Unlike all American cars, changing a water pump on a MB is a 45 minute job. Will have to look at what it would take to change a tank on this MH although I see no reason why unlike the OP.
Geocritter wrote:
On mine the previous owner let it freeze and crack, the bottom of the tank was so full of congealed cooking grease (bacon?) that heโd dumped down the drain (what a guy!) that it effectively plugged the crack for quite a while until the grease patch gave out.
That sucks. Thankfully the tanks on my 30-year-old rig appear to be squeaky clean. When I cook bacon (or anything greasy) I usually do it outside. I've cooked bacon inside my RV once this season and it smelled for weeks. But...I dumped the excess grease into the campfire.
Glad you got it all sorted out. It's those victories that keep us going. And this is the place to get your just recognition and to vent about it at the same time!
96bounder wrote:
The automotive industry is by far the worst, The starter on a Toyota v8 definitely a wear item,, you have to remove to intake manifold to replace starter, Ford Free style alternator repair requires removing tire, axle inner fender etc for removal. All manufactures are guilty of this but these to came to mind because I have done both this week.
The builders have no concern for the end user. Just get them out door as fast as possible.
GM's Northstar V8 is the same way - starter is under the intake manifold. And while I'm on the subject, GM wasn't able to manufacture a reliable torque converter control solenoid for decades. On RWD cars it was easy to change the $20 part. Drop the pan, pop the old one out and pop the new one in. On the Northstar-powered, FWD cars you had to drop the transmission out the bottom of the car. A $2,500 job for a $20 part that failed with frightening regularity. I did mine myself and it sucked more than any other automotive repair I've ever attempted.
I think it's more sinister than a lack of concern for the end user. They don't want DIYers messing with their repair revenue stream. BMWs are notorious for this. You can't do much of anything to the newer ones. There's not even dipsticks on them anymore.
But I digress...an RV is a different animal. I don't think manufacturers have any regard for units beyond about 10 years old. They're just not built to cater to owners of vehicles that old that would likely be doing their own repairs. That being said, I wouldn't consider black or grey tanks wear items. Mine appear to be pretty easy to get at. My biggest issue recently was with my fuel tank. That was definitely installed before the RV body. I had to cut a hole in the floor to replace the fuel lines. I can't get at the broken fuel sender because it is directly beneath a wall. I have not had any success in getting the tank out from the bottom. In addition to the straps, there must be something else holding it up.
Other than that, things seem to be pretty accessible both under the "hood" and with regard to the rest of the drivetrain. Though it is 30 years old....
