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An RVing ExperienceMay 23, 2008
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Today’s trip from Montrose to Fruita was supposed to be a short ordinary drive. But previous events and a nervous driver made it much more interesting for awhile!
It’s only seventy-seven miles from Montrose to Fruita and we had traversed fifteen of them when I checked my gauges and discovered that the front air reading was showing 50 psi instead of the usual 120 psi. That air supplies the front air bags, one of which had leaked and been replaced in Fort Worth. I pulled off to the side of the road and contemplated this new development.
It seemed to me that it was likely that a second air bag had gone bad and that there was indeed a connection between our mystery noise and this recurring problem. But the more immediate issue was what to do to get the See Ya to a service facility.
I called the help desk in Gaffney, SC and told them of this newest development. He said that, as long as the suspension system was not giving me steering or balance issues that I could probably limp the coach the forty or so miles to Grand Junction where there was a Freightliner dealer.
We set out with some apprehension and a close eye on the psi. I kept the coach in lower gears and that kept the reading just above 50. We had gone about 20 miles and my hope was growing that we would make it to Grand Junction. It was at that point that I noticed the oil can icon on the gauge that I had been reading!
Yup! I had been looking at the oil pressure the whole time! I reassessed the gauges and found the second air pressure gauge (to the left of the first air gauge, not above it where I had been looking) happily showing 120 psi. It was a strange mixture of embarrassment and relief that swept over me.
OK. Here are my excuses.
1. When I first looked at the gauge, what I saw was “psi”.
2. The air gauge in the first See Ya was in the position on the dash where the oil pressure is in the new coach.
3. The first air bag had leaked and I was predisposed to the expectation that it could happen again.
4. I panicked!
I’m sure that I will someday get over this feeling of stupidity.
I put the transmission in high gear and we drove the rest of the way to Fruita!
