things that can go wrong that we can prevent/or not
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06-26-2006, 22:02
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things that can go wrong that we can prevent/or not
Posted by: "Chris Reed" _chrisreed26@... _
(mailto:chrisreed26@...?Subject= Re: Road trip blues) _chrisreed26 _ (http://profiles.yahoo.com/chrisreed26) Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:36 pm (PST) Aside from belts and hoses, what else can I do as far as preventive maintenance to make sure I don't end up on the side of the road....I can't imagine going through what Kerry is now....what else should I be checking under this bus? Chris Reed 83 FC35 SB Plant City, FL Waiting for new/rebuild engine cooling fan.... Hi Chris (and the rest of the group); This is one of the reason's that Mike H. and some others caution "newbee's" to be very careful when buying a used coach, and have deep pockets. These are very complicated coaches, lots of systems, many things that can potentially fail with little fore warning. Your coach is 23 years old, mine is 26 years old: how many other brand coaches do you see "up and running strong" after that period of time? Most are junked because they have fallen apart. We have lived in our '81 Blue Bird exactly 10 and a half years, and been on the road full time for ten years. I had to rely solely on the BB factory when I first got mine for information, the good news was, I only lived 11 miles from the factory. They were invaluable, but I did not have the collective expertise of 'forum' members. I have replaced ALL engine hoses, all belts (about every 2-3 years), hot water heater, HWH jack hoses (especially the front ones), engine water pump, fresh water pump, radiator, had the HWH jack levers rebuilt, power steering pump rebuilt, replaced all the air bags, height adjustment valves, pilot control valves, air compressor (un-necessarily), I change the oil every 6,000 miles, fuel and air filters on schedule, I've had the valves adjust, timing reset, throttle linkage seal replaced, replaced the two 45 amp battery boilers with a 40 amp TruCharger, had the Redi-line worked on so that it works, replaced the ice maker and refrigerator, replaced the LP regulator on the tank and new shut off valve, replaced existing sewer drain system, with electric drain valves ( I came to the conclusion I am way too old to be crawling around on my hands an knees once a week to empty my waste tanks), replaced the seal in the rear end and transmission where the drive shaft goes in, the exhaust manifold seals, which really weren't seals but have seals in them now, had the alternator rebuilt, it failed, replaced it with a LeeceNeville, replaced one of the roof A/Cs and the rear one is on its last legs, new carpeting and hardwood flooring, and replace all six tires; whew and that list goes on. On the generator, I have the 7.5KW Kohler, I have replaced the brushes, brush holder, switches, relays and there are LOTS of things left in there that can fail with no notice. And here I sit, waiting on a pitman arm seal (seal kit), because when I turn the wheel really sharp it puts so much stress on that seal and the seal is 26 years old, it spews power steering all over the place. Every time we spend a bunch of money on repairs, my darling wife says, "there, now there isn't anything else that can go wrong." I just silently laugh because I know that there are LOTS of things that can "just fail." This is not meant to be a discouragement to 'newbee's' , but you know? it was a real eye opener for me, when I look back and see all the things that went wrong or could go wrong, and fail at the worst possible time. I.E. the little copper water cooling line that goes from the engine block to the air compressor, breaking right at the fitting on the block, behind everything. This happened in the pouring rain on a lonely desolate road in Alaska. I truly believe that someone buying a used Blue Bird needs to be aware of 1) how complicated these coaches are (the more bells and whistles, the more things to go wrong) 2) be somewhat mechanically/electrically/plumbingly competent. At least be able to trouble shoot. 3) in lieu of the above, have very deep pockets and a BB contingency fund for repairs. Owning one of these wonderful machines if NOT for the faint hearted. Trying to find someone competent to work on them is always chore. The mechanic I have here is Charleston is a wonderful mechanic, but working on my Blue Bird is always a learning experience for him. I.E. removing the pitman arm on a over the road truck, open the hood and it's right there. On my Blue Bird it means removing the batteries, steel battery holder, steel plate above battery holder, tie numerous wires and hoses out of the way, so I am looking at probably a couple of hours labor before he even starts on dropping the pitman arm. So Chris, to answer your question, check everything feasibly possible. Do NOT let any seeping or leaking of any fluid go un-investigated, frequently check under and inside the coach for hints of failure (even then things like seals will just give up the ghost without warning). Didn't mean this to be such a long post, BUT when I bought this in 1995, there was no forum, and no one to tell me how much was involved in maintaining one of these coaches. However, having said that, I would NOT drive anything else out into traffic with all the idiots on the road. I firmly believe that I can survive most vehicle accidents just as other Blue Birders have, because of the way these coaches are built. Tom Meservey, USN (Ret) '81FC33' Naval Weapons Station, Goose Creek, SC [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |
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Messages In This Thread |
things that can go wrong that we can prevent/or not - tommy240842@... - 06-26-2006 22:02
things that can go wrong that we can prevent/or not - w3ww - 06-27-2006, 05:02
things that can go wrong that we can prevent/or not - davidkerryedwards - 06-27-2006, 09:10
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