Broke down...again, any ideas?

[TucsonAZ]

This is an if I told you you'd think I was lying situation if ever there was one. I was dead set on spending my birthday on the road, seeing the ocean, visiting Astoria and so from Seattle I went, me, my son, and my girlfriend in our 98 Pathfinder towing a smaller trailer.

Made it to Astoria and the Goonies house, next up, Cannon Beach. We hang out there for awhile and when we go to leave the transmission on the Pathfinder is shot. We're in a one horse town with no cars for sale so I head down to Tillamock to look, found a 1988 F-250 for $700, extended, 460, cap on the top, figure it will get us to Portland where we can find something else.

While in Portland, front brake seizes, smoking, boiling brake fluid, I get it resolved enough to get back to base. I post it for sale (with all issues disclosed) and off we go to find something else. Manage to find a really nice 4x4 Jimmy, well cared for, low miles, very good price, YES! So we leave Portland and 15 miles down the road, master cylinder goes out, ouch. I get a new one, bench bleed it, toss it in, bleed all four corners and, we're off again! Next morning wake up in Eugene with eyes on Ashland, the very first pass into Grant Pass and boom, radiator gone! It actually exploded while I was under the hood, shoot how fluid about a foot from my face. With a $120 tow to get us off I-5 and a 54 mile trip to an Autozone as well as a few hours of my time, I get it fixed.

From there we making it to Redding, from Redding to Sacramento, we're leaving Sacramento on our way to Salinas and half way into that my wheel bearing on the 1997 Chevy P30 step van completely goes out, arrrrg, major failure!

So, here we sit, someplace outside of Berkley, broken down for the last few days as I wait for part to come in and painstakingly attempt to clean up the threads and spindle on the step van. Today it becomes clear that this spindle is done for, now my issue is, if I had a spindle/knuckle sitting here I would be on the road in an hour or two but I can't find one for a 97 P30 with an i-beam front axle to save my life. Does anybody have or know of one they can send this way or, know of a place I could get one at a fair price?

Any thoughts or ideas are more than welcomed, I'm 870 miles from my front door and 1,250 hours into this adventure, I'm honestly worn out from it, broke, need a shower and I just want to get home so I'm looking for any nuggets, insights or wisdoms that might help me along or get me back on the road again.

 

[AltTransBikes]

Sorry, no help here more than a bump but wow, from what you describe you have just endured a dog's age of road trouble compressed into a single trip. It's gonna get better, it has to.

All the best!

 

[Patrick46]

I'd probably take a Greyhound home and regroup. There's only so much crap a person should have to endure!

 

[SternWake]

I'd be calling every junk yard in a 50 mile radius. There are plenty. You are not in east bumblescrew, but barely outside one very populated and expensive zone.

 

[TucsonAZ]

Sorry, I didn't proof before posting and it only allows edits for 5 minutes (what the heck is the deal with that). We have two vehicles, the P30 and the Jimmy pulling a 6x10 trailer just to clarify. Also, the fluid shot, it didn't shoot and it was more "hot" than "how".

Taking a Greyhound home isn't an option just yet, I can either fix this, have somebody rideshare my truck up here scrap the Utilimaster and take that back with all my stuff, buy a van here and scrap the Utilimaster or something else I have yet to think of. I have put a lot of effort into this thing and while it may not be what I'm looking for after learning what I need better and what does and doesn't work on the road/in real life, I would like to hang onto it and know it's just going to be something I never take more than about 250 miles from home. I like the truck, it's in good shape, I would like to get it home and go from there.

I think the 30 van is the G30 which is not the same as the P30 but thank you for posting the info and looking into it further.

SW I think you're right, the knuckle is easy at this point, it's just finding one that's been tough. I have called a ton of places, the best I have found is a place that said they can get one from Workhorse for $520 and it will take a week, they're also 75 miles away. Arrrrrg, $520 and a 150 miles round trip isn't all that in the budget for me right now, I have to be able to find/do better than that.

On the bright side, I cooked brownies in my toaster over today, that was damn nice and some much needed comfort food. Sadly, I parked in a spot that is really shaded, so my solar isn't getting what it needs each day, I'm at 70% right now and the best I got up to was 82% for the day, at least I'm not baking in the sun with a fully charged bank.

 

[GotSmart]

Have you tried Rockauto?
http://www.rockauto.com/?a=NewsletterLink

They have everything at decent prices, and can next day the parts

 

[RogueRV2]

That is a very bad run of 'luck'. No one sells a good horse, but so many brake problems and a wheel bearing? I was in the automotive business for 35 years and never heard of anything CLOSE to what you have been dealing with back to back. I would take time out for a prayer.

 

[cyndi]

I'm so glad you're not me! I'd have to call a mechanic for each one of those break-downs, quadrupling the cost. And that's only IF I was able to find an honest and knowledgeable mechanic.

I hope your navigators are showing you a whole lot of love and appreciation.

I really admire your tenacity! One day you'll laugh!

 

[ccbreder]

Most "recycle" parts yards are on a national data base and can find any part if one is available. They also have interchange lists.
You asked for other suggestions? You need a premium towing plan? Considering all the money spent, maybe a new truck, leave the used behind.

 

[PastTense]

What exactly do you mean when you say the "spindle is done for"? Could you take it to a machine shop and have it machined, re-threaded, or whatever?

