Darin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2009
- Posts
- 92
Summary:
We have about 34 days allotted for our trip. Family of 5 Me, Wife 3 kids 14, 16, 18 in recently purchased 1990 34' Pace Arrow.
Loosely planned route to Cincinnati, Colby WI, then to MT Rushmore, YS, down through Utah trying to zig zag our way down so we can see all the good stuff. A friend that's 'been there done that' printed us a map of "must see's". To Grand Canyon, then to relatives in New Mexico, then home by Oct 3rd. *whew*
I did a tune up just before we left. Annnnnnnndd. I made the mistake of pulling 4 wires at one time on one side of the motor. I know one at a time is the right way. But, since it was easier to crawl in behind the wheel and change the plugs from the bottom I pulled all 4 wires, not a few seconds later I realized it was a bad idea. I looked at the wires, all 4 were different lengths, I figured that was the indicator of where they went. Wrong. When we left, it seemed to be running a little rough. But actual idled ok, ran smooth enough at 65mph, but hated hills. Since I'm a not a real mechanic, and don't play one on TV either, I waited a about 400 miles to take a closer look. At the campground, I jumped on the scooter and rode to a nearby GM dealer. I asked him to print out a wiring/firing diagram. Back to camp. Sure enough, 2 plug wires crossed. Made the correction. Ahhhhhh purred like a kitten and scampers up hills now.
But, that wasn't before 2 other "indecents". The thing about a 20 year old motorhome is. It isn't going to break in the driveway. Everything that's about to break, is going to break on the road, while driving, on the free way.
#1. 2 muffler hangers broke, so every bump on the road gave us a lovely dragging sound. I did a temp fix with a chain hanging the exhaust from the frame. Found an Auto Zone, 2 new hangers and 3 new clamps. Good as new, 45 minutes lost. No biggie.
#2. Loud squeal and smoke from under the hood. Pulled over, grabbed extinguisher ready to take care of under hood fire. What I found was a froze AC pump/clutch. The belt was being pulled over a pulley that wasn't turning. That belt only fed the AC, so I cut it. Back on the road, no big problem. The dash AC isn't very efficient in a 34' behemoth anyway. And, it's not really hot enough to need it right now. I'm hoping it's just the clutch. That's an easy and inexpensive fix.
We really didn't have any idea what to expect at RV parks, since this is our first experience with this. What we are finding is. This is the time of year to do this. They are virtually empty. Which we LOVE. We stayed at a Jellystone campground. Over 200 site, 3 other campers. Ahhhh, perfect. Across the road, amusement with great roller coasters and water slides. Almost empty. The parking lot was empty, it was almost a ghost town. No lines. Ahhhh, perfect.
Another thing about RV parks we are finding, the RV's we do see, seem to be hooked up for the season. And, they are almost ALL pretty new. We are at a pak right now in IL, there are a hundred or so seasonal trailers and MH's, almost all newer with slide outs. When I pull into a park, I feel like everyone's wondering what the riff raff in the 20 year old RV is doing in "their" park.
People seem pretty nice though, and seem to accept the "hillbillys" that we must look like in our gas engine beige RV without slide out.
5 people in a 34'er is about the limit. We have plenty of room, everyone is comfy. But one more person would be too much. The RV shower is actually big enough for me. Planning on what food to keep in the cabinets is a learning curve. How much water to keep in the tank so you have enough that you need, but not more weight than you need to haul around?
GPS is GREAT! The single most important thing we have in the RV. That along with 2 map books and internet (laptop connected to cell phone) help us plan the next stop and call ahead.
We have about 34 days allotted for our trip. Family of 5 Me, Wife 3 kids 14, 16, 18 in recently purchased 1990 34' Pace Arrow.
Loosely planned route to Cincinnati, Colby WI, then to MT Rushmore, YS, down through Utah trying to zig zag our way down so we can see all the good stuff. A friend that's 'been there done that' printed us a map of "must see's". To Grand Canyon, then to relatives in New Mexico, then home by Oct 3rd. *whew*
I did a tune up just before we left. Annnnnnnndd. I made the mistake of pulling 4 wires at one time on one side of the motor. I know one at a time is the right way. But, since it was easier to crawl in behind the wheel and change the plugs from the bottom I pulled all 4 wires, not a few seconds later I realized it was a bad idea. I looked at the wires, all 4 were different lengths, I figured that was the indicator of where they went. Wrong. When we left, it seemed to be running a little rough. But actual idled ok, ran smooth enough at 65mph, but hated hills. Since I'm a not a real mechanic, and don't play one on TV either, I waited a about 400 miles to take a closer look. At the campground, I jumped on the scooter and rode to a nearby GM dealer. I asked him to print out a wiring/firing diagram. Back to camp. Sure enough, 2 plug wires crossed. Made the correction. Ahhhhhh purred like a kitten and scampers up hills now.
But, that wasn't before 2 other "indecents". The thing about a 20 year old motorhome is. It isn't going to break in the driveway. Everything that's about to break, is going to break on the road, while driving, on the free way.
#1. 2 muffler hangers broke, so every bump on the road gave us a lovely dragging sound. I did a temp fix with a chain hanging the exhaust from the frame. Found an Auto Zone, 2 new hangers and 3 new clamps. Good as new, 45 minutes lost. No biggie.
#2. Loud squeal and smoke from under the hood. Pulled over, grabbed extinguisher ready to take care of under hood fire. What I found was a froze AC pump/clutch. The belt was being pulled over a pulley that wasn't turning. That belt only fed the AC, so I cut it. Back on the road, no big problem. The dash AC isn't very efficient in a 34' behemoth anyway. And, it's not really hot enough to need it right now. I'm hoping it's just the clutch. That's an easy and inexpensive fix.
We really didn't have any idea what to expect at RV parks, since this is our first experience with this. What we are finding is. This is the time of year to do this. They are virtually empty. Which we LOVE. We stayed at a Jellystone campground. Over 200 site, 3 other campers. Ahhhh, perfect. Across the road, amusement with great roller coasters and water slides. Almost empty. The parking lot was empty, it was almost a ghost town. No lines. Ahhhh, perfect.
Another thing about RV parks we are finding, the RV's we do see, seem to be hooked up for the season. And, they are almost ALL pretty new. We are at a pak right now in IL, there are a hundred or so seasonal trailers and MH's, almost all newer with slide outs. When I pull into a park, I feel like everyone's wondering what the riff raff in the 20 year old RV is doing in "their" park.
People seem pretty nice though, and seem to accept the "hillbillys" that we must look like in our gas engine beige RV without slide out.5 people in a 34'er is about the limit. We have plenty of room, everyone is comfy. But one more person would be too much. The RV shower is actually big enough for me. Planning on what food to keep in the cabinets is a learning curve. How much water to keep in the tank so you have enough that you need, but not more weight than you need to haul around?
GPS is GREAT! The single most important thing we have in the RV. That along with 2 map books and internet (laptop connected to cell phone) help us plan the next stop and call ahead.
