1> In the past year I have noticed the RV did not want to enter Travel Mode, but each time eventually did enter Travel Mode after a few minutes or after traveling a city block or so.
2> This past Winter while in Yuma the RV lost its rear U-Joint on the drive axle. This U-Joint is the one between the transmission yoke and the rear end of the drive line. The bolts that hold the U-Joint end-cups in place had been damaged to the point the bolt's locking mechanism had broken, and the bolts backed out of the yoke. Thus, one end-cup fell off and it wasn't long until the U-Joint completely disengaged. We drove 1,250 miles from home (Hermiston, OR) to Yuma, got parked in our rental lot, and didn't move for 3 to 4 months. But when we went to back out of the rental lot in February, that U-Joint fell apart on the street within 50 feet of the rental lot's entry gate. We, of course, didn't know the U-Joint was failing, but our neighbors who happened to be nearby saw the end-cup rolling on the street as we pulled away. We got about one mile before it completely disengaged rendering the RV immobile and sitting on 48th Street not far from the Yuma Foothills' Las Barrancas Golf Course. Good Sam located a mobile repair guy who fixed the U-Joint and we got back to the rental lot.
3> Now we have returned home, but on the way home at the Mini-Mart/Gas Station at Schurz, NV, 38 miles South of Fallon on US-95, the RV again would not enter Travel Mode. To get going, I manually raised the RV to as close to its travel height as I could guess, and we continued home without further incident.
4> Now at home, I have taken the RV to Eagle-Freightliner, and asked for both U-Joints and slack-adjuster axle to be checked; and the Travel Mode issue to be repaired. The repairman said:
a> the rear U-Joint has been slightly damaged by, what appears, the tag axle cross-member raising up too close allowing the U-Joint bolts to bang on the cross-member, and
b> the ride height linkage, adjusters, and associated air valves aren't functioning. He opened the HWH Control Box and checked for power at various points. The auto and manual leveling functions work fine. It's only the Travel Mode function that's not working. The HWH Control Box is receiving power and the Travel Mode fuse is good, but the Travel Mode fuse is not getting input power. Thus, there appears to be a break of continuity in the HWH Control Box BEFORE the Travel Fuse.
So what do I do?
1> The repairman has talked to HWH, and HWH thinks the circuit board is bad. Of course, being so old, HWH does not have any. Should I risk sending the circuit board to HWH hoping HWH can repair it?
2> Should I call Ken at BCS to discuss both issues noted above and see about getting an appointment at BCS? I am thinking BCS probably has the most "local" knowledge of both issues to more properly make repairs, and may have HWH circuit board on the shelf.
3> Should I take the Eagle-Freightliner's repairman's alternative to have a manual Travel Mode switch installed, and forget trying to repair the circuit board in the HWH Control Box? The repairman thinks there is a chance the Travel Mode issue is related to the U-Joint issue because the RV doesn't get into Travel Mode properly.