Trip from washington state to arizona.
Unihome U225. 1991 Diesel pusher.
Has been sitting for over a year.
What should be addressed mechanically?
New-be
Elaine,
The list will be pretty extensive-- basically a mechanical inspection. What is the mechanical background of who will be involved?
Certainly, the first safety related item is to check age and condition of tires. How old are they from the DOT number?
Unique to the U225 (and U240) is the torsilastic suspension ride height. That should be checked and if needed, adjusted before a long trip.
Thank you for the info. I am getting the new tire soon. New battery and air filter.
As Brett says, how accomplished are you mechanically? Make sure you have fuel filters and a set of belts. I carry a spare tire all the time. Pull and clean battery terminals if possible. Road test brakes before setting out. How are your wiper blades? Run generator with a load on it for 30 minutes. Oil changes due? Do you have insurance for towing? Good to have. Watch icy roads especially in the morning.
Pierce
Given the coach has lived in our ex-neck of the woods, where moisture is rampant, a dose of "Diesel Fuel Biocide" into a full tank is suggested. That's a long trip, with a coach you don't know, I'd stay on the major roads.
You may also look at the fuel lines for cracking, my 1997 has lines that have some crack but apparently enough to suck some air so it has some problems with loosing power and shuddering.
Good to have a gauge installed. I have one at the primary and after the secondary. It can also be the lift pump that may be causing your power loss. If the generator starts exhibiting strange behavior or the feed line seems damp, it may have lot of almost microscopic cracks. Pressure gauge is good here too.
Pierce
Thanks Pierce, once I get it closer to home I will start adding some pressure gauges. Seems like they are good diagnostic tools
Elaine,
How was the coach used before the 1 year storage? Have you owned it for a long time, or did you just buy it? How has the coach been maintained? Do you have all those records? If you do it should be straightforward to define what needs to be done. Let us know the answers to these questions so we can help you.
And, since it is in a wet area of the country, be sure to check the BULKHEADS before making a long drive.
My personal use reauirements in using traded in rv's to go dry camping was to replace the coaches batteries first then check for alternator output at the batteries and do the same for the battery charger with the gen on.
New wiper blades. Check water pump pressure after you verify you have strong 12 volt at the batteries.
Good batteries fully charged after resting Is 12.7 or a bit more.
Cheap gauge helps.