Bob's Thoughts - Days ??

I haven't provided any updates for a while. The end of our trip has taken on a life of itself, so here is an update to cover the most recent activities.

The motorhome would not start after we stopped for lunch last Friday. I knew that the problem was not related to the batteries. It was like the starter had died - turn the key and nothing happened. We were 18 miles inside Texas, and AAA was able to tow us to an authorized repair facility in Amarillo.

The repair place (Top Gun) was able to determine that the problem was not with the starter. They could "hot wire" the starter and the engine jumped to life immediately. So, the problem had to be either in the ignition switch or the wiring. Both of these conditions were beyond the capabilities of Top Gun, so late in the day Saturday, we realized that we needed to look elsewhere.

I called the RV dealer in Amarillo that sells Winnebago products. He told me that they only do work on the components above the chassis, and recommended that we contact the Amarillo Truck Center.

The Amarillo Truck Center is about 10 miles from where we were, so Top Gun started the engine (hot wiring it), and Matt and I made the short drive. When we got to the truck center and explained the problem, they said that they can work on the problem, but that they are a Freightliner repair facility, and our motorhome is built on a Workhorse chassis. They work 24 x 7, and suggested that I contact them on Monday morning for a status.

So, the entire family had a very nice (but totally unplanned) weekend in Amarillo.

On Monday, I called the truck center and was told that they had determined that the problem was not the ignition switch. That meant that the problem was in the wiring or some element in the starter circuit. Since they are not a Workhorse repair facility, they needed to acquire the schematic in order to fix the problem.

At this point, we knew that we would not be heading east until at least Tuesday, so Matt and Steph decided to start back. This was the right thing for them to do for a number of reasons - but it was still hard to see them leave.

As of now (Tuesday morning), we still do not know when we will be able to leave. I am hoping that we can leave today, but matters are out of my hands. Karen and I have rented a car, have a decent hotel room and will make the best of it.

I will post updates as news becomes available.