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04-03-2018, 05:33 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Central, South Carolina
Posts: 357
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My DIY maintenance since 2002 & 670,000mi
Many improvements and modifications were made, but they are not listed since they were not related to maintenance. Only been stranded twice from a bad ignition switch and a failed Autopark piston seal. Both were less than $10 to replace. Since I graduated from working, RV maintenance became an avocation.
If I had to pay someone for all this work, I would probably have paid twice for the motor home. No regrets, we have seen America The Beautiful including 72 national parks (National Parks On The Air), Alaska and many visits to family and friends all over the USA.
Charles Kuralt is one of my traveling heroes.
Here is a list of my maintenance items
Engine Chevy Vortec 8.1 liter, 167,000 miles:
Belt tension & idler wheel (worn bearing).
A/C compressor (leaking) & Dryer.
8 intake manifold bolts new and re-torqued (oil mist got into intake manifold and fouled plugs).
Ceramic boot spark plug wires (exhaust manifold heat disintegrated some originals).
Spark plugs (worn out).
Hydraulic Power Steering and Power Brake pump (leaking).
Exhaust manifold doughnuts on tail pipe transition (bad installation during catalytic converter recall).
Changed oil every 8-10,000 miles, 10W-30 Mobil 1, engine filter and after market Amsco 10% bypass filter (no issues)
Transmission (GM)
Replace fluid every 50,000 miles with synthetic transmission fluid & filter (no issues)
Replaced actuator cable and insulated it (slow melt heat damage from exhaust manifold proximity)
Chassis (2002) Workhorse P series, wide-track, independent front suspension
Replaced ignition switch (overheated contacts)
2 new fuel pumps, last one installed exterior by fuel filter (low pressure)
Autopark brake shoes (wore out during cylinder failure)
Autopark Hydraulic piston seal (severe leak around piston)
Autopark brown switch (inoperative and leaking)
Hydraulic power brake assist unit (leaking)
3 sets of air bags in front coil springs (leaking air)
Differential pinion oil seal (leaking)
1 set of disk brake pads all around (worn)
All new bolts with blue Threadlock to hold rear hubs to axles (became loose, lost rear end oil)
Long heat shield between propane tank and exhaust pipe re-attached (fell out on the road)
Right and left ball joints (worn)
1 set of rear tires (Michelin tires blew out)
2 sets of front tires (alignment & ball joint issues)
Idler attached to Pittman arm (worn prematurely by aftermarket steering stabilizer, it was removed)
Replaced all shock absorbers with KONI brand (rough ride)
Replaced two front leveling jacks (sinking & leaking)
3 fuel filters
Heater fan motor (worn out)
One rear hub/axle seal (leaking)
Greased every 3000 miles or so with synthetic moly-grease (no issues)
House 2003 model Winnebago Sightseer
Replaced all drawer slides with ball bearing slides (most rear plastic track holders broke)
Replaced sink with later model (could not get it clean)
Replaced all waste plumbing between black tank and toilet (1 inch factory misalignment caused tank connecting rubber boot to break, messy!)
Replaced plastic toilet with ceramic bowl using a ball valve (black tank odor, many minute gaps)
Replaced fresh water pump (internal rubber parts partially disintegrated)
Replaced conductive screw type fresh, gray and black tank level sensor system with new electronic capacitive system(inconsistent level readings)
Reconditioned both rusted windshield frames (one windshield got cracked on Alaska trip, the other from rusted steel window support bracket on bottom of window frame)
Cleaned and re-sealed fiberglass roof to mounting channel joint (visible joint separation, no leaks)
Replaced high speed fan relay in roof A/C control module (only low fan speed worked)
Replaced A/C fan motor (worn out bearing)
Replaced several pneumatic springs on external storage doors (became weak)
Replaced pneumatic spring on queen bed (became weak)
Modified external water fill hatch to prevent water from running into wall area(hatch MFR design flaw)
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04-03-2018, 09:31 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Alaska in Summer Snow Birds in Winter
Posts: 2,073
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Wow. Looks like you have seen the whole country and got to know your coach incredibly well. I can only imagine all the other RV’rs you helped along the way with all this knowledge.
Half the fun of being on the road in our RV’s is meeting new people and helping them figure out the challenges they encounter each day.
__________________
Tom and Sherry W.
06 Winnebago Adventurer 38J Workhorse W24 Lots of motor and suspension mods in the works
02 Itasca Suncruiser 35U. Workhorse W22 w/Safe-T-Plus, Koni FSDs, UltraTrac, etc, etc.
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04-03-2018, 11:50 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Official iRV2 Sponsor
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: CENTRALIA, WA
Posts: 1,526
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670,000 miles?!?! That old ‘Horse should be in a museum!
__________________
Jon Brazel
Ultra RV Products / Brazel's RV Performance
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04-04-2018, 12:07 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Camarillo, CA ---Back in the house after 7 yrs fulltiming
Posts: 1,652
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167,000 is a lot of RV miles.......but your thread title says 670,000 which is beyond comprehension. I thought that maybe you're adding up all the miles on vehicles you had over your lifetime.
