After just a couple of days we decided Prescott was not for us. This left us with alot of free time and we had an issue that had been stubbornly plaguing the trip.
At the end of last year I felt the generator wasn't running as smoothly as it used to at start up and shut down. As a result I wanted to get it serviced. But time passed and I didn't get it done. Largely because my other half felt it was just fine and for me it was easier to let it slide. BIG MISTAKE!
So for our first outing this year I noticed the same thing but it was pretty much too late to get in with our RV mechanic so again I let it slide. BIG MISTAKE!
10 minutes into this trip the generator dies. We pull over to look at it. It does not start again. Luckily we are 10 min. from an open RV shop. This shop is largely a waste of space and we knew they wouldn't help but they were the closest parts counter. So we head there to check on getting a new fuel filter.
While I'm guiding the parts guy through checking part compatibility since they did not have our filter part number my other half locates a loose spark plug wire and the generator starts right up. However in doing this he loosened the fuel filter to check if the fuel pump was working.
So we continue merrily on our way, happy the generator is now working. We leave the windows open as my other half now smells like oil and fuel even after cleaning up.
1st night is Ojo Caliente and we have a grand time. Other half checks generator before we take off and notices a small fuel leak at the top of the fuel filter, tightens it. We continue on with him again smelling like fuel. However I notice that the smell in the coach is increasing not decreasing. We pull over to check and find a major leak at the base of the filter where the threads are stripped. We find an hardware store, put in an o-ring. No leaks are noted and we continue on.
Everything works but I notice there is a slight fuel smell at the generator while in Prescott. On second day in Prescott get call from other half that rubber fuel hose is now leaking at generator. I stop at auto parts store, get 3 ft of fuel hose and two clamps. Other half replaces old rubber fuel hose. I'm a little concerned because when I bought the coach I had the mechanic replace all the rubber fuel hoses. So does this mean they are all going bad after only 6 yrs or did they not replace this one because it is on the generator so they didn't notice it? Inquiring minds want to know.
We let it air out and I decide if I still smell fuel the next day I'm taking it to a shop. Lets face it this is not rocket science. These are connectors and lines that are leaking. The generator works fine. We just have to get someone who knows how to connect the parts together properly so things don't get stripped and has access to the replacement parts that we have damaged.
I luck out and get a same day appointment with Affinity RV in Prescott Valley. They look things over and tell us about our stripped, damaged line and we also order the full generator service so all the filters, spark plugs, oil etc gets changed. They order the parts for next day and we come back and get it all done.
Whew! I have peace of mind it is all done. This is on Thurs. Fri. all is fine but the running generator now vibrates the coach in a serious way. The floor is vibrating and the wall is vibrating. Other half feels it is because it is running stronger. I don't remember if this happened last time we got it serviced and I let it go, still confident in the mechanic's abilities. Sat. all is fine.
On Sun. we pull into Ojo Caliente on our return trip and I smell raw FUEL! We check the generator and the brand new professionally installed fuel filter has fuel puddled on the top of it and running down the sides. Since we have done this before and know we might strip it we wait until the morning to get a hold of the mechanic to find the correct procedure for tightening it up. He is very helpful with the procedure and we get another half turn out of it so it was indeed loose. We test it with a tissue with the generator running for 10 min. and there is no leak. Whew! I'm now planning my return to the mineral spring pools. However just before heading over I decide to have another look at it. And I smell a whiff of fuel. So I investigate a bit more. The bolt on the other side of the copper line he installed had a dirty residue on it and looks wet. I touch it and sure enough it is fuel. I call the mechanic back up for any special instructions and he says this one is just a turn but it should be solid as he tested it. But it isn't. It is leaking and only 3 days later. Because the fuel filter itself was loose we decide to try and tighten it. But we strip it again. Argh! Now we have a major fuel leak again. So we pinch the fuel hose off and decide to leave right away to get to an auto parts store so we can cut off the fuel until we can get someone to replace the copper line again.
Because we now have no roof air from the generator at the next major town I rent a car to drive the dogs and myself home.
So I'm pretty ticked at this whole situation. I was told the mechanic at Affinity was a certified Onan Cummins generator mechanic. The parts were supposed to be over nighted from Onan Cummins. Not only did I lose two days of our vacation (an evening and day at Ojo Caliente and a day at Great Sand Dunes) I had the expense of a rental car. Once we get it fixed and see how much it costs I'm going to talk to Affinity about their charging us and doing such a poor job. They seemed like a good outfit so I have hope that they will do the right thing and refund our money. I can see how we would screw the job up because you had to loosen one end of the fuel filter before the other, tighten the other first then the one end. But I really can't see why they couldn't do it right.
But while all this is going on in the background we left for our return trip happy and confident. While I had chosen stops for the way out I had not done any research for the return and we had planned to just play it by ear.
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