 

[cyndi]

Looking forward to an update, TucsonAZ! Hope things have improved!!!

 

[Donedirtcheap]

past tense x2
tell us more about the spindle. Are the lands damaged where the bearings ride? Is the seal area ruined? Is the nut still able to go onto the threads? I'd try to pound some new races in, replace the bearings. Even if the seal area or lands are tore up it may make it home. You can replace the spindle later.

 

[highdesertranger]

a lot of times when you cook the front wheel bearings it also cooks the spindle it spins the bearings on the spindle and burns out the hardness on the spindle. it's probably not strait anymore and bearings will not fit snug. while it might be possible to limp home, he might only makes it a few miles and be back in the same boat. I would find a junk yard that deals with trucks only. if they don't have it they can find it. I believe the heavy duty gm 1 ton trucks with a solid axle uses the same spindle, ask at the junk yard they would know. highdesertranger

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fyi the gm motor homes with the van front end uses the same spindle. highdesertranger

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Post pics.

 

[Bdog1]

Around here there's mobile trucks that re-thread and recondition truck spindles, at least I know they do rear axles, they weld and machine hubs on the vehicle. Might be worth a try.

 

[TucsonAZ]

Here are the updates for today, I woke up, ate so I was ready to take on the world (or at least this parking lot full of people living in their cars) and I started making calls. I began with Workhorse as the Chevy dealer told me yesterday they now deal with that stuff. Workhorse told me $700 plus on the knuckle and pointed me to the closest dealer which came in at $580 for it. I was also told due to a new camber correction they need to be done in pairs, blaaaa, whatever. Off to Mill Supply I go, talked to an awesome guy there, said it was the same axle for a long time so to call around but he could get me the entire axle for $1,800 if I wanted, that's great, so like...2.5x what I make a month. After many, many, many calls, looking on eBay, Craigslist, local yards, truck salvage places and the list goes on I managed to find two local places that have i-beam fronts from 3500 HDs, one said $650 the other said $700 but I'm not sure if they're the same axle as I have. I also found one from a P30 on eBay that's 350 miles away and $800 but it looks a little different spring wise and the calipers are towards the front while mine are towards the rear, it may work all the same but has some differences.

Meanwhile I wasn't getting crap in for solar where I was parked sooooo, I tossed the old inner bearing in, used the new outer, put on the old rotor and managed to get the spindle nut tight enough to move it meh, 20 feet. At this point, I'm pretty much ready to give up, trade the step van for a bicycle and head home dragging my solar panels behind me. I do best with adversity however, if you'd been a fly on the wall in any of my past relationships you would know this. So, after refinding my peace as a result of some chakra realignment and a super good brownie, mostly the brownie really, I was feeling renewed.

I call a mobile mechanic that the Snap-On guy pointed me to when I called to see if he had a larger die or thread chaser.

Oh, to address the condition, bearing was gone, like, disintegrated and spun the race into the spindle, as in, fused, took an angle grinder and chisel to get off. The inner is golden but the outer was a mess, I'm guessing the heat tore up the spindle as well nut which in turn caused thread damage when removing it. The condition of the spindle is fine on the inside, the outer wasn't but I cleaned it up fairly well with some files and emory cloth. I did the same with the threads, was actually able to get the old stuff on fairly tight when I did it, the first 1/4 inch of threads are worthless but it starts biting better and better after that.

Back to the mobile mechanic, good guy, he noticed the new rotor had the wrong race, it was much smaller than the one in the other rotor so that's why it wasn't seating. So, on that note, my plan it to get the correct rotor, pack the bearings really well, put it all back together, see if I can get the bearings properly tensioned with the nut and threads I have and at that point stick weld the nut to the spindle, get it home and attempt to track down an axle sometime in the following 6 months and before I take it on anything more than a 50 mile trip to camp on my nearby mountain.

You are all beyond helpful, really, huge relief just to wake up knowing I have your support (and I think the chick with the shopping cart that takes to herself is super supportive as well).

I will keep you posted!

 

[PastTense]

Anyone have any suggestions on his trip back home--for example not drive over 30 mph? Stop to cool off the spindle frequently?

 

[Donedirtcheap]

If at all possible try to not weld it yet. If you can get the nut on and the cotter pin in, go with that, it will give you one more chance to put another bearing in it before welding it. If you are in the last leg of it and get down to another bearing set and you can get the nut on far enough to tension it, beat the living crap out of the end of the spindle to mushroom it and hold the nut on. Obviously during extreme measures we wouldn't be driving 70. Good luck to you and may the cobbling gods be with you.

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If the outer bearing is loose on the spindle, use a center punch to ding several marks into to it to help give the inner race a little grip.

 

[Patrick46]

yeah, I wouldn't weld that 'cause then you won't have any other options other than to replace it.
I'd sure hate to see you abandon this rig too.

I'd come up 101 and stay off the freeway. We also don't have the mountains here on the coast that you hafta cross on I-5...so it'll be alot easier, slower, (and more scenic) than taking the big road.

Good luck with this new venture. If you do come up the coast, let me know. Maybe we can do lunch or something when you're passing through.

 

[RogueRV2]

There are some darn good mechanics here. Dirtcheap knows how to get it done. I'd buy that replacement set of bearings now. You can use them latter, if not as a back up set on this part of journey.