I had my appointment with JRs RV Repair in Gettysburg, PA yesterday. I am very pleased with him. A very nice, professional, and competent RV tech. He nicely answered all my questions and I learned from him and he showed no disdain when one problem was revealed as self-inflicted. Because I was not in an emergency situation, I got a 10am appointment at his shop just west of Gettysburg, PA, about an hour's drive from my house in MD about 2 weeks from when I called him. He said he normally does work in the shop in the morning and does his drive to fix in the afternoon.
My AC died last summer on Greeley's hottest day over 100F and I was told it had to be replaced because it is 11 years old but no one could deal with it for a month. JRs listened to it and knew the compressor was ok so it was probably the solenoid. The compressor kept trying to start, then stopped, then tried, then stopped. He explained that it had two solenoids. One does the AC startup and the second does the AC running. Up onto the roof, removed the cover, then the metal cover containing the solenoids. The start up solenoid was melted so that was the culprit. It took a bit of time and a phone call to find the right replacement because the lettering was unreadable but after some searching, he found the right one and replaced it. He also sprayed a little WD-40 to ensure good operation. We tested it and eh voila, it worked. We ran it long enough to ensure it worked and lowered the inside temperature a degree. So that saved me several hundred dollars. He said lots of ACs from the 1990s are still working so there's no need to insist on replacement just because of age.
He said poor power supply could have been why it melted and recommended using a 10 gauge power cord all the way from outlet to the van even when moochdocking at a house with a 15amp circuit. The excessive heat could well have compromised the city power and done the deed. So, I'll get another 30amp cord to make it all the way to my sister's house. I had been using a 12 gauge cord but he said that was marginal.
My second problem was my LP would not turn on. This happened about 3 years ago when I started on a trip. I just did without since I wasn't going to boondock. I suspected electrical because I thought when I turned the switch for the LP on (wired to a solenoid on the tank) and remembered it made a noise when turn on. It was silent. He couldn't find any power to the switch so that looked like the culprit. Next came much searching for where the wire went. The documentation I have failed to show anything at all about what the switch went to. He knew it had to be to a fuse. My electrical cavity is tight and the wire went behind stuff. I finally remembered the cabinetry is all put together with screws and the closet floor over half the cavity. We removed that and he saw where it went.
He found that a wire was cut into fuse #5 with a new wire put in its place. I had trouble with fuse #5 and fuse #6 and had rewired it a few years ago. What I didn't know, in large part because while the fuse block was mapped out in the manual, they only marked fuse #5 with monitor and not the LP switch. So, having failed to understand the link, I did the LP failure to myself. From the time I rewired to the time I next tried the LP was a few months, so I didn't connect the two. He quickly spliced the switch wire back in and the LP worked. Duh! So that was a self inflicted wound. But shout out to JR.
If I had known enough, I could have fixed both problems but I did not. It was well worth 2 hours of his time to get these fixed and if anyone needs a good RV tech near Gettysburg, PA, he's your guy.
April 25, 2018
March 31, 2018
That Dang Sprinter Sliding Door and Updates
It has been years since I posted here because I've been busy remodeling my house.
Sliding Door
I just got a bunch of maintenance done on my Sprinter Van. In addition to getting all the fluids changed and filters replaced, I asked them to fix my aggravating sliding door. Way back in this post, I did some surgery on my door handle. It worked for awhile, then not. Lots of spraying lube into the locks helped but I've been exiting through the driver's door most of the time. Lately, I've had to open the passenger door and reach around to push the inside slider handle to get it to open from the outside. It was just hopeless from the inside.
The technician at Sun Motors in Mechanicsburg, PA (great shop who really knows Sprinters!!) said the whole lock mechanisms were shot and needed replacing. $600 later and it opens easily. I was really tired of it. Here's what he wrote:
Removed door panel
Manually opened inside, latch not moving enough to open door
Also has cable bad and removed from retaining clip
Rear door roller has failed, dropping the door, therefore misaligned
Cleaned contact points between door and body.
Took extra time due to cabinets in the way (2 hours)
Replaced front latch, cable and rear latch, got assistance and replaced rear door roller in track, Adjusted and checked. Opens and closes and locks ok
Labor for this was $348. All the parts were $60 for the front door latch/lock, $72 for the rear latch, and $24 for the cable. The new door roller was $99.
So hopefully the door will again be good to use and not a constant aggravation. Not sure I'm up to doing all this repair and I really don't have the time right now to try it, so I bit the bullet and paid for the experts to do it. It was in a lot worse shape than I thought. I don't think I could have fixed the door roller.
