Theadyn's van and trip log

[Theadyn]

A few things I learned on my recent mini trip...

`Don't go thinking you can park your van on saturated ground, even though the grass is sticking up and no visible water, after the ground has been soaked for a few days. You WILL get stuck. You will be lucky you knew someone that could pull you out of it within 30 minutes of said being stuck.
`The Freon will leak out. Just plan on getting the A/C fixed, instead of recharging it all the time.
`8" total of memory foam topper, while good in theory, might make for too soft a bed come sleepy time. Some made to order sized thicker foam will be ordered as $$ allows. Was offered a bed at the daughter's place there, but I like having my own place.
`Those dehydrated packages of scrambled eggs and bacon is actually pretty good for breakfast. Remind self to pack tortillas next time.
`I did manage to average 15.3 mpg with some city and highway miles. I have a 35 gallon tank. I can go over 500 miles without needing to fill up.
`Recharging the jumper pack through the cig lighter takes a loooonnngggg time. Well, it does charging in the house, too. Meh.
`Trying to super glue no see um netting to the screen frame around the back small side windows does not work. It will result in super glue on thy fingers.
`The Melitta coffee drip maker makes awesome coffee!
`Doggy's aren't fond of trying to go potty in the rain.
`Strange happenings with the Check Engine light.. was always on.. was throwing and EGR valve code.. I put Seafoam in the tank before taking off yesterday.. no Check Engine light on the entire trip. Coincidence?
`Lake Murray State Park in southern central Oklahoma has decent bathrooms.. one I stopped at had two separate showers, no timers, locks on doors. The only timer in there was for the light. All bathroom stalls had paper and it was fairly clean. Hello free showers.
`Drove over 500 miles last few days, Van Halen drove and ran awesome!!

 

[rvpopeye]

Woo Hoo havin' fun........hope it dries up soon!

 

[Theadyn]

Updates:

Will be headed to Arkansas for the weekend. Will get to cross that off my list, yay!! Following a couple of bikers, I am on doggy duty, lol.

Van Halen has been running fine up until now, but yesterday evening while running an errand (thank goodness I drove it instead of my little car), she started running hot. Crap!! I was NOT going to go unless I can take my van, dangit!!

So anyways, bf got to work, replacing thermostat yesterday evening, other one was barely opening up. Realized after that change it was still running hot. That wasn't it. After looking around and stuff, seeing the brown sludge in the radiator and noticing a few other things, this is what has gone down today:

New radiator, new AC compressor and accumulator, new fan clutch, new water pump, new gaskets, new belt, flushed systems, refilled, all that good stuff. He was up before 7am working on it nonstop and only just stopped after 5pm. I made 5 trips for parts throughout the day. It was mid 90's here, humid and no wind which was odd for Oklahoma, just miserable!! But he did it. Just took her on a 20 minute jaunt going full blast and she is way much more happy!!

So very very thankful this happened here near home instead of on the road. Am really just in awe I've had no issue with all I've been in her so far. The radiator wasn't even moving fluids. I guess I just got lucky driving her when it was cooler and not so much when it was hot out. I can't imagine going through all this down the road.

So tomorrow morning, taking off, it's about a 5 hour drive from here. Taking all his tools with him (he's a different mechanic by trade and been messing with motors almost all his life).

So totally thankful this all got fixed, happy I didn't get stranded on the road, and very happy the motor, for all the other stuff messing up, is still purring beautifully (he says so). Van Halen is sporting new stuff. And, I get to cross another state off my list, woot!!! (even if it means I gotta put up with bikers lol)

 

[rvpopeye]

Yeah , it IS good when a breakdown doesn't happen during a road trip !
And You have a bunch of stuff you won't have to worry about in the future too !

Now , bikers aren't really all that bad , are they ?
Well , I guess you have bikers and then you have BIKERS ...............
Have a great trip .

 

[Theadyn]

Yeah , it IS good when a breakdown doesn't happen during a road trip !
And You have a bunch of stuff you won't have to worry about in the future too !

Now , bikers aren't really all that bad , are they ?
Well , I guess you have bikers and then you have BIKERS ...............
Have a great trip .

"Bikers"... think 'Wild Hogs' lol All good, just weekend Harley dudes.

 

[rvpopeye]

Wild Hogs ! Loved that movie ....Skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh.......bikers

Both you AND the motor will be staying cool now !

 

[Theadyn]

Well, got Arkansas done.     I wrote out a long post with lots of pictures on my blog here. 

Am looking at a tranny repair, hoping not replacement.  For now, Van Halen is chilling under the shade tree.  It got me home.    She's still driving down the road.

And on a happy note, the people buying the RV said it would probably be next Saturday.  Finally!! Woot!!!  Now to pay back all the things I've been needing to for a while, like my credit card bill.  Ugh!!  Don't think I've ever not paid it off, and have actually rarely ever used a credit card, I hate owing!!  And the bf bought the parts for all that was done last week to the van, will be paying that back, as well.  There's about 2k right there.  Oh well, will have it, pay it, then not owe anyone. 

I've also been mentally debating with myself about doing ALL 50 states.  Stuff gets expensive!!  Being pretty much broke last few months really sucks, tbh, and I just really don't like the thought of putting myself there again any time soon.  I mean, what would happen if I didn't visit all states??  Nothing.  I doubt John would be upset if I didn't get to Delaware or North Dakota.. ya know?    I don't know..  maybe just go to some certain places, special places.   Places he would have liked.   My brain goes over and over this and won't shut up.  Definitely not going too far in this heat coming up.  Why play with fire, right?

Have my daughters wedding coming up in a few months, so will be busy with that.  : Keep myself occupied. lol   That's all for now. 
Cheers!!

 

[Theadyn]

it's old..  I don't care..   I STILL get inspiration from watching this youtube video...  I wish he would update and let us know whats going one...    BTW.. fucking love the music!!

 

[Theadyn]

Please.. Please.. watch this

 

[Theadyn]

I'm sorry.. I tried to link to this awesome youtube video... I was met with so much crap though, between this one's edit and youtude sht.. sorry...

 

[WriterMs]

I've also been mentally debating with myself about doing ALL 50 states.  Stuff gets expensive!!  Being pretty much broke last few months really sucks, tbh, and I just really don't like the thought of putting myself there again any time soon.  