Thinking about a Bus/RV

[Zeldman]

SoonerAviatorFinal Approach

Sooner, I have a 2000 GMC Sierra, and the bulbs had me baffled until I read the shop manual. There are 2 pins, turn them 90 degrees, pull them out, and the entire light assembly lifts out. Changing the bulbs is a snap, and the whole assembly indexes accurately, no re aiming the head lights. The engineers were genius.

My 2005 GMC is the same way. Only takes a second to pull the pins and remove the headlight. Changing the bulb is a snap.

Now my Subaru..... next time a headlight burns out I am junking the car....

 

[Tom-D]

Nope. Basically just try to pick activities where I can afford it without thinking too much about whether I can afford each incremental part of it. That's part



Yeah, I'm still undecided. Like you, I like boondocking (in my case the idea of it) and I don't like hearing that generator run.

In the summer, it's pretty much irrelevant, at least during the day. It's hot enough that we'll need the generator to run the AC when we don't have hookups. In the fall/winter the heater pulls 11A (DC). On propane, the fridge pulls 250-500 mA. If I switch to an electric it'll be 8A. That's a huge difference when boondocking. On the other hand, how much are we going to actually boondock with 3 kids and showering needs? Yeah, good question.

I am pretty convinced that I'm going to stick with the propane/electric cooling unit, but I am also pretty convinced that's something that I should do sooner rather than later because this is old and producing a lot of rust. I've also convinced myself that the safety concerns with the propane fridges are largely overblown. Yes they can have problems, but like Janitrol heaters and Twin Cessna exhausts, they're probably fine most of the time.

The idea is, go where it is cool in the summer, and warmer in the winter.

 

[Ted]

The idea is, go where it is cool in the summer, and warmer in the winter.

Agreed, but sometimes there's heat in between.

 

[Skip Miller]

You could drive out on the flats but since there was still an inch or more of water once you got approx. 200 yards away from the asphalt road, few people went beyond that point. And there were very few people there, anyway. I think I can find some photos for you... -Skip

I did find them!


#1, looking north-ish from the end of the road
#2, The road continues, if you like driving in salt water
#3, the other sign
#4 The cul-de-sac with the continuing road
#5, The DOI-BLM sign

There are no permanent buildings at this location. They must operate out of trailers when in season. -Skip

 

[denverpilot]

I drove through Moab 2 weeks ago. CROWDED. It took almost an hour just to drive through. Road construction, which seems to be a forever thing in Moab, played a major part of why traffic was a very slow creep and go. I felt bad for the RVers when the road went from 2 lane to one lane. No one would let them in.

That town really needs a bypass around it. If only to have room to build more hotels....

Yeah seems like the vast majority of CO friends who wanted to go camp recently are all posting they went to Moab in the various social media outlets.

Just as a heads up to Ted.

Pretty sure half our State is down there, or was, judging by their posts.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Sooner, I have a 2000 GMC Sierra, and the bulbs had me baffled until I read the shop manual. There are 2 pins, turn them 90 degrees, pull them out, and the entire light assembly lifts out. Changing the bulbs is a snap, and the whole assembly indexes accurately, no re aiming the head lights. The engineers were genius.

Wife had an '01 Sierra prior to this and I agree. However, the 07 is the newer body style and it doesn't have those pins. What's even worse is that I had an '07 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP which had a since pin/bracket that you could remove with one bolt and the entire headlight assembly came out, same as your 2000 model. Very simple and easy, great engineering. However, apparently that kind of novel idea disappeared from the headlight engineering group on the 07+ Sierra, lol. Just a case of the engineers not putting any forethought into it. Hell, they could have just designed the washer fluid filler neck differently and moved it two inches to one side or the other and it would be fine as you could change the bulb through the header panel opening. Nope, that'd be too easy!

 

[Ted]

Yeah seems like the vast majority of CO friends who wanted to go camp recently are all posting they went to Moab in the various social media outlets.

Just as a heads up to Ted.

Pretty sure half our State is down there, or was, judging by their posts.

Yeah, we have definitely picked the worst time to go in terms of being busy. Hopefully we don't find ourselves regretting it for that reason, we'll see. We'll be there a while though and there's a lot of stuff to see in all directions, so we'll just pick our direction and go.

 

[Zeldman]

However, the 07 is the newer body style and it doesn't have those pins.

Well, learn something new every day. I will be looking at the 2021 Sierra, so I guess I better learn how to change those head light bulbs...

 

[Ted]

Some of you may remember that I found the best steering wheel in the world for the Kenworth back when I had it. Unfortunately I didn't pull the wheel before selling it. And then the steering wheel got discontinued as not enough people seemed to realize just how awesome it was so they didn't buy it.

