Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Lite Weight Trailers
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-17-2016, 04:50 PM   #1
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
Alaska trip Busted!

Well, I was towing my 25' Keystone Laredo 23RB, on my way to Alaska, when the engine blew in Pleasanton. We were going up the Senol grade, and the engine started to warm up, didn't get into the red, then the motor started making a loud diesel rattle, but there was no system indications of any problems. As we topped the summit, it stopped as we went down the other side, I kept scanning the dash, but once again no indications of problems. I started hearing a loud thumping sound, and thought I might have blown a tire on the trailer, so I started looking for a wide shoulder. I had my wide spot in sight when the low oil pressure warning flashed on the screen. I was heading for my spot, when the motor gave a last loud diesel rattle, and died. I managed to coast into the spot, off the road.
Fortunately two days before, I had signed up with Good Sam roadside assistance, they got a tow truck to haul both my Jeep and trailer to the nearest dealer.
According to the service manager, I need a new motor. Fortunately, I use a local mechanic to service the Jeep, so I had records of both oil changes. The bad news is that FCA insists on having tests done on the oil, water and fuel to see if they can pin it on me. Anyway my trip is delayed for at least a couple of weeks. May even need to be canceled, since it takes a couple of weeks each way, and my Wife needs a medical procedure mid August.
Don't know why the engine should have blown. The trailer is an ultra light, weighs only 5k empty, and has a GVWR of 7k, both well within the towing capacity of the Jeep (7.2k). I'm set up with a beefy load-leveling hitch with sway control. I have a proportional break controller. The Jeep is a Limited with the diesel, tow package, advanced technology package, air suspension, etc. I've towed the trailer with the Jeep several times before, up hill and down, never had a problem. I have been extremely happy with it up to now.
The one thing I hate about this is according to the service manager, I have to wait for FCA to make up their mind, so they can't tell me when it will be done. I can't make any plans.

meanwhile, my trailer is in Pleasanton, and my tow vehicle is short an engine. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get my trailer back home (53 miles away)?

Thanks,
Bob.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2016, 05:19 PM   #2
Desert185
Senior Member
 
Desert185's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Nevada
Posts: 2,695
All I can think of is how lucky you are the engine didn't blow on the Alaska Highway while you were in Canada. 53 miles from home is nothing. Rent a pickup and tow the trailer home.

If I were closer, I'd volunteer to do it myself. I have some good memories of La Honda when I was a kid in the Bay Area.
__________________
Desert185 🇺🇸 (Retired Chemtrail vendor)
-Ram 2500 QC, LB, 4x4, Cummins HO/exhaust brake, 6-speed stick.
-Andersen Ultimate 24K 5er Hitch.
-2014 Cougar 326SRX, Maxxis tires w/TPMS, wet bolts, two 6v batts.
-Four Wheel 8' Popup Camper.
Desert185 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2016, 05:21 PM   #3
Murphsmom
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Idaho
Posts: 289
Trying to remember, but isn't that one of the perks of Good Sam membership?
Murphsmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2016, 05:57 PM   #4
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,839
I am no diesel mechanic, am 2500+ miles from your Jeep and am relying on about 15 lines on an internet forum to make this assumption, so take it for what it's worth.....

It sounds like you either had water in the fuel, blew a head gasket or had an internal engine failure. Even if it were from being "overloaded" or "over your GCWR" I don't think the engine would completely fail in 50 miles.

I'm guessing you filled the DEF and diesel fuel the night before departure. Is there any possibility that DEF got added to the fuel tank? or that you got a tank of "bad fuel" ??? Have you drained the fuel filter/water separator previously?

I don't think Good Sam will tow your RV home. The way my policy reads is "to a location near where they tow the vehicle for repairs. Maybe they will interpret "nearby" as being your home, but I wouldn't count on it.

As for getting the trailer home, most UHaul places rent pickup trucks for $19.99 a day. You might give them or any of the local car dealerships a call to see if they rent trucks. Otherwise, maybe your RV dealership has a "on call transporter" that can help you get it home. Even at $1 a mile, you're not talking much money.

