Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug. (Belt failure)
| Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug. [message #188068] |
Tue, 23 October 2012 19:36  |
russmehl
Messages: 22
Registered: September 2009
Location: Rochester, Michigan
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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We had something short of an ordeal last Wed. night on the way to Fond Du Lac WI from MI. So that means it was only an adventure! Lots of rain along the way, Chicago was fun as always, just about clear of Milwaukee when all hell broke loose under the "hood". No headlights, no dash lights, immediate key off and into neutral. Managed to coast to the top of the next exit and just barely got around the corner so we could coast down into the closed gas station. The aux. vacuum pump kept the brakes under control... When I opened the cover, I just didn't have the heart to take a picture. I'm not sure what caused what, but the net result was A/C belt broken and everything else wrapped around the water pump shaft. And when I say everything, I mean everything. The flopping belt had grabbed the wire harness across the body and the fan cut and wound up what it could. Eight wires or so... Did I mention that there was oil everywhere? The gauge line had been sheared off at the fitting. We were only 51 miles from our destination, so I thought the simple way would be to get AAA to move us! One call does it all? Not so simple. I was very specific about what was required to move this machine, and they listened!
But the net result, after almost three hours of calls back and forth, was that I cancelled the request. No one had staff or equipment or desire to come out on a damp night and tow us to Fond Du Lac. They even tried to get someone to come down and pull us back. I'm sure I could have insisted on them getting a non contract tow company, or getting the State Police involved, but we were out of danger, level and tired enough. I unwound all the wires and pulled some of them back so the connector could go back on the headlight. I carry wire & splices, so I could have cobbled it back together, but the show stopper was the broken oil line. If I only had a plug!
In the morning I met all sorts of nice people who came in to the now open gas station for gas and coffee. One of them went to their shop and came back with a union to fix the 1/8 oil line! Got a ride to the Napa store for some new belts and got delivered back by the parts runner. We had brake lights and daylight, so off we went! I sorted out the wires in the luxury of the kids driveway and then helped sort out their "new" 100 yr. old house.
Russ
Russ & Linda Mehlenbacher
Rochester Hills, Michigan
'76 Eleganza
'74 Sequoia
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| Re: Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug. [message #188072 is a reply to message #188068] |
Tue, 23 October 2012 21:14  |
George Beckman
Messages: 1085
Registered: October 2008
Location: Colfax, CA
Karma: 11
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Senior Member |
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| russmehl wrote on Tue, 23 October 2012 17:36 |
I unwound all the wires and pulled some of them back so the connector could go back on the headlight. I carry wire & splices, so I could have cobbled it back together, but the show stopper was the broken oil line. If I only had a plug!
In the morning I met all sorts of nice people who came in to the now open gas station for gas and coffee. One of them went to their shop and came back with a union to fix the 1/8 oil line! Got a ride to the Napa store for some new belts and got delivered back by the parts runner. We had brake lights and daylight, so off we went! I sorted out the wires in the luxury of the kids driveway and then helped sort out their "new" 100 yr. old house.
Russ
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This is a good lesson for us all. We also had two belts go a few years back about 50 miles from home. They didn't take out any wires, but broke the little plastic tube on the axillary oil gauge and a vacuum hose for the heater box. Once two belts are wound around the water pump shaft, what a racket. I thought the chain in the transmission had let loose.
The warning here is that once I cut the belts loose, everything important except the alternator was turning. I didn't notice the little tube. It wasn't idling well and so I messed around for a few minutes, checking things. Luckily, as I started to drive away I heard the lifters start to click a bit, looked at the gauge and saw zero. Duh, it was not attached. That gets you attention and strikes fear.
I was able to tie that little tube off with a baggie tie and get home. Put in about 3/4 quart of oil which shut the lifters up,and limp to more oil. (11 PM) Oil was everywhere, including on the car we were towing.
That engine was fine. Ran and ran. I have since sold that coach but at last report it is doing fine.
'74 Eleganza, SE, Howell + EBL
Best Wishes,
George
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| Re: [GMCnet] Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug. [message #188073 is a reply to message #188072] |
Tue, 23 October 2012 21:39 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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"The Money Pit" threw a belt that then took ALL of them off
about 20 miles from Shawnee and 5 miles from home back in
March. It was my first trip away from home! Engine got
overheated due to lack of coolant flow. After cool down
and some water from a highway construction crew fella, I got
up a hill and then coasted down hill with engine off until
the next upslope. Repeated that three times until I got it
to an RV shop. You CAN steer and stop without the engine
running! Left it there and arranged a tow to a service shop
on Monday. Wife was following in the pickup so we weren't
totally stranded.
The adventure continues!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ~ TZE166V101966 ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ '76 ex-Palm Beach ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
______________
*[ ]~~~[][ ][|\
*--OO--[]---O-*
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> From: gbeckman@pggp.com
> Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:14:42 -0500
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug.
>
> russmehl wrote on Tue, 23 October 2012 17:36
> > I unwound all the wires and pulled some of them back so the connector could go back on the headlight. I carry wire & splices, so I could have cobbled it back together, but the show stopper was the broken oil line. If I only had a plug!
