Class B prep for Alaska

[donrebyct]

Hi All,

I'm planning on taking my 94 Falcon (Dodge) to Alaska this summer. It has about 88K miles on the clock. I'm wondering what I should check or replace before making the long trip.

I added new tires and shocks all around after I bought it last May, and alignment with the new tires. After being stranded coming home from an overnight camping trip, both front brake calipers have been replaced. The oil and transmission fluid, and filters, was changed last summer, as well as the air filter. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to take it out last year, so all of these have no more than 500 miles on them. I have no idea the age or condition of anything else on the truck. It seems to run good, though thirsty and wanders a bit.

What would all of you suggest for the truck? I still have some coach issues, mainly the generator. It supposedly needs a new carburetor and voltage regulator.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Don

[antiquedrose]

You might like this thread

[Islandman]

Sounds like you've taken care of most everything, and as one of the posters stated above, Canada is not a third world country. The people are great, camping at the provincial parks is reasonable and the highways are pretty good. You will be taking lots of pictures with your camera at all the glaciers, mountains, wildlife, rivers, etc. Just relax and enjoy yourself; and cell phone coverage in some locations is nonexistent, but don't worry about it. If you have a problem there are other travelers on the road that will stop and give a hand. The people up there are super friendly. Get yourself some mosquito proof netting for the back window and the windows for the doors; you will need it.

[SBradley]

Having lived in Alaska all my life I may be able to help.
Changing all the rubber is a good idea just because of the age of the vehicle. Inspect the rest, check out the brakes we do have a few hills.
Canada is the only place that I had trouble finding a fuel pump but they just put an electric one on so that I could continue.
We don't live in the dark ages up here and we have probably more RV's older vehicles than most places. Anchorage and Fairbanks are relatively modern cities with repair facilities for everything.
In between you can usually find repairs to get you to one or the other but they will not be cheap. Just fix it to get to the larger cities.
The Dalton Hwy is no place for an older or vehicle. If you want to drive it rent something.

[enblethen]

OP:
You need to inspect the rig and go for it!
If you change and take Sante Fe and trailer people will say you need this or that. It is not necessary.
There is places to get repairs allow the way if necessary. Yes, it could ruin your schedule, but the trip is once in a lifetime for many.
It is many miles from Ark to Dawson Creek. Many opertunities for you to keep an eye on the rig.
GO FOR IT!

[jjrai]

We considered trailers, too. Bs offer so many advantages for long trips. Your unit sounds solid and it is a durable platform. I tend to agree with those who advise changing out the "soft" parts. I know other platforms have their advantages, but we love our B - especially in bad weather and questionable locations. Good luck!

[donrebyct]

Hi Again,

Thanks for all of the recommendations. But, I must admit, they are getting overwhelming. Changing all hoses and belts, and the differential fluid, sounds like good ideas on top of the things I've already done. Maybe changing the spark plugs would help gas mileage. As for the others, I'm going to have to talk them over with my mechanic, if and when I find one.

I've lived in Little Rock about 18 months and have all service work (mostly oil changes) performed at the Sears store over the hill from my house. Their bay is high enough to get the B inside and on the lift. I need to find a reliable and affordable mechanic to attend to all of these.

As for the suggestion to get a new vehicle, I've found a small trailer that is self contained and weighs less than 2000 pounds. It's a Retro 155 built by Riverside RV, and is garagable (less drag). I would possibly pull it with my 04 Hyundai Santa Fe. It would give me better mileage, but would be a bit smaller and I'm not a good trailer backer. But, it is an option if the B gets to be too expensive or we get unfordable with the idea of taking a 20 year old motorhome on a very long trip.

Don

[govertime]

I'm assuming this is a B350 chassis.

I've got a 94 B350. One thing to be proactive about are the coolant hoses. In particular, I'd highly recommend replacing the various 5/8" heater core and bypass hoses. They're often overlooked and I personally had one bust on a long road trip. I'd replace the thermostat and swap the hoses out at the same time.

