1984 Airstream 345 owner (Newbie) need advice!

[joe gooch]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Got it.
The lever moves proportionate to how hard I push the brak it seems, and below the lever I see a red LED that comes on when I brake harder..

I was picked up from the airport in a newer Majestic Class C and traveled in that for 2 hours.
After 200plus miles, both us us commented how the Airstream despite its 25 years feels better built and more "together" on the road!
I am lovin it!

Congrats on your '84 345. I also have a 345. My tag axle brakes were useless until I replaced the hydraulic control with an electronic control from NAPA and ALSO replaced the electric wheel magnets with more powerful magnets. Now, I can lay rubber with the tag axle wheels; of course, you do not want to do that but rather adjust the power until they brake efficiently. I don't believe these brakes ever worked due to the weak magnets.
I have done many things to my 345; I would happily share with you.

Good Luck on a magnificient machine!!

joe gooch

[Keyair]

Thanks Joe!
Did you post your mods anywhere?

[Keyair]

So, the 345 is tucked up in the storage now, so time to reflect on the trip...
Some trip pictures...
A strange little town I think in Texas...



Dust storm in New Mexico...


Wigwams and an Airstream...


Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Parks...

[Keyair]

So, a days rest and a lot of thinking about things to fix and improve...
First thing is... the fuse I replaced blew again....
The fuse is the most rearward one on the chassis fusebox under the stove... I believe its Circuit A, and the things I know that are not working now are... water heater, rearward dome lamp in kitchen area, and all the reading spotlamps over the sofa and the rear bedroom.. Maybe others, but the manuals I have dont tell me whats on that circuit...
Anyone have an idea how to trace the problem?

[Keyair]

Here is my list of things to fix....
I cannot seem to get the search function to work for me here at all...

1/ Fuse blowing as described above..
2/ Voltmeter fluctuation... drops to 10v sometimes(Posted a q in the motor section)
3/ 12v outlets for driver not working, and the radio too. Could not get the radio out with the tools I had to check the inline fuse.
4/ Horn not working. There is pair of horns in the engine bay, plus an Airhorn on the roof, and the PO, said he tried to fix it but the 25a fuse in glovebox blows(maybe issue 3 also connected?)
5/ Windshield washers not working
6/ Pull out water hose is broken.. also, Someone replaced the 80g water tank with a 15g.... anyone care to post or direct me to a pic on how the tank should look and how it is mounted?
An help with any of this would be wonderful!

[345bill]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Here is my list of things to fix....
I cannot seem to get the search function to work for me here at all...

1/ Fuse blowing as described above..
2/ Voltmeter fluctuation... drops to 10v sometimes(Posted a q in the motor section)
3/ 12v outlets for driver not working, and the radio too. Could not get the radio out with the tools I had to check the inline fuse.
4/ Horn not working. There is pair of horns in the engine bay, plus an Airhorn on the roof, and the PO, said he tried to fix it but the 25a fuse in glovebox blows(maybe issue 3 also connected?)
5/ Windshield washers not working
6/ Pull out water hose is broken.. also, Someone replaced the 80g water tank with a 15g.... anyone care to post or direct me to a pic on how the tank should look and how it is mounted?
An help with any of this would be wonderful!

Just in case this might help I'll share with you some similar problems/fixes I've had with my 1990:

1. I'm not sure the water heater and any lights should be in the same circuit. On mine the water heater is a dedicated circuit protected by a GFI breaker. Maybe a PO modified yours or two seperate problems?
2. Some things to check are posted in your motor section thread.
3 & 4. If your referring to the 12V cigarette lighter outlet's those and the air horn solenoid are amoung the items protected by a 20A fuse in glovebox(on mine). Of the many wires involved here, one easy spot to check is the wire going to the mirror/light on passenger side visor, at the visor. From the years of visor being pulled down and twisted that wire's insulation wore through and whenever the wife would try and use visor that fuse would blow. Might save you a lot of troubleshooting if yours happens to be the same way.
5. Never messed with my windshield washers.
6. Does yours have twin beds? Mine does and the water tank is mounted under driver side bed w/fill hose going driect to fill door. If yours is suppose to be same let me know and I'll be glad to go take some pic's for you.

[Keyair]

Bil,
Mine has a queen, but its offset to the drivers side, so a pic would be a help when you get a moment!
Yes, maybe we have 2 seperate probs here... but you are not gonna believe it when I tell you that the pass side mirrow wire is broken... could be it!

[gypsychris]

We have those on ours...once in a while you will hit the ground with these...and protect your fuel tank..

[345bill]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Bil,
Mine has a queen, but its offset to the drivers side, so a pic would be a help when you get a moment!

My moments are getting more often referred to as 'senior moments', ha, here's a couple pics showing fill hose & vent then tank looking from back to front.

[Keyair]

Awesome, thanks. Now I can see how the tank should sit and with the dimensions I can take I can start looking for a bigger tank!
I went to the Airstream yesterday and am making progress...
What I thought was a blown muffler on the Genset, turned out to be one side of the muffler had blown off the downpipe on the inboard cylinder...
There is an oil leak on the genset too, and it looks like the filler pipe/dipstick tube is loose... will investigate more today, but at least it runs quieter now. I noticed the sound proofing is minimal/gone in the genset enclosure... and the door to the generator is just a piece of pressed aluminum... anyone relined the compartment, and if so with what? Also, maybe lining the door with Dynamat would work if I mould it around the the louvers i think...

