The time was '92. It was our first big trip, going to the Mt. Washington
(New Hampshire) resort for a conference. I had done all the prep I could
think of. The coach had less than 40k miles... the previous owners hadn't
driven it for 8 years. What could go wrong ?
In the mountains real close to Brattleboro, VT the left side hose 'flapped'
and turned into the trip from hell. I didn't know about this phenomenon at
the time, but knew that the front brakes weren't coming off when my foot
wasn't on the pedal. Is there a more sickening smell than burning brake
shoes? We slowly crept into town, brakes screeching along. Have you ever
driven in the mountains trying to not use your brakes?
Found a GMC truck dealership, but they were no help. There was also an
Olds/Cad dealer (Raymond Roberts) and they had a guy who really knew the
Toro through and through. The dealership owner loaned us a car, and we
toured the area. They had the parts, and did both front hubs, all new brake
lines, etc.
Found out later that GMC MHI was just right next door, but on that day, we
had nothing. No manual, no Cinnabar, no Golby, Buskirk... nothing. If it
hadn't been for that dealer... Now, many years later, I think I finally know
the secret, or at least one of them. Fix it before it breaks if you can.
Listen when you drive. Watch your gauges and look under the engine cover.
I think it would be interesting to create a web site where owners could post
their mechanical problems (using a web submission form tied to a MS access
data base) so we 'listers could see the statistical distribution of
problems.
Wouldn't that be a fascinating report? You'd know what to check on your
coach, what has happened to others, etc. For the old timers, we'd probably
already know the top 'problem' areas, headliner, fresh water tank sending
unit, shock absorbers, cruise control, etc. But what comes next...
Generator? Exhaust leaks? Air suspension? Ball joints?
For new coach owners, I think this would be very helpful, since, based on
the laws of statistics, new owners today are more likely to purchase coaches
that have been out of service for longer periods of time. The current 'good
condition' coaches are retained longer by existing owners and formerly
mothballed units are being sold to realize the classic value of the coach.
Perhaps this is just in my area, where Explorer Vans (Warsaw, IN) created a
lot of awareness of the coach with a totally rehabbed version they sold as
new. They cleaned out every barn for 200 miles around here buying units at
almost any price. Anyone on the list have any other thoughts ?
Mark Grady
'77 Kingsley
North Webster, IN
mgrady
> [mailto
wner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Gcbr
> Sent: Friday, October 23, 1998 8:23 PM
> To: gmcmotorhome
>
> Lanier
>
> Would love to hear them. I want to see if I can find a pattern.
> My friend who
> has the shop where we worked all last winter tells me that Toros had a lot
> of wheel bearing failures about 10--15 years out. The problem was not the
> bearings but owners who did not replace front brake hoses. They
> would blister
> on the inside and form a flap valve. The pressure would not bleed of the
> caliper when you took your foot off the brake. The disc would heat up
> and so would the bearing. He says GMC had a lot of problems with front
> brake hoses during this era. The problem that Les and Des had sounded
> like maybe it could have been----who knows.
>
> Take Care
> Arch
>
> >
> > Arch - I have some failures to report - just don't have time
> right now -
> > will
> > get back to you ASAP.
> > Lanier
(New Hampshire) resort for a conference. I had done all the prep I could
think of. The coach had less than 40k miles... the previous owners hadn't
driven it for 8 years. What could go wrong ?
In the mountains real close to Brattleboro, VT the left side hose 'flapped'
and turned into the trip from hell. I didn't know about this phenomenon at
the time, but knew that the front brakes weren't coming off when my foot
wasn't on the pedal. Is there a more sickening smell than burning brake
shoes? We slowly crept into town, brakes screeching along. Have you ever
driven in the mountains trying to not use your brakes?
Found a GMC truck dealership, but they were no help. There was also an
Olds/Cad dealer (Raymond Roberts) and they had a guy who really knew the
Toro through and through. The dealership owner loaned us a car, and we
toured the area. They had the parts, and did both front hubs, all new brake
lines, etc.
Found out later that GMC MHI was just right next door, but on that day, we
had nothing. No manual, no Cinnabar, no Golby, Buskirk... nothing. If it
hadn't been for that dealer... Now, many years later, I think I finally know
the secret, or at least one of them. Fix it before it breaks if you can.
Listen when you drive. Watch your gauges and look under the engine cover.
I think it would be interesting to create a web site where owners could post
their mechanical problems (using a web submission form tied to a MS access
data base) so we 'listers could see the statistical distribution of
problems.
Wouldn't that be a fascinating report? You'd know what to check on your
coach, what has happened to others, etc. For the old timers, we'd probably
already know the top 'problem' areas, headliner, fresh water tank sending
unit, shock absorbers, cruise control, etc. But what comes next...
Generator? Exhaust leaks? Air suspension? Ball joints?
For new coach owners, I think this would be very helpful, since, based on
the laws of statistics, new owners today are more likely to purchase coaches
that have been out of service for longer periods of time. The current 'good
condition' coaches are retained longer by existing owners and formerly
mothballed units are being sold to realize the classic value of the coach.
Perhaps this is just in my area, where Explorer Vans (Warsaw, IN) created a
lot of awareness of the coach with a totally rehabbed version they sold as
new. They cleaned out every barn for 200 miles around here buying units at
almost any price. Anyone on the list have any other thoughts ?
Mark Grady
'77 Kingsley
North Webster, IN
mgrady
> [mailto
wner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Gcbr> Sent: Friday, October 23, 1998 8:23 PM
> To: gmcmotorhome
>
> Lanier
>
> Would love to hear them. I want to see if I can find a pattern.
> My friend who
> has the shop where we worked all last winter tells me that Toros had a lot
> of wheel bearing failures about 10--15 years out. The problem was not the
> bearings but owners who did not replace front brake hoses. They
> would blister
> on the inside and form a flap valve. The pressure would not bleed of the
> caliper when you took your foot off the brake. The disc would heat up
> and so would the bearing. He says GMC had a lot of problems with front
> brake hoses during this era. The problem that Les and Des had sounded
> like maybe it could have been----who knows.
>
> Take Care
> Arch
>
> >
> > Arch - I have some failures to report - just don't have time
> right now -
> > will
> > get back to you ASAP.
> > Lanier
