Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-08-2019, 11:50 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 18
Voyage #1 for the Right Lane Lady

So, based on my previous post, I had purchased a 2005 GMC Savana 3500 4 Window Short Bus. 4.8L V8, which seems to run swimmingly! Upon mechanic inspection, the company I bought the retired bus from did some serious upgrades for me including: conversion from hydraulic to disk brakes on all 4's, an upgraded rear axel, some electrical upgrades (beyond that of thomas) including a brand new alternator and Deca battery!

I gutted her and plopped a full size mattress and box spring on a bed frame, threw down some carpet to make her a bit more welcoming and had some mechanic upgrades done. New brakes and calipers on all 4, new tires and some upgrades on brake lines and a few other things.

I then took her on a 3 week voyage to Burning Man.

In Nevada, she overheated. After talking with my mechanic, it was likely just too hot, too hard, too high, too fast. Upon letting her cool down and adding some coolant (apparently there's a slow leak of some kind), she was ready to go again, though it cost me 4 hours.

Upon getting to the desert, we also discovered an oil leak, but slow. After cleaning up the first drop or 2 after running, there was no more, meaning a gasket is failing.

For the return home? We lost our power steering, due to a leak. It leaked over the course of about 200 miles, 12 oz would typically last me about that distance, which is also about as often as I was stopping for gas. But when she was zeroed out on PS fluid, this also means I'd lose my brake booster, making stopping near impossible.

I lost this in Wyoming and I had to get to New Jersey.

But I was able to make it, fairly safely. The leak was getting progressively worse. By the end of the journey, a bottle of PS fluid wasn't lasting more then 20 miles. I couldn't see or find a leak anywhere below, power steering fluid was literally everywhere.

So now she sits in dry dock with an appointment for the mechanic this week. Things to be taken care of:

1) PS Leak
2) ABS repair (bearings are probably shot, but we knew this, the brakes work wonderfully, when you have hydraulics)
3) Coolant inspection: Do we put a new 3 row radiator in? The previous owners mixed green and orange fluid...cunts.
4) Oil leak: Should we fix this and do an oil cooler as well? Recommended to me by someone to handle the overheating.

What else can I do to bulletproof this engine and the mechanics here? At this point, after this work, literally everything mechanically on the bus will be under 1 year old except the engine!

GhostOutlaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.