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RE: Transmission lines keep "blowing"
The manager of the service dept is trying to blame it on the clamps & the fact that a lube pump is in the system. The original kit came with clamps & they held for over 3 yrs. I'm thinking the original tech (who the service manager says was let go) maybe damaged what he was clamping to. (He also refers to having to "flare" the hose end & get it just right). Are there fittings that can be made to work with the lube pump hoses other than clamps?
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BJean
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05/06/13 07:39am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Transmission lines keep "blowing"
Good thought on the restriction in the pump.......but when we hooked it to the car to tow, it sprayed a LOT of trans fluid everywhere very quickly. Would that mean that it wasn't restricted?
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BJean
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05/06/13 07:33am |
Dinghy Towing
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Transmission lines keep "blowing"
We had a Remco lube pump installed on our 2003 Chevy Impala in summer 2009 & had towed for over 3 yrs w/no problems. Last spring we had a car fire due to a hole in a trans line to the lube pump. We had the car towed to the local (small town) Chevy dealership for repairs. They installed a new line. Within 2 days we were driving when the car slowed & refused to move. There was trans fluid all over the road. Had it towed to same garage. They said that the line they replaced had "come loose" & that it was now fixed even better. We returned last fall to have the rest of the old trans lines replaced with new ones after we had yet another leak. This spring another line developed a long crack, was leaking & had to be replaced. Within 2 days the car again dumped all the trans fluid on the street & came to a halt. We again had it towed to the same Chevy dealer. The hubby insisted that he talk w/mechanic who did work. He stated that the first repairs were done with what they had in stock- which was gas line & vacuum line. This time, he insisted that he obtained the proper high pressure line from a parts store, & used double clamps. He assured us that we would have no more trouble. That was Wed. On Friday all the transmission fluid was on our garage floor. We tried to hook the car to the motorhome to tow it to the dealership in a larger town...the lube pump sprayed fluid everywhere. We called a tow truck for the fourth time (and the sixth repair). My question is: is there any way that the lube pump could malfunction or be hooked up wrong that would cause a high pressure situation that would blow out these lines...and/or is this dealership that incompetent? Any ideas out there? This has been a great car & a great toad...we would hate to blow it up at this stage!
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BJean
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05/05/13 03:36pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Idling engine while towing questions
just read your post and I am having about the same problem as you. Had Remco lube pump installed in toad in 2009- towed for 3 yrs w/no problems. Last yr had a car fire due to leak in the lube pump line. Had the car towed to Chevy dealer who installed new line. 2 days later, line came off while driving down a city street & left all our trans fluid on the pavement. Tranny quickly ran dry & car refused to move. Had it towed to Chevy again for repair. Then 3 mo later took car to same dealer for a hole in a trans line & had all the old original trans lines replaced. This spring we had a leak (hole) again & same garage replaced line. Last week- another leak (tear) & again they fixed it w/new line. 2 days later same drill w/all fluid out in street & car runs dry & stops. Towed to same Chevy dealer. The hubby called & demanded to talk to the tech- who said that first repairs were made with what they had in stock- which was gas & vacuum line. We were told that this time they had purchased proper high pressure lines & replaced all lines w/dbl clamps. Fun & games- all our trans fluid is now out on the garage floor & driveway. We hooked it up to the motorhome to tow it to a bigger dealer in a bigger city & the lube pump pumped it everywhere. Called tow truck. Can anybody answer if the pump can over pressure the line & cause this? Or how can a dealership be this incompetent? We would appreciate any insight anyone can give us.
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BJean
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05/05/13 02:24pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Best Northern Summer Campgrounds
Just want to thank you all for your answers. This will give us somethings to look at for next year.
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BJean
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05/02/13 06:34pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: Best Northern Summer Campgrounds
Thinking of campground and/or RV Park. Want to stay Eastern or Midwest. We will probably be staying about 4 months in the hottest months. We normally spend about 6 months in the south.
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BJean
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04/20/13 05:01pm |
Snowbirds
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Best Northern Summer Campgrounds
Just wondering were some of the best Northern long term campgrounds are?
We are considering staying in FL during the winter and someplace during the summer.
