Home Again!

We had an uneventful ride home Monday from Pensacola. The weather was cloudy, then rainy with the temperature never above 85. As we continued toward home the rain increased and the temperature dropped until we were looking at 74 degrees. In fact, we made it 99.994 percent of the way home before anything exciting happened. I was making a sharp left turn onto our street, only a few hundred feet from our driveway, when all power failed. I mean everything! The engine stopped and there was not a single light on the dashboard. I’m glad that I was driving because it took quite an effort to complete the turn without power steering. Immediately after the turn I was on the side of the road when all the lights came back on. I started the engine and continued the last few feet without incidence.

I looked for answers on RV.NET, but the best response was to call Freightliner’s 24/7 help line. The technician told me that when ALL power is lost like that, it’s the 135 amp breaker and it will usually reset itself. We had the headlights on due to the rain. The A/C was on full cold because the crew was warm. We had the dash fans on and the kids were plugged into video games. The inverter was pumping out 110 volts for another fan and I think that the directionals must have put us over the limit, supplying power for all the lights on the Jeep as well as the motorhome. The technician wasn’t too worried about it, telling me to visually check the breaker for damage, but not necessarily replace it.

It is also time to change the oil and as soon as we stopped, I got under the coach and started draining. Now, I’ve been having a problem with oil spots on my white Jeep and I have also had to add oil between changes for the first time. Under the motorhome I could see the left side of the engine bathed in oil. There is a leak somewhere and I don’t know where. Of course, since it happens on the road, the wind blows the oil every where. I did a quick degrease yesterday and I got more degreaser today. I’ll have the engine spotless before I start it again and then I’ll look for signs of leakage.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to have the Jeep front end worked on to eliminate the knock when I make a sharp, slow speed turn. That will include an alignment to avoid unnecessary wear on the new tires. Next week I will take the Journey to a shop in Wildwood, about 17 miles away to have the front end checked on that. There is a cupping problem on the left side of both front tires. I’ve rotated the tires so that the cupping is now on the right side, and I can see if there is new cupping on the left. This is the last year for those tires anyway as they are timing out.

Last, but not least, I have to order a new awning for the Journey. The one on there has to be original and it’s really on it’s last legs. In fact, with the seams ripping and a cut that almost comes through, I’m surprised it has lasted this long.

Of course, all of this is needed so we can venture to Mexico for the winter again. Helen has set a goal for Noche de Muertos  in Patzcuaro, so we will be leaving much earlier this year. Our dogs enjoyed their time at Dog Beach in Pensacola, but it does not compare to the enjoyment we all get on the Pacific beaches of Mexico.

Later.