After leaving the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, we were scheduled to head back to Tucumcari. But about halfway there, we had a high temperature warning on our tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS):
We stopped at the next opportunity, and waited a while to let it cool down, then we continued. But it got high again, so we pulled off at the next rest area:
Even after parking, the temperature continued to rise into the danger zone, which indicated a serious issue:
So we contacted our preferred roadside assistance company, Coach-Net. We initially thought it might be a tire needing replacement, so were going to get Coach-Net to bring us a replacement (or two, since really should replace both front tires). An expensive prospect, with these large tires costing about a grand each.
But on further research we concluded it was more likely a brake issue. Coach-Net sent out a mobile truck repair tech to investigate:
He pulled off the tire, and looked at the brake. He couldn’t get the wheel to turn; he determined that the brake had seized up:
He wasn’t able to free up the brake (perhaps lacking the experience or tools). It was a Saturday, so we had to wait at the rest area for two nights until Monday before we could get towed to a truck repair shop. Finally, a heavy-duty tow truck arrived:
And lifted our front tires, which is the second-best way to tow our coach, since we have independent front suspension (the best way is to put it on a low-boy trailer, which wasn’t feasible since the wheel wouldn’t turn):
The drive shaft was removed, so the rear wheels would freely turn:
Also, the mudflap was held up, so wouldn’t scrape on the road:
We arrived safely at the truck repair shop (see a subsequent post for more details and photos of the towing adventure):
The techs at West Truck Services Center in Moriarty, New Mexico got to work. They were able to free up the stuck brake (something the first tech and tow driver couldn’t manage), so we would be able to move the coach into the shop:
They also restored the drive shaft:
In the shop, we put blocks under the hydraulic jacks on the passenger side, to lift up that side, plus a jack under the wheel frame to lift the tire off the ground:
They then were able to remove the tire:
The brake disk was rather scuffed:
The jack:
They determined that the issue was that the lower brake piston was protruding too much:
They were able to get replacement parts overnighted, and spent the next day rebuilding the brake, including smoothing out the disk:
They worked late to get us finished up, then we were able to get back on the road. (Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of them reassembling the brake.)
So we spent two nights at the rest stop waiting for a tow (due to the weekend), then two nights at the repair shop while they diagnosed and fixed the brake. Not too bad.
Stay tuned for more posts on our two unexpected stays, the towing experience, and a night drive after the repair was complete.