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BJean
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04/20/13 02:19pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: What did you do to your Class C MH today???
Put a new lock set on entry door. Lucky we have 2 front doors when we found we were locked in unit.
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BJean
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01/23/13 05:00pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
Our motorhome is rated to tow 5000 lb. We are not newbies- & we don't take chances. We always weigh before EVERY trip, never overload or even come close, our tires are new on the coach & the car, we rarely drive over 60 mph & usually drive 55 & we use a tire pressure monitoring system. We coast up to stops & have the brakes on both units checked on a regular basis. There was no traffic to start & stop in- but we have already figured out that running the engine while setting up the BB will prevent it from bleeding the vacuum properly. It is nice that you haven't "goofed up" with the complicated procedures required to properly install & run the BB every time it's used- we've put more than 40,000 mi on this outfit & only had trouble twice. But anyone can have an off day- or be in a hurry- & the mistake can cost thousands of dollars. Our OP was looking for suggestions for braking systems that would be less problematic for us to use....a simpler system that might keep us towing for a few more years. We would greatly appreciate posts from anyone with experience or knowledge of such reliable, simpler systems. We are in the process of looking into the ones suggested so far. Many thanks to those posters!
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BJean
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12/26/12 12:35pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
We didn't run the engine while towing down the road...DH just ran the engine (twice) at stops to help it charge & left it on while reattaching & installing the BB. Both times it tore up the brakes. I didn't even know he was doing this, but I wouldn't have known that it was wrong anyway. When the battery on the car goes dead, the BB won't work at all anyway...I think that was uppermost on his mind...that & (this time) outrunning all the bad weather. Thank you to all who've helped us & wishing a great Christmas & Holidays to all!
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BJean
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12/24/12 06:20am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
I'm not trying to diss BB- now that we know the fault was very probably DH running the car while hooking it up. He knew he hooked it up properly every time & it should have worked every time- he thought. He says he should have known better. As to the battery running down- that only happened when we drove too long, drove in ice & snow or at night (which we really try not to do). The large solar panel we have did a great job most of the time. The first couple of yrs we didn't even have a problem, as we never drove more than 300 mi/day. We realize the big Impala is not the best car to tow 4-down. There is no fuse you can pull & it had to have a trans. pump. We will probably replace her soon- she has over 160,000 mi- not counting over 40,000 towing miles. DH is a walking miracle, medically. Only took 5 miracles to keep him alive....result left him in pretty good shape now, but with a slight memory glitch problem. He never knows when something he always knew slips by him. That is why I was asking for recommendations for a simpler system that cut down on his set-up routine. I appreciate all those who replied with tips.
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BJean
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12/23/12 03:57pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
Thank you very much Peaches & Cream! Hopefully problem solved for us as to why this happened. Also, maybe others with the BB will know what NOT to do when using the unit. DH says he should have known better- but due to medical issues has memory glitches. I think going with an easier system for him would still be a good idea for us. Any other suggestions as to the pros & cons of a system that would make his life a little simpler?
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BJean
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12/23/12 07:11am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
We have put over 40,000 mi on the motorhome in 4 yrs & this problem has only happened twice. Both times were when we stopped to run the car engine to charge it while eating lunch. DH now says that both times- to charge the car more- he left the car running while the BB did it's thing. Could that have effected whether the vacuum was bled right? It did it's normal thing of pumping the brakes as part of it's process, but could it not have been effective?
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BJean
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12/23/12 06:17am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
J-D......great input! From time to time we find roads so bumpy that it rattles everything in the coach for miles on end. Could that kind of situation get the pendulum to swinging & keep the brakes applied? You know the roads....like mini speed bumps. If we were going to keep using this, we like the idea of installing a warning light for when the brakes are applied. It should have been incorporated into the monitor they sold with the unit. Just common sense.
