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baby steps, kiss and one thing at a time
#1

howdy all,

i have spent a lot of time talking, texting, emailing, messaging with folks about problems they are having on their coaches.  first of all, i love doing it.  you are more than welcome to contact me.  i know of others that feel the same way.  

the one theme that i would like share is something i have learned and am still learning.  

do one thing at a time, keep it simple to start and take baby steps.  

most problems are often simpler than they seem.  not all, but alot of them.  break the problem into small steps and chunks and eliminate things as you go.   dont look for the complicated approach, but the simplest to begin. 

 i had a problem with one coach that the hydraulic fan for the series 60 radiator was blowing fluid all over.  the owner said he had replaced the overhung adapter once already.  (expensive fix) and was still doing it.    it ended up being the hydraulic fitting on the adapter had no o ring.   12 bucks later with a new fitting and o ring and a lot of pressure washer time and the help of a very small neighbor, it was fixed.  

power problems, hydraulic problems, air system problems, etc can all be broken down into small pieces to resolve.  the more patience and the simpler you approach it, most likely the less expensive the fix will be.  not always but often.  

also, other than major engine problems, most things can at least be troubleshot by you by if you take the time to learn about the issue and try different things.   the challenge we have is that no two newells are the same.  even in the same model year.  but the basics are all the same.  

another thing i have learned is not to try and fix everything in the same system at once.  it is a recipe for frustration and failure.   one thing at a time.  

i had a problem where when i stopped for fuel at a truck stop that the coach was leaning way over on the drivers side.  the passenger side was way up in the air.  i didnt follow my own suggestions.  called a few folks in the forum.  problem is that it is hard to sometimes totally share what the issues is without seeing it first hand.  at a truck stop we changed the rear ride height valve.  no change....and that was not an easy thing since the tire has to come off....     if i had thought through what was happening i would have realized the ride height valve was releasing air but not fast enough to over come the air coming in from the six pack from a massively leaky raise solenoid plunger failure.  the air was leaking past the raise six pack solenoid when it was supposed to be closed.....causing air to go into the passenger side rear airbags, meanwhile since i was in travel mode the ride height valve was trying to let the air out, but was slower than the air coming in.  i had a spare solenoid and the fix was 5 minutes.   after a full day of trying things i had not carefully thought out....

anyway,  alot of things can be solves by being patient, not panicking, taking baby steps, keep it simple and approaching it one thing at a time.  

there is a wealth of information here on the forum and a lot of very smart gurus.  post your problems and then most importantly post the solution so we can all learn from it. 

my two cents worth and i am stickin to it

tom

2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#2

KISS works in a lot of other areas of our lives too. We are currently in between RVs: the first time in 18 years. The immediate thought when something goes wrong is/was always the most complex and costly. Like slides and leveling systems were the most common for us. As I look back most if not all problems were solved with a cool head and thinking about how the pieces of that system operated.
Our last long trip was a couple of years ago when we had a 43' Voltage toy hauler. We were on our way back from a family reunion. My little brother is notorious for having tire issues on anything, I repeat anything he owns. On this trip he replaced a total of 9 tires on his two axle trailer and truck. I was thinking about how he knew when a tire blew and could he hear it over the music and road noise from his 4X4 tires. I was thinking about what I had to do if that happened to me. Then I had a trailer blowout.
From start to finish it took me 22 minutes to change the middle curb side tire. My wife was shocked/amazed at how quick it took. I told her I was thinking about all the steps involved and what I had to do to change a tire within 30 minutes before it happened. I did not have to think about what to do and I didn't waste any steps in changing the tire. I wasn't nervous and had some things working for me. Middle of the day, no rain, a generous pull off point, I wasn't tired, I had all the tools and a plan.
So KISS and think about these things before they occur.
Thanks Tom and all the Gurus out there.

Hank & Natalie Bensley
2001 Double Slide #586. 
2021 Cherokee Trailhawk Toad
We've been RV owners since 2002.
Port Orange, FL. Soon we will travel full time for "a while" Smile
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