As for the speed sensor(s). There are two, one at the transmission linked previously that feeds your speedometer, and another at the differential that activates rear anti-lock braking. Failure of either really shouldn't leave you stranded. The one at the tranny could leak fluid but would be slow and easy to notice.

The other recommendations like belts, fluids, etc make sense. Belts, hoses, starters and batteries are fairly preventable issues that commonly leave folks stranded. Realistically it makes sense to do/get a thorough inspection if you want to be particularly cautious.

[thriftydutch]

If you listen to all the naysayers who are telling you about all the parts you need to replace before you leave, you may as well buy a new vehicle or forget about your trip.
Can you imagine, a spare alternator, starting motor, fuel pump, radiator, steering pump,transmission, rear end, speed sensor,brake pads, brake calipers,brake rotors, etc etc.
Change the cooling system fluid, brake fluid, all hoses, transmission oil,steering pump fluid, rear end oil,etc etc.
I have a 1990 dodge camper van and a 1999 Mercury Sable at the present time and have never in my life changed power steering fluid or brake fluid in any of my life time vehicles.Changed cooling fluid if a hose burst which was seldom in all my years.
Been driving for 52 years and have had my share of vehicles and most were used.
Most major item I have had serviced was a rebuild transmission at 88000 miles on the van.
If you listen to some of these people on here you will be taking a spare fridge with you too just in case.

[georgelesley]

jjrai wrote:
Have the cooling system flushed and change all the hoses. Make sure the radiator is solid, also.

Don't forget all fuel lines, vacuum lines and ALL fuids not recently changed. To summarize all well said stuff here, change ALL rubber stuff, belts, hoses lines, tires. That will eliminate 90% of breakdowns, especially on older vehicles.

On the RV side of things, I would check all grounds in the 12v wiring.
Most 12v problems trace to grounds.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

jjrai wrote:
Have the cooling system flushed and change all the hoses. Make sure the radiator is solid, also.

I did this on '04 Trail Lite for our '03 trip (at about 13,000 miles to at start),

• Replaced the serpentine belt
• Replaced all filters on engine and generator
• Brakes and wheel bearings checked
• Had the transmission serviced
• Had all 7 tires changed at 8 years old
• Had the refrigerator serviced (found a recall had not been done )
• Had the generator serviced
• Asked my mechanic about spares, ie water pump, alternator and starter..said an extra alternator since a high output one could be hard to find, bought a "new" take off for less than 1/2 of a rebuilt one at a local Elkhart alternator shop

I took the tire pressure monitor system off our Class A for the trip and set it up for the Trail Lite.

If you are taking a gas grill that uses small gas cylinders, those were $5-$6 each in the Yukon at fuel stops.

Always stay on the top 1/2 of your fuel tank as Sue T says. We found several fuel stops in the '13 edition of the "Milepost" closed or abandoned. Keep in mind 100 miles between fueling points is nothing. One time I was "forced" to buy fuel at the Laird River Lodge since I passed the fuel stop at Muncho Lake, cost us about US$7.29 a gallon


We had no problems at all on our 11,500 mile trip other than one leaking tire sensor at a valve stem...Teflon plumbing tape took care of that.

[Fastpaddler]

Now that we have you replacing almost everything, add the front wheel bearings for repacking if not done and front ball joints, something those vintage Dodges need to have replaced every 50k or so. Carry a quart of oil too. Roads have improved. Happy rving.
AL

[truepath]

In addition to the above excellent suggestions, I would change the spark plugs, distributor cap and plug wires. Be sure your spare tire is in good condition, that your jack is present and works and that you have a tire iron that you can successfully remove the lug nuts with. I have experienced not being able to get a wheel off the hub due to corrosion, but you shouldn't have that issue though since you said that the tires have been recently replaced. What is the condition of your starting and house battery? Finally, I would bring a pretty complete set of tools. Gave a great trip.

[jjrai]

Have the cooling system flushed and change all the hoses. Make sure the radiator is solid, also.

[Handbasket]

'94 might be, but IIRC one post a few years back specifically said it was on the top of the diff housing. But I don't recall the year. just that it was a Dodge.

Jim, "If you don't talk to your cat about catnip, who will?"