I've worked with Keith several times over the years on my 1996 U295 coach. He's always done great work at a fair price, but what he did for me this past Friday goes beyond any kind of service you can put a number on.
I was headed out of town and about an hour from my destination when I noticed something wrong—my RPMs and speed started rising on their own. I tapped the brakes to cancel cruise control, but the engine stayed revving high. I managed to stop at a light, saw the RPMs holding above 2000, and shut the engine off. I had no idea what was happening and was just about to call CoachNet for a tow when I called Keith.
Keith picked up and calmly talked me through what to check. First, we unplugged the King Cruise. No change. Then he said, "You probably have a stuck throttle cable." He FaceTimed me, showed me where to look—lower left side of the engine—and sure enough, I found it. With his guidance, I pushed the linkage forward, restarted the engine, and the RPMs dropped back to normal. Problem solved, almost.
He then asked me to check the two springs on the triangular throttle linkage. One of them—the large one—was broken.
I was still in a traffic lane, but managed to roll to a truck stop. Just as I got parked, a trucker pulled up next to me, asked if I was okay, and offered to help. I showed him the broken spring, and he said, "I think we can fix that." He uncoiled and reshaped it by hand. We tried to reinstall it, but the RPMs spiked again.
So I called Keith back. He FaceTimed us again, patiently explained how to connect the spring correctly, and once we did, everything worked like it should. That truck driver—his name was Jesus—followed me for 10 miles just to make sure I was okay. I made it safely to my destination and home again without any issues.
What could've been a major breakdown and tow turned into a moment of gratitude and community thanks to Keith. His calm, expert guidance got me back on the road, and I can honestly say this experience was priceless.
Thank you, Keith—you saved the trip and reminded me what real support looks like. With much Gratitude!
I also like the nod to Jesus, the trucker. May he never have a deadhead run.
Every C8.3 needs to be sure both springs are in place on the curbside of the engine. New springs can be shortened to fit with the end of the spring made into a new hook. Carry spares.
New springs for the 8.3 are out there. They cost more than they should. ^.^d ^.^d They are an easy install and you can keep your old ones for spares.
jk
Lowes carrys the springs.
Good deal. You dodged a bullet and learned something new. Hats off to Keith and Jesus.
*I'm sure someone else with an 8.3 Cummins will be able to use this info down the road.