We originally purchased the Bus on Dec 6, 2007, and since diesel vehicles require most of the preventive maintenance on a yearly basis, December is the month for it.
The normal list includes:
- Change oil and filter on main engine
- Change oil and filter on generator engine
- Grease MH chassis
- Change 2 Engine fuel filters on Engine
- Change air filter on generator
- Change fuel filter on generator
The additional list for the 6th year”
- Check belts and radiator hoses on Generator
- Change coolant on Engine
- Change differential gear oil
- Change drive belts on Engine
- Change coolant and cap on generator
The cost of the materials for the above cost more than $1000, and I decided to save the labor by doing it myself. I started the Monday after we got home from the Lone Star Allegro Christmas rally, and finished on Christmas Eve!!
During the process, I noticed that the two(2) starting batteries were pretty weak, and so I changed them also. That was another $300, but since we are traveling to the desert in Quartzsite in early January, I did not want to get stranded and have to change them in the desert……….. much less finding the correct batteries.
Another maintenance item that I noticed needing attention was a wind deflector on the front edge of the entry door. The deflector keeps the wind from whistling due to the space between the door and the frame while driving down the road. The original is a vinyl or plastic that deteriorates over time with exposure to the elements, and begins to crack.
Another RV owner had one fabricated out of thin stainless steel at a machine shop in Little Rock, AR, and since we were heading there right after Christmas, I contacted him and got the necessary information to have on made for me and my friend, Mark Didelot.
As you will see in the next posting, Patsy and I left Victoria on Christmas afternoon (after lunch with Son, DIL and grandkids), and arrived in Little Rock around noon on Dec 26.
After getting set up in our normal RV park, North Little Rock Riverside RV Park, I headed over to the Bray Sheet Metal Co. and checked on the status of the deflectors. They were ready, and the price was more than fair. The only problem was finding the business!!! The office was in an older home in a very nice neighborhood of historic homes, and the shop was in the backyards of a couple of adjacent homes. Here are some pictures…..
I will get mine installed by a Technician in Red Bay on my next trip through Alabama.
More on our Little Rock visit later…………
2 comments:
Gosh, your mechanical acumen is impressive, Richard. If had I done all that to buy coach, I would be afraid to drive it afterward. :-)
I meant "MY" coach. All thumbs this morning...
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