We were happy as Larry to be off "on the road again". Got as far as ****lebiddy & OH we stopped suddenly. Probably a seal gone on the fuel pump. But the bad news - approx. $3000 just to take the motorhome back to Kalgoorlie. So here we are much poorer back in Kalgoorlie & goodness knows how much it will cost us to get the pump fixed/replaced. The pixies that guard the money in my wallet are having convulsions. Can I cry on someone's shoulder Not very cheery Kandagal
You can cry on my shoulder anytime. I know exactly how you will be feeling. So sorry to see this happening. She is such a big bus, a breakdown means a huge removal back to where ever she can be fixed.
Thanks for all the shoulders to cry on. Hope I didn't make them too soggy. Just drew $3,300 out of the bank for the cost of bringing us back here. They brought us to a truck fixing place who charged us $150 for a chap to help unload the M/H & then this morning they tell us they are to busy to do the repair so they arranged for a guy from another place to call in & look at it. He can do the job but as he is the only man in his workshop besides a couple of teenager apprenticies he can't leave on their own he can't spend the time here where we are now parked to remove the fuel pump. So now we have to find someone else to remove the pump & then take it to the 2nd guy for him to fix it. Then we need someone who can put it back in & set the timing. I shudder to think of all that costing big heaps. But as you said Onedodger it's only a machine & we are alive & kicking & of course crying. Boo Hoo Hope to be cheerier soon Kandagal
Well we now have a fellow taking the fuel pump out - $77/hour. hope he works fast!! Sad thing is hubby is an expert on Caterpillar engines but because of Parkinsons Disease his hands shake too much for him to tackle big jobs. He drops spanners, screws, nuts etc & gets fustrated. Gloomy Kandagal
Crikey ! Dash! and blast!! I think I would just keep living in it ouside the first place where you've been taken to for a few months and making the most of a free camp. Are you able to live in it while its being fixed?
Yes Happy Wanderer we can live in it while it gets fixed but we're in a truckshop yard & no way of moving it outside the yard until it is fixed. Chap is removing fuel pump as I type. Kandagal
Sorry you are having this rough trot ,especialy as I'm good on tools and your hubby could have instructed me as to what was to be done Your 2months too soon for me. Dont fret this too will pass good luck Nu one.
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FROM Michael Crawford...".Some mothers do have them"
I take it your not in one of the motoring organizations who tow you to the nearest repairer and cover your accommodation expenses if your more than 500 k from home. Just how far were you from Kalgoolie when this happened.
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Gee what rotten luck hope all get's fixed really quick and that you can get back on the road albet a bit poorer but at least it wasn't a case of either of you being hurt which is a plus. Helena.
You might have to get a job in the mean time to make up the costs. That's the tale of travel. There are always repairs and maintenance, and the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the bill. I wish you all the best with it. It'll all work out in the end.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Wombat We were nearly 600kms away from Kalgoorlie the nearest place where we could get someone to fix pump. Also that was the nearest place that had a truck big enough to put motorhome on. We belong to RACQ (for the Suzuki we tow behind) but they won't cover M/H because it weighs 10 tonnes. Our M/H insurer will give us $100 towards the tow/removal - not much towards the $3,300 it cost. They would pay accommodation etc costs if we had been involved in an accident but not just a breakdown. Anyway pump is nearly out. Tradie has called it a day & gone home & will be back in the morning. Thanks to all who gave me a cheery word. I was very tired last night as I drove the Suzuki 400kms from C###lebiddy to Norseman on my own & Keith went in the truck with the driver. then he drove the next 200kms.
Sorry to hear it Kandagal, what rotten luck. Hope everything gets fixed ok and your on your way soon. There is or was a mechanic at either Eucla or Border village awhile back, but when I needed him he was out in the paddock playing golf somewhere (not the new course though, some local one they had). Keep us posted.
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Vic
Hi Ace Pop Top Campervan & A'Van A'Lite Camper Trailer.....
Khalil Gibran says "We tarry forward - not backward".
Spread the laughter Share the cheer Let's be happy While we're here.
That,s the difference between petrol and diesel engines. If something goes wrong with a carby petrol engine, it can usually be fixed at a reasonable price. Diesel injector pumps use high pressures andare a specialist job to work on. The newer motors use common rail injection , and work on them is even more expensive.A diesel mechanic friend told me that it cost $8000 to replace the fuel system in a late model hilux due to water damage!I think I will stick to low tech, older model motors.Sorry about the bad luck, mate.
That,s the difference between petrol and diesel engines. If something goes wrong with a carby petrol engine, it can usually be fixed at a reasonable price. Diesel injector pumps use high pressures andare a specialist job to work on. The newer motors use common rail injection , and work on them is even more expensive.A diesel mechanic friend told me that it cost $8000 to replace the fuel system in a late model hilux due to water damage!I think I will stick to low tech, older model motors.Sorry about the bad luck, mate.
Hi Bill
Even low tech diesels are fairly cheap to fix, the newer petrol engines are very simular in fuel system repair costs as diesel. I love old tech also
Bill12 - Our engine is old - 23years old. It was the cost of bringing the motorhome back from the middle of nowhere -$1,300 - that has made all this so expensive. Pump is now out & we can probably get one for about $700 plus the cost of removing old one & installing new one. Oh well it's only money. And yes we are pensioners too.
Hi again Kandagal, I checked with SWMBO & she told me it was Eucla that had a mechanic, might be worth keeping that in mind for your resumed trip over "just in case".......but hope you don't need one ! With all the trucks coming through they can usually get ordered parts fairly quickly (provided the source has one of course).
I left my wallet at Balladonia Servo, only discovered when I went to pay for fuel at Caiguna Balladonia arranged for a truckie their on his way East to bring it to drop it off to me. Saved me having to go all the way back.
If anyone sees a truckie driving a Red cab car transporter (Adelaide Car Transport I think on the side), who is a thin bloke with long shoulder length black hair and lots of tats, say hello for me.....I can't remember his name now but I sent an email to his company thanking him but they never acknowledged it.....hope it didn't get him into trouble!
-- Edited by Vic on Saturday 23rd of July 2011 12:24:04 PM
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Vic
Hi Ace Pop Top Campervan & A'Van A'Lite Camper Trailer.....
Khalil Gibran says "We tarry forward - not backward".
Spread the laughter Share the cheer Let's be happy While we're here.
Ah!Now I understand. I had the same problem when I blew a motor at Cooma, and had to get the car to wagga for a heart transplant.Cost $400 on a tilt tray. Yours is a much bigger vehicle.Sorry, I had the wrong idea.Hope you get it fixed soon.my new(old) motorhome has a 202 red motor, and parts are cheap and reasonably easy to get, but it uses a lot of petrol.
-- Edited by bill12 on Saturday 23rd of July 2011 12:55:11 PM
Balladonia arranged for a truckie their on his way East to bring it to drop it off to me. Saved me having to go all the way back. 
