Roadside Repairs

fRoadside repairs are not something most of us enjoy doing, but sometimes we have little or no choice.  The most common problem is probably a flat tire.   Changing a tire on a passenger car, pickup truck, or SUV is something most of us can probably handle.  Changing a tire on a motorhome or trailer may require some specialized tools most of us don't have.  The higher weight of the vehicle and higher torque of the lug nuts can present significant problems for the average driver.

As always, prevention is the best approach.  Its always better to find any problems before you leave home or before you break camp and take care of them then.  Of course, some things, like flat tires, happen anyway, so it is important to know how to handle roadside issues when you do breakdown on the highway.

First and foremost:  make sure you and your vehicle are safe.  Pull completely off the road before beginning any repairs.  Sometimes drivers are tempted to pull over where there isn't enough room to do so safely in an attempt to avoid additional tire damage.  But is the cost of a tire really worth risking your life?  You need a wide enough level spot to get your rig completely out of traffic lanes and, if the flat is on the driver's side, give yourself enough room to change the tire without getting hit by passing traffic.   Put out emergency markers behind the vehicle to warn approaching drivers so they can adjust their speed and direction to pass you safely.  At night use flares or reflective triangles. During the day, traffic cones may be adequate.   Even simple things like checking your oil can be dangerous if your hind end (or your vehicle's) is sticking out in traffic.  Night stops are even more dangerous.  People just can't see as well at night, especially if you're wearing dark colored clothing. You want to make yourself visible!   Using your flashers is generally a good idea, day or night, because it alerts other driver's that there is a problem.  There is one situation where flashers are sometimes not good -- sometimes drunk drivers fixate on the flashing lights and plow into the stalled vehicle.  Fortunately most drivers aren't drunk so the flashing lights will usually help protect you. Bottom line:  get as far out of traffic as you can and turn on your flashers.  You may have to try to limp along to find a suitable place to pull over.

Changing a tire on a large vehicle usually requires heavy tools that most of us don't carry around with us.  First of all, you need a jack sufficient to lift the wheel off the ground.   On a heavy Class A motorhome that might mean a capacity of at last 10 tons!   Always set the brakes AND chock the wheels before starting to jack up a vehicle.  Next you will need a lug wrench to fit the lug nuts and you'll need enough leverage to loosen the nuts.  This is not a trivial task. I've even seen road service mechanics who couldn't loosen the lug nuts on my motorhome.  We had to limp it into his shop on a flat tire where he had a 3/4" drive air impact wrench.  Some RVs don't even have spare tires.   If yours does, check it before each trip to make sure it is serviceable.  If you don't have a spare, consider getting one -- if you can find an appropriate place on your rig to haul it.  I've seen people put them on the roof of their motorhomes or trailers in desperation.  This is not a good idea! You really don't want to put 100 plus lbs of spare tire up that high and you don't want the rubber exposed to the sunlight. Just getting it up there and retrieving it will be a real chore, fraught with danger for potential injuries.  Gravity will help you get it down, but a big tire bouncing from that height can do a lot of damage, cause injuries, and may ruin the tire.  Don't drop it off the roof.  Use a rope to lower it to the ground.  Better yet, don't put it up there in the first place!

Other typical roadside repairs may include changing fan belts or repairing or replacing radiator or heater hoses.  Heater hoses most often fail right where they are stretched over a connection.   When this happens, you can often make temporary repairs by removing the hose from the fitting nearest the break,  cutting an inch or two off to get past the damage, and stretching and reinstalling the hose.   Most, but certainly not all of the time, there is enough slack in the hose to make this work.  Of course, if the hose is already stretched tight, this won't work.  Damaged radiator hoses can sometimes be temporarily repaired using radiator hose repair tape (best choice), duct tape, or electrical tape.  The damaged hose should be replaced as soon as possible but patching it might get you to where you can get a new hose.  Wrapping a radiator hose with tape probably won't stop the leak but it should slow it down so you can limp into town for proper repairs.  Keep an eye on the engine temperature and stop to refill the radiator as necessary to avoid overheating and serious engine damage. For the best results, carry spare radiator and heater hoses so you can replace damaged hoses on the spot.  A few spare  hose clamps, both heater hose and radiator hose sizes, are also a good idea.   As always, be careful to stay out of and away from traffic as much as possible while working on your vehicle.  Although you are probably in a hurry to get to your destination, it is wise to let the coolant cool down before attempting repairs.  Otherwise, you may get 3rd degree burns or worse from scalding coolant.  Liquid cooled engines normally operate around 200F but if they are low on coolant the temperatures may go MUCH higher!

If you run low on coolant, keep the engine running when you add coolant to the system.  Dumping cold water or coolant into a hot engine can cause overheated metal components to crack. Keeping the engine running allows the cold liquid being added to mix with existing hot material and warm up more slowly, avoiding the shock that can cause cracking.

There are other mechanical failures you might encounter, but these are the ones that are most likely to happen.  I once had a spark plug shatter while driving on the freeway!  Other than having to find a way to get to an autoparts store, it was a fairly simple repair.  I've also seen radiator fans break, even shooting the broken fin through the hood!  The broken fan caused a lot of vibration and, of course, didn't do a proper job of cooling.

 Roadside service is available as an option on many auto insurance policies or from auto clubs like AAA.  The Good Sam Club has its own RV Emergency Roadside Service.   These plans usually cover towing, tire changing, jump starts, and fuel delivery but not other types of mechanical repairs.   You will likely get back the annual cost if you only use them once in a year.  They can save you a lot of hassle, time, and money.  Try to maintain your vehicle properly and avoid having to call roadside assistance.  If you use it too many times in a year they may refuse to renew it the next year or raise  your premiums.  Some road side assistance programs won't service vehicles that are not on paved highways.  Not all services have contracts that cover all areas.  I once had to pay almost $400 to have a non-contract provider come fix a flat on my motorhome.  I was subsequently reimbursed by my road side assistance company but I had to pay for the call when the service was performed.  It worked out in the long run and the company that came was actually someone I had personally dealt with before.  It could have been a really difficult situation if I hadn't been able to pay for the call at the time.

In some locations you may find mobile mechanics who can assist with road side repairs that are beyond your skills or available resources.  Road side mechanics for semi trucks might be a good choice for help with an RV but they probably won't respond to problems with ordinary vehicles that can be easily towed to a repair facility.
 

 Fix it up!