navigator1 Report post Posted February 10, 2022 12 hours ago, wildebill308 said: That is a good example of why it is good to do all the maintence when you get a new coach. Bill Bill, I agree with you 100%. But part of the problem is that a lot of us, myself included, are not knowledgeable enough with all the different systems present in a motorhome to understand what's actually required to do "all the maintenance". Another problem for me was trusting what the person selling the MH told me, "oh yeah I did all the maintenance on it myself and everything has been taking care of, no problems at all". To me, it looked good, it drove good, it sounded good, engine and transmission oil looked good, he even went out of his way to show me how good the tires where too, he just forgot to mention that they should be replaced anyways because they were over 8 years old already, so like I said, not being knowledgeable enough at the moment and I guess it is foolish to be too trusting of other people until you know exactly what kind of a person they are. Overall I'm very happy that the original owner took very good care of "MY" Navigator and it's been fun working and learning with it. Now I go at my own slow but very meticulous pace to take care of her, one step at a time and soon it will be in top shape again. Then we'll let her take care of us and see how far she can take us. Take care my friend.🍻 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 10, 2022 I suspect that the other owner, did not have a clue about changing tires on a average of every 6 years. No matter what the tread looks like, go by the side wall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 10, 2022 Side wall cracking is a good visual sign of time to replace tires. However if the side wall look OK also look between the treads. Cracking can appear there while the side walls look fine. Keep checking to be safe. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted February 10, 2022 On 2/6/2022 at 10:35 AM, wildebill308 said: ....Five, Here is a better way. Rather than using the whole hose, use the dipstick as a guide on how long the hose needs to be. Remember you want to take the sample from the center of the oil. You never want to run the hose in and have it hit the bottom of the pan. This can give you an contaminated/erroneous sample. second thing, the plastic tubing is a one use item. Never use the same tubing to do the engine and transmission you will get false readings. Don't use the tubing the next time you pull a engine sample as it may contaminate the results. You can get tubing at most hardware stores.... Good advice, I basically do what you suggest. On one of my earlier samples, the hose they sent wasn't long enough, so I called and they sent me a roll of 50'. When I first got it, I pulled the dip stick, measured it, then added 6" and now make my tubing that long. JG's instructions are good, they hit the things you noted like don't take the sample from the bottom and only use the hose once. I had a problem once with the tube not wanting to go smoothly through the opening. So now, a few days before I'm going to take the sample, I cut off the length tube I need, put very light weights on each end with clothes pins and hang it over a door. Since the tubing is rolled pretty tightly his straightens it out enough so the procedure is easier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted February 10, 2022 3 hours ago, five said: I cut off the length tube I need, put very light weights on each end with clothes pins and hang it over a door. Since the tubing is rolled pretty tightly his straightens it out enough so the procedure is easier. That is a good way to straiten the tubing. Something else you can do/try is cut the end going in at a sharp angle 45deg or more. Now when it hits a obstruction (usually where the dipstick tube hits the block) you can twist it and get it to jump over the problem. Take a piece of the tubing with you to Home Depot or most hardware stores to find more. It is about the same as what is used for ice makers. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted February 10, 2022 That’s a miracle that the air dryer cartridge didn’t breakdown and send a mess into the air system. Luck is on your side! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
navigator1 Report post Posted February 11, 2022 13 hours ago, manholt said: I suspect that the other owner, did not have a clue about changing tires on a average of every 6 years. No matter what the tread looks like, go by the side wall. Either that or he just took advantage of the lack of knowledge on my part. It didn't take me long to realize that I the tires were really old and needed to be replaced so I did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
navigator1 Report post Posted February 11, 2022 12 hours ago, hermanmullins said: Side wall cracking is a good visual sign of time to replace tires. However if the side wall look OK also look between the treads. Cracking can appear there while the side walls look fine. Keep checking to be safe. Herman Yeah, I did keep a good eye on them until now that I was able to replace them, they are good to go now. 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
navigator1 Report post Posted February 11, 2022 2 hours ago, jleamont said: That’s a miracle that the air dryer cartridge didn’t breakdown and send a mess into the air system. Luck is on your side! Yes for sure, I have been very lucky so far, lets hope that everything keeps going that way for me.🙏 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
