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#21
Jon Radder said:
After they road-tested the water pump repair they decided that the alternator was on its last legs too, so we opted to have that done at the same time. We finally arrived in WNY after 9PM, about 7 hours behind schedule. The remainder of the trip was fantastic. Couldn't have asked for better weather.
You know that means that the starter motor and the A/C pump are next in line, don't you? Don't forget the voltage regulator and the fuel pump. If your motor has a distributor, it is well worn and needs a rebuild, as does the carburetor, if you have one, the fuel injection system if you don't. It could probably stand a valve job, too, which will lead to bearings and rings in short order. When was the last time the transmission was serviced?

I was an automotive service writer in another life. :stuck_out_tongue:

Your best bet is to jack up the radiator cap and install a new truck under it. :lol:

#22
Steve Featherkile said:
[i][/i] I was an automotive service writer in another life. :P
And the dealership owner's best friend too. The only reason to sell cars is for the profit on service.

This dealer is very good. They are also very pricey. I had both the water pump an alternator replaced less than 18 months and 25K miles ago by my local mechanic. I took it back to him in July when I started noticing a nasty vibration from the alternator. He said he couldn’t hear it. I Pulled the camper into the mountains of WV with that problem. Luckily it never gave up. Just before this trip I started getting a new noise and suspected the water pump. I checked it out and the shaft didn’t have the tel-tale wiggle of a bad bearing - so I ASSumed it was fine. When that noise turned to a serious vibration at 4500 RMP trying to get 12,000 lbs up a 3% the cast metal gave up with a loud bang. Suddenly the vibration stopped, but 1/4 mile later so did the engine :frowning: The dealer gave me the part back. A box of fragments plus the impeller/shaft.

When I got the car back the motor sounded exactly like it did when it was new. All the quirky whines, shudders and vibrations were gone. Sometimes it makes sense to pay the guys who really know whet they are doing the big bucks and get it done right the first time.

My local mechanic has lost a customer.

#23

Ah a lot of pm goes a long way, especially if your vehicle is older. Ive done a lot of towing in my time and that’s one thing I do not wish to experience is trouble.

Well the camper is put up for the winter took all week to get it winterized cleaned in side and out and then covered up. Someone mention of black streak remover it’s not the best stuff as some area you think are clean but look close small marks still there. Still looking for a better product. Later RJD

#24

RJ - Is your camper aluminum sides or filon (fiberglass) ? I’ve been using a cleaner-wax for fiberglass boats and it works great on black streaks. Star Brite makes one, as does 3M.

I tossed around covering the trailer several times, both last fall and a month ago. Decided both times that it’s not worth the cost and effort. Gee, it only took my the better part of a Saturday afternoon to winterize. We do light cleaning inside and nothing outside in the fall. Come spring it will take several evenings or a weekend to get it spruced up for summer.

My truck has under 90K and is almost 6 years old. I do quite a bit of PM like a tranny pan drop & fill each spring & regular oil changes, lube & tire rotation. My mistake has been to let the local mechanic put non OEM parts in it. He doesn’t do a bad job labor-wise, just uses crap rebuilt parts. He won’t buy from the GM dealer 'cause there’s no mark-up for him. So now I decide if I buy the parts an let him do the work (at $40/hr) or just pay the big bucks ($150/hr) at the dealer next time I need work done.

#25

Having owned vehicles in fleet service, I learned long ago to avoid the “lifetime” warranty parts offered by the chain stores and stayed with Delco parts.
The lifetime alternators and starters would last around 6 months in fleet service. The Delco parts lasted years. The money saved in downtime far exceeded what I saved by purchasing the “lifetime” parts.
Ralph

#26

I forgot about this thread…

We didn’t go camping once this year! Between work and lack of extra money the rig just sat there all summer.

Sorry to hear about your engine trouble. I know it’s a pain and can be costly. My tow rig (pictured on the first page) is coming up on 275,000 miles. It’s still a strong runner but I spend a ton of cash on keeping it running. Being a diesel everything seems to cost triple. Every oil change is 4 gallons of oil etc. But I also do the service work myself so parts and time are my only loss.

Jon.

#27

Jon,
I’d forgotten about thsi thread too. Sorry. We tend to drive I86/Rt17 East to Johnson City/Binghamton then I88 to Schenectady and I90. then I90 to the Mass Pike to Springfield then south to Windsor Locks and the In-Laws. The absolute worst section is the Eastern most part of I88 from Oneonta to Schenectady. If the weather is at all BAD it will be bad there. We live jsut East of the typical Snow belt in W Ny so we usually end our drive in the winter just as we are driving back into bad weather but they are on familiar roads at least.

Our Camping this year consisted of taking the new canvas tent to our medieval event new Butler and Slippery Rock PA and setting it up one weekend and going home going abck teh next weekend dropping the kids and wife off and coming home and then going back the following weekend and packing up. Two weeks later we week in CT and Mass for the sister in laws wedding. Had to haul stuff for the group we don’t normally haul as some folks could not make it this year. We had a truly full trailer! LOL! Done WAY too much towing this year though!

Reminds me I need to get the Van inspected and serviced…

Have a great Holiday off season everyone!

Chas

#28

Interesting that you brought this thread back to life. I was just thinking about destinations for next year.

The October Adventure was our last time out this season. One day I’ll get the rig set up so we can live self-contained for at least a weekend. Once I do there are some very nice state parks just North of me that would be spectacular in the fall leaf season.

Just because it’s parked for winter doesn’t mean it doesn’t get used. My older son uses it as a guest house when he comes home at holidays. For Thanksgiving he spent thee nights in it, and will probably do the same at Christmas. The propane heat and an electric blanket make it very comfortable for sleeping, even in the early winter. I don’t think I’d try it in sub-zero temps though.

Last year I considered taking it to ECLSTS. They have camp sites right on the fairgrounds, but unfortunately don’t turn on the water until the following weekend. There’s also no convenient place to dump holding tanks so I ended up at the Holiday Inn.

#29

If I had the money right now I’d pack up the rig and head down to Key West for two weeks. I have no problem setting the trailer up and sitting there until it’s time to go home. Heck, I’d even try my hand at some fishing!

We’ve done plenty of winter camping in the trailer without any trouble. We carry enough propane to dry camp for over a week. The lack of running water is the only crimp to the plan. Our next trailer will have everything inside so we can do the winter camping WITH running water.

I wanted to camp out at the ECLSTS a few times too but my wife doesn’t want to camp there for some reason. Every time we’ve gone we’ve stayed at a hotel just north of the show that has a nice indoor pool. The kids love it…

Jon.

#30

I’ve got the itch to head down to Key West again! Funny it’s about the same time as last year eh? I’ve been hanging around a Camping forum that also talks about cooking a lot so I think I’m primed for a trip. Now I just need the cash flow…

If you are feeling like getting in the mood to camp or want to check out some cool camp cooking, check out http://familycampingchat.com/index.php?action=forum.

Jon.