-----------
Van Maintenance
When I went to the Sprinterfests at Sun (who no longer hosts them 😢) we got great seminars on the Sprinters from their mechanics. They said that the best thing we can do for the longevity of at least my vintage Sprinter (2005) is change the fluids. With the exception of the slider door, this vehicle hasn't given me any problems at all. I want to keep it like that. It is now just under 70,000 miles so I thought it was time to get that done. I had the serpentine belt replaced in 2014 which is another thing I just don't want to ever break on me. I have been changing the oil and filter every year myself but I didn't want to tackle changing brake fluid, coolant, or transmission myself. That cost me about $513. I also had them change the filters: fuel, air, AC cabin for $287.
They thought the tires needed rotating so I had them do that, a bit surprised that they said they were ok. They are now 8 years old. But when the tech started putting in air, cracks showed all around the sidewall. So a call and I agreed to new tires. I asked for the same Michelin Defenders I had had on them, tho they are more expensive. They make the van handle nicely and they lasted 8 years before. I was expecting to get new tires soon. So for another $1000, it has new feet. As I drove it out of the lot, it felt really good. I think that good tires are very important as really, they are the only thing between me and the road.
-------
House Problems: Propane, AC
A couple years ago, my propane would not turn on. Some questions and people say I probably need a new regulator. The last couple of years on my trips, I just did without. I've been camping in campgrounds with electric anyway because it is so hot, I need the AC on. That allows me to use the electric to heat water instead of propane. Not too bad since I was just driving to Colorado and not doing touristy things. I have an old butane burner that I used to heat water for coffee. It worked ok.
Last summer while in Colorado, on the hottest week, over 100F, my AC quit. That was a big problem because the dog and cat needed the cooling on such hot days. The dry air allowed the night temperature to drop nicely so I was still comfortable to sleep. I called all around the area and the soonest I could get any installer was a month out and soonest I could get a unit shipped was a week out. I was headed back before the week was up so I was really stuck. My sister let me put the animals in her basement bath. She is terribly allergic to them but that contained the dander for her and kept them safe. When I headed back home, I lucked out and the humidity and temperature dropped enough to camp comfortably without the AC. Everyone I talked to said that a unit that old would need replacing.
So those are 2 things that I need to get fixed. I think I have found a reliable tech to do it. I could replace the AC myself except they are really heavy. At least I'm not in an emergency situation now.
-------
Refrigerator
The Isotherm refrigerator that kept dying on me does make a very good cooler. After the warranty running out and the 2nd compressor dying, I gave up on it. I got a small Dometic compressor fridge to get me by and it has worked well enough. It is small but it stays cold. I put a bag of ice in the bottom of the Isotherm and used it for fruit and veggies that don't need reliably cold conditions on our trips.
This year, I bought a replacement Truckfridge that is really the exact same box but with a simple thermostat and no fancy electronic controls. It gets good reviews and I'm hopeful that a simple setup will be reliable like the little Dometic chest is. I'm also going to replace the wires for it in case there are hidden issues with it.
-------
That should fix all the issues and get the van back in good shape.
Update and Plans
I've nearly finished all the sprucing up and remodeling of my house and it is so much nicer now. I've spent the winter cleaning out the stuff and getting rid of the majority of stuff that has accumulated. Once I get it purged and all cleaned up, I intend to put it up for sale. There are a few things that I'll put into a storage unit but most things are not worth the fees or the cost to move. I'm not sure where I'll end up but I intend to move into the van full time and wander for an undertermined amount of time. I think this will finally be the year I do that.
That is the big push for me to get the van in good shape to last me for a while. It recently became my daily driver because my car needs a head gasket and that costs more than it is worth. I always intended to get rid of the car when I sold the house so that just comes sooner.
The van is lined with cardboard and tarps and I've taken many, many trips to the dump or recycling center, or Habitat for Humanity Restore to clear out the house. With my focus being getting the remodeling done, I've just chucked stuff into the garage or basement to get it out of the way instead of taking the time and energy to clean it out as I go. The nice thing about my van's design, is I can do that and use it to haul stuff.
Sliding Door
I just got a bunch of maintenance done on my Sprinter Van. In addition to getting all the fluids changed and filters replaced, I asked them to fix my aggravating sliding door. Way back in this post, I did some surgery on my door handle. It worked for awhile, then not. Lots of spraying lube into the locks helped but I've been exiting through the driver's door most of the time. Lately, I've had to open the passenger door and reach around to push the inside slider handle to get it to open from the outside. It was just hopeless from the inside.
The technician at Sun Motors in Mechanicsburg, PA (great shop who really knows Sprinters!!) said the whole lock mechanisms were shot and needed replacing. $600 later and it opens easily. I was really tired of it. Here's what he wrote:
Removed door panel
Manually opened inside, latch not moving enough to open door
Also has cable bad and removed from retaining clip
Rear door roller has failed, dropping the door, therefore misaligned
Cleaned contact points between door and body.
