[Wally Arntzen]

Two weeks ago while stopped at a light I started to move forward and had a terrible noise in the rear of the coach and I lost forward movement, while still moving I accelerated and the engine roared, the jake went crazy and I managed to roll off to the side of the highway. I was two blocks from the RV park I was going to in Gold Canyon, Arizona and called my mechanic friend in Minneapolis and he said to start the engine and put in any gear and go see if the drive shaft is turning. It was turning and he informed me that I had a broken axle or differential.

I called my Good Sam towing service at 1:00 PM and finnaly got a low boy out at 1:00 AM, yes I sat on the side of the road for 12 hours before I finnally got hauled to Phoenix to a Bus repair garage. Went back in the morning and they removed both axels and they were good so it was obvious that it was the differential.

The pinion gear was riveted to a plate and 3/4ths of the rivets broke at the same time and left the coach imoble.
They also showed that my muffler had a large hole in it the elbow before the muffler also had a hole.

They reattached the pinon with #20 hardened bolts and replaced the exhauset system in three days and $3000.00 dollars later I was back in service. I was very lucky that nothing in the differential got damaged other the rivets and I was there when they removed the differential and seen all of the broken ones that were inside. They informed me that the damage was probably a combination of age and stess with the rivet damage and I do probably take off from a stop a little faster that I should which contributed to event taking place. Just thought that would let you guys and gals know that stuff happens when least expected.