Well, I managed to find one eBay seller who claimed to have it, showed out of stock, and then when I eMailed them said they had it in stock. Smelled fishy but I figured the credit card would make it right if it was a scam. Showed up today, easy installation:



I am happy. And this one is NOT going with the RV if we sell it.

 

[Everskyward]

If you're on I-80, don't forget to stop by Greater Greenriver Intergalactic Spaceport. They didn't have to go thru all the hassles of the FAA to become a spaceport. (And p*ss off the locals)

Unfortunately the aliens weren't too friendly. I stopped by a few years ago. Not much to see although the gravel runway looked ok.

 

[MIFlyer]

Some of you may remember that I found the best steering wheel in the world for the Kenworth back when I had it. Unfortunately I didn't pull the wheel before selling it. And then the steering wheel got discontinued as not enough people seemed to realize just how awesome it was so they didn't buy it.

Well, I managed to find one eBay seller who claimed to have it, showed out of stock, and then when I eMailed them said they had it in stock. Smelled fishy but I figured the credit card would make it right if it was a scam. Showed up today, easy installation:

View attachment 90669

I am happy. And this one is NOT going with the RV if we sell it.

KFA.

How long did the swap take? I have a new steering wheel for the scout that I want to put on, but i'm lazy

 

[Ted]

How long did the swap take? I have a new steering wheel for the scout that I want to put on, but i'm lazy

About an hour. The new and old steering wheels were both 3-bolt attachments, but the old one used huck bolts and I had to grind those out which added some time. I didn’t swap adapters because the adapter my new wheel came with was different, so easier to just swap the wheels.

On the Scout you’ll need a steering wheel puller, once you have that probably 30-45 minutes to do.

Now do I add the 6-shooter suicide knob to go with...

 

[Bill]

Hula dancer bobble doll for bonus points!

 

[SoonerAviator]

Well, learn something new every day. I will be looking at the 2021 Sierra, so I guess I better learn how to change those head light bulbs...

Lol well the 2007 was a newer body style than the 99-03. I'm sure the 2021 has about zero in common with the 2007, but if the engineers are the same you'll be SOL.

 

[Ted]

Hula dancer bobble doll for bonus points!

She was in the MU2, repurposed for the RV.

 

[RyanB]

Dont buy a VW.

Yeah, lesson learned. I bought (actually won at auction) a 2015 GTI two years ago. Up until a few weeks ago, it has been a very reliable car. It recently developed a bad oil leak. Dad and I tried to isolate the issue and thought it may be coming from the drain plug. Easy enough to fix. Unfortunately that wasn’t where the leak had developed. The oil pan is completely plastic and as low as the car sits to the ground, it’s very much exposed to road debris. Something (probably a rock or two or ten or a hundred) have hit the bottom of the oil pan to the point of puncturing it and allowing a leak to occur. We took the car to a shop a few miles from the house to get a diagnosis and they confirmed it - 1AMU to repair. Dad, who had worked as a mechanic for a couple decades decided to fix it ourselves now that we know what the issue is but he wanted to ask one of his buddies who is a trusted mechanic in the area and he confirmed that he’s seen this a lot and this will likely just be the start of things to come. Lots of plastic in this car, the oil pan, the intake manifold you name it and it’s known for breaking around the 60-80k mile range (I got it at 32k). So he strongly advised us to ship it out to sea and find a new car before the tranny or something else comes from together.

I am bummed out to say the least. I really like the car, but Dad and I concur with the mechanic who has experience with these and think it’s best to find a new home for it. This ‘German Engineering’ isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

And yes, I should’ve listened to @Ted DuPuis when he offered advice on this car in the past (sorry man, you were right ) C’est la vie... I will not own another VW.

I like the idea of a Civic SI or maybe just a cheap ol Accord or small pickup. We’ll see...

 

[weilke]

Yeah, lesson learned. I bought (actually won at auction) a 2015 GTI two years ago. Up until a few weeks ago, it has been a very reliable car. It recently developed a bad oil leak. Dad and I tried to isolate the issue and thought it may be coming from the drain plug. Easy enough to fix. Unfortunately that wasn’t where the leak had developed. The oil pan is completely plastic and as low as the car sits to the ground, it’s very much exposed to road debris. Something (probably a rock or two or ten or a hundred) have hit the bottom of the oil pan to the point of puncturing it and allowing a leak to occur.

The first thing any Golf or Jetta needs is an aluminum belly pan to protect the engine from that risk. In the TDI, the oil pan is not plastic but a brittle piece of extruded tinfoil.

 

[RyanB]

The first thing any Golf or Jetta needs is an aluminum belly pan to protect the engine from that risk. In the TDI, the oil pan is not plastic but a brittle piece of extruded tinfoil.

I agree completely, it’s a horrible design.