> > In the morning I met all sorts of nice people who came in to the now open gas station for gas and coffee. One of them went to their shop and came back with a union to fix the 1/8 oil line! Got a ride to the Napa store for some new belts and got delivered back by the parts runner. We had brake lights and daylight, so off we went! I sorted out the wires in the luxury of the kids driveway and then helped sort out their "new" 100 yr. old house.
> > Russ
>
> This is a good lesson for us all. We also had two belts go a few years back about 50 miles from home. They didn't take out any wires, but broke the little plastic tube on the axillary oil gauge and a vacuum hose for the heater box. Once two belts are wound around the water pump shaft, what a racket. I thought the chain in the transmission had let loose.
>
> The warning here is that once I cut the belts loose, everything important except the alternator was turning. I didn't notice the little tube. It wasn't idling well and so I messed around for a few minutes, checking things. Luckily, as I started to drive away I heard the lifters start to click a bit, looked at the gauge and saw zero. Duh, it was not attached. That gets you attention and strikes fear.
>
> I was able to tie that little tube off with a baggie tie and get home. Put in about 3/4 quart of oil which shut the lifters up,and limp to more oil. (11 PM) Oil was everywhere, including on the car we were towing.
>
> That engine was fine. Ran and ran. I have since sold that coach but at last report it is doing fine.
> --
> '74 Eleganza, SE, Howell + EBL
> Best Wishes,
> George
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| Re: [GMCnet] Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug. [message #188083 is a reply to message #188068] |
Wed, 24 October 2012 07:38 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Senior Member |
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Yer lucky. Mine ate the pulley in the process when the pump failed in Gastonia (See 'R-D's Servicer on the photo site) and Steve had to get his grumpy machinist to weld it back tgether and true it. We missed the house wires and oil feed, though.
As to the exit, me too. The Lord takes care of drunks and crazy people.
--johnny
'76 23' trandmode norris
'76 palm beach
From: Russell Mehlenbacher <russmehl2000@yahoo.com>
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 8:36 PM
Subject: [GMCnet] Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug.
We had something short of an ordeal last Wed. night on the way to Fond Du Lac WI from MI. So that means it was only an adventure! Lots of rain along the way, Chicago was fun as always, just about clear of Milwaukee when all hell broke loose under the "hood". No headlights, no dash lights, immediate key off and into neutral. Managed to coast to the top of the next exit and just barely got around the corner so we could coast down into the closed gas station. The aux. vacuum pump kept the brakes under control... When I opened the cover, I just didn't have the heart to take a picture. I'm not sure what caused what, but the net result was A/C belt broken and everything else wrapped around the water pump shaft. And when I say everything, I mean everything. The flopping belt had grabbed the wire harness across the body and the fan cut and wound up what it could. Eight wires or so... Did I mention that there was oil everywhere? The gauge line had been sheared
off at the fitting. We w
ere only 51 miles from our destination, so I thought the simple way would be to get AAA to move us! One call does it all? Not so simple. I was very specific about what was required to move this machine, and they listened!
But the net result, after almost three hours of calls back and forth, was that I cancelled the request. No one had staff or equipment or desire to come out on a damp night and tow us to Fond Du Lac. They even tried to get someone to come down and pull us back. I'm sure I could have insisted on them getting a non contract tow company, or getting the State Police involved, but we were out of danger, level and tired enough. I unwound all the wires and pulled some of them back so the connector could go back on the headlight. I carry wire & splices, so I could have cobbled it back together, but the show stopper was the broken oil line. If I only had a plug!
In the morning I met all sorts of nice people who came in to the now open gas station for gas and coffee. One of them went to their shop and came back with a union to fix the 1/8 oil line! Got a ride to the Napa store for some new belts and got delivered back by the parts runner. We had brake lights and daylight, so off we went! I sorted out the wires in the luxury of the kids driveway and then helped sort out their "new" 100 yr. old house.
Russ
--
Russ & Linda Mehlenbacher
Rochester Hills, Michigan
'76 Eleganza
'74 Sequoia
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Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: [GMCnet] Long Story! If I only had an 1/8 plug. [message #188092 is a reply to message #188090] |
Wed, 24 October 2012 10:06 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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I am going to play the role of the bad guy here. You all might benefit from
opening the engine cover hatch once in a while and check stuff like belts
and hoses. While you are under there, perhaps you might look at stuff like
cv boots, air filter, critters love to store nuts and sticks under and
inside the air cleaner. Makes one hell of an underhood fire starter. Like
Gene F. says, run your best parts. If those belts are cracked or frayed, it
is much easier to change them at your leisure on a cold engine.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC Royale 403
On Oct 24, 2012 7:53 AM, "gene Fisher" <mr.erfisher@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > The warning here is that once I cut the belts loose, everything important
> > except the alternator was turning.
>
>
> yep, good part of the GMC is it only takes one belt to get down the road
> - belts break from being too loose
> - not too tight
> - onan willl run the lights
> - even better with a combiner
>
> good info
> thanks
> gene
>
>
> --
> Gene Fisher -- 74-23,77PB/ore/ca
> “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today --- give him a URL and
> -------
> http://gmcmotorhome.info/
> Alternator Protection Cable
> http://gmcmotorhome.info/APC.html
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