Tires, Tune-Ups & Temperature Sensors, Oh My!

Thank our grandson Tristan for the inspiration for this title. It all began at breakfast last Saturday while we drove to Belfast to work on our RV, Nomad, some more. The brakes were all good as was the suspension, but we had to solve the mysteries of why Nomad's horn and temperature gauge did not work, why the drivers' front tire sounded like a thumping drum, to power wash the exterior, and start detailing the interior.


We pit-stopped at McDonald's along the way, and discussion ensued about Happy Meals. Tristan was hoping for more toys from "The Lizard of Oz". Our oldest daughter, Meg, chuckled and then reminded him that the movie was called "The Wizard of Oz."





All I could think about was the "lizard" in the Geico commercials doing one of the following;
 - "Pay no attention to that gecko behind the curtain..." or
 - "All you have to do to back to Kansas, Dorothy, is to click your heels three times. You can also click your mouse & save a bunch of money on your car insurance..."
It was definitely time for more coffee.

Once back at the shop, we pulled off the tire and wheel and put it on the shops' spin balancer. While it was mostly in balance, the tire had a sizable flat spot from sitting in one place for too long. Ironically, all the other tires were fine. Not everyone has RV tires in stock, so we ordered one from the local tire dealer - that will arrive in a few days. With that mystery solved, we moved onto the inoperable temperature gauge problem. With the front tire off, we could see where the temperature sensor was located on the engine. Turns out, the plug was disconnected for some reason from the sensor. Two seconds later, we had a working gauge and still no overheating problems.

We then turned our attention to the power washing of the exterior. That turned into a 4-person project involving both grand-children. If our Nomad could talk, it would tell dizzying tales of sponges, brushes, nozzles, hoses as well as several buckets of water. After approximately 2 1/2 hours of scrubbing and cleaning, the RV looked fantastic. The white paint shown so bright in the mid-day sun, that it was literally blinding. We even unrolled the awning so we could clean that, pain in the neck as it was to open up. We found out, whomever rolled it up last, did it backwards. We did manage to roll it back up into place and secure it once more, but it will be quite a while before it's used again. It's a shame too - it was a nice color combination of white, maroon, and ocean teal blue - and in surprisingly good condition. When all was said and done, our grand daughter Alyssa, who had been dying to climb the ladder on the rear of the Nomad for almost 2 weeks, finally got her chance. Her first words when seeing the top of the RV; "Why didn't you guys wash the roof?" Gotta love our grand daughter!

Next, the horn issue was tackled which turned out to be a simple wiring issue, got all the running lights to work, adjusted the side mirrors to an optimum position and Nomad received an official state inspection sticker for the first time in two years. We felt like another hurdle had been cleared and feeling of a right of passage for the RV, giving it the green light for traveling.
 

As of this writing, we are in the process of doing some interior touch up painting, detailing, cleaning and insulating so we get the most out Nomad, regardless of the weather. The engine will get a much needed oil change, a spare tire & wheel that's in much better condition, and we're going to find out what's making an obnoxious noise when we turn on the fan! As the saying goes, "We're getting there..."

Until next time,
The Happy Campers,
Jill & Dave