mudbunny
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Did you break a mirror or something before you headed out on this cruise?
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Cummins Canoe (A Stepvan Story)
- Thread starter PlethoraOfGuns
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66788
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Stepvans are funny critters. When I bought my 1990 P35 the serpentine belt would ride one ridge off the fan pulley, so it chewed up belts fast. On a trip through Redding, CA on a 110 degree August afternoon, the alternator nut came off on I-5. I drove 15 miles overheating because there is no idiot light and the angle of the dash makes viewing the temp gauge difficult. Roadside repair was a new alternator using the old pulley. Great! Fixed my belt alignment problem too!
Fast forward to 2019 midway between Quartzsite and Yuma and you guessed it, nut came off the alternator, but this time the pulley ran off into the desert with the nut. 2 weeks to get replacement parts. I bought 2 sets, wash, rinse, repeat, but this time I used red loctite on the alternator nut.
I find it interesting that we both suffered the same breakdowns twice. Fortunately for me I don't have a gypsy curse on my Grumman Olson like you do. Hope to meet y'all in the desert this winter.
Stay safe.
Brad in Southern Oregon
Fast forward to 2019 midway between Quartzsite and Yuma and you guessed it, nut came off the alternator, but this time the pulley ran off into the desert with the nut. 2 weeks to get replacement parts. I bought 2 sets, wash, rinse, repeat, but this time I used red loctite on the alternator nut.
I find it interesting that we both suffered the same breakdowns twice. Fortunately for me I don't have a gypsy curse on my Grumman Olson like you do. Hope to meet y'all in the desert this winter.
Stay safe.
Brad in Southern Oregon
highdesertranger
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Odd that they use a fan spacer with a rigid fan(no clutch). I have never liked those spacers. Highdesertranger
PlethoraOfGuns
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Actually, the passenger side mirror did get smashed when we did the engine rebuild 7 months ago...mudbunny said:
These are just unlucky occurances. At least for us, step vans are the easiest things on the road to maintain and repair. What engine does you P35 have? I also plan on making it to RTR this year.66788 said:
Yes, I always wonder why no fan clutch. But I've seen other Cummins engines in step vans and the same setup. I think my fall project is to remove that spacer and fan and just rig on an electric fan.highdesertranger said:
Possible mechanical wobbulator? For excessive wobble, a piece of wire fixed underneath a bolt or pinched somewhere, bent to almost touch the possible wobbly thing works as a crude dial indicator.
With the belt(s) off turn things while focusing on the gap or possible rubbing. Especially the fan tracking, front to back, top to bottom, and the spacer.
Electric would be nice. I prefer OEM junkyards units over aftermarket add-ons.
I used to be young and could work or walk my way out of almost anything. Keep enjoying life and providing the vicarious thrills!
With the belt(s) off turn things while focusing on the gap or possible rubbing. Especially the fan tracking, front to back, top to bottom, and the spacer.
Electric would be nice. I prefer OEM junkyards units over aftermarket add-ons.
I used to be young and could work or walk my way out of almost anything. Keep enjoying life and providing the vicarious thrills!
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
It may have had some wobbulation. But the recent frequency of the same partsis really pushing me towards some parts that has just gone bad. We're gonna hope it was a bad bearing.
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Nice, we pretty much have the same setup. You can't complain about the mpg we get! What transmission does yours have? Mine has the NV4500, but it was 4 speed, I altered it into a 5 speed configuration.
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Going to page 5 on this thread you can see what I had to do. The transmission that came bolted to the Cummins engines during our years were the Getting G360 and NV4500, both have a 5th gear OD. As far as I know, none of our step vans came from the factory with Cummins 4bts. But the companies with fleets of these things retrofitted them with the better engine and stuff.
Now mine did have a NV4500 when I purchased it, but it only had 4 speeds. All the 5th gear OD parts inside were missing. So I suspect that these fleet companies ordered these drivetrains without OD because they are local delivery trucks and don't need their drivers going down to the race track. So who knows you might have the same issue and just need to pop her open and add a shift rod, shift fork, and shift collar and 2 hours later you have OD!
