In writing about my tire experiences I got to thinking about some other
problems I had and how I discovered them before they turned into a major
problem or messed up a road trip.
I think the number one lesson from my experience is to keep a close eye on
things. I have had a number of failures that could have made a real mess.
But I was able to catch most of them before things got messy.
Whenever I pull into a rest stop or gas station, especially after highway
driving, I take a quick walk around the coach. I look and touch all the
important stuff. I look under the coach for drips or leaks. I check the oil
& coolant. I especially examine and touch the tires and wheels. If they are
unusually hot, there is very likely a problem coming on.
I learned about the rear suspension recall by discovering that one of the
rear bearings was heating up. I came home and took it apart and discovered
the bearing was badly scored. I went to get a new set (from the GMC
dealer). When I went to install them, they would not fit. I took the
bearings and the hub back to the dealer and they where very surprised at
what I had. Thats when I found out that there was a recall. At first they
told me that they didn't think they could get the parts to do the recall.
They did tell me that these where the rear bearings from a 70's Tornado. So
I was able to put it back together the old way. But after making a few
phone calls I found out that there is no time limit on safety recalls. I
called the dealer and they agreed to make the repairs. It took them a
couple months to round up the parts. But I got everything replaced from the
swing arms out. Completely new spindles, backing plates, brakes, hubs,
drums etc. Not bad for a few phone calls...
I discovered that the front bearings fail if not serviced properly. Again I
noticed that one of the wheels was getting unusually warm. When I took it
in to be serviced (I didn't try this one myself) I found that the previous
owner had the front bearings fail and only replaced the bearings.
Unfortunately the hubs and knuckles should have been replace at that point
too. Not fun. That was an expensive one. But I did catch it before I got
stuck somewhere.
I discovered that old brake hoses have a failure mode where they swell up
inside, blocking the return flow of brake fluid. This causes the calipers
to drag and heat up the disks, hubs etc. Once again, I noticed that one of
the front wheels was getting unusually warm. I was really depressed because
I thought I was having another bearing failure. But, after a few phone
calls, I learned about problems with old break hoses. By the way, this
problem is not unique to GMC motorhomes. I have since had the same problem
on an old 78 chevy van that I occasionally use for hauling stuff.
I learned about bias ply wheels (with radial tires) cracking when I had a
slow leak. I didn't ignore it. I took the tire in to be repaired and thats
how I discovered the crack in the rim.
When I saw the sidewalls of a couple tires start to change shape, I didn't
ignore it. It turned out that the belts in my load range D tires where
separating.
I have discovered fuel leaks by looking at the coach while I was refueling
and seeing the slow drip drip drip. I discovered a leaking fuel pump when I
started getting a slight gas smell from under the hatch cover. That one was
hard to find because the gas would evaporate as fast as it would leak. But
I was persistent and did manage to find it. Mostly by trial and error.
I discovered an oil leak in my Onan when the diaphragm in the low-oil
pressure switch failed. Unfortunately I did ignore that one and paid the
price. After a couple months of slow leaking it failed completely and blew
four quarts of hot oil all over the tail end of the motorhome. Not a good
thing...
Fortunately I have been able to catch most failures and make repairs before
they caused major difficulties on the road.
My experience is that one of the best strategies for preventing problems is
to look carefully for them. When you get off the highway, take a couple
seconds and walk around your GMC. Look things over carefully and don't
forget to touch the wheels and tires. If its unusually hot, you probably
have a problem coming on.
If you see, hear or smell something unusual, don't hope for the best,
assume that there is trouble and go looking for it. Be aggressive in
finding out what the cause is. Sometimes its not readily apparent.
And, of course, this list is a great source of experience and expertise. I
sure wish it existed when I was learning all about GMC's the old fashioned
way!
Dave
73 Sequoia
problems I had and how I discovered them before they turned into a major
problem or messed up a road trip.
I think the number one lesson from my experience is to keep a close eye on
things. I have had a number of failures that could have made a real mess.
But I was able to catch most of them before things got messy.
Whenever I pull into a rest stop or gas station, especially after highway
driving, I take a quick walk around the coach. I look and touch all the
important stuff. I look under the coach for drips or leaks. I check the oil
& coolant. I especially examine and touch the tires and wheels. If they are
unusually hot, there is very likely a problem coming on.
I learned about the rear suspension recall by discovering that one of the
rear bearings was heating up. I came home and took it apart and discovered
the bearing was badly scored. I went to get a new set (from the GMC
dealer). When I went to install them, they would not fit. I took the
bearings and the hub back to the dealer and they where very surprised at
what I had. Thats when I found out that there was a recall. At first they
told me that they didn't think they could get the parts to do the recall.
They did tell me that these where the rear bearings from a 70's Tornado. So
I was able to put it back together the old way. But after making a few
phone calls I found out that there is no time limit on safety recalls. I
called the dealer and they agreed to make the repairs. It took them a
couple months to round up the parts. But I got everything replaced from the
swing arms out. Completely new spindles, backing plates, brakes, hubs,
drums etc. Not bad for a few phone calls...
I discovered that the front bearings fail if not serviced properly. Again I
noticed that one of the wheels was getting unusually warm. When I took it
in to be serviced (I didn't try this one myself) I found that the previous
owner had the front bearings fail and only replaced the bearings.
Unfortunately the hubs and knuckles should have been replace at that point
too. Not fun. That was an expensive one. But I did catch it before I got
stuck somewhere.
I discovered that old brake hoses have a failure mode where they swell up
inside, blocking the return flow of brake fluid. This causes the calipers
to drag and heat up the disks, hubs etc. Once again, I noticed that one of
the front wheels was getting unusually warm. I was really depressed because
I thought I was having another bearing failure. But, after a few phone
calls, I learned about problems with old break hoses. By the way, this
problem is not unique to GMC motorhomes. I have since had the same problem
on an old 78 chevy van that I occasionally use for hauling stuff.
I learned about bias ply wheels (with radial tires) cracking when I had a
slow leak. I didn't ignore it. I took the tire in to be repaired and thats
how I discovered the crack in the rim.
When I saw the sidewalls of a couple tires start to change shape, I didn't
ignore it. It turned out that the belts in my load range D tires where
separating.
I have discovered fuel leaks by looking at the coach while I was refueling
and seeing the slow drip drip drip. I discovered a leaking fuel pump when I
started getting a slight gas smell from under the hatch cover. That one was
hard to find because the gas would evaporate as fast as it would leak. But
I was persistent and did manage to find it. Mostly by trial and error.
I discovered an oil leak in my Onan when the diaphragm in the low-oil
pressure switch failed. Unfortunately I did ignore that one and paid the
price. After a couple months of slow leaking it failed completely and blew
four quarts of hot oil all over the tail end of the motorhome. Not a good
thing...
Fortunately I have been able to catch most failures and make repairs before
they caused major difficulties on the road.
My experience is that one of the best strategies for preventing problems is
to look carefully for them. When you get off the highway, take a couple
seconds and walk around your GMC. Look things over carefully and don't
forget to touch the wheels and tires. If its unusually hot, you probably
have a problem coming on.
If you see, hear or smell something unusual, don't hope for the best,
assume that there is trouble and go looking for it. Be aggressive in
finding out what the cause is. Sometimes its not readily apparent.
And, of course, this list is a great source of experience and expertise. I
sure wish it existed when I was learning all about GMC's the old fashioned
way!
Dave
73 Sequoia