Good Luck !!!!!
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2016, 06:11 PM   #5
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
Only problem with UHaul here in Ca. Is they are very strict about weights. When a tech at my work blew a spark plug on his F150, UHaul wouldn't rent a trailer to my boss with a '97 F250 diesel. Said his truck wasn't rated for it.

When I rented a utility trailer to move my tool box, it was almost like pulling teeth even with a 1 ton Dually.

If you don't have any luck finding a way to get it home, PM me. I work in Livermore and we have a guy we use to deliver units.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 02:54 AM   #6
bill-e
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 438
Bob,

Check in over here, http://www.ram1500diesel.com/forum/r...al-discussion/, you're likely going to need a lot of support dealing with FCA. Sounds like the connecting rod issue with some Ecodiesels.

Anyway, even though it's a Ram forum they talk about blown engines all the time. Might be of some help.
__________________
Bill


2015 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel
2015 Cougar 26RBI
bill-e is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 06:48 AM   #7
LittleJoe
Senior Member
 
LittleJoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Ottawa Valley
Posts: 329
There was a series of engines that had rod clearance issues because of a screwup at the factory. Some of the issues are only prevalent in the 1500 because of some differences in coolers etc, which doesn't seem to be working for you. Best of luck.
__________________
2011 325SRX , Mor-Ryde Pinbox
2004 Ram 3500DRW 6spd,4x4,QC.LB ,340L aux tank
1999 Concours
2014 FJR
2014 Jetta TDI
LittleJoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 08:31 AM   #8
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,599
Man, when you set out on a trip you always worry about something bad happening; a blown tire or something like that...that can be repaired and you resume the trip. A blown engine is off the chart bad. I'm sorry to hear that it happened to you.

If it were me I would call Enterprise or another rental company and get a 1/2 ton, maybe 3/4 if they had it, with a towing package (hitch) and use it, along with your WD hitch, and take the trailer home. No need to go into great detail with the rental company; just rent the truck and get the trailer home and be done with it.

When you're finished with that you can then concentrate on getting your peas in a pod to deal with the warranty issues.

Edit: I said hitch above. I meant receiver.
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 01:43 PM   #9
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
Bumala, Howdy;

Don't bother with U-Haul, their tow balls are only 1-7/8" and 2" .

hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 02:03 PM   #10
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
and they weld the ball to the truck!
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 02:06 PM   #11
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
All the truck rental companies we looked at, do not allow towing. We didn't try Enterprise because the nearest one was in Oakland.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 03:25 PM   #12
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumala View Post
All the truck rental companies we looked at, do not allow towing. We didn't try Enterprise because the nearest one was in Oakland.

I was afraid of that. PM sent.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 06:29 PM   #13
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
The end of the trip.

