38 - Maintenance and Trip Prep and a Disclaimer, October 2022

PLEASE READ MY DISCLAIMER BELOW.

Time for the annual oil change on the Transit came up in September. I decided to go to the local Valvoline Instant Oil Change station near us. I had a less than satisfactory experience at Grease Monkey more than once, so thought I would try the competition. Both stores have entry doors and bays big enough for the Orion, and they use pits to access and service from underneath rather than putting the vehicles on a lift like most dealers use. Valvoline proved to be fine. Very courteous and efficient service, and they didn't try to sell me every filter and wiper blade that I didn't need.

I opted for their top full synthetic oil. The charge was $91 for oil and filter and $16 for labor. Including tax, the total came to about $113. This compares to about $85 I had been paying for the regular semi-synthetic blend oil before. So, not out of line.

I changed the generator oil myself. It is pretty easy and there is no oil filter to deal with. I used a high grade full synthetic oil for motorcycles. I figure that a motorcycle engine is similar to a generator but operates at much higher RPMs and more hours, so should be plenty adequate in this application. Our generator doesn't get much use--barely 35 hours in five years. I am only changing its oil every second year.

We are preparing for our annual migration to Arizona. "Phrynie" has been at the storage location most of our time here in Colorado except for the Yellowstone trip, one weekend getaway, and occasional short trips to exercise her or do some minor maintenance or cleaning. Other than clearing out a few dead bugs that managed to crawl inside, the coach is in fine shape. The battery has been on maintenance charge from the solar all the time and checks out OK. It looks like the weather will hold with no freezing, so I can avoid winterizing the systems before we leave.

I am seeing some cracks in the tires along the sidewall/tread area. I really should put covers over the tires during storage to slow sun exposure. But after losing two sets of covers to winds, I just wasn't motivated to get another set. Undoubtedly dumb thinking considering the cost of covers vs. six new tires. I am told these are surface cracks for now but to keep an eye on them. I will check on my emergency road service plan.

DISCLAIMER:  I should add a strong caveat: all the procedures I do and products I use are working for me. I have selected these based on my own research and experience. I do not intend in any way to recommend to you any product or procedure described in this blog. Do your own research and thinking. Make up your own mind. What you do or prefer is your own responsibility.

37 - July 2022 Trip to Yellowstone

 The Orion has been idle since our April return home. I have been neglecting the outside appearance and the coach siding was looking dull. I tried a bit of rubbing compound on the rear and found the gloss was still under the layer of oxidized polish or general grime. I proceeded to hand rub and polish one side and part of the rear over two days before coming to the conclusion that (1) it was a lot of work, and (2) the result by hand wasn't consistent. So I bought an orbital polisher and finished the job properly. Obviously, a job that needs to be done more than once every six years. The rear cap that discolored from UV exposure cleaned up pretty well and the color mismatch is not so obvious now.

Test area - The gloss is under there!

We made a 1,430 mile trip to Yellowstone Park in late July and early August. We towed the Smart car and got the usual low 13's MPG with the a/c on most of the time. I paid up to $5.00/gal. for gas, and was elated to find $3.60 gas in Casper, WY. The Transit chassis remains trouble-free and performed well. The coach part is also holding up although there are some cracks on the top of the front fiberglass cap near the sides. There are about a half-dozen from one to two inches long in three clusters. I have put some clear Gorilla tape over them and that seems to be holding up. I had similar cracks appear on the caps of our former Class A coach. It's disappointing that the material is not more resistant to cracking, but the environment we are in is pretty severe for temperature and solar UV extremes.

On a previous trip, the camera monitor mounting point came off the windshield and the whole unit dropped until hanging by the wire. I epoxy glued it back on. When it detached, some of the inside glass surface came with it. Now a crack has developed starting at that monitor mount area and spreading downward. Luckily, it is right in the middle of the windshield and not too noticeable from either seat. It also got a couple of small spider web dings from stones that seem to be slowly growing.  I suppose a windshield replacement will eventually be required. That monitor is too heavy for a basic rear-view mirror mount. I think I will investigate a way to mount it to the overhead structure.

