Interstate Maintenance & Upkeep

[Teamaron]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Thanks, All! I'm sore all over more than anywhere else, of course, I have new and interesting scars held together with medical superglue, and I itch all over from having every body hair from the throat down shaved off for the surgery. At least they didn't touch my beard!

The cardiac rehab folks at East Jefferson General Hospital said that my in-patient progress was nothing short of remarkable (for anybody, let alone a diabetic). Maybe they were saying that to boost my confidence but I'd like to think they were telling the truth. After all, for the first time ever after surgery, they allowed me to walk out of the hospital under my own power instead of plopping me into a wheelchair to be rolled out the door like usual.

For my own account, I'm just glad the problem was discovered through Lexiscan testing and not through a stroke or heart attack, so I went into the procedure already as healthy as a diabetic can be. I figure that gives me a leg up on the recovery.

And now back to your regularly scheduled "Interstate Maintenance and Upkeep" thread…

Welcome back

Glad your feeling better.

I noticed wasn't seeing your name in the posts and something was wrong.

Your knowledge and input is always educational.




Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[Mcrid]

Welcome back. Your wisdom was missed

[NotStock]

Welcome back protagonist from a newbie it's always nice to see your responses on a thread that I have the same question but someone else already posted

[don000]

Originally Posted by JayP

Sikaflex 221 is what Airstream uses, available on Amazon for $13 per tube.

Reading the owner's manual in advance of delivery, I noticed that Airstream specifies the appropriate sealants, including but by no means limited to Sikaflex 221 (page 9-4 in the 2017 manual):

Acryl-R Seam Sealer (PN - 28430W-01 [16 oz can- Gray]) - Use anywhere a fine bead of gray sealant is required�
Acryl-R Seam Sealer (PN - 28430W-04 [16 oz can- White]) - Use anywhere a fine bead of White sealant is required�
Acryl-R Seam Sealer (PN - 28430W-06 [16 oz can- Clear]) - Use anywhere a fine bead of Clear sealant is required�
AdSeal Premium Quality Sealant Adhesive (PN - 365330-01 [10 oz tube-White]) - Use anywhere a thicker bead of White sealant is required�
AdSeal Premium Quality Sealant Adhesive (PN - 365330-02 [10 oz tube-Gray]) - Use anywhere a thicker bead of gray sealant is required�
AdSeal Premium Quality Sealant Adhesive (PN - 365330-04 [10 oz tube-Black]) - Use anywhere a thicker bead of Black sealant is required�
Sikaflex 221 Multi-Purpose Polyurethane Sealant (PN - 360180-04 [10 oz tube-Black]) - Use to seal below the rubrail, or anywhere a thicker bead of black sealant is required�

[MILATV]

Saw where clogged fuel filter would cause issues; and was hard to get so given I have a 'Go Bag', 'Special Force Medical Kit', Defibulator & every other item anyone might need any any situation (yes dry food & ammo also); I decided to add a fuel filter to my rear under deck storage area (spare wipers are in the overhead).

The FF170 Hastings filter that Amazon says was correct for my AI doesn't have the electrical sensor on it like the MB one does.

Question: can I use the old one, or does it need replaced?

In this video the installer changed it at 32,000 miles; is that about right? is it part of scheduled maintenance (i'll look at manual later).

Vid of Fuel Filter change: https://youtu.be/PuRgKsTKWfg

Vid of Oil Change: https://youtu.be/WWM7NyTWc6A

[73shark]

Not sure why he didn't reuse the factory clamps unless they are a single use but I read somewhere that one should not use the worm drive type like he did because they have a pressure point under that and will fail in higher pressure applications. That being said, I've never seen that happened and have used that type of clamp a lot in the past.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by MILATV

Saw where clogged fuel filter would cause issues; and was hard to get so given I have a 'Go Bag', 'Special Force Medical Kit', Defibulator & every other item anyone might need any any situation (yes dry food & ammo also); I decided to add a fuel filter to my rear under deck storage area (spare wipers are in the overhead).

The FF170 Hastings filter that Amazon says was correct for my AI doesn't have the electrical sensor on it like the MB one does.

Question: can I use the old one, or does it need replaced?

In this video the installer changed it at 32,000 miles; is that about right? is it part of scheduled maintenance (i'll look at manual later).

Vid of Fuel Filter change: https://youtu.be/PuRgKsTKWfg

Vid of Oil Change: https://youtu.be/WWM7NyTWc6A

The problem with both video is that they are for a 4-cylinder engine. The V-6 in our Interstates is very different.

The fuel line clamps used in the video are OK as they are not the worm drive type. He explains the difference in the video. The factory clamps are single use.

[Lily&Me]

I ordered a set of these today, in this same steel grey, from AutoAnything, as my front seats are showing wear on the driver's side, also the passenger side from Miss Lily.

I like that they cover the seats, rather than lay on them, are of sturdy Carhart fabric, and can be removed to be washed.

Maggie

[Lotus54]

Originally Posted by amirm

On that front, do I wait to have my first oil change at 20,000 or whenever the dash says or do I do it earlier? When I have leased cars, I have followed the dash. When I have owned them, I did them earlier. I own the AI. What should I do?

Earlier than recommended oil Change can never hurt anything- just possibly waste oil and $$.

That said, the recommended is generally under ideal conditons (engine running for extended periods, not too dusty, normal loads)

I'm a big proponent of early oil changes for the first one at least. Parts are 'wearing in' and depositing metals in the oil. Changing gets rid of those.

(I do not own a Sprinter {yet} but that has been my methodogy for many years on other various vehicles)

Mark

[amirm]

Thanks Lotus. I certainly feel "guilty" waiting until 20000 to change the oil so likely will do an interim one. Alternatively I am hoping the maintenance light will come per real use rather than dumb mileage.

[glfprncs]

Question regarding oil filter/maintenance:

How often does the oil filter housing (the thing that the new actual oil filter attaches to) need to be changed, if ever?

[73shark]

Originally Posted by glfprncs

Question regarding oil filter/maintenance:

How often does the oil filter housing (the thing that the new actual oil filter attaches to) need to be changed, if ever?

The new filter element drops in the canister after you remove the cover and the old element. Never has to be replaced unless it were to get damaged.

[InterBlog]

Ugggggghhhhh.... today in the "Suckville" category of maintenance, our first attempts at re-caulking the roof of our Interstate.

There are a few things in this blog post that T1N Interstate owners in particular should be aware of, namely with respect to the roof rack "feet" and the initial installation of the gray and/or black tank vent line(s) depending on whether you have one tank or two (I think the vents may have converged even in the rear baths just as they did in the mid-baths, but I'm not positive).

AND, if anyone has any strategic tips on how to best work with this Sikaflex product, please comment, because I could really use some pointers.

RE-CAULKING THE ROOF OF AN AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

[Lily&Me]

This is something Doug always did, and which I have someone lined up to do for me next spring....

He hated scraping all the caulk off, down to the roof, but this is the only way to do it properly...scrape it clean and replace it all.

He never complained about the Silkaflex, and put it on with a small, plastic putty knife.

The recommendation is that this process be repeated each year, but we did not find that necessary. It may depend on weather and conditions of use and storage.

You may find some very interesting things when you get it all scraped off....the root of our ceiling leaks were the chimpanzee-style install of the Fantastic Fan and vents up top.

No regard whatsoever to pre-made holes, others just drilled in willy-nilly, caulk smeared over all to give the appearance of a proper installation.

Have fun.


Maggie

[InterBlog]

What you said about Doug made me wonder... what tool WOULD I have used for this application job, in a perfect world?

The obvious answer is a Teflon-coated knife. What makes Sikaflex so good for a van roof is the same thing that makes it difficult to work with - it is extra-sticky. My husband tried to use a regular putty knife and it didn't work well because the Sikaflex stuck to it as much as it stuck to the roof.

I've never heard of a Teflon putty knife but sure enough, I went looking and there it is on the internet, for sale to those who are in-the-know.

[Lily&Me]

I'm pretty sure we have never had a teflon coated putty knife, but our climate here is different than yours so there is probably a different challenge there.

He always did this in the spring, too, before heat and humidity set in...for obvious reasons.


Maggie

[73shark]

Self-leveling caulk would work as long as you built a dam around the vent slightly higher than the highest opening you're trying to seal.

[InterBlog]

The best technique I've found thus far was to use a smooth steel knife, take each dab at a time off the tip of the caulking gun, and smash it into place, working assertively to overcome the melted pizza cheese consistency of the material.

Periodically I'd need to clean the tip of the knife with the DeBond solvent because it would start to solidify a film and then the stickiness would get worse.

It's difficult stuff to work with, but I like the feel of it. It feels like good quality, like it will last.

[JayP]

Dipping your finger or tool into a solution of dish soap and water works great with silicone caulk. This was told to me in line at the Ace Hardware store by the friendly cashier as I was checking out with some bathtub caulk a few years ago. It works fantastic with silicone. It works well with the Sikaflex too, but requires much more dipping because it's so much more sticky than the silicone.

[don000]

The directions for Sikaflex 221 recommend soapy water for tooling.

But as noted in my post #104 above, Airstream's recommendation of 221 is not for roof sealing.

A better choice for that application would likely be self-leveling, like Sikaflex 715 RV Roof Sealant.

(note: Having difficulty with URL links; just Google "Sikaflex 221 directions" and "Sikaflex RV roof sealant" and proceed to the PDFs)