So, after looking for two days for a truck to haul our trailer, I called a tow truck company who also did long distance towing. I was concerned because the company Good Sam used charged $400.00 for the trailer, and $200.00 for the truck, just to get us off the freeway, a distance of ten miles or so. With 62 miles from Pleasanton to La Honda, I thought it would be thousands. Well it turned out to be $350.00 and my baby is home. He clearly hit several bumps at speed, and stopped very suddenly because everything was a mess. But it's home, and that's one less thing to worry about.
Bob.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 06:36 PM   #14
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
Unfortunately, this will probably end our Alaska attempt for this year. it's probably going to be three weeks or so for the truck to get fixed. My wife has a medical thing (they need to change her battery) middle of August, so there just isn't time to make it up there and back and have any time in Alaska. After August it gets snowy.
Bummed!
Bob.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 06:45 PM   #15
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,599
Bumala - the listed weight for your trailer is over 7500lbs. gvw. Over the weight for your Jeep. Tongue weight could be maybe 1000 lbs. Is the Jeep rated for that?? I hope you have good luck with the insurance; if it were me, I would dump the Jeep and get something that could tow the trailer OR dump the trailer and get something the Jeep could tow. One blown engine on any of my vehicles trying to pull a trailer warrants a "right now" change.
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 07:04 PM   #16
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
PM received and replied to.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 08:46 PM   #17
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Bumala - the listed weight for your trailer is over 7500lbs. gvw. Over the weight for your Jeep. Tongue weight could be maybe 1000 lbs. Is the Jeep rated for that?? I hope you have good luck with the insurance; if it were me, I would dump the Jeep and get something that could tow the trailer OR dump the trailer and get something the Jeep could tow. One blown engine on any of my vehicles trying to pull a trailer warrants a "right now" change.
First of all, the empty weight of the 23 RB is 5k. The Maximum Weight for it is 7K. The rated tow weight of the Jeep Grand Cherokee with the EcoDiesel is 7.2k. I'm well within the rating of the vehicle. Engines don't usually blow because of load. Heat? Well, I was monitoring the temperature gage, and it got to the top of normal, but didn't get into the red. I had no indications what so ever of a problem until the low oil pressure warning came up, then it died. There were some funny noises that had me looking for a wide shoulder , but no messages, indications at all.
I know some on this board feel that everyone should have a 1 ton dually to tow an R-pod, but I chose the Jeep for a number of reasons, and it is perfectly adequate for the job, and has never had a problem towing the trailer before this.
Bob.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 09:00 PM   #18
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Bumala - the listed weight for your trailer is over 7500lbs. gvw. Over the weight for your Jeep. Tongue weight could be maybe 1000 lbs. Is the Jeep rated for that?? I hope you have good luck with the insurance; if it were me, I would dump the Jeep and get something that could tow the trailer OR dump the trailer and get something the Jeep could tow. One blown engine on any of my vehicles trying to pull a trailer warrants a "right now" change.
One more thing. The trailer as it sits with a weeks worth of food and a couple of weeks worth of cloths, an empty grey and black tank and a half full water tank probably weighs about 6k to 6.5k.
Bob.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 09:22 PM   #19
Bumala
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: La Honda, CA
Posts: 62
Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Bumala - the listed weight for your trailer is over 7500lbs. gvw. Over the weight for your Jeep. Tongue weight could be maybe 1000 lbs. Is the Jeep rated for that?? I hope you have good luck with the insurance; if it were me, I would dump the Jeep and get something that could tow the trailer OR dump the trailer and get something the Jeep could tow. One blown engine on any of my vehicles trying to pull a trailer warrants a "right now" change.
Specs for 23RB
Shipping Weight 5385
Carrying Capacity 2160
Hitch 545
Length 26' 7"
Height 11' 1"
Fresh Water 43
Waste Water 30
Gray Water 30
LPG 40
Tire Size ST205/75R14C

Hitch weight about 10% of total, so the hitch weight for 6k is about 600 lbs., not 1000. It would have to weigh 10k (3k over GVW) to have a 1k hitch weight. Your post got me thinking, so I did up a spread-sheet (I was an engineer before retiring) and I calculate the total weight at about 6.1k.
Bob.
__________________
Bob & Marian Bumala
With Fozzy Bear! Waka waka waka
2016 Laredo 23RB, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee TD
http:\\www.Bumala.com
Bumala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2016, 03:17 AM   #20
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,599
The intent of my message was to get you to think. You said it did. Mission accomplished.

You chose the Jeep for whatever reasons and you're happy; that's good. Just know that your tongue weight WILL be 750 or more; full propane bottles alone will put it over 600. Payload is another issue you have but you said your OK with it.

Just know that 27' and 7500 lbs is a lot to put behind a Jeep. You have already lost a trip due to blowing an engine; I don't want the next one to be ruined because the trailer (tail wagging the dog) pushed you over a cliff.

Hope you get the vehicle repaired and are able to reschedule your trip soon; I hope to make it one day.
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:25 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.