Windshield crack

On this trip, we dry-camped a total of seven nights. I was very pleased with the performance of the lithium battery and solar system. One night was quite cold and the furnace cycled for three or four hours, along with normal use of lights, water pump, and refrigerator operation. There was never a hint of low voltage. The battery was fully recharged from the solar by mid-afternoon, even with partial shade some of the time. The camping experience also proved that the holding tanks have about four nights use capacity, and can stretch to five with some conservation. That is with our style of living.

36 - Yuma to Denver in April, 2022

We made our annual snowbird return migration, driving 1,190 miles in four days. Other than dealing with steeply inflated gas prices, the trip was trouble-free and quite enjoyable. We made overnight stops in Willcox, AZ, Las Cruces, NM, and Las Vegas, NM. Fuel mileage was typical at mid 12's to low 13's loaded and towing the Smart car.

The Orion was loaded with full water and gas plus all the goods we transfer between our winter and summer houses. We had four fairly heavy boxes plus one suitcase containing food, clothing, and miscellaneous gear distributed between the shower stall and the car. The refrigerator and freezer were crammed full. I also carry a tool box plus two saws, a grinder, and a drill set for projects at both places. I am pleased with myself with how much I can cram into both vehicles and still have some room left over.

I continue to be pleased with the performance of the Transit in our particular configuration of travel. The repairs I had done over the winter were successful with the furnace and rear-view camera and monitor working perfectly. I like having the monitor set up to be in the rear view all the time, and not be distracted by the view changing when I put a turn signal on.

Phrynie is showing her age a bit now. The rear cap is mostly all faded to a lighter color now. The side panels are also not looking as glossy as new. I probably need to spend some time and effort to polish and wax the coach box soon. I tried a "ceramic" wax. It seemed better at first, but maybe is worn off now. That wax seems to work better on my cars than the panel siding of the coach. At about 30,000 miles, all six Hankook OEM tires still have lots of tread remaining. No sidewall cracking either.

Plans for this summer include some local camping trips and a late July run up to Yellowstone. We will have a chance to exercise the solar charging and lithium battery then because of planned extended dry camping.

35 - Professional Repair Work

 Winter - 2021-22

We are again at our winter residence in Yuma, AZ. I had a couple of maintenance items on my to-do list that needed professional attention. These were (1) inspect and re-caulk roof seams as needed, and (2) fix the side/rear view camera and monitor system. I don't much care to do roof work any more and wanted a thorough inspection of it. No problem there, just doing preventative maintenance. The camera/monitor system has not been working reliably as reported in previous postings, and had been more intermittent through last summer and fall. It seemed the rear view would not come on just at the times I needed it most for backing up, and the left view wasn't working at all. On our trip from Colorado to Yuma in late October, a new problem surfaced. The furnace would not come on, and that on a very chilly night in Las Vegas, NM. Naturally!

Since I didn't buy our Orion in Colorado, I don't have a dealer or go-to service shop there. When I called the one listed dealer for Coachmen motor coaches, they were booked up way beyond our departure date. So, I contacted the Yuma dealer, RV World, and was able to get a mid-December appointment -- the earliest available. I have taken Phrynie to RV World before, and they are very good. The service manager is super and very considerate to make sure everything needed is done. I don't consider their charges to be unreasonable either.

Upon completion within one day, the roof was cleaned and nicely caulked. The furnace needed a new limit switch. That is not something I could have fixed on my own. And the cameras and monitor system now work perfectly. It turned out to be damaged wiring somewhere between the left camera and control module. After rewiring, they did a "reprogramming" of the camera system. When I picked the coach up, the service manager showed me how to set the various options on the monitor. I have it so that it is on the rear view all the time. I never liked the side views and never used them as I think they are more distracting than just looking in a rear view mirror. Bottom line cost was right at $400 for all that, and everything in Phrynie is working great now.

I made a short three day trip to Quartzite in January to attend the big RV "circus". I had never been to that event before. I spent two nights dry camping with my brother in the desert west of town. It was a good chance to test the lithium battery. I was extremely pleased that the battery easily ran the furnace and refrigerator through both chilly nights with almost no drop in voltage. My 100 watt solar system had the battery fully charged in a fairly short time. And it easily maintains charge while Phrynie sits in storage.