 

[Ted]

I don't care if people listen to my advice or not. 1) I'm not always right 2) when I am I can just laugh maniacally

Tomorrow I'll get a day of working on the projects, so my plan is to change the front air springs on the RV and finish the transmission filter on the Rover. If I can get those done, we'll be ready to go on the next trip.

 

[steingar]

So far every new Japanese car I've bought has run at least 100,000 miles over a decade and a half with no breakdowns at all. Suits me just fine, I suck at wrenching.

 

[MIFlyer]

fo

She was in the MU2, repurposed for the RV.

r the win. and your kids will get the penguins of madagascar reference

 

[Ted]

for the win. and your kids will get the penguins of madagascar reference

I think I like that movie more than they do.

"We've lost engine 2, and engine 1 is no longer on fire."

 

[jsstevens]

I think I like that movie more than they do.

"We've lost engine 2, and engine 1 is no longer on fire."

"It is more fun if you put your hands in the air."

 

[Zeldman]

Now do I add the 6-shooter suicide knob to go with...

It has been a long time since I have heard that term for a ''steering assist'' knob..

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I think the real question is where else to spend some time. I like the Salt Lake area and I do want to see the salt flats. Need to see what else is up there, maybe see if there's a good place to spend more than a day. I'm also thinking the Kanab, UT area would be a good place to base for a bit.

If you're down in that zone... My family spent a week on a houseboat on Lake Powell once and I rather enjoyed that. We didn't really go far from the Glen Canyon Dam so you could probably just pull your boat along and stay in the RV... Do you still have a boat? I can't keep up with Ted's Garage.

Unfortunately it looks like dam tours are closed due to Covid-19.

Now do I add the 6-shooter suicide knob to go with...

Heck yeah you do!

 

[Ted]

It has been a long time since I have heard that term for a ''steering assist'' knob..

While I am not old physically, I am mentally an old soul and gravitate towards the parlance of the older times.

I even believe in hand flying airplanes, which is very unpopular these days.

 

[jsstevens]

While I am not old physically, I am mentally an old soul and gravitate towards the parlance of the older times.

I even believe in hand flying airplanes, which is very unpopular these days.

Hand flying is a heck of a lot easier than foot flying. Just sayin'

 

[Ted]

Do you still have a boat? I can't keep up with Ted's Garage.

We haven't owned a boat since selling our Sea Ray to @jesse a bit over 4 years ago. We've talked about buying another one a bunch of times, but the circumstances just aren't quite right for it. Maybe in another couple years we'll do less RVing and be ready for some boating.

Heck yeah you do!

You remember that one on the Kenworth. I did really like it. It also went with the theme of the Kenworth, not so sure it goes with the theme of the RV. Really the steering wheel doesn't entirely go with the RV either but moreso than the suicide knob would.

 

[charheep]

Cant wait for the "Thinking about a boat" thread

 

[Ted]

Cant wait for the "Thinking about a boat" thread

The question being whether I resurrect the old thread:

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/thinking-about-a-boat.73964/

Or make a new one.

A bit over a year ago I resurrected the boat thread when we were considering another boat, but while we thought about it being an idea we quickly realized it wasn't going to make sense. Glad we didn't - the RV was a better choice and would've been harder to do if we'd bought the boat.

What I kinda view the future boat need would be maybe taking a year like what we're doing this year with the RV, but with a boat doing "the Great Loop" or the like. That would be when the kids were older, but not too old - maybe when the kids are all 10+ but pre high school.

 

[SoonerAviator]

So far every new Japanese car I've bought has run at least 100,000 miles over a decade and a half with no breakdowns at all. Suits me just fine, I suck at wrenching.

Lol, well so has every vehicle I've ever bought, US or Japanese. 100K miles isn't exactly a big deal anymore.

 

[Ted]

At this point I think I'm declaring the RV and toad about done for this trip.

Over the weekend the goal was to finish up getting the Discovery back together as well as get the airbags replaced on the RV. The rears were easy and I'd started those one evening last week. Got those new ones installed and aired up no problem. Also replaced the air dryer and the water/fuel separator. After doing that I had trouble getting the engine started. After poking around it some more, I ended up discovering that the engine does actually have a fuel primer pump on it. Not sure if that was an option, but I hadn't seen any pictures that indicated that pumps on these engines looked like what this one has. Well, now that I know that it'll make fuel filter changes easier.

Installed LED fog lights and got those aimed as well as adjusted the aim on the main headlights, which was too low.

The front airbags, those didn't get done. For reasons I don't understand, Freightliner decided to make the lower nuts holding the front bags on 1) larger than the rear ones 2) very difficult to get at without dropping the front suspension I-beam. Most say "impossible" to get at but I think there's a way. I just don't have time to get that completed, and while the front bags do need to get replaced I don't think it's something that's likely going to fail on this trip. I'll bring the new ones with me just in case.

