1987 345 w\454

[shepherd57]

Sorry Brad I been away for a couple of days just got on the forum. I bought one from Harbor freight and it worked good to fix a long crack in my fresh tank.

Which is a poly tank that no glue will stick to it will also work with ABS a bit of practice is required just like any welding

[Kreimer]

I will have to remember the plastic welding if the patch fails. I had to put a new fuel pump on the generator as it would not start. Runs like a top now! Also had to change the thermostat for the rear furnace to make it work properly. This weekend we are taking our first actual camping trip in an actual campground. Really more of an opportunity to find more stuff that needs fixin!

[Kreimer]

Have to get the hang of the hydraulic stabilizers yet but the weather is amazing! This awning is awful to deploy. We have a carefree on the trailer and it is much simpler!

[Kreimer]

Camping was a good time. The awning broke in the wind. A bolt securing the tube to the end support snapped. Has anyone had to replace the steering system in one of these beasts? I need to locate a parts list /diagram. I am gonna drive the sloppy steering to western Kansas and use my dad's shop to replace the parts. I just need to make sure I order the correct parts.

[gunner]

Have someone knowledgeable adjust the steering box screw to take most if not all of the slop out of the steering box, the rest of the looseness will be in the remaining steering components. This adjustment can make a large difference.

[Kreimer]

We did the adjustment on the steering box. It did help a lot. I still have about four inches each side of center of play. The people at the repair shop want to charge me 5900 dollars. They say that it wouldn't pass Missouri safety inspection as it is now. If I can figure what parts I need I think we can improve it for a fraction of the cost.

[tevake]

I second tweaking the steering box, I was able to adjust a few inches of free travel from the steering wheel with the steering box adjustment.
Also the bell cranks are a known weak point, often replaced with those from Super Steer Co. Which are adjustable once in place.

Cheers Richard

[Kreimer]

So I am ordering steering parts. I am looking at the supersteer bell cranks and bell crank arms. Also I am trying to decide if I should replace the air bags in the springs or just get the super steer 5000 -5300 lb coil springs. I am gonna do ball joints and tie rods. I cannot find a clear labeled diagram to figure out what other components are called and where they go. Something called a drag link, idler arm, pitman arm. No idea where these go or if I should get new ones...

[Kreimer]

Drove the 345 back to KC from western Kansas yesterday after replacing the front suspension and steering parts. Drove great with the stiffer springs and very smooth turning. No bounce on bumps and bridges. I went with stiffer springs from speed steer which eliminated the front end sag but now I need to somehow adjust the rear ride height just a bit taller to match... There is still some wander in the steering. We adjusted the gearbox within an inch of its life and I think it just needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Has anyone done this before or know where to get a hold of one?

[bobmiller1]

try Rock Auto...Regards, Bob

[tevake]

Someone here has mentioned a coupler in the steering shaft that caused some play in his steering. Might be worth looking into.

Does sound like things are progressing nicely on your rig.

Cheers Richard

[Kreimer]

I will take a closer look at how it is put together. A coupler sounds much nicer than replacing the whole steering box... Thanks!

[Hans 34.5]

This place did my 1956 Cadillac Steering box worked great.
http://www.larescorp.com/

[Waipio Rim]

I think that the coupler is #31 on the attached diagram. Also known as a "rag joint". The shop that worked on ours would not test drive until it was replaced, said it was too dangerous. They had a hard time finding a replacement.

[bkahler]

The rag joint I used on my 94 Argosy was made by Dorman #31015. This crosses over to GM 7828871 which appears to be used from the 70s thru the 80s.

As far as ordering parts from Rockauto I do so all the time with the exception of items that have core charges (like steering gearboxes). Return shipping pretty much wipes out any savings when returning the core. Plus there is the hassle factor of having to repack and ship the core.

Instead I've been buying those items online via Autozone which allows shipping to the house but you can take the returns to the nearest store and get the core refund.

[Kreimer]

We finally got the wallpaper in the kitchen done. I also built a new countertop to get rid of the useless tile trivety thingy and new laminate!

[streamquest]

Love that wallpaper!

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by Kreimer

We finally got the wallpaper in the kitchen done. I also built a new countertop to get rid of the useless tile trivety thingy and new laminate!Attachment 262918

Nice touch, Kreimer !!

[Kreimer]

We decided to go to Phoenix as I am unemployed and Scott had to come down for work. Well the trip started out good. We went to the FOD Airstream rally in Memphis and the coach did fantastic! Even in the torrential downpour! One night the electric went out and we had a party in the motorhome with the generator going for a/c. Good times! After the rally we started westward toward Phoenix. Using the generator to get the a/c's going was working beautifully and we were getting near 8mpg! The first night we got free camping at a casino with full hookups. Score! The second night we stayed at another casino just west of Albuquerque. This is where the fun begins...

We started off in the morning with nice weather genset humming happily and all was shiny. Then the cruise control disengaged. I looked down and noticed the speedometer was not working anymore. Grr. We drove through some nasty storms in eastern Arizona and finally made it to Flagstaff. We headed down towards Phoenix and was doing good until we hit the hill that never ends. We got down to 30mph in second gear and just as we reached the top the rest of my gushes shorted out. Changed the fuse and I was good again other than the outside temp... Hotashell degrees...

We arrived at the RV park in north Phoenix and our battle with the heat began. The one a/c is no match for 110 degrees... I called a mobile repair and they have a way to make both ac's run. It is a long story involving a schematic but basically as I understand it the end result will be having two shore cords plugged into a y adaptor then plugged into 50amp.

It got up to 110 deg and I started the generator to use both air conditioners. After twenty minutes the power died. I went out and looked and smoke was coming out of the green sting side of the generator. I let I cool down and it is locked up. I found sno5her one at a salvage yard and bought i5 cheap. The 4v guys here picked it up for me and stayed late to install i5 in the coach. He just called me and said it is full of water.

So as it stands now I am going o try and get my money back for the generator and the shop is gonna price me a new generator in the morning. Us and our three dogs are currently in a hotel with fantastic air conditioning. The new gen he is recommending is an ONAN 5.5 HGJAB. It is a lot of money. I am hoping the new generator is worth it vs tiring to find another one like we had. This is turning into an expensive trip I'm afraid.... Dreading the drive back up to flagstaff when we return home...

[PeterH-350LE]

Having to spend that much money, I sure would consider a 7kw replacement rather than a 5.5
http://www.americanrvcompany.com/Cum...torhome-Camper
besides the 2 AC's, you also have your converter and Fridge to consider

http://www.americanrvcompany.com/ass...gmntBasics.pdf