__________________
Bill & dear wife Helen
Last of the Chieftains, 2004 39T, W22, UP tune, Banks, Koni's, Safe-T-Plus, SMI brake
2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid towed 4-down or my 2008 Jeep Wrangler JK
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04-04-2018, 04:52 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Central, South Carolina
Posts: 357
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167,000 miles
Hi John Brazel
Sorry about the mistake in the title. That was a typical senior flatulent error that makes me feel frustrated. But then it is so ridiculous that I should hope no one would believe it, not even me. I could not fix it.
I did use your website to keep me on the road, thanks for your friendly efforts.
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04-04-2018, 08:04 AM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Salisbury, Maryland
Posts: 51
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Thanks for the list, Gary. I'll use it as a 'keep your eyes open' reminder. My P32, 2002 Sightseer is getting the first major bits of refurb. The PO put 30k on it and I am starting to zero-time some items.
So far: airbags, front bushings, and tie rod were required to clear the Maryland inspection. I just got the FE aligned at the Intl. dealer (only alignment within a hour's drive) for $391. No gripes - given the $130k+ I saved not buying one of the shiny ones my wife spotted ..one without a real bed.
Jim
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04-04-2018, 09:08 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,473
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Wow, 167,000 miles on two sets of rear tires!
__________________
2009 Fleetwood Excursion 40E
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04-04-2018, 09:53 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,774
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Curious if you ever changed differential fluid and at what miles.
__________________
2015 Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH
2018 Chevrolet Colorado Toad
Roadmaster Tow Setup
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04-04-2018, 09:55 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Central, South Carolina
Posts: 357
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167,000 miles
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTom
Wow, 167,000 miles on two sets of rear tires!
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Hi Texas Tom
1 set of rear tires (4 tires), the original Michelin set blew out one by one. For this 19.5 inch tire the load rating must have been marginal. I used to work at Michelin Americas Research and Development Corporation (MARC) in the USA, and the tires I did research on were generally excellent. My tires were made in France, so who knows.
2 sets of front tires (4 tires),
During an alignment at home the mechanic failed to clamp down the tie-rods ends sufficiently and both tires acquired excessive tow-out and needed replacement while I was fahr away from home (Forest City Iowa). Since I had no room for the worn out tires, I had to eat the first alignment and pay for a new one, and two tires. Since then I only go to official truck service stations with laser based alignment system, no more locals.
This kind of problem and several others from warranty service convinced me to do it right the first time by doing repairs myself whenever physically possible.
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04-04-2018, 10:03 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Central, South Carolina
Posts: 357
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vettenuts
Curious if you ever changed differential fluid and at what miles.
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Hi Vettenuts
I forgot to list it separately because a lot of oil was lost when the axle bolts became loose. But it probably was at 100,000 miles also.
I have a 1988 Corvette Convertible toy car. The only car I have ever driven that will treat me to a horizontal 1G, and my left hand can touch the rear tire while seated and of course standing still.
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04-05-2018, 05:55 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,774
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Quote:
Originally Posted by garyspang
Hi Vettenuts
I forgot to list it separately because a lot of oil was lost when the axle bolts became loose. But it probably was at 100,000 miles also.
I have a 1988 Corvette Convertible toy car. The only car I have ever driven that will treat me to a horizontal 1G, and my left hand can touch the rear tire while seated and of course standing still.
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Not too many "1g" turns for me, I have a scream alarm in the passenger seat that prevents it.
__________________
2015 Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH
2018 Chevrolet Colorado Toad
Roadmaster Tow Setup
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04-06-2018, 05:16 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 698
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vettenuts
Not too many "1g" turns for me, I have a scream alarm in the passenger seat that prevents it.
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Now that IS a good one. I have a 99 Vert with 144,000 miles and runs great. Don't use any oil between 5,000 mile oil changes. Unfortunately my wife passed last May and I haven't felt like driving it anymore. Really been thinking about selling it, and the coach. She was OK with my driving when we were young but as we got older, not so much.
__________________
1996 Challenger 313
2003 Dolphin 5320 sold
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04-07-2018, 05:34 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,774
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie 5320
Now that IS a good one. I have a 99 Vert with 144,000 miles and runs great. Don't use any oil between 5,000 mile oil changes. Unfortunately my wife passed last May and I haven't felt like driving it anymore. Really been thinking about selling it, and the coach. She was OK with my driving when we were young but as we got older, not so much.
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So sorry to hear of your loss. I can’t even imagine.
__________________
2015 Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH
2018 Chevrolet Colorado Toad
Roadmaster Tow Setup
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04-07-2018, 12:12 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Central, South Carolina
Posts: 357
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Charlie 5320
My heart felt condolences for your wife's passing.
It may be best to hold on to these two mobiles, they have brought you a lot of fun in the past. Without them one could turn into a hermit. Maybe you can find a fishing buddy for the RV or join a "Vette Club" so that socializing reduces your grief.
sincerely
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