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Old 03-22-2017, 12:58 PM   #1
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Brand: Still Looking
Model: Georgetown 31L5
State: Ohio
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THOR #6277
Coolant line came off - lost antifreeze

Last weekend I took off by myself on my first big trip from Ohio to Florida in my new Hurricane 36M. Three hours into the trip along I77 in West Virginia I started to smell antifreeze, immediately saw billows of steam from the front end, the temperature gauge shot up to the red area, and I got the dash message - "reduced engine power, pull over". There were only 1138 miles on the odometer. Of course I was on a grade with a narrow shoulder and a guard rail, but I pulled off right away. I was so close to the guard rail over a ravine that I couldn't open the door all the way and had to squeeze out of the coach while trying not to go over the edge. My driver's side mirror was right on the line, yet many trucks and cars stayed in the lane, so the coach was really shaking as they passed. With all of the traffic and tight shoulder, there was no way that I was going to stand in front of the coach and pop the hood to see what was going on. Good times.

I called Ford Roadside Assistance (free for 5 years/60,000 miles on new units) and had to wait 3 hours for a big enough truck to arrive. I was told that the nearest authorized Ford truck dealer was 100 miles away and that they would pay for the tow. Being a Saturday, the facility was closed until Monday, so their solution was to tow me to a Wal Mart parking lot 10 miles away in Ripley WV for the weekend and they would come back on Monday to tow me the rest of the way.

Long story short. After sitting and stewing about my dilemma in the Wal Mart lot for several hours, I tried to determine why this occurred. Antifreeze everywhere in the engine compartment. As you all know, it's hard to see just about anything under the hood, so I just got back in the coach and spent the night. Vacation ruined? The next morning I decided to take a closer look. I ultimately found a 3/4" rubber hose just hanging there, not attached to anything! Turns out, it is supposed to be attached to the inlet port on the INVENSYS actuator motor (127-00020-001(80)). There was no clamp on the hose - perhaps there never was. I bought a clamp and antifreeze at the Wal Mart (it took 5 gallons to fill it), and then tested the system for 2 hours to make sure that it wasn't leaking and that the engine temperature held.

I got back on the road and there were no further incidents.

It's still not clear whether this is a Ford mess up, or if Thor installs this actuator motor. My research seems to indicate that the motor is involved with directing heat to the dashboard. Has anyone ever had this happen to them?

It's a bit frustrating to pay a decent amount of money to get something brand new, and then have to do the quality control work myself. Thanks for listening - I just had to vent a little. I still love the coach and the way it handles on the road.

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Old 03-22-2017, 01:38 PM   #2
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Look on the bright side: You've now done a radiator flush!

That is a pretty serious issue, but I'm afraid I'm not surprised (especially given the shifter cable problems us Axis/Vegas owners had a while ago). At least you were able to correct the problem and continue on your vacation.

Have to love it when it turns out to be something simple that you can fix--even if it is something simple that should have never left the plant like that.
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Old 03-22-2017, 01:49 PM   #3
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I'm sure this was a very frustrating and trying experience not to mention hazardous and unsafe. It sounds as if you handled the unfortunate situation quite well and good that you were able to troubleshoot the problem and make the repair yourself. Who knows how much longer you would have been stranded at that Walmart before someone from that Ford repair facility arrived.

Glad you're still satisfied with the coach and maybe this will be the worse case of trouble you will have.

Safe travels in the future for you.
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:01 PM   #4
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THOR #6280
Be Cool on Coolant Line Mishaps!

First let me start by apologizing for your trouble in a brand new coach. I know you're wondering why I would apologize for something I had nothing to do with right? Well it makes us feel better about bad situations to have people sympathize and even apologize when we are upset. I know it's tough to deal with the silly stuff that poor workmanship poor attitudes and just plain old laziness puts us through. Remember life in these United States is not what it once was, times have changed. When I was a kid we left the doors in the house unlocked all the time. Half the time the garage door was open too. The family car was a tank, nothing stopped it and everyone on the block could fix just about anything that went wrong with it. There were no obscenities on TV. No constant news stream of everyone hating everyone else. No computers and no cell phones so we actually had to sit at the dinner table like a family and talk to each other over meals. (Don't let your kids or grandkids read this it will scare them.) People took pride in their work and did a good job at whatever they chose as a career. Washing machines lasted forever as did, dryers, stoves, refrigerators and appliances in general. The first fan in most of our homes was a hand me down from our grand parents and it never quit. We simply gave it away or threw it out because it looked old and we wanted to be trendy like the neighbors and get a new modern one. The money we spent for virtually everything bought way more than it does now. Hamburgers at the local restaurant or Drive-In were huge with nice fat juicy meat paddy's. You really have to search to find them today. It's all about the quality. The quality of everything food, trust, workmanship, relationships, durability, someone's word. Not many people know anyone at their local bank, hardware store, auto repair shop, local school. Our American life of "community" has changed. It's gotten much larger and bred anonymity. I for one don't think it's better at all but then they don't listen to me.

