in Beaumont turn the coach off and risk that it will not start again because it is not in neutral. (This would likely leave us trapped in Beaumont until Monday or Tuesday at best) or head on to San Antonio.
We decide to press on. The Gulf Coast campground refunded our money-very nice. I call the Tiffin guy and he tells me we should be fine to drive and to call him first thing Monday.
Ok -300 more miles-Fueling with the engine running- Houston on Friday afternoon at 3:30- A torrential rainstorm between Houston and San Antonio- Tension, lots of Tension....Then, the realization that I never started the truck today. So the weak battery will be dead when we get to San Antonio.
We get here about 8:00 at night. We had to change spots.
The second spot was barely long enough for coach and truck and coach won't level. A couple guys helped us unhook the truck and push it into a spot where I can plug in the trickle charger. Catherine pulled the coach around -again - still have not turned it off. We get level, We get 50AMP, We get water & sewer and satellite. After 578 miles, (PDD for sure) we are safe and sound in San Antonio.
We got some sleep.
Today, we got the truck started
We tried a reset on the coach by turning off the chassis batteries - nada- still a dead controller. Monday we will call Tiffin to work on getting someone to come look at the coach. We will see how that goes...
But at least Tomorrow we can enjoy Mother's day with the family. :)
Glad you got there safely. We are just preparing to go out adventuring. Can hardly wait!!!
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Wow, what a crazy thing to happen. I'm glad you got there safely and can enjoy family for Mother's Day...
ReplyDeleteOH MY!!! That made for a very stressful trip...so sorry, but glad you are both OK and can at least enjoy Mother's Day with the family. Sure hope Tiffin steps up and gets things fixed quickly.
ReplyDeleteOuch! What a bad day, you weren't kidding. Too bad you had to do a forced PDD day. Thank goodness you got to your destination okay.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I've read where sometimes the shifter panel can go blank like yours has and by unplugging the panel from the wire connection and letting it sit for a couple of minutes and then plugging it in again, it can reset the display. No guarantees, but I'd give it a try, you've got nothing to lose. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works.
Also, I carry a small jumper box in my Element, exactly for times like you had. You can get one at Walmart, Costco, etc. It has a little battery inside that you can charge with 120 V electricity and jumper cables to hook to the dead battery.
Egad! That's awful. Lucky you had two drivers. I never would have made it that many miles.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. That was a horrible day. Amazing that you made it through and have such a positive attitude about enjoying Mother's Day. Thumbs up to you both. Hope the coach problems are easily corrected. I think your miles qualify you for PDD Gold. Over 500 is what I heard.
ReplyDeleteDang and we leave Canyon Lake tomorrow and are heading for either Fredricksburg or Kerrville... will decide in the am...
ReplyDeleteOh, you poor things. That was definitely one of the worst travel days I've ever heard of, but at least you arrived safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in knowing if you were able to try Paul's idea, and if it worked or not. I never though about that happening and I'm not sure I would have been smart enough to realize not to shut off the engine!
I'll bet you had a big glass of something last night!
I think that would qualify for anyone's worst day ever! Just glad you made it to SA all in one piece. Hope it won't take long to sort it out and get you on your way.
ReplyDeleteThat was a horrible driving day alright but it sounds like you made the right decisions along the way. I'm curious as to how you were able to stop and refill your tank if the coach was stuck in drive mode?
ReplyDeleteWe just left the coach running and put the parking brake on.
DeleteWOW!! That was a terrible day in anyone's book! I hate driving in downpours. Tension indeed!
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