Barstow, CA

We are in Barstow, CA after an uneventful three hour drive. It was sunny and 71F when we arrived, the first time we have seen either of these conditions. Tomorrow we head for Desert Hot Springs where we have booked a spot at Desert Oasis RV Park for a month. The weather is not all that great but the hot pools are HOT!

I love these uneventful drives!

One More Day!

We are staying at The Orange Grove for one more day because the weather is still not good to the east and as one reader pointed out, Monday is still a busy day on the highway as people go home. We are enjoying the break from the road and from what seems like forking over hundreds of dollars a day for repairs.

Battery Exchange

We called Costco and told them we were returning the two 6 volt batteries that had failed the load test. We arrived at the store and asked to see the automotive manager, prepared with all the technical information we could remember from the battery expert. The manager stopped us before we started, telling us all he needed was the receipt showing the date of sale. We could replace them for up to one year, no questions asked. Period.

I went back to the rig, removed the batteries and took them to customer service where they gave me a gift card for the full amount. I took this gift card to the battery department and bought new, October 2016 dated batteries.

I had my voltmeter and both the batteries were putting out 6.37 volts, the highest of the batch they had on display. The manager apologised for the trouble we had and told us to bring these back anytime in the next year if we were not happy with them. I removed the old batteries myself and Miguel, a young, strong man helped me out with the new batteries and lifted them into place for me. The batteries charged all the way to Bakersfield at the rate of about 13.5 volts. I really hope they last because it is a pain in the ass (and back) to exchange them although I am sure Miguel would have been happy to help me get the old batteries out if I had asked.

Bakersfield, CA

Lots to tell you about but we are both exhausted! We are in Bakersfield, CA at the Orange Grove RV Park. We paid for two nights because they are calling for SNOW tomorrow! We drove through torrential downpours today. In fach it was pouring so hard we could hardly read the "Pray For Rain" signs all along Highway 99. Yes, we did 99 for a change of scenery and now I remember why we switched over to I-5. :) More in the morning.

Off to make coffee and watch some TV!

Batteries Plus

I called Costco to tell them I suspected bad batteries and was taking them to Batteries Plus for a load test. If they failed, I was going to return them. They said there was no need to have them tested and that I had one year to return them, no questions asked!

I decided to have them tested anyway for my own piece of mind and to prove I wasn't really stupid and couldn't connect them properly. He load tested the first one, shook his head and said it was borderline at best. The second one failed completely! Two bad batteries. He said to get two new ones tomorrow and bring them in for another load test from him or from any other Batteries Plus store, no charge. Fasten your seat belts folks, this ride isn't over yet!

Stockton, CA

We got into Walmart's Auto Center for an oil change at the crack of ten this morning and wandered around the store until it was done. We hit the road, stopped for breakfast, fought the Sacramento traffic and ended up here in Stockton at 4 PM.

I am still not happy with the batteries. We ran the extra fridge off the inverter same as we did last year and the year before with no problem but the batteries refused to come up past 12.4 being charged by the Ford engine. This is too low so we started the generator and ran it for the last half hour before we parked.

I called the local Batteries Plus store to see if they could do a proper load test on the individual 6 volt batteries and they can. We will get it done either tonight or tomorrow morning. If they do not pass I will take them to the nearest Costco and demand replacements. It is not unusual to see a bad batch of batteries and probably buying lower end (Interstate) brand doesn't help. They were $89 while the top rated Trojans are $130 - $150.

Anderson, CA

Safe and sound in Anderson, CA. A non-eventful drive. Why does that surprise everyone (including me)? This is the RV friendly Walmart that has an RV bay for oil changes. I walked over when we arrived at 1 PM but they were just closing for Thanksgiving. We will park and wait till morning to get it done.

The weather is so much better here, starting to get warm. T-shirt weather. Life Is Good!

Short Delay But Voluntary This Time

We are ready to go but there is "moderate" snow in the Siskiyou today so we are waiting until tomorrow (Thursday) when it is forecast to be much better. I know the road surface is kept clear for the trucks and yes, I have driven thousands of miles in much worse conditions when I worked on the Alaska border but Norma is nervous so we will wait,

Done!

The phone rang at 10 AM telling us the dolly was done. We asked if they had a plumbing guy around who could look at the leaking drain valve on the fresh water tank that drains the tank in three or four days and they did! We drove the motorhome over and the plumbing guy and I looked at the problem. The leaking valve is located about two feet inside a very narrow passage and is impossible to get at to work on it. We decided to cut the old drain off the tank, cap it and to create a new drain line by tapping off the line to the water pump, add a valve and a drain line out the front. It will be slower to drain the tank but we do not do it often anyway.

The spindle replacement cost $320 labour plus $35 parts and the new drain $160 labour and $40 parts for a total of $605.

This is where the welder drilled a hole through the rear axle housing and welded the new spindle in place. Time and tire wear will tell how "true" he got it. I had told the welder before he started that Master Tow, the trailer manufacturer says the spindle is not replaceable. After he finished he said, "I see what they meant by "not replaceable" but anything can be done if you are determined".

A close-up of the weld,

The new drain. The line to the left goes to the water pump while the new line heading towards us is the new drain with it's shut off valve.

And finally the water draining. Just a trickle but it will work and the tank will no longer drain on it's own.

They Can Do It!

Trailer and RV Parts and Service had their axle guy take the wheel off and look at the problem. The good news is, they can fix it! He said he can think of three different ways to go about it and will think about it and come up with the best way. The spindle is $30 and they said it could take up to three hours to get it welded in "true". In any case he said it should not cost more than $400 total including repacking the bearing on the opposite wheel. A new axle, car deck, shipping and installation would be three times that. I am a happy guy!

"Well there's yer problem".