Having endured my share of disappointment's with TV's, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, furnace, water heaters, roofing, tree removal, auto repair, RV repair, restaurant food and service and a few more I have come to a few conclusions.

Things will never be like they used to be.
They don't build them like they used to.
Paying more doesn't necessarily translate to better.
I need to be vigilant to get what I paid for sometimes.
There are plenty of nice great people out there and this is a great place to find some.

Wishing you well and years of worry free RVing!
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:08 PM   #5
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DogLovers: I have no idea as to your age but you must be close to mine!
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:16 PM   #6
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Sorry about your trouble , nice job with diagnosis and repair in a parking lot.
I would see if you could get Thor to clean up the mess in your engine compartment caused by the anti freeze bath.
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:37 PM   #7
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Thanks to all for listening and the supportive comments. I totally agree with you, Dog Lovers - things are not what they used to be. At 63, both my kids and grandkids constantly tell me that they are tired of hearing about the so-called "good old days."
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:54 PM   #8
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ANYONE that owns a rv of any type, any price, any brand had better be somewhat handy at fixing the lack of quality control items or be willing to have lots of vacations ruined while your rv sits at a dealership "waiting on parts".
Unfortunately we saw a news story a while back stating that the average 40 year old man today can't/doesn't know how to check the oil or find/put on the spare tire, now that's sad, I've taught/made my wife/daughter/son/granddaughter do both.
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Old 03-22-2017, 04:35 PM   #9
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DocP,

Thanks for your post. I appreciate the heads up. I am going to check that hose out on my Windsport today. I just got into this motorhome ownership and I am finding out that not everybody could handle it. It is fortunate that experienced people take the time to share their knowledge with rookies.

Shawn
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Old 03-22-2017, 04:39 PM   #10
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Sorry to hear about your experience, something I've done with the last 3 rigs I've owned, all 3 being new was to take the coach to a Ford dealer, in my case a Ford truck center and have them change the oil and perform an inspection.

The dealer recommended it for a couple of reasons;
1) unless you can look up an OASYS report in the Ford system, you won't know exactly when your chassis was manufactured and the engine oil was put in.

In some cases the chassis could sit at Dearborn, Mi, Thor, Morryde or some other holding location for who knows how long before the unit is built and shipped!

2) with the oil change they perform a multi point inspection, checking all fluid levels, hoses and the chassis.

For $66.00 plus tax it was worth it for me, knowing they've checked everything out! I wish the dealerships would take the time to do this, unfortunately most dealerships aren't equipped to do something like this!
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Old 03-23-2017, 06:54 PM   #11
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DocP,

Could you point me in the direction of the location of the hose you reattached. Did you have to crawl underneath or open the dog house?


Thanx

Shawn
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Old 03-23-2017, 09:03 PM   #12
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THOR #6277
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn62 View Post
DocP,

Could you point me in the direction of the location of the hose you reattached. Did you have to crawl underneath or open the dog house?
Thanx

Shawn
I could access it from the front of the vehicle. It is on the top of the engine, on the passenger side, just to the left of the oil filler cap towards the back. Hopefully the attached picture helps. The loose hose was tucked away towards the back and I had to pull it forward. It's a weird 45-degree bend in the hose to get it back on the inlet valve, so if the factory did not put a clamp on it I can see why it popped off after a sufficient number of bumps in the road.
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Old 03-23-2017, 09:10 PM   #13
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DocP,

Outstanding photo !!!!!

Thanx,

Shawn
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Old 03-23-2017, 10:30 PM   #14
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DocP,
I went and checked mine. Clamps were there. I put a few more inch-pounds of torque on them. The hose is routed different on mine. It is more horizontal and becomes visible right above the tranny dipstick.

Shawn
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Old 03-24-2017, 03:27 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn62 View Post
DocP,
I went and checked mine. Clamps were there. I put a few more inch-pounds of torque on them. The hose is routed different on mine. It is more horizontal and becomes visible right above the tranny dipstick.

Shawn
That makes more sense, and I suspect that my hose was incorrectly routed. I'll dig into it more when I get back from my trip.
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Old 03-25-2017, 02:43 AM   #16
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The unit is still under warranty so it would be best to have Ford inspect and document the repair when you get back or when you have the time. Ford will/should test the antifreeze, pressure test and inspect connections. Covers you for future warranty that hopefully you will never require.
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Old 03-25-2017, 11:04 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchman28 View Post
The unit is still under warranty so it would be best to have Ford inspect and document the repair when you get back or when you have the time. Ford will/should test the antifreeze, pressure test and inspect connections. Covers you for future warranty that hopefully you will never require.
Good advice, and that's the plan!
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