I moved on to another issue... a leak in the shower..
On the trip I ran the shower briefly and saw water dripping under the Airstream... I was also puzzled by the floor safe being full of water!
Running it yesterday I saw water on the floor in the bedroom wardrobe... I pulled the wall apart behind there and found a split copper pipe... a classic expansion freeze burst. The PO had not winterized it and lost the water heater to freezing too. I will repair the pipe today hopefully, and post pics!

I didnt get fuses yesterday, so didnt get to that last night, but I did pull the radio out looking for the inline fuse, but couldnt see it. I will take my multimeter and check for power on the leads and take a look at the fuse issue too.

Added to my list of fixes is the aux heater under the sofa... fan is not working from the dash switch and the heater valve is seized and will not move... I think I should replace the coolant pipes while I am in there too.... it would be good to have that working to backup the engine cooling on long climbs and in traffic as well as its original function!

I am a big believer in pictures... just want to check that you all can see what i have posted?

[Keyair]

Well, I found the source of the fuse blowing... and the reason why the house battery was low when I got there today...
While I was fixing the shower leak, I suddenly noticed a smell I didnt like... a burning smell... I walked around sniffing, and narrowed it down to the shower again... I put my hand up to the shower vent fan grill... it was RED HOT! Seems the fan switch was on, but the motor was not spinning.
I pulled the fan apart and dropped the motor... It is seized, and also the fan cage is broken off. In fact when I first looked at it I thought someone had put a blob of white sealant on the motor output shaft, but in fact it was the melted remnant of the fan cage mount!
The toilet fan is also not working.
Looks like i willl need to replace both.
Anyone have a source?

[guy99]

Originally Posted by Keyair

...
Looks like i willl need to replace both.
Anyone have a source?

I purchased replacements from Inland RV. I assume that any Airstream dealer (and maybe others) would have them. I must say these things (even when new) are noisy and don't move that much air.

[ScrapIrony-2]

Our shower vent sounds like a banshee...that's after chemical spray inducement to lower the warble factor...I believe that many motor replacement options are available...just remember, when you request a replacement part, do NOT use "Airstream" in the request...take the motor and fan in, then lie if you have to...the use of "Airstream" requires a call to Jackson, a delay of at least two days, and then a price that will make you understand why I frequently issue this warning...the fan doesn't have to be as big as the original and the bracket is easily modified...the pull-down cover, however, might be another story...do you REALLY need the vent?...we use ours very rarely, and for only a short period of time...mostly, we fire up the generator and plug in a fan to dry the shower out...on sunny days, we can use the inverter and solar...m

[ScrapIrony-2]

Oh, BTW...it is a P-30 GMC chassis, and a 354 engine...no more, no less..."Airstream" creates a mental block in most otherwise adequate mechanics...time=money=more delays...
This forums is a great site for solutions...another, relating to chassis problems is Barthmobile...same chassis...discussion ongoing seems to be P-30 vs P 32...you'll have to judge that one on yer own...P 30 has mostly worked for me, but I found a front hub out of Egan, Minnesota(2, actually) after a really frustrating 10 days at Freightliner in Kingman,AZ...I had to find it and Fed-Ex it overnight...well, I actually bought both in stock...I believe Murphy is alive and well, but no longer in Kingman...I, however, have the second hub in a storage drawer...m

[GlenCoombe]

Often when looking for chassis parts using your serial number will help. You may have a P37... P32...P30 covers most parts needs.
I'm with Scrapy, aftermarket parts without the AS name can be had cheaper and adapted.

[Keyair]

Good info. I will look at other options, but cannot seem to see where the connector is for the motor. I will cut off the wire if I cannot see it.
Here are some pics of my shower pipe freeze, and repair.



All new pipes... I still need practice on my soldering!



Hre is the Motor..
The white blob on the end is the melted remains of the fan cage flange!

[Keyair]

Found a small moter and prop style fan on Ebay, and tho the fan blade is about 1/4" too big diameter I think I can adapt to fit.

I am off to the Outer Banks in NC for a week, and have to leave my project sleeping... but I will be thinking and planning!

Couple of thoughts...
Most of the External storage drawers have seen better days. The rear pass side one I ripped all of the wood flooring out as it was crumbled to dust.
I think POR15 is the favorite, but it did occur to me, that a Normal or maybe Smooth style Bedliner would work well on top of that to reduce drumming and protect the metal. The Battery tray drawer has some holes right thru, so that will need replacing.

[Keyair]

What do you guys call the plastic part between the bumper and the aluminum bodywork on the rear?
Mine are cracked/damadged and missing chunks. I plan to pull them off, fix them up and make moulds so I can make replacements. My front spoiler is missing the lip too, so I will make that too!

[str8strm]

but I think they are called banana wraps and they are available from airstream.
??400 each?? Did the research a few years ago so maybe not current.

[Keyair]

OK, thanks..
Will be making my own then!