We have just walked back in the door after an intense but very fruitful 36 hours.
Yesterday afternoon we did the 300mile trip up to Liverpool, ready to pick up Bella this morning. It took a while to get clearance to actually go in (its a little like going air-side at an airport, in so much as you pass through ID checks akin to passport control), but then you are negotiating a swarm of mobile container pickers (huge mobile cranes able the pick, lift, stack 40ft containers like they are trays of groceries). On getting to the 'heavy-lift' compound we see Bella parked right next to the security cabin, and I can't say enough good things about the security at the docks, they had taken a liking to her and so decided to keep watch 24/7 until we arrived. As soon we got there, 3 or 4 guards came swarming out because they had been dying to look inside, but not 'allowed' without owners permission.
We then hit the only 'blip' in the whole trip. I went to start her....nothing...battery was flat. It's a nearly new Everlast and we have had no issues before, but the clue was the keys were in the ignition, turned to 'accessory' so the stereo but also the dash USB ports have been live, until the battery died that is. The security guys call up the loading foreman and he arrives with the jump cables, and Bella fires start up. She is not running evenly and soon stalls, we fire her up again, same result. By this point the loading foreman is apologizing because he drove her off the RoRo ship, and had to jump her then, I explained it was just that the keys had been left in the ignition etc. But also the noise of Bella starting has been heard across the port, and the security guards are getting radio calls from the other guards (now manning other stations) that have kept watch on her whilst she cleared customs/awaited collection, and a crowd was forming.
It was at this very point I realized on very bad decision I made, about 2 months ago....after a debate with the shop installing the ELECTRIC fuel pump, we decided to remove the mechanical one. Well an electric fuel pump does not run with a flat battery and it now appears that it was taking out more 'juice' than the alternator was putting in, hence Bella was stalling. At the time of the debate I couldn't find one good reason to keep both pumps, I do now and for this reason alone will be refitting the mechanical one as well as the electric.
So by now it is around midday, Bella is running but there really isn't enough in the battery to drive the fuel pump, so she is running uneven - she is also almost out of gas (you have to empty the fuel tank in order to ship). If I drive her to the gas station, I will have to jump start her again, and although the loading foreman has loaned us the jump cables to get Bella going, he isn't going to donate them!
We decided to take 'option 1', drive Bella out of the high security area (which would also allow for a AA roadside recovery if needed), then shut her down and drive to the nearest garage for jump cables and a couple of cans of gas.
Gas on-board, cables connected, Bella fires straight up, and after sitting for about 15mins with our little Mercedes A Series alternator/battery keeping Bella on life support, I pull the cables and Bella, runs uneven but at least keeps running.
To get from Liverpool Docks to the motorway, is approx 10miles of city center driving; not fun in a LHD motorhome, especially one that is doing its best to stall at each light. However, after ignoring all the safety notices and fueling up without turning off the engine, and by trying to keep Bella rolling (slowing well before the lights and trying to time my approach to the light changing), we made it out to the motorway - me driving Bella, Denise following along in the Mercedes ready with the jumper cables in case Bella decided not to play ball.
As the battery started to recover, so Bella ran smoother and by about 30miles into the journey, we could relax a little. By now we were about 4 hours behind schedule and the guys at the RV shop started to call...'you are coming aren't you' was the first call, 'we close at 5' the next. We will be there was the answer to both, as Bella (with Gear Vendors doing its thing) was liking the 70mph UK motorways better than the 55mph highways in the US, especially as the 'goods vehicles' are limited to 55mph and therefore most 'lorries' stay over to the left (slow lane). We had the second lane to ourselves, at about 15mph faster than the trucks, about also about 15mph slower than the reps, trying to get between sales calls - we seemed to be the only people actually doing the speed limit!
Took under 3 hours to do the 150miles to the RV shop, and we made it with an hour to spare.
The guys there will change the lights to be UK road legal, and check everything is ready of the MOT test (the UK's equivalent to the state inspection), but she is in good company; in the shop being worked on was a Skydeck, parked outside was a 345 and a vintage Great West Van as well as a line of other large A Class MH.
I reverted to driving the little Mercedes for the rest of the trip home (about another 150miles), and boy did it feel strange to be driving something that is about as long as Bella is wide, but also flipping back to right hand drive....Denise would probably slept the whole way if I wasn't clipping the darn rumble strips because the steering wheel was on the wrong side!!!!!
. Were you planning on going up there for the Xmas holidays, if so maybe you can wait until then to fly. I am sure the tickets aren't cheap!
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