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Old 08-17-2008, 06:35 PM   #1
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1977 31' Sovereign
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Airstream sitting for 15 years...

How should I go about inspecting the waste tank and make sure everything it ok . It is empty but I dont know if age has caused it to get any cracks in it or should I run some kind of cleaning solution through it any ideas would greatly appreciated .It is in the shop but when I get it back I know it is going to need a run through and I want to get the big buck items out of the way first and seeing how working tanks let it be waste or fresh water are important.
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Old 08-17-2008, 06:51 PM   #2
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Ours was sitting forever too and the carpender Ants actually ate through the plywood and then the Bottom of the freshwater tank. Only way we discovered this was that we had dropped the belly pan, where we also found that a whole village of mice had lived there for a long time. Our blackwater tank was also cracked, discovered this when we removed it to replace the rotten bathroom floor, which we didn't discover until we pulled out the wet bath because the floor felt a little "Soft". Ain't owning a Airstream grand! Count on replacing everything and then the things you DON"T have to replace will be a bonus!

Annette
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Old 08-17-2008, 07:35 PM   #3
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Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by bullydogsmom View Post
Ours was sitting forever too and the carpender Ants actually ate through the plywood and then the Bottom of the freshwater tank. Only way we discovered this was that we had dropped the belly pan, where we also found that a whole village of mice had lived there for a long time. Our blackwater tank was also cracked, discovered this when we removed it to replace the rotten bathroom floor, which we didn't discover until we pulled out the wet bath because the floor felt a little "Soft". Ain't owning a Airstream grand! Count on replacing everything and then the things you DON"T have to replace will be a bonus!

Annette
You sound like a true AS owner ..LOL.. well my main thing it is to get it road worthy and useable and if anything else break's whip out the old tool box and hundreds of dollar's of fix it stuff(duct tape,silicone sealer and that puddy stuff on that infomerial you know the one with the guy yelling at you...seals everything) .... Ohh I crack myself up all the way into bankrupcy ..Oh did I mention I own a money sucking boat too but that is another storie...
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:03 PM   #4
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How should I go about inspecting the waste tank and make sure everything it ok . It is empty but I dont know if age has caused it to get any cracks in it or should I run some kind of cleaning solution through it any ideas would greatly appreciated .It is in the shop but when I get it back I know it is going to need a run through and I want to get the big buck items out of the way first and seeing how working tanks let it be waste or fresh water are important.
Purchase some red and green food coloring.

Dump a half pint or so in each tank. Fill both tanks to the top.

Looking for a leak becomes easy when you can identify which tank it's coming from, should it leak.

Setting 15 years usually causes the axle rubber rods to fail, which in turn will allow the trailer to bottom out when hitting sometimes even the smallest bumps.

Checking them out takes 15 to 20 seconds, without taking anything apart.

http://www.inlandrv.com/articles/dur...xle-92001.html

Andy
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:09 PM   #5
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Rubber rods??

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Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In View Post
Purchase some red and green food coloring.

Dump a half pint or so in each tank. Fill both tanks to the top.

Looking for a leak becomes easy when you can identify which tank it's coming from, should it leak.

Setting 15 years usually causes the axle rubber rods to fail, which in turn will allow the trailer to bottom out when hitting sometimes even the smallest bumps.

Checking them out takes 15 to 20 seconds, without taking anything apart.

Dura Torque Axle

Andy
Ok this is me looking stupid what is a rubber rod and where would I look for that?
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:13 PM   #6
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Red face Never mind...

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Ok this is me looking stupid what is a rubber rod and where would I look for that?
I beleive the axles were changed they have electric brakes now where as the manual had them as
hydraulic assited brakes..
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:17 PM   #7
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I beleive the axles were changed they have electric brakes now where as the manual had them as
hydraulic assited brakes..
Removing the original disc brakes and installing electric brakes, has nothing to do with changing axles.

The electric brakes are simply installed on the original axles.

Check the axles out yourself.

Dura Torque Axle

Andy
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:24 PM   #8
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...hundreds of dollar's of fix it stuff(duct tape,silicone sealer and that puddy stuff on that infomerial...
Silicone should not be allowed anywhere near your Airstream. Please, use only sikaflex, vulkem, parbond, acryl-r, etc.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:24 PM   #9
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Many people replaced the hydravac disc brakes, and went with the more conventional electric drum brakes. Discs are much better, if you can afford them. Replacing the drums we have now with discs is on my (very lengthy) to-do list.
The torsion axles used on Airstream products since the early 1960's utilize a set of rubber rods wedged in between the flexing part of the axle and the tube of the axle. The rubber gets old, as rubber does, and hard. A good way to illustrate this is to find some old windshield wipers, and note how stiff they are compared to the new, soft, springy wipers. The rubber inside the axles gets the same way, just not as fast.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:24 PM   #10
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Ok waht about the shock ..

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In View Post
Removing the original disc brakes and installing electric brakes, has nothing to do with changing axles.

The electric brakes are simply installed on the original axles.

Check the axles out yourself.

Dura Torque Axle

Andy
If I remember dont have trailer here it is in the shop getting skin repair the axle is in he positive position and i towed it over one of our reall holly and bumpy road no bottoming out. NOW if it were to bottom out what would be my next course of action?can you change the rods ?
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:27 PM   #11
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Silcone was a joke along with other part of that statement

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Originally Posted by cameront120 View Post
Silicone should not be allowed anywhere near your Airstream. Please, use only sikaflex, vulkem, parbond, acryl-r, etc.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:27 PM   #12
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If I remember dont have trailer here it is in the shop getting skin repair the axle is in he positive position and i towed it over one of our reall holly and bumpy road no bottoming out. NOW it it were to bottom out what would be my next course of action?
If it does, the only real course of action would be to replace both axles. 15 years is a long time to sit in one spot.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:29 PM   #13
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I allso towed it to Airstream dealer half hour at 60mph.

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If I remember dont have trailer here it is in the shop getting skin repair the axle is in he positive position and i towed it over one of our reall holly and bumpy road no bottoming out. NOW if it were to bottom out what would be my next course of action?can you change the rods ?
Had no issues there ethier?
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:33 PM   #14
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The axles work something like this:
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:42 PM   #15
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Wow mr moderator that's a pretty neat graphic.
How'd ya do that? and why'd ya do that?

Now do us one with the hard rubbers.
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Old 08-17-2008, 09:08 PM   #16
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waste

my waste unit smells and I mean bad, I have flushed but it seems like it needs so turbo-deteregent of some kind to clean it, I suppose that the thing sat there and the waste got rock hard. any suggestions
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Old 08-17-2008, 09:14 PM   #17
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Wow mr moderator that's a pretty neat graphic.
How'd ya do that? and why'd ya do that?

Now do us one with the hard rubbers.
Something like this:
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Old 08-18-2008, 01:46 PM   #18
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Wonder if you can use rid ex in a waste tank..

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my waste unit smells and I mean bad, I have flushed but it seems like it needs so turbo-deteregent of some kind to clean it, I suppose that the thing sat there and the waste got rock hard. any suggestions

That would clean up in any solids in there if you could I would (If you can use ridex) fill tank hot water and dump some ridex in there..
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