In my last post, I described the problems I had with Minnie when I got home from the Mogollon Rim. The flat tire, the empty gas tank, and the electrical systems down were very concerning. I ignored the problems for a few weeks, but the next time Dale was in town, he went out and did a little problem solving.
He got underneath Minnie and inspected the gas tank as much as he could, and didn't find any holes or even what looked like a leak. Then he tackled the electrical issues, starting with the solar charge controller. He thought that was a logical place to start, so he pulled it out of the bin where it is mounted and checked it over. He found what looked like some shorted wires and followed them to a burned out fuse on the coach. We could not find a replacement in town, so I ordered one from Amazon. After it arrived and he put it in, the electrical system came right back up, and the gas gauge read half full! Hallelujah!
He also discovered there was a big slash in my tire, so we were pretty sure I had had a blow out. Since it was one of my dual tires, I slowly and carefully drove to Discount Tire, and they replaced the blown tire, which was still under warranty.
He's a little concerned about what caused the fuse to blow, so he hasn't re-hooked up the charge controller yet until he checks it out to make sure it's in good working order. (He had knee replacement surgery the day after putting in the fuse, so hasn't had the time to get back to my little problems. 😉) Once we verify that's okay, I should be good to go. If I have to replace that, it's only a few hundred dollars. A tow to an RV service bay to repair (or replace) a leaking gas tank and check out the electrical system could have ended up costing thousands. I love having brothers who are not only good mechanics, but also willing to help out their little sister. I'm blessed!
I have a big Mediterranean cruise coming up this spring so I probably won't be taking any camping trips before then, so Minnie is sitting in the side yard for now. She doesn't mind though. 😏