wanether
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Re: First trip, some advice wanted
Just got back from the trip and it went well, with just a few hiccups. Thanks to the advice I received I did get new tires, all of the other mechanicals on the RV were up to date and I had a large stack of service receipts from the previous owner to verify. Everything in the Jayco worked great - good heat, hot water, cold fridge, good plumbing, etc. We did bring a small space heater and just used the propane when sleeping, the combo kept us plenty warm, temps overnight ranged from 9 to 37 degrees. Not a lot of condensation buildup overnight. We kept the fresh water tank full and just used that instead of a city water connection. It was just me and my 13 year old son and we both had a blast. Eastern Oregon is very remote, we spent the first night in Prineville, the 2nd in Frenchglen and the 3rd in John Day. One puzzling thing was my mileage, only SIX mpg! I had a feeling something was up with that and sure enough on the 2nd day I found out what it was. Were were outside Frenchglen (population 12) and lost power when climbing a 14 degree grade. I pulled over and checked the ATF and fuel filter and they were both fine. We managed to limp into the one street town and were lucky to find a local who let us park overnight and even ran out a power cord to us. That night I did some research online and found that many Ford 460's had a problem with plugged catalytic converters. The symptoms were exactly like mine. The next morning our local host and I cut out the cat and sure enough it had chunks of broken honeycomb plugging it up. We used a 4 foot spike to clear out the content and re-installed. What are the odds of meeting someone way out in the middle of nowhere with an acetylene torch and stick welder? I felt VERY fortunate. 2 hours later we were back on the road. Mileage improved to 10 mpg. Now we're back home and I have an appointment at the muffler shop tomorrow. Some pics:314Views0likes0CommentsEasy way to install vinyl trim insert
Here it is 45 degrees and raining in Portland and I'm replacing the vinyl trim inserts on my Jayco. Installing the new stuff was slow going, I would pinch about 12 inches and then squeeze it in the channel, the temperature outside wasn't helping much either. After about 30 minutes of struggling and cursing I figured there had to be a better way. I learned that the trick is to place about a 12 inch run in the bottom of the channel and then run a plastic tool along the top edge. Worked like a charm. The key is to angle the tool in the direction you'll be going, it helps with keeping it in place, see photos. I still had problem in the corners and ended up have to cut notches on the inside part of the curves, still didn't look 100%. Probably a combination of cold temps and maybe poor product, I used "RV Designer" insert from Camping World. The plastic tool is something I picked up at Harbor Freight, they come in a pack of assorted sizes. Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum size.31KViews0likes12CommentsFirst trip, some advice wanted
After a 2 month search I finally found a good RV, a 1989 Jayco Designer 26' Class C with 75K miles. The previous owners maintained it very well, all systems are functioning, it has no leaks and is in good original condition. I'm preparing for my first trip, a 4 day jaunt from Portland Oregon to the southeastern part of the state, high desert country. Thanks to this excellent site I've planned my route and found some good RV parks along the route. I just had the motor oil changed along with a safety check, and had the oil and filter changed on the Onan generator as well. Temps overnight are forecast to be in the 20's, but I figure that I'll be plugged in at the park and can run the furnace fan overnight without worrying about battery drain. My question is whether it's ok to operate the furnace while we're actually out driving on the road, I've heard different opinions on whether it's alright to have the LP on while driving. Any advice here is appreciated, as well as any tips that might be useful to this first timer. Thanks!3.1KViews0likes12Comments
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We all start out new. Share lessons learned or first-time questions!Jun 15, 20174,026 Posts