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BJean
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12/23/12 06:09am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
Great input..but there wasn't any hard braking situation. We just stopped at Wendy's for one of those bad-boy baconators......came out...reinstalled the BB like we always do at the start of our trips and went on down the highway. About 15 miles out the red light on the tire minder started flashing & I immediately saw that one tire was at 190, one at 155, and another was 135. The fourth was normal- go figure. We immediately pulled over & let them cool down...freaked because we were miles from nowhere.....removed the offending red menace..& continued on our way until we got to our destination. At this point we really don't plan to use the Brake Buddy anymore. We hope to find a system that we don't have to worry about. We have the funds to replace it, and a system that makes our trip easier is very appealing. We just don't know enough about the other ones to make a good choice. If we'd replaced it with a $1000 unit last year, we'd be $1000 ahead right now.
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BJean
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12/22/12 06:32pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
Thank you all for the wonderful info! We have the wireless transmitter in the cab- but it does not register the brakes being on when this occurs. The brakes don't grab & work great through many trips & thousands of miles. The problem seems to be when we stop it for a brief period, then start it up again, which isn't often. The solar panel has worked great most of the time to charge the battery. This year, due to medical issues, we got a late start heading south- & had to really boogy to outrun that blizzard in the Midwest. We just barely missed the tornadoes in Alabama by going over the mountains into Georgia & outrunning the bad wind. Needless to say, the solar panel was worthless this time. We have asked many RV shops & Chevy dealers about running a charge line or pulling a fuse. None had any help for us. We sent the BB unit back to the factory after the first big brake repair. They said nothing was wrong with it & sent us a new transmitter just in case the old one was bad. We were in the process of looking at battery boosters when this happened. The BB pumps the brakes to release the vacuum during the test phase- that's part of the normal set-up that we always do. We set the psi to 55 for our 4200 lb car.
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BJean
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12/22/12 03:38pm |
Dinghy Towing
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Help! We've burnt up brakes twice w/Brake Buddy
We have a 2008 26' class C gas motorhome & have towed an Impala since we bought the motorhome new using a new classic Brake Buddy.It has worked fine if you don't count the 2 times it has completely burnt up the entire brake system on the car. Very costly! We have had an ongoing problem keeping the battery charged in tow (we've been told that to hook up a charge line would mess up the computer in the car). A solar panel in the window works- except when cloudy. Both times we had a problem, we stopped for lunch & stopped the Brake Buddy to run the car to charge it while eating- & hooked it up like always before taking off. We have since read the Brake Buddy doesn't like being interrupted like that & that others think this might be why it happens- but we aren't going to take that chance. We have a tire monitor & it lights up & alerts us to a problem- but not before the wheels are smoking or getting close to cherry red-& the brake damage is done (on a good note- the new tires were saved). The car gets out of the shop today after this latest $2000 fiasco & I'm not letting the husband hook that unit up again. We're in a safe winter spot right now (thank goodness we had already gone over the mountain passes before this happened- & were on the flat again!). We want to buy another brake system, but want one that will not harm our toad in any way. What systems are the safest? We travel a LOT & always go through the checklists & double check each other. It only failed twice out of hundreds of times we've hooked it up..but at thousands of dollars..that's twice too many times! We've read that the Patriot is the same type of system & can also burn up the brakes. We like the idea of the Invisibrake- but not sure about having a system that's not completely unhooked when the car is being driven. Can that cause problems? Any wisdom out there?
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BJean
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12/22/12 10:40am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Where are you rv.net snowbirds?
At home still. Was going to start in Oct but the Doctors got in the way. Now that they say it is OK the toad just dropped the trans. Hope we will be on our way in a week or two.
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BJean
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12/16/12 03:34pm |
Snowbirds
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Pilot/Flying J
We have always tried to use Flying J for gas stops. Just found a Pilot on I57 exit 283, in Illinois, that had FULL RV lanes but no RV parking after gassing up. Tried to contact Pilot about this new type of station and got no answer. Just wondering if anyone else has run into this type of station.
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BJean
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10/09/12 05:24pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Hershey Show
We attended the Show yesterday and we were not impressed with it. We attended the Tampa Show last year and it offered more coaches and "stuff". The Show was OK but did not have anything we were interested in at this time.
We did not like that almost all of the show had on Camping World item for sale.
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BJean
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09/13/12 12:51pm |
Rallies, Shows and Gatherings
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