Highway Blues

It was a rough start to our “getaway” weekend.

We thought it would be fun to take Spirit out for the long holiday weekend. We didn’t need to go far, maybe to the west coast of Florida or north to Savannah’s area. Then Gustav threatened the west coast; and Tropical Storm Fay had drenched the north which was still experiencing flooding in the area. So, where to go? We waited til Friday morning to decide, and decided that Fort Myers looked ok as long as Gustav didn’t veer eastward. Andy went to the RV to get her prepped for our trip – and the coach batteries wouldn’t start up. He started to think it was an omen.

By 3 pm we were on the road, with the hopes that highway speeds would help recharge the batteries. As we crossed Alligator Alley we watched birds and alligators on the roadside; the expanse of sawgrass was whipping by with the nice tailwind that we had; and we were able to start up the generator at a road stop. And I said, “See, things are already improving!”.

Then about 5 miles from our destination Andy commented that Spirit was acting sluggish. If he took his foot off the gas, she slowed quickly. Then the steering wheel started to vibrate. We pulled over to check the tires thinking we had a flat. Nope. All engine lights read no warnings. We continued on our way. Then we started to notice a burning smell in the cab and back near the kitchen. I started to shut down the a/c and fridge and turned off the generator. We were 2 miles from the RV park and looking for another safe place to pull over. But we got to the RV Park first. The smell was awful. We jumped out and started to do a walk around when we saw smoke coming out from the front right wheel well. We scrambled to detach the toad (in case of a fire), grab cell phones, wallets, and other valuables out of the RV…including the fire extinguisher. And here is how our first night away ended:

Song Title: Highway Blues
(sorry, the pictures are dark, but it was nighttime when the tow truck driver arrived!)

No one ever wants to see their beloved RV towed away. I know Jim and Chris recently had this experience, too. So we spent a worry-filled night in a Hampton Inn and spent most of Saturday in contact with the Galloway Ford service department. We were pleasantly surprised that they were able to diagnose and fix her by 4pm Saturday. Otherwise we didn’t know what we’d do since everyone was closed Sun and Mon.

The cause was our brake caliper, which seized up causing the brake to apply gradually overtime – every time the brake was applied, it wouldn’t release fully. So by the time we drove the 140 miles, the brakes weren’t releasing at all. We had worn out the brake pad on the front right wheel. Thankfully we stopped before it dug into the rotors.

This problem can happen frequently in RVs that are in storage or aren’t driven often. Apparently the brake fluid likes moisture and overtime that increased moisture in the fluid causes swelling in the pistons which then causes the calipers to freeze. (Note: this is my non-professional understanding of this!) And, although Ford makes NO note of this in any maintenance schedule, it is important to monitor the color of your brake fluid and flush it every 2-3 years or so. The color of the fluid when new is clear/pale yellow. As it gathers moisture, it changes to a brown. That’s when you know it needs to be changed.

So, if your RV is in storage, or if you live in one place for a period of time without driving it, you might want to add this step to your maintenance plan to avoid our expensive lesson. Our “quick, cheap weekend” disappeared quickly after having to replace the calipers and brake pads for both front wheels (at least we didn’t have to replace the rotors!) and add a night in a hotel. At least we had CoachNet roadside service, which covered the towing cost; and Galloway gave us a break on labor costs; and The Groves RV park credited us for Friday night. We are grateful for these good things…not to mention that there was no accident because of the seized brakes, we were at our destination/civilization, there was no fire, no one was hurt and nothing in the RV was lost. We always have to remember to count our blessings!!