A Bit of Trouble, But We Must Be Under a "Lucky Star" This Trip
- Kim Martinez
- Aug 2
- 3 min read
One of the most nerve-wracking moments on an RV trip is when you suddenly get that yellow warning light followed by a loss of power! Having the problem is bad enough, but it's often compounded by happening in an area where there's no service within 100 miles – no towing for probably twice that distance – and questionable road conditions to pull over safely.
Traveling in Newfoundland, we knew all of those "fears" could reasonably be "in play."
The Dreaded Moment
So there we were, happily driving to our next RV campground, when we heard the dreaded "beep" followed by a yellow "check engine" light and then a loss of power. However, we were only 30 minutes from our campground, and the road gave us a shoulder to pull over after a couple of miles.
Code reader – the #1 tool for all RVers! Manny plugged it in, and we got a code that we looked up. Of course, codes can be caused by numerous reasons, so the Googling started – but our cell signal was weak. Going outside, Manny took a look at the engine and slid under the coach to see if anything was obvious. Hmm, not to him.
The engine really sounded awful – like a high-pitched squeal, like it was in pain. We unhooked the truck, and I drove it behind the RV looking for clues, of which there were none. I rolled up my window because the noise was so bad.
Making a Plan
We limped into the campground and talked with the hosts about RV diesel mechanics. Turns out there was one in the little town of 3,000 people up the road, but he wasn't open until Monday. Since it was Friday after 5:00 PM, that was going to be a long wait – not to mention our ferry reservation was for Sunday night.
We started checking out all the possibilities and decided on our worst-case scenarios. "Google" said we could drive a very short distance but not to ignore the issue. We were 25 miles from the ferry scheduled for Sunday night – certainly that qualified as "short."
Plan A: Take our chances and get to the ferry, drive the 3 miles to the RV camp off the ferry, then find a mechanic.
If Plan A fails:
Plan B: If the RV doesn't make it very far and the light turns red, we turn around and come back to the current RV park, pulling over in strategic locations (we'd already scouted them) until we could continue. Then wait for Monday and hope the mechanic has time for us. Reschedule the ferry – which could be dicey, possibly several days or more to get a new space.
Rolling the Dice
So we started out with Plan A on Sunday, heading for the ferry. The light didn't come on, but the engine was still squealing. We pulled over about 15 miles out, waited for an hour or so, then continued and made it onto the ferry. We got off and made the 3 miles to the RV campground.
So Far, Pretty Lucky:
1. We were only 30 miles from our campground when it happened
2. We were only 3 miles from our next campground off the ferry – this was the only time this situation would occur during our entire trip!
Then the Luck Continues:
3. We found a mechanic who would come out to the RV park – so we didn't have to get a hotel and move the cats for an unknown repair time
4. He came out about 2-3 hours after we called
5. The problem was best-case scenario – the huge pipe and hose coming from the engine had the metal flange break off, and that was causing the issue
6. The mechanic was able to remove it, weld a new flange on, install it, and have us "Ready to Roll" by 4:00 PM that day
7. Cost, including the service call, was about $425 USD!
The Cherry on Top
It doesn't get any better than that... well, maybe a bit better! Since we drove the truck and thought we weren't wasting a vacation day, we decided to play golf while we waited for all this to happen. The mechanic completed the installation without us being there and didn't even interrupt our golf game!
Sometimes the travel gods really do smile down on you! ⭐
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