Yesterday I test drove the rig up to Tractor Supply to get the propane tank filled up and top off the fuel tank, threw in some Power Service Diesel Kleen while I was at it for good measure. The rig drove well, no air leaks, and with the new filters seems to start better. I hadn't replaced the water/fuel separator yet so that was probably clogged to some degree. It doesn't seem to have increased horsepower but it does feel like the "comfortable speed" engine wise is faster than it was before. Maybe that was a misconception or me forgetting how it was, but just an impression. Either way, we've gotten a lot done both mechanically and aesthetically, and ready to roll.

The Rover I got back together after the transmission fluid change. It was a pain but it's done now. Fortunately/unfortunately I think I've found the coolant consumption issue on it, which looks like it's the timing cover gasket. Like a lot of older American engines, this has the water pump on the front of the timing cover and the coolant then goes through the timing cover before going into the block. Not a good design but not atypical. Unfortunately the gasket between the timing cover and the block seems to be seeping, but only when warm. I tried to see if the bolts were a little loose and they don't seem to be. I have to think some more about what I want to do there long term, but for this trip just carrying coolant around will do it. No coolant ever seems to touch the ground, at least I never see a puddle. But it makes sense and explains the symptoms.

I do think I'll try to get the new tie rods on this evening (supposed to show up today) and get an alignment done before the trip. It does pull to the right decently and I would like to have it not fighting the RV while being towed behind. Not that I notice it per se, but it has to be harder on the equipment.

We'll leave on Thursday and start making our way westbound.

 

[MIFlyer]

wow Ted, you've been cranking on it. I need to move my projects faster. I'm getting the airstream "prepped" for winter and for it's trip to Spokane to get some work done that I don't have time for (the dealer over there does great work and is much more reasonable than the one near Seattle)

 

[Ted]

Yeah, I've been busy. But one thing I'm good at normally is looking at a bunch of projects and prioritizing to get the appropriate ones done at the appropriate times. At least I think so. If the transmission, engine, or front air bags blow up, then clearly I will be wrong.

 

[MIFlyer]

Yeah, I've been busy. But one thing I'm good at normally is looking at a bunch of projects and prioritizing to get the appropriate ones done at the appropriate times. At least I think so. If the transmission, engine, or front air bags blow up, then clearly I will be wrong.

yeah, I hear you. I always get too many going at a time and get a "bright shiny object" thing going. I'm trying to wrap a few while juggling a half dozen or so. I'm not allowing myself any new ones until at least 3 of my current ones get wrapped.

 

[Ted]

yeah, I hear you. I always get too many going at a time and get a "bright shiny object" thing going. I'm trying to wrap a few while juggling a half dozen or so. I'm not allowing myself any new ones until at least 3 of my current ones get wrapped.

To be fair I'm nowhere near current on projects. I have to finish up an item on the GL550 and the XKR needs an oil change. It also has an intermittent issue with the throttle position sensor connector which I need to fix at some point. However those are minor and not really important things to deal with right now. My thought is after this upcoming trip I'll evaluate anything new that pops up, but assuming we're more or less the same as current I'll get the bags and transmission fluid and filters changed on the RV (10 gallons or so worth...), then maybe work on those items depending on what has also popped up on the Rover.

The Cobra hasn't gotten touched in months, basically since I started on the motorcycle work. So, I'm definitely still at the "overloaded" state, but it's trending in the right direction.

 

[charheep]

Forgive me if this was discussed, but is the Disco a +1 car or was your wife gonna daily driver it? Meaning is her car staying the same or is she going to drive the Disco as her primary?

 

[Ted]

Forgive me if this was discussed, but is the Disco a +1 car or was your wife gonna daily driver it? Meaning is her car staying the same or is she going to drive the Disco as her primary?

Good question. We purchased it initially as a +1 car (which was what I specifically did not want to do) because none of the vehicles we had in the stable worked for flat towing behind and the more we looked at it, the more flat towing made the most sense. Plus it adds a capable off-road vehicle and I kinda want to start doing some off-roading.

Whether it will become my wife's new daily driver, that remains to be seen. She wasn't expecting to enjoy driving it but she's finding she really likes it. She still likes her Mercedes more, though. So my guess is that we'll just keep both in the fleet for now.

 

[charheep]

Thanks. I am curious to the reliability if she(or you) daily it. I like the car, but know very little to know if its a maintenance money pit or dead reliable. Was just curious

 

[Ted]

Thanks. I am curious to the reliability if she(or you) daily it. I like the car, but know very little to know if its a maintenance money pit or dead reliable. Was just curious

Reliability of a late 90s Land Rover will be no worse than a 10 year old Mercedes of similar mileage. It depends on how it was cared for. But the Land Rover is a lot easier to work on if you’re handy.