Now mine did have a NV4500 when I purchased it, but it only had 4 speeds. All the 5th gear OD parts inside were missing. So I suspect that these fleet companies ordered these drivetrains without OD because they are local delivery trucks and don't need their drivers going down to the race track. So who knows you might have the same issue and just need to pop her open and add a shift rod, shift fork, and shift collar and 2 hours later you have OD!
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Rig has been running good. Very glad we having coolant system back up and running.
[size=small]Chores are still happening like normal. Need to fill water about every two weeks. Glad we opted for the bigger 7 gpm pump.[/size]
[size=small]You come across the coolest, random things when you travel not using the interstates.[/size]
[size=small]History is everywhere, you just gotta stop and look.[/size]
[size=small]Even though our water pump is working great, old girl still got a lil too hot trying to get up and over 11,500 feet. Might install an electric fan?[/size]
[size=small]Chores are still happening like normal. Need to fill water about every two weeks. Glad we opted for the bigger 7 gpm pump.[/size]
[size=small]You come across the coolest, random things when you travel not using the interstates.[/size]
[size=small]History is everywhere, you just gotta stop and look.[/size]
[size=small]Even though our water pump is working great, old girl still got a lil too hot trying to get up and over 11,500 feet. Might install an electric fan?[/size]
If you are using it for heat why not rig a vent to the outside and just run the heater or install an independent one for the rear in your hot water system supply maybe with an outside vent? We had an old log skidder we ran a 55 gallon metal barrel on instead of a radiator once never overheated! Lol!!!
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Ya know, during the overheat hill incident, I did turn on the cab heat. But good point, I could have totally turned on the auxiliary heat in the back! Not sure how much of a difference it would have made, but some is better than none.
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Things are much easier on the other side of the mountains.
[size=small]No more hard work for the old girl. She is behaving, that's all I could ask for. She performed well on those big mountain passes.[/size]
[size=small]During her break from the mountains, she brought me to the geographical center of the United States! Gotta love not driving on the interstates![/size]
[size=small]No more hard work for the old girl. She is behaving, that's all I could ask for. She performed well on those big mountain passes.[/size]
[size=small]During her break from the mountains, she brought me to the geographical center of the United States! Gotta love not driving on the interstates![/size]
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Oops. That was the mother of all potholes...
[size=small]I know a lot of people like to lower the suspension on these rigs, but this is not the way to do it![/size]
Oh boy, there are several things that need attention here...
[size=small]I know a lot of people like to lower the suspension on these rigs, but this is not the way to do it![/size]
Oh boy, there are several things that need attention here...
This thread sure does a good job of pointing out the difficulties of living in an older vehicle and how important it is to expect to have to be able and ready with skills and resources to meet the challenges. This should be required reading for anyone buying a cheap older vehicle and thinking it will be a simple inexpensive solution. It can be less expensive but has it's challenges.
PlethoraOfGuns
Well-known member
Yep, all valid points. Having an older vehicle, unless it's a Toyota, usually means more maintenance. But the repairs are way way cheaper, although more frequent than a new vehicle. New vehicles break sometimes too. Who wins this game? Hard to tell. I have terrible luck and break things that nobody else breaks, but I can fix it all on my own, so I think I'm still ahead. If I wasn't so handy and had to wait 3 weeks at a repair shop everytime, well, that wouldn't be so great. I ain't right, as I embrace such challenges. But these challenges are not for everyone. Neither is spending $100,00 on a fancy Sprinter van. Ya gotta compromise somewhere and do what ya can with ya got.
But stuff happens with any vehicle. Everyone talks about having an emergency fund. That's hard to have sometimes, but I see how it is so important. Being stranded somewhere with no money to fix your rig, and no rig to go get money, could be a real pickle.
But stuff happens with any vehicle. Everyone talks about having an emergency fund. That's hard to have sometimes, but I see how it is so important. Being stranded somewhere with no money to fix your rig, and no rig to go get money, could be a real pickle.
For a while we pulled an old Honda Civic Hatchback full of tools behind our old motorhome. Now we are getting ready to travel again the homemade toy hauler will carry the street legal Samurai. As we get older it is nice to have the piece of mind of knowing you have a second means to travel to get to help if you need it especially in remote areas.
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