Took extra time due to cabinets in the way (2 hours)
Replaced front latch, cable and rear latch, got assistance and replaced rear door roller in track, Adjusted and checked. Opens and closes and locks ok
Labor for this was $348. All the parts were $60 for the front door latch/lock, $72 for the rear latch, and $24 for the cable. The new door roller was $99.
So hopefully the door will again be good to use and not a constant aggravation. Not sure I'm up to doing all this repair and I really don't have the time right now to try it, so I bit the bullet and paid for the experts to do it. It was in a lot worse shape than I thought. I don't think I could have fixed the door roller.
-----------
Van Maintenance
When I went to the Sprinterfests at Sun (who no longer hosts them 😢) we got great seminars on the Sprinters from their mechanics. They said that the best thing we can do for the longevity of at least my vintage Sprinter (2005) is change the fluids. With the exception of the slider door, this vehicle hasn't given me any problems at all. I want to keep it like that. It is now just under 70,000 miles so I thought it was time to get that done. I had the serpentine belt replaced in 2014 which is another thing I just don't want to ever break on me. I have been changing the oil and filter every year myself but I didn't want to tackle changing brake fluid, coolant, or transmission myself. That cost me about $513. I also had them change the filters: fuel, air, AC cabin for $287.
They thought the tires needed rotating so I had them do that, a bit surprised that they said they were ok. They are now 8 years old. But when the tech started putting in air, cracks showed all around the sidewall. So a call and I agreed to new tires. I asked for the same Michelin Defenders I had had on them, tho they are more expensive. They make the van handle nicely and they lasted 8 years before. I was expecting to get new tires soon. So for another $1000, it has new feet. As I drove it out of the lot, it felt really good. I think that good tires are very important as really, they are the only thing between me and the road.
-------
House Problems: Propane, AC
A couple years ago, my propane would not turn on. Some questions and people say I probably need a new regulator. The last couple of years on my trips, I just did without. I've been camping in campgrounds with electric anyway because it is so hot, I need the AC on. That allows me to use the electric to heat water instead of propane. Not too bad since I was just driving to Colorado and not doing touristy things. I have an old butane burner that I used to heat water for coffee. It worked ok.
Last summer while in Colorado, on the hottest week, over 100F, my AC quit. That was a big problem because the dog and cat needed the cooling on such hot days. The dry air allowed the night temperature to drop nicely so I was still comfortable to sleep. I called all around the area and the soonest I could get any installer was a month out and soonest I could get a unit shipped was a week out. I was headed back before the week was up so I was really stuck. My sister let me put the animals in her basement bath. She is terribly allergic to them but that contained the dander for her and kept them safe. When I headed back home, I lucked out and the humidity and temperature dropped enough to camp comfortably without the AC. Everyone I talked to said that a unit that old would need replacing.
So those are 2 things that I need to get fixed. I think I have found a reliable tech to do it. I could replace the AC myself except they are really heavy. At least I'm not in an emergency situation now.
-------
Refrigerator
The Isotherm refrigerator that kept dying on me does make a very good cooler. After the warranty running out and the 2nd compressor dying, I gave up on it. I got a small Dometic compressor fridge to get me by and it has worked well enough. It is small but it stays cold. I put a bag of ice in the bottom of the Isotherm and used it for fruit and veggies that don't need reliably cold conditions on our trips.
This year, I bought a replacement Truckfridge that is really the exact same box but with a simple thermostat and no fancy electronic controls. It gets good reviews and I'm hopeful that a simple setup will be reliable like the little Dometic chest is. I'm also going to replace the wires for it in case there are hidden issues with it.
-------
That should fix all the issues and get the van back in good shape.
Update and Plans
I've nearly finished all the sprucing up and remodeling of my house and it is so much nicer now. I've spent the winter cleaning out the stuff and getting rid of the majority of stuff that has accumulated. Once I get it purged and all cleaned up, I intend to put it up for sale. There are a few things that I'll put into a storage unit but most things are not worth the fees or the cost to move. I'm not sure where I'll end up but I intend to move into the van full time and wander for an undertermined amount of time. I think this will finally be the year I do that.
That is the big push for me to get the van in good shape to last me for a while. It recently became my daily driver because my car needs a head gasket and that costs more than it is worth. I always intended to get rid of the car when I sold the house so that just comes sooner.
The van is lined with cardboard and tarps and I've taken many, many trips to the dump or recycling center, or Habitat for Humanity Restore to clear out the house. With my focus being getting the remodeling done, I've just chucked stuff into the garage or basement to get it out of the way instead of taking the time and energy to clean it out as I go. The nice thing about my van's design, is I can do that and use it to haul stuff.
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