Cummins Canoe (A Stepvan Story)

[PlethoraOfGuns]

We've been cruising pretty good. This rig gets us lots of places!

[size=small]Rig made it to 10000'. It was a long, slow haul in 4th gear, but she made it. And never overheated. I call that a success![/size]

[size=small]But on the other side of the pass, in the desert, we started smelling diesel fuel. Sure enough, we ruptured a return line. What a mess...[/size]

[size=small]Just a little 3" piece of hose, ugh. I figured it was just old hose.[/size]

[size=small]So I replaced it with some cheap vinyl hose I had laying around, hoping it could get me to a store to find the right hose. But it immediately exploded. This is a return line to the fuel tank, how can there be that much pressure?[/size]

[size=small]Some digging found the culprit. When we did the clutch and reinstalled the transmission not too long ago, we must have pinched the return line with the transmission bracket. Luckily, the only damage that was done was a blown line![/size]

[size=small]No point in removing all that transmission stuff, the pitched hose is probably shot, I wouldn't trust it after being pinched for so long, so I just cut out the bad section and used a barbed coupling I had laying in the toolbox. A section of this hose was cut and used to fix the original 3" section of blown hose. Back on the road![/size]

 

[kklowell]

As has been said before...you are a handy guy!

 

[wayne49]

That's never happened to me. [big lie]

 

[bullfrog]

Well at least it won't rattle! Lol!!!

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Thanks, but I don't think anyone can breakdown as much as I do, even though many of these instances are completely my fault, like the stupid fuel line. I guess it does happen to everyone at some point. I'm just lucky this old rattletrap is easy and cheap to repair! With the Cummins engine, everything rattles!

 

[mudbunny]

Reminds me of a Red Green quote. "If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy".

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[PlethoraOfGuns]

Haha, I use that quote all the time! At least I'm handy, so there is a chance!

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Hmmm, well this is certainly another new one. Was driving down the road when all of a sudden the voltage gauge dropped and the coolant temperature gauge was going up. Broken drive belt perhaps? Oh good, I always carry a spare. But that would be too easy...

[size=small]Pulled over and found this. Belt floppy everywhere, coolant spewing in all the other places, and a pulley dancing around. Luckily I'm like a hawk with all the gauges and caught it in time before any more damage was done.[/size]

[size=small]Yep, that will do it. Your guess is as good as mine. But please, if you know how this could happen, enlighten me. Or if anything, humor me.[/size]

[size=small]Yes, we can still technically drive around, but without coolant circulating, we were stuck. Immediately grabbed my notebook and found cell service and went calling around. After a few hours, I found a big rig service parts center that could get a new one. Got order in just in time for overnight shipping from one of the their warehouses in California. Guy was even nice enough to drive the part out to us! Shoutout to Rush Truck Center![/size]

[size=small]In the back of my mind, the only thing that maybe could cause that pulley explosion, other than the pulley being bad, was the belt tensioner. So we tracked one of those down and changed it to be on the safe side. [size=small]Strange, the part number for the old one and the replacement is for a Ford. So that doesn't seem very reassuring! Everything is running again and it all looks smooth and straight.[/size][/size]

[size=small]All these breakdowns do get annoying sometimes, but in the end, we get where we need to go, eventually. And that just about makes it all worth it.[/size]

 

[highdesertranger]

Dang, if it wasn't for bad luck you would have no luck at all. It's good you replaced the tensioner too. I have dealt with Rush truck centers before, I always had good service from them. Highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

Well at least you have not broken to many new parts and maybe you will run out of old stuff to break soon! It is not common but you could have gotten something jump up and get between the belt and pulley. The picture makes the old pulley look taller than the new pulley and as deep as it is if the belt was running as even a slight angle it would have a lot of leverage. Was it a clean shinny break all the way around or were some areas rusted? In other words did it break all at once or was it cracked out over time.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

You should hire on with those RV caravans that head to Alaska. I saw them once on my way up thé Alaska highway, they were a dozen or so, all big long expensive rigs, they had their own service person follow them in the event of breakdowns. Just send them this thread as a resume.

 

[kklowell]

It would certainly be an impressive resume!

In all these years of either working on vehicles or selling parts, I have never seen that particular problem. First time for everything I guess!

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Dang,  if it wasn't for bad luck you would  have no luck at all.  It's good you replaced the tensioner too.  I have dealt with Rush truck centers before,  I always had good service from them.  Highdesertranger

Oh heavens, what would I do without any luck? I guess beggars can't be choosers.

Well at least you have not broken to many new parts and maybe you will run out of old stuff to break soon! It is not common but you could have gotten something jump up and get between the belt and pulley. The picture makes the old pulley look taller than the new pulley and as deep as it is if the belt was running as even a slight angle it would have a lot of leverage. Was it a clean shinny break all the way around or were some areas rusted? In other words did it break all at once or was it cracked out over time.

New pulley is exactly the same as old one. When I installed the pulley back when we did the engine, it seemed fine. It was clean break, no rust.

You should hire on with those RV  caravans that head to Alaska. I saw them once on my way up thé Alaska highway, they were a dozen or so, all big long expensive rigs, they had their own service person follow them in the event of breakdowns. Just send them this thread as a resume.

Hmmm, I'm a shade tree mechanic, forced into the business through necessity. But hey, maybe they will hire me. I could use the money from all of my own breakdowns.

It would certainly be an impressive resume!

In all these years of either working on vehicles or selling parts, I have never seen that particular problem. First time for everything I guess!

This vehicle has really been testing me. Good thing that I enjoy challenges. Also good that I don't have deadlines, so bring on more weird breakdowns!

 

[mudbunny]

Be careful what you wish for! It is always nice to do some local drives to iron out the bugs but that doesn't always work out, as you have found out. Hope your days get better and your tools get a rest.

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[PlethoraOfGuns]

Thanks, I just wish for a normal breakdown, like everyone else has. Sometimes being special is not so good...

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Not necessarily a breakdown, maybe it is, but the clutch pedal kept getting softer and softer. Very slight leak, and what is it from? That stupid quick disconnect dry coupling we put in to make removal and installation of the master/slave cylinder easier.

So we replaced the dry coupling with just a straight coupling. No more leaking! Found a way to route the slave cylinder down the firewall and around the engine to the passenger side to where it mounts to the bell housing. The dry coupling makes things easier, but it is not needed.

And with the clutch fully functional yet again, we made it to a drive in movie theater!

Just in time for the ads and stuff! Confidence in the clutch is at a all time high!

 

[desert_sailing]

Nice to see you PoG!

I was just wondering last night about how your travels were going. Swatting a bug here and there it sounds.

Looks to be a rather smokey sunset... heading west?

Glad to see your still cruising along. Safe travels!

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Still going well. That drive in is in Butte, MT. On my way to OR for some job training. Just counting down the days until the next breakdown, haha. Pockets of wildfire haze, but not too bad.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Finally, a normal breakdown! Now I know how everyone else feels!

[size=small]Driving the van felt kinda squishy around corners. Got out and kicked the tire and it was surely flat. Took a nail or something to the tire. Used water to locate the hole.[/size]

[size=small]Good thing we carry a good tire plug kit! Glad it was an outside tire, very easy to access.[/size]

[size=small]And easy as pie, back on the road to the next place to camp out at. Found somewhere with lots of water.[/size]

 

[highdesertranger]

You need some new tires. Highdesertranger