Very unhappy RV gods ...

 

 

In spite of my unfailing reverence toward Elkhart either the tree god or the RV master lord was really unhappy with our RV life.

 

As we departed for the border on the 6th of May expecting another quiet trip across the Blue Water Bridge and then the nice 200 mile trip through central Ontario ... WRONG!

 

We turned out of the KOA and about a half mile later were just about to enter I-96 for the mile toward the border and the instrument panel lit up ... just like an aircraft flame-out.

 

"Amber Engine Check Light"  Not really a problem ... press on

"Battery Low Light"  Had it before but still not a problem for a few miles ... press on

"Red Engine Check Light" Oohh never had that one before.

"Red Engine Overtemp Light" This is probably not going to end well.

 

And then the engine quit.

 



As we had refueled at a Pilot truck stop across the Interstate the night before ($2.91) I restarted the engine and just before it quit again we coasted into the truck stop. I guess we won't be going to Canada this day.

We had subscribed to a Good Sam Roadside plan and gave the 1-800 number a call. They said they would take care of everything and that a tow truck would be there shortly and they were. Wow. It takes a 20 ton tow truck to tow a 20 ton bus.

Good Sam had worked out the nearest Cummins engine shop and that was about 20 miles north of Detroit and 35 miles from Port Huron and had found a tow company to haul us.

It took about an hour for this very experienced guy to hook, bolt, ratchet, hose and whatever our bus to the truck ... what a process ... but with a detailed explanation and concerns explained at every step.

And in a couple of hours we were at the Cummins/RV folks in Mount Clemens who said that they would look at our dead bus right away. They did and said that the air conditioner clutch had seized up and as a result the fan belt was fried.

Gotta order parts and get you into the garage when they arrive ... maybe tomorrow. By the way we have a 50 amp hookup next to the bay for your night's stay.

So a new RV park courtesy of Cummins will be added to the nightly venues for the Flying Scotsman.

There is nothing I can say even remotely bad about the courtesy and professionalism of these guys and this company. The parts arrived the next morning and they replaced the a/c compressor and fan belt ... and this is a big and ugly engine and two guys were standing up inside the bus engine compartment ... jeez. By 2pm on the 7th we were again off and running.

And back to the Port Huron KOA to relax and then hit the border in the morning.

Which we did and enjoyed a really easy trip across the border and a nice leisurely trip through central Ontario to our summer spot in Barrie.

 

Back in Canada