Sod’s Law Strikes Again

Sod's law is a name for the axiom "Anything that can go wrong, will". 

In our case it has struck again.

I gather that in a previous life I must have been one evil sun of a gun for all the ill fortune dogging me at the moment. Now yes I do like to paint in watercolours, I was a corporal in the army, I found speaking German quite natural. I’ve not had the urge to invade other countries, well not yet anyway but according to Kay ‘once I get on my soap box the possibility is just around the corner’, and if you see me strutting down the road doing some kind of funny walk like Basil Faulty below, run for the hills.

On Monday we travelled to Newport to consult a chap whom we've been informed from the RV Forums, is the Guru of Gas conversions especially for RV’s. 

You've no doubt been reading our problems with the gas change over switch and true to form on the way to Newport it did it again (switched to petrol and wouldn't switch back).

We've seen several so called knowledgeable people about this problem but not one has found the cause or corrected it.

Now for anyone attempting to visit this chap, Steve of Anglo American Autos of Newport, especially if you’re driving an American RV, phone ahead first as getting to his premises can be quite a challenge.

Steve met us off junction 25 of the M4 motorway and lead us the safest way into Newport, though it’s not the easiest of tasks to complete, especially if you’re a novice like me as you will literally hit the centre of Newport (Busy traffic and narrow bus lanes) and then you’ll have to navigate under a 12’6” bridge, (the RV is 11'6" not including the CB Antenna) followed by driving down narrow side streets with cars parked either side while dodging low hanging trees.

We arrived at his garage with me feeling pretty chuffed with myself that I’d managed to do it without righting off some poor blokes car or denting the RV. 

We then dropped the Jacks, hooked up the electric (as we would be staying the night) and topped up the water for tea.

The following morning came the news that there had been a huge lorry fire in the Brynglas tunnels on the M4 which soon had the M4 closed and Newport gridlocked with traffic. Kay and I spent the best part of the morning walking around Newport Town centre (hey I even managed to use my old farts bus pass, a first yippee, something for nothing at last).

Newport Castle

Town Centre

Old Market Hall

Statue

Unfortunately Steve had some bad news for us on our return, now this is something that all those with American motor-homes with LPG conversions should check up on.

It transpires that the firm who fitted the Zavoli conversion (Kelcrow) had used 6mm piping for the gas feed and that the setup was more for a car with a one or a two litre engine, not a huge 8.1 litre monster like ours. This meant that the engine was running very lean or overheating and that eventually the cylinder heads in the engine would be burnt out within five years, requiring a huge and costly repair. The engine warning light had been connected to another wiring section so that it would automatically turn off when the engine started no doubt to hide the fact that it was running too lean.

There was a fault in the wiring loom, the gas valves on the tanks were of a substandard design (that’s why they vented so much, as we'd been over filling the tanks, they should have automatically shut off a 85%). The two rear tanks had been sited the wrong way round and hung too low on the chassis.

Now I’m not an automotive expert but I would have thought that the original owner (a haulier) would have picked up on this, or can these so called mechanical experts be so easily foxed by a botched job?

Anyway the outcome was that if we intended to stay on gas it would mean a costly refit using a more modern and better system while rectifying all the problems, but the cost would be in the 2 grand region (ouch and double ouch).

We had to wait until nearly five o’clock in the evening before Newport was clear enough of traffic for us to travel back to Burnham.

Steve had replaced a faulty temperature sensor and our trip was fine going back as the RV stayed on gas, though it did feel a bit rough and lacking in power on the hills. We’ve booked the RV in with him to get the new conversion done that will take him four days to complete in August. This will give us the opportunity to pop home and visit the family for a spell.

Well we’re both back in the RV safe and sound enjoying the fantastic weather but feeling a mite dented in the pocket.  So as I sit here and write my latest page for the blog. I’m thinking it may need a subtle title change, how about..... (Mine Kampfing?)

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