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Topic: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA [steering gear leak] (Read 2029 times) previous topic - next topic

Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA [steering gear leak]

When we put our '97 U320 in storage last time, it was DUMPING oil out of the steering gear.

I'm hoping to find a mobile mechanic to pull the gear, I'll run it to Chalks in Houston to get it rebuilt, and then have the mechanic put it back in.  I'm planning to do the work in the storage unit. 

Any recommendations?  The ones I've called either won't work on motorhomes or don't return calls.

Thanks all!

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #1 –
I have no idea if this will be helpful.

I don't know how bad it is leaking.

 But if you could drive it to Keith's Nacogdoches Tx. He normally has a rebuilt steering gear from Chaulks there.  Swap your old one for the rebuilt one. They replaced mine in about 3 hours.

 Hopefully you can find someone locally.  Is it drivable at all? You might find a truck repair shop locally that would do it in their shop.  If you can get it there.

Tom

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #2 –
There is an earlier post about a similar issue and a catch can was rigged up to catch the oil and it was driven until a place where it could be repaired. Not sure but I believe he was filtering and reusing the oil also.

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #3 –
Just for what it's worth, years back I pulled over for a break on my way to Eagle Nest, NM and noticed major leak at steering box.  Oil everywhere.  I checked the hydraulic fluid level and it was ok so I proceeded on to Eagle Nest, another 4 hours or so.  Once there oil level was still ok so I cleaned the area around the steering box and made an appointment at a truck shop in Santa Fe to get it repaired on my way home.  Weeks later, could see a leak from a small hole in the side of the visible seal. On my way to the appointment in Santa Fe, I pulled over before reaching the shop to check the leak.  I found little oil around the box and oil level still ok.  I had stocked up on oil so decided to head for Nacogdouches and have Keith fix it.  He replaced the steering box and all ok.  My long story to say you might stock up on oil to ad if/as needed and drive it to Keith's or a shop nearby, keeping an eye on the hydraulic fluid level.   

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #4 –
Exactly what we did. First day's drive from home to Weatherford, TX -( just beyond the Dallas traffic). We noticed a pool of oil under the coach just before dark. The next morning we headed to Keith in Nac, pausing periodically to check the degree of leakage. Keith's favorite phrase was, "If you can get it here, I can fix it". We made it to Nac with no issues. We were glad to get there because it had gotten to the point that we were going to have to add fluid. Keith took it out one day, it went to Chalk's in Houston the next day, and back in the coach .....that night or the next day. You are expecting a major headache to deal with but in the right place, it was "just another repair".

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #5 –
All of this is helpful!  Thanks!

I'll check the level to see if I can calculate a leak rate.  I know (from here) that it always looks worse than it is.  I also don't know how long it's been going on.  I noticed it at the dump station and topped off the reservoir with 1.5G.

I'll follow-up with what I actually do. 

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #6 –
Rick,

Can you post a picture of exactly where the leak is?

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #8 –
That is a relief port for internal leaks, do not try to plug it the steering could lock up.

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #9 –
1.5 gallons low seems like a large amount. Hopefully it lost this over a period of time and your leak is not huge.

Also as a point of information you may know this, but others may not. Your engine cooling fans run on this same hydraulic system.

 So if you try to drive it. Monitor the oil level frequently. Also have plenty of oil with you.
Tom

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #10 –
Been there done that. I was coming back form New Orleans headed to Houston. Stopped half way back and coach covered in oil and was around two gallons low. Bought 5 gallons of oil, made a catch can and headed back to Houston. On rest of trim home, I would shut the engine off at stops and did a few stops to dump the catch can and fill the tank back up.  Made it home and then to a repair shop.

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #11 –
Quote from: trailertrashrick –
All of this is helpful!  Thanks!

I'll check the level to see if I can calculate a leak rate.  I know (from here) that it always looks worse than it is.  I also don't know how long it's been going on.  I noticed it at the dump station and topped off the reservoir with 1.5G.

I'll follow-up with what I actually do.

The leak rate turned out to be 1-1/2 gallons in 30 minutes.  Too much for a sustained drive.  The local shops seemed sketchy except for Freightliner and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out what this cost at a dealer.  I'd read about changing the seal in that end of the gear in coach, but that seemed straightforward, but pretty risky for a drive to Nacogdoches.  My brother-in-law agreed to help me with the heavy lifting.

We did the remove yesterday.  The easy stuff was hard and the hard stuff was easy.  No problem with the removal except for the input shaft bolt.  Some of the threads were damaged on the end making removal difficult.  I'll have to replace the input shaft bolt and one of the bolts from the floor underneath the generator.

Five hours.  We both rated this the most difficult project we'd worked on.  I think installation will be the new most difficult project we've worked on.

The gear goes to Chalks in Houston tomorrow and will go back on when I can schedule time together to get back to Lake Charles for a day trip.

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #12 –
Years and years ago, we were broke down and busted in the middle of nowhere outside of Bakersfield, CA. Literally at the intersection of two unpaved roads with a pulloff scraped on one side.  Someone on the Forum suggested NTTS Breakdown, so I called.  Amazingly, the guy who returned the call KNEW exactly where we were!  He was a retired Marine turned truck/semi repair guy. Found our air leak and re-routed the line, which had become pinched because of bad placement by some nitwit in a previous repair.  Most of this happened after sundown, and we were SO grateful. 
The website does not mention RV repair, but a truck is a truck ....  NTTS.
I just think this is a useful site to have in your "toolbox". 

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #13 –
Interesting.  Thanks Carol!  That website came up with a lot of places that Google failed to find.  I'm writing that one down.

I'm not sure where the "we don't work on RVs" came from, but I heard it more than once.  It could be the complex contortions required to reach the parts or it could be dealing with the self-entitled public (not Foretravel owners, of course!).  Money per hour is money per hour.

Even my brother-in-law asked, "How did they get that in there?".  Well, the steering gear area was much more accessible as they built up the chassis before they piled all that cab, front cap, and generator stuff around it.  When you look under the tip-up hoods of a semi or Super-C, the steering gear is right there.

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #14 –
I am no expert on changing the steering gear box. I paid Keith's guys to do mine,but I watched. They slid my generator out and cut a hole in the panel adjacent to the steering gear. They patched the hole when finished. I'm pretty sure you probably already knew that, if you researched this forum. I was glad that I had them replace mine, it was not leaking, but had a large amount of free play.
Tom
 

Re: Need Mobile Mechanic Near Lake Charles, LA

Reply #15 –
That's exactly how we did the removal.  The box around the generator had a metal panel held on by four square-headed screws and I cut a hole in the insulation with a box knife.  This allowed access to the retaining nut and the eight bolts holding the gear.

I'd been back there before when I replaced the generator cooling hoses.