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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

December 06, 2012, 12:33:28 am

Latest update.

Thanks to Gary 'O-- as a friend of his that he recommended -- met me today with a  service truck. We swapped out the line from the primary filter to the lift-pump as it had a severe kink in it and cracks in the O.D. that I'd previously been suspicious of -- thinking it could also suck air as as suction line.

Still, after -- a lot of air  in the prime attempt, and the engine not starting. Then -- I suggested we crack the service port fitting on the  downstream casting of the secondary filter housing while priming. Many air bubbles -- and not a clean running stream. It was then that we pressurized the tank inlet while priming, and then it fired up on an idle for about 30 seconds. Putting the foot into the throttle pedal had it bark strong -- until the fuel supply filled with froth again from pulling air into the system from the long line to the front tank that is now, obviously -- toast.

As I suspected, the 7 feet of line I replaced from the primary filter outlet to the lifting pump was not the only line pulling air. I'm now replacing the entire fuel line from the tank to the primary filter housing. I called Gates when at the NAPA store --and the line I bought is approved for any diesel other than Bio-Diesel.

no big deal -- I already have the basement trays dropped anyway. So buying 36' of fuel line, coupling it the old line to pull it through, and bleeding it out will be straightforward. I'm learning an immense about all the systems in a short period of time. And -- loving it!

Everything electrical is behaving itself now ( A/C units blowing cold, micro-wave working, not a burned-out bulb from front-to-back, old CRT Tv's come on, etc.). However -- the Audit monitor is blank. I have yet to venture into the propane-fueled systems.

It was wonderful to hear the CAT run on diesel for the first time today!!!!! -- especially as he ran it up off-idle. Bill said it sounded strong, and it relieves me from many of my concerns about another hidden wiring issue or an ECM problem that I was anxious about. Those that have been following the saga know this is a total "bringing back to life" of a U300 Coach that sat neglected and idle for years.

We also took Gary's advice and ran an air compressor supply into the Coach line through that air-chuck for the tires. All bags came up (which means the Coach being up on all 8 air bags for the first time since I acquired it), but I do see one with the cord threads showing -- so I'm looking at  possibly a few new ones before I'm comfortable with it. And yes -- the fabricated channel overlay/spacers as mentioned here on the forum - are going to be necessary IMO -- as I'm not taking the chance of tires contacting the fiberglass Unibody in the event of a failure when rolling.

So... things are back on track with the restoration -- so far. 

Safe motoring to all,

Michael

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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #1 – December 06, 2012, 06:15:09 am

Thanks for the update, I was worried when you didn't post after last weekend, Thought you might have turned to "Boating"  Ha, Ha, 

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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #2 – December 06, 2012, 09:28:38 am

Ah it's great to her you got her to bust off.  Bet that was music to your ears!

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Re: Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #3 – December 06, 2012, 10:25:50 am

Your Saga is very interesting to your fellow U300 owners. I'm glad but not too surprised, things are working out. I am still confident that things will work out pretty painlessly for you. These are great old rigs.

Oh, I don't mean to insult your intelligence but on your Audit Monitor there is a little rheostat knob that adjusts the screen brightness. It's easy to miss. Have you twisted it to see if it is just turned too dark?

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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #4 – December 06, 2012, 10:57:12 am

Michael,

Congrats on the progress! Not surprised that most systems still work, but I suspect you may see an odd failure in your first year of ownership, I am convinced sitting is harder on these systems than using.

Check the forum for the different ways to safely work under the coach with the coach raised up - involves making a set of supports and placing the supports in the correct positions - lots of information out in the posts that can make it safe for when you venture under the coach. Working Safely around your Foretravel Plus a lot of posts on airbag replacement, when and why, and sources. Air Bags

Good luck and keep us informed!

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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #5 – December 06, 2012, 12:37:32 pm

Yes, Chuck -- it was music to my ears to hear the big CAT run. I have not heard a 3176 since I looked at that 1995 Country Coach Affinity 38' for sale a year ago. Kent -- I had seen the rheostat, but no change with movement. It's a little down the list in priorities, so maybe in a month or so I'll do more probing to find out what the deal is.

After the fuel-line replacement, fully warming the CAT, draining fluids and changing filters for oil and coolant -- it will be time to start slowly bringing the propane system back online. The outside tank gage shows 3/4 full. I'm already thinking that I may not use the propane option for the Dometic fridge at all. It's not worth the risk, unless I install some type of automatic fire suppression system right at that location -- maybe a halon one. From what I read -- it doesn't appear mine (which was probably made in 1993-94) is affected by the re-call, but....

The pics here are scary:

RV Appraisals & Investigations of America

ahh..Gerry, no -- I'm in for the long haul. And, actually -- my friends with boats seem to have a hole in their wallet that can't be mended. For the limited amount of time they go out each season, the cash spent is amazing to me. I am talking 34-45' long ones with diesel power-plants.

Safe motoring,

Michael

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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #6 – December 06, 2012, 01:17:44 pm

Michael,
Something to be aware of with the eight airbag suspension... To support the coach, I would advise making 8 supports, and place one alongside each airbag. I know that some have been given the advice that just one per corner was necessary, but I discovered that that could lead to problems. When I first started working underneath, I made just four of the  quarter inch thick 2"X11" square tubes and the first time I used them, I put one alongside each airbag in the back where I was working and lowered the coach down onto them... No problem. Next time, I needed to get under both ends of the coach. So I put one in front of each of the rear wheels, and one behind each of the fronts because those spots were the easiest to access. Before I lowered the coach on to the posts, the gap at the rear bulkhead was about an eighth of an inch. This time when I lowered the coach onto the posts, to my horror the gap had widened to nearly an inch because all of the bolts in the rear bulkhead had failed. I immediately raised the coach on the airbags and discovered that the gap had nearly closed again. At first I was puzzled thinking that having a post next to the bulkhead joint would cause less strain on it, but then I realized that it was leveraging the trailing arm on the suspension to pull the bulkhead joint apart. I immediately made four more of the stand offs!

Now I use that principle to my advantage. To access the bulkhead joint for cleaning the rust out and then subsequently treating with Por-15, I placed hydraulic bottle jacks alongside each of the stand off posts behind the bulkhead joint and raise the coach a bit higher than the stand off posts in front of the rear wheels which creates the clearance I need to work on it. This procedure is not for the faint of heart! It is easy to understand why most would go straight to the "Mothership" to avoid having to do this. But if you are desperate, as I was, then at least you might glean a bit of info from my experience. There are a number of factors to consider here: First, all of the bulkhead bolts should be removed or loosened far enough to give it room (Tanks should be as empty as possible before attempting this!): Second, the vertical trim pieces adjacent to the bulkhead joint are removed: Third, the screws along the front of the rear fenders are removed as well as the fender support arm that attaches to the 1/4" bulkhead joint angle iron: Finally, you need to realize that the whole bulkhead system is going to hinge at the weakest point. Our coach, this was right below the heavy framing which supports the whole drivetrain as well as the top of airbags. There were cracks in the vertical angle irons that were adjacent to she trailing arms of the suspension right where the were welded to that heavy framing. I was actually relieved when I discovered this, because prior to that, I had been worried about the possibility of sidewall delamination above that area. I am attaching a couple of pictures which I hope explains what I am talking about. The last part of this project after I have torqued the bulkhead bolts for the last time, will be to weld those cracks in the vertical angle irons and reinforce the area with gussets and some additional rectangular tubes welded between the vertical angle iron. I am also including a picture of a mock-up of that assembly as it will appear after I am done. Of course, nothing in this paragraph applies unless you are dealing with a bulkhead separation issue. My interest here is to keep someone from having the issue arise in the first place from not supporting the coach properly. If the bulkhead joint is sound, you could likely get away with just one support post per wheel, but I wouldn't want to take a chance. If you were forced to use a total of four supports for the whole coach for some reason, I would be sure that the ones at the rear of the coach were behind the rear axle, which would tend to push the bulkhead joint together.
Don

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Re: Biting the bullet (hard), I finally have my dream Coach - a 1995 U300 SE

Reply #7 – December 06, 2012, 01:51:03 pm

Looks like another inspection point for us all!

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