ok, another update. i took her into my bus shop tuesday and it was there today as well. i was there the entire time and they let me help or work on anything i want while there. they have a lift and it sure is nice to work on things when you can walk under it.
1. drained all air tanks.
2. exhaust for genny was loose so replaced hanger
3. changed dryer filter
4. checked coolant, needs 3 pints of nitrates (i had a bunch so will do it thursday)
5. took fluid samples from oil and tranny on series 60 and on the genny oil. will get results from CAT fluid lab on thursday
6. oil had just been changed on engine and filters looked new so didnt change it.
7. checked ujoints and they are good.
8. removed some "extra" trim that was under coach.
9. changed the oil seal on the alternator. it is an oil cooled alternator. had to remove the engine door gas springs to get at it. so i changed all 4 engine door gas springs and put new ones i had on it. changed the ball studs as well.
10. tranny had been serviced 40k miles ago so my bus guy said to wait till next oil change to do the tranny.
11. engine air filter is restricted per the indicator so i need to get one. i can hardly wait to change it....not...
12. my abs light had been on. it indicated rear drive wheel sensor out of gap. so pushed it back in to regap it and light is OFF!
13. fixed hydraulic leak in slide hydraulic compartment in front of drivers side front wheel.
14. checked air bags. front axle bags look new, tag axle bags look new, 3 of the 4 on the drive axle are TERRIBLY cracked and checked. the 4th looks new. so, i ordered 4 new bags. they are goodyear 1r11-066. no one in phoenix stocked them and online no one had any in stock. i found a truck parts dealer that could get 2 from two different locations and i will have them friday. i will replace all 4 and keep the good looking one as a spare.
15. i spent considerable time searching for air leaks under the coach. found nothing. dissappointing since it drops air. the front of the coach dropped about 2-3 inches overnite. (with no compressor on)
16. tires are shot. inside drive tires are wavy. will replace all of them. but waiting till i think i am going somewhere to do it.
now for the biggee. the brakes and wheel bearings and seals.
there are disc brakes on all axles on mine. the calipers and rotors are HUGE. each caliper has a big pin that glides inside a sleeve that allows the caliper to move in and out freely. like a guide. at the end of the sleeve is a rubber cap that is put on with a metal band. all 4 of my rear calipers had frozen on that sleeve/pin. one took 2 hours of heating, sledge hammers and patience for the mechanics to get apart. then you need very special tools to be able to easily change the sleeves(they press in) and then special lube to go in the sleeve for the pin.
so put rebuild kits in all 4 of the rear brakes. new pads on the drive axle.
the tag axle was dry on one of the hubs and ruined the bearings and race. so, new bearings. the seals on the tag on both sides were leaking. so replaced them as well. the tag and front axles have a clear sight glass on the inside hub so you can see the amount of lube in the axle. one of the tags had a solid metal cap with no way to see inside. i had them change both of them to stemson caps that are easy to see and read the levels on. one of the calipers was shot. it had rusted inside and the chain drive to push the two calipers out was totally rusted. fortunately my bus guy keeps old calipers and he rebuilt one out of two that ended up being like new. i shudder to think how much a new caliper costs. i would guess 600 or so.
the front brakes/axles appeared ok. they had full levels of gear oil so had no leaks. the leaks are easy to tell. if it is wet behind the rotor, it is leakings. of course it helps to know that the oil is level in the hub.
when i take it back to have the airbags put in, the dash air recharged we will do another check on the front brakes.
my guys where very complete and wanted things to be perfect. just my kinda place. it was clear that before the previous owner had just fixed what was bad and didnt do total complete repairs. i understand, but i am not that way.
they seemed to think the engine and tranny were fine. so that is a relief. i will confirm that with the fluid analysis i get on thursday.
as i drove home i took the long way and drove on the freeway. it sure drives nice. only the 4th time i have actually driven it. when i get the new tires and airbags i assume and hope it will ride even nicer.
soon i will be over the basic mechanical and coach system stuff so i can start on the inside updating. lots to do there as well.
i impress myself.
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