We are NOT in Motion.....
We departed Benson yesterday morning--beautiful crisp, and yes, a little windy day....only to be returned to Tucson Freightliner via flatbed tow truck yesterday afternoon...! Oh, you want the rest of the story...? We were right at exit 378 off I-10, at San Simon, when a warning "bell" chimed. "Poor Def Quality!" was on the computer display. Then the check engine light came on. We took the exit, and stopped in the large parking lot of a truck stop. Lindy read the manual while Mike walked the dogs. DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) is part of the re-gen system of new diesel rigs to cut down on exhaust emissions. With this new system, when the sensors "sense" a problem, an engine protection system kicks in, allowing forward speed of 5 mpg. Yes, it had kicked in!
To make a long story short, after calling Freightliner 27/7 and Coachnet, a tow truck was dispatched from Tucson, and was in route, we were informed, arrival time estimated at approximately 2 hours--1:30 or so. We spent the time getting the motor home ready for the "ride" thinking it was going to be a tow behind....The truck arrived on schedule, a huge flat bed...! Mike had the fun experience of driving the coach up on the truck, under the expert direction of Rusty, the tow truck driver. He measured the total height....15'8", which meant we had to go an additional 60 some miles back to Tucson, as there is a railroad overpass west of Benson that is 15'2". We arrived at Freightliner about 5:00 pm. Another tow truck driver "rolled" the motor home off the truck, Mike was spared that experience!
Today, they found that it is the computer system that is at fault--not the regen or DEF system. They found additional error messages on the computer which warranted a call to Cummins regarding the scope and nature of each of these. So! We are still in Tucson, at a motel for a second night, as the conversation with Cummins engineers indicated the need to install a filter for the regen system, and to ensure that all the error messages are effectively corrected! This is a really good thing, for we do NOT want to get into West Texas and have to have another tow! We do NOT want another tow ever! We rode behind the truck as it made its way to Tucson, in severe cross winds. We looked away every time we saw the motor home sway... To be honest, it wasn't that often....we did spend a lot of the time looking at the scenery...!
Hopefully, we'll be on our way tomorrow afternoon....we have made adjustments to our trip, and will probably need to make additional adjustments tomorrow. We DO have time on our side, we are able to be flexible, and we are SAFE!
Later!
Paws and Friends
To make a long story short, after calling Freightliner 27/7 and Coachnet, a tow truck was dispatched from Tucson, and was in route, we were informed, arrival time estimated at approximately 2 hours--1:30 or so. We spent the time getting the motor home ready for the "ride" thinking it was going to be a tow behind....The truck arrived on schedule, a huge flat bed...! Mike had the fun experience of driving the coach up on the truck, under the expert direction of Rusty, the tow truck driver. He measured the total height....15'8", which meant we had to go an additional 60 some miles back to Tucson, as there is a railroad overpass west of Benson that is 15'2". We arrived at Freightliner about 5:00 pm. Another tow truck driver "rolled" the motor home off the truck, Mike was spared that experience!
Today, they found that it is the computer system that is at fault--not the regen or DEF system. They found additional error messages on the computer which warranted a call to Cummins regarding the scope and nature of each of these. So! We are still in Tucson, at a motel for a second night, as the conversation with Cummins engineers indicated the need to install a filter for the regen system, and to ensure that all the error messages are effectively corrected! This is a really good thing, for we do NOT want to get into West Texas and have to have another tow! We do NOT want another tow ever! We rode behind the truck as it made its way to Tucson, in severe cross winds. We looked away every time we saw the motor home sway... To be honest, it wasn't that often....we did spend a lot of the time looking at the scenery...!
Hopefully, we'll be on our way tomorrow afternoon....we have made adjustments to our trip, and will probably need to make additional adjustments tomorrow. We DO have time on our side, we are able to be flexible, and we are SAFE!
Later!
Paws and Friends
We we wondering about you in the high Arizona winds and the Texas tornadoes but we guess that is not a problem, yet.
ReplyDeleteStay safe and give Lord Rupert and Miss Bitty a hug for us.
BTW do you know you still have verification turn on?