Chapter 5: Shakespeare on Motorhome Maintenance

You cannot tell something is going wrong
if you don't know how it behaves when it is working right.

This demands that you study the operation and performance of your motorhome always - know how it sounds, feels, and performs when everything is going well. Know how gauges should read (if they do not work correctly get them fixed!) and what incorrect indications might mean. Never hesitate to confront an apparent problem in the hope that it will just go away. It won't; it will pounce from behind when least expected and bite you in a tender place.

I really hate to suggest this, but even if you are mechanically-disadvantaged, you need to make a detailed study of your motorhome. Enlisting the help of a knowledgable friend, or even paying a competent mechanic is wise. It is not essential that you understand the intimate details, but you should have a good general awareness at the what, where, how level.

For example; we recently escaped a potentially deadly situation by sheer good fortune when a fuel line deteriorated and began to break, allowing gasoline to spray on the engine and exhaust system.

I have to take full responsibility for this because I knew that all flexible fuel hose and all fuel line connections (that are pressurized) should be inspected every time the motorhome is used. The "break", seen at the right end of this small section of fuel hose, is nearly invisible unless the hose is removed and bent (hard to do with your fingers) but a visual examination and/or wiping with a paper towel would have shown fuel leakage long before the break had progressed to this stage!

I am not suggesting that you become paralyzed by fear that something will go wrong and endanger your lives. BUT!! I do suggest that you develop a healthy respect for, and understanding of, the components parts of your living and traveling quarters.