1987 345 w\454

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Full of sand... imagine that! LOL.

On mine, all of the fuel feed line was 3/8" and the return is 5/16.

Steve, are you sure the return line wasn't 1/4"? I'm pretty sure that's what I used on the 310 when I replaced the fuel lines a few months ago.

I guess I need to find my spare pump and measure it!

Brad

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Full of sand... imagine that! LOL.

Well it had been living in the desert...

[Keyair]

Could have been Brad, as I have been getting my pipe sizes wrong recently...
Either way, it got new 5/16 on now!

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Could have been Brad, as I have been getting my pipe sizes wrong recently...
Either way, it got new 5/16 on now!

Considering there is no pressure in the return line I doubt that 1/4 or 5/16 line would make any difference.

[Keyair]

In theory, at least....
But you know how airstream motorhomes are...
In my case, based on my luck, probably a broken hose that a mud dauber built a nest in, that causes a blockage, and blows the 5/16 return hose off next to the shorting starter wire....

[Kreimer]

Made it to Gallup! 329 miles! Ran better as we kept going! The mountains between Phoenix and flagstaff were daunting but she ran like a champ! Got down to 35mph on the steepest ones. It is kind of cool that our first voyage is taking us down Route 66.

Man these headlights suck...
Do they make a brighter replacement without screwing with HID or anything like that?
There is an exhaust leak that when we are stopped it smells like gas up front. Gonna check the filter on the carb in the morning and make sure it isn't leaking. Doesn't smell going down the road so not terribly worried about inhaling gasses.
The blower on the aux heater isn't working so we are running the furnace to keep it warm in here. So far working great.

Pulling the vw on a dolly is great. Don't even notice it back there. We did get stuck in a parking lot and backing with a dolly on is challenging but we did it!

Just noticed a squeaking from the dash and noticed the odometer has died. And the heat controls are trying to fall back into the dash. The fan switch has to be pulled out to make it work. Future projects! I think there is a half full tank of water under the bed as well. Yummy, 5 year old stanky someone else's water. Ugh.

I have a bottle of sea foam. Would there be any benefit/not benefit to dumping it in the tank when I fill up tomorrow?

[Keyair]

There is a big discussion about 12v system improvements over on the mechanical section... The headlight issue is well known and the headlight switch and wiring is an issue. I had Sylvania Silverstar sealed beam halogens in my Suburban and they were an improvement.
I suggest you ask Santa for a Powerprobe 3... It's an priceless tool for diagnosing airstream wiring issues... Mine has paid for itself 10fold.
Throw that seafoam in... I love the stuff... But it will be quite diluted with 80 gallons!
I always thought backing with a tow dolly is a no-no or impossible!

[Kreimer]

Ugh

[Kreimer]

[Kreimer]

R camping world in Albuquerque . Filling the propane! Got the cruise control working! Bonus!!!!!! Still smells like gas. Stinky...

[tevake]

Glad to hear you are rolling and doing good miles.

The gas smell is worrisome for sure. Have you run the engine with the doghouse off to see if you can locate it?

That could really interrupt the trip.

Think about how to quickly disconnect the toad.

Cracked old hoses, loose connection after the resent work. Cracked filter

Does it relate to fuel level in the tank? Or is it any time that you stop.
I find that a flattened larg cardboard box makes a nice portable garage floor for crawling around under the coach. Use your built in sniffer, nose.

Might want revisit the areas that were just worked on. Then keep sliding forward following the fuel line near the starboard frame rail. Might find an easy fix.
Mine had weeps from the mid side seams on the fuel tank, look for streaks on the side of the tank.
Nice to hear that she is coming alive and taking you for a ride. The fun factor increases as you get more familure with it all and the worries receded.
Finding that gas leak will be a big leap forward.

Good going today, that is quite the climb on I 17. Going N out of Phoenix.
Second gear and pulling hard to get up it in my coach.
Are the brakes feeling better?

Happy trails!

Cheers Richard

[Kreimer]

8 1/2 more hours. Ready to be home. In Amarillo for the night. Got a hotel. I have a few questions.
There is an inverter installed so all the outlets are usable going down the road with no generator. Will it damage anything if I forget to turn it off when I plug in?

The plug on the cord is 30 amp but don't I need 50 amp to run both a/c units?

Is the couch difficult to remove?

I HAVE A DOORBELL!!!!! Haha!!!

Does anybody still use the original sharp convection thingy? We use the oven in the trailer every time we camp. Tempted to install oven and reclaim wall storage where microwave is.

I discovered that half our windshield has been replaced. One side has the blue eyebrow and one side is brown.

I was pulling into a parking lot tonight and could hear the windshield shifting around in the hard rubber seal. Ugh. Don't know of any way to freshen up window seals other than replace them...

I am gonna try to locate the fuel leak in the morning before we leave. We crawled under it earlier today but could not see anything amiss. The damp spots we did see weren't gasoline. They were oil. I have been keeping the oil checked.

Had about six people come up today and want to discuss the coach. It was fun! And lots of stares from the snowbirds on the highway in their huge busses.

Had to back up the dolly again. Pain in the ass. Pulled into a travel center lot and they had the lot roped off so no where to turn around. Had to do a three point turn. It was ridiculous.

[Keyair]

Awesome!
Yes, drive a big $ rig and go un-noticed... Not in a Classic Motorhome! Get used to it!

Leaving the inverter on will draw down the house batteries a little faster... They consume power at idle. Not sure about when you are plugged in... It should sense and disconnect but depends on how it was installed.
Plugged in, you can only use one or the other of the AC units... The selector switch is over the kitchen. Unless a PO has modded the system! Running the genset allows you to run both.
Not sure about the coach removal..
The Sharp convection works well... Personal choice... Gain storage there... Loose more with the oven!
Windshields are available at about $1k a side, and the seal is about $300 last I looked. If the glass is moving about, that's a possible leak issue, so you could get some sealant it there which should stop it moving about too.

The fuel smell is a worry...
I replaced every rubber line recently, and there are a lot of potential leak spots.
1/ Rubber feed line from hard pipe to carb on top of the engine.
2/ At the mechanical fuel pump on the front passenger side of engine. 1 hard pipe line goes up to carb, and a rubber feed and vent from fuel rail. Don't discount the pump itself going bad... Mine did recently. Was leaking externally.
3/ Small fuel filter on pass side chassis rail just forward of the entrance door. Rubber lines there.
4/ Rubber lines above drive and tag axle... Rear joint is impossible to get at.. I removed and bypassed that section. Then rubber lines at the rear electric pump and tank..
5/ My fuel smell turned out to come from the bedroom... And was being drawn forward. The filler neck line and vent was the culprit. Weeping on fill up and then allowing fumes into the bedroom. Sniff around!
6/ Dont forget rubber lines at both ends for the genset!

[PeterH-350LE]

Congrats on completing the hard run from Albuquerque to Amarillo! Looks like you were blessed with good weather!
Here is some lyrics for you to start your day.

Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone.
Everything that I've got is just what I've got on.
I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine.
I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.
Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's where I'll be.

[Kreimer]

HOME!!!!!!!


That is a long drive going 55 mph...

The dolly and the VW weren't even noticeable the whole trip. That 454 is a great beast. I don't think it used any oil the whole trip. Went through the gasoline though!!! First on my list to get fixed is the fuel leak, then the steering. That oklahoma and kansas wind are brutal when there is four inches play in either direction on the wheel. Next will be the dual exhaust. There is a leak somewhere and it is annoying. I can hear it instead of the beautiful 454 rumble.
All of the window seals are shot. it was sooooo noisy going down the road.
I have to replace the driver side bedroom sliding window. it is shattered and the driver slider as it is a really ugly piece of lexan.
Get that windshield sealed up so it doesn't leak and wigle anymore. Maybe get a brow tint done to hide the differences in the brown top and the blue top...
headlights
lightbulbs for almost every tail light
replace fantastic fan with maxxair deluxe
oil motor on the kool-o-matic so it doesn't squeal
look into replacing that non lumbar butt achy driver seat. man that thing sucks...

just the off the top of my head list...

I think the PO left me a tank full of water under the bed as well. going to open up the bed tomorrow and check that out and drain it if needed.

It was a ridiculously long drive (19 hours each way) and we are both exhausted. The coach seems to me to be in better and worse condition than I thought. As I was not able to start it when I bought it I am very happy with the engine's performance. now to get rid of all that nasty carpet and reupholster the seating.

If it is all the same I will just keep posting to this thread as we fix it and make it our own.

Thanks for having this adventure with me!!!!

[rmkrum]

Glad to hear you made it in one piece! Please keep posting in this thread. The title works fine.


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Kreimer

...then the steering. That oklahoma and kansas wind are brutal when there is four inches play in either direction on the wheel.

Yep, when the steering is sloppy driving one of these rigs is like being in a pin ball machine where you bounce from pin to pin with very little control as to where you're going

Glad you made it home safely and in one piece.

Brad

[PeterH-350LE]

Congratulations! That must have been a grueling day all the way from Amarillo to your home, wow.
Now you can take your time and enjoy the restoration.
I have always made an effort to keep the coach usable while I am working on it and not to overwhelm myself with starting everything at the same time.
Looking forward to your progress!

[Waipio Rim]

Glad the aluminum gods were smiling on you.

On the steering, a mechanic found on ours that the "rag joint", aka steering coupler that connects the column to the box, was shot. Replacing that took a lot of play out of our steering.

On the bulbs, we replaced all of our tail/brake/backup and running light bulbs with led's that I found on Amazon. Plug and play, they work fine and hopefully will let a little more juice go to the headlights.

Good luck from here!

[tevake]

WooHoo. Home safe and sound, congrats!

The donut gasket between the collector end of the headers and the tailpipe is a frequent exhaust leak point. Also the manifold gasket is worth checking out.

So nice to have it home where you can dig in and really make it nice.
Will you be keeping it at your home?

Please do keep us posted as you uncover what's needed and the fixes as we are are all still learning too.

Congrats on the awakening and good first trip.

Cheers Richard