The inspection, part 2

7:22 am - Thursday - April 11th - Yuba City, CA - 52° F, 68% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the northeast.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 68° F.  

So Wednesday was the day of the big, complete, thorough inspection.   As I woke up around 6:30 am my mind was a swirl of thoughts regarding all the things I needed to do in order to give Glenn and Laureen my best advice, and to identify everything which would need attention, or repairing.  My main concerns were what had been reported to me by Ernistine (the current owner).....1) The front A/C would not run, 2) the gray water shut off valve would not completely shut, and 3) the generator blower would not run.  These were my main concerns as we pulled into the large farm property owned by Ernestine.  Her property (about 40 acres) is a working walnut farm.  

The 1984 Newell has been kept in their 'workshop' since 1988 when they bought it the first time.  In 1991 it was sold to some friends of theirs who continued to store it in the workshop, and when Ernestine and her husband reacquired it in 1998 they continued to store it there when not in use until the present.  So except for its first 4 years of its life it has been stored inside, and its condition reflects just that.....

In front of the coach before the inspection work began

After the crops were in each season Ernestine and her husband, Morgan, would take long trips in the Newell

Just after we puled the Newell out of the 

workshop early afternoon

......we proceeded to work, almost unabated, for 10.5 hours....took a short hamburger break around 1 pm.  During that 10.5 hours we checked the four builtin electric heaters and found they all had to be replaced.....I had the same heaters and replaced mine several years ago.  Following is a list what we also did during that time span:

• Verified that the front A/C did, indeed, work.  There is a switch on the dash (just like mine) that must be in the 'ON' position in order to turn on the roof A/C.  Both  A/C's blow ice cubes after a few minutes of running.
• Verified that the gray water shutoff valves DOES work....nothing wrong with it.
• Verified all 4 Suburban gas furnaces work.
• Verified the electric Raritan water heater works.
• Verified the water pumps work, and that plumbing system will pressurize.
• Verified the inverter/charger/converter works.
• Verified the block heater works.
• Verified the coach will build air pressure, but found there must be a 'SUPPLY SIDE' leak, however, the brake side holds 120 PSI.  The 'SUPPLY' side will build to 120 PSI and stay there as long as the engine is running, but looses all the pressure over 60 minutes after the engine is shut down.  Will have to be checked out.
• Verified the generator blower does work after resetting the breaker switch, but the propane generator will only run for about 5 seconds before shutting down.  I suspect the solenoid which opens the valve enabling propane to enter the engine is defective. They will have that diagnosed.
• Verified the tires are 13 years old so they will have them replaced immediately, if not sooner.
• Verified the toilet works properly.
• Verified all the interior lights, and light fixtures work.
• Verified all the gauges on the instrument panel work.
• Verified the headlights (low & high beam), running lights, turn signals, brake lights, fog lights, and marker lights all work.
• Verified all the windows open and close easily
• Verified the air, and city horns work
• Verified the Jacobs brake works
• Verified the original Bendix cruise control works, and works well!
• Could not verify when the last oil change was....the husband (Morgan) changed the oil himself, and did not keep a log book, or record, so Glenn will have the oil changed, all filters changed, and coolant replaced.
• Verified at 3:30 pm with Blackstone Labs (we overnighted the samples we drew to them via UPS) that the oil and transmission fluid samples checked out, and everything is within normal operating parameters for the age and mileage on the Detroit Diesel 6v92 and Allison 5 speed transmission.
• Took Glenn and Laureen for a 30 mile test drive of which Glenn drove about 25 miles in the Newell.  He did well, and I feel much better about their plan to drive the coach back to Texas.  He had to drive 15 miles on a two way road with a left side cross wind.
• Verified they have an onboard R/O water filtration system, but filters need to be renewed, and the system checked over by a qualified technician.
• Verified all four 8d AGM batteries are in good condition, and they are.  I did this by disconnecting all cables from all four batteries, letting them sit for 20 minutes, and then checking the voltage.....they all registered 13 to 13.5 volts at rest.
• Verified no roof leakage ever.....no signs whatsoever of water intrusion.
• Verified the steering is tight, and the coach does not wander as you drive down the road.

I'm sure I have forgotten a few small things, but this list is the gist of what I did, with Glenn & Laureen's assistance......

  

Had to remove the front bumper to get at the generator

Glenn disconnecting the quick release from the

exhaust so we could pull out the generator

Pulling the generator out

The blower which cools the generator would not run as the breaker had been overloaded and had to be reset to the left position shown in this picture

Wrench we had to use to break the quick release on 

the generator exhaust loose.....2.75" span

After we had put the bumper back on and back 

the Newell back into the workshop....we're done, and now to consummate the deal.

Ernestine and I.....a very sharp, witty, sweet lady

......we finished our work around 8 pm, and after bidding adieu to Ernestine headed for the hotel to clean up, and change clothes.  We were back to the hotel by 8:15 pm cleaning up and out the door by 8:30 to drive over to Pete's Restaurant and Brewhouse for some brews and salads.  We sat celebrating, drinking, eating, and talking until after 10 pm, essentially closing down the restaurant.

It's a done deal.....let the adventure begin!

Celebrating at Pete's Restaurant and Brewhouse......a 

stone's throw from our hotel....we closed the place down!

It was an exhausting day, but we accomplished our purpose and went to bed with big smiles on our collective faces.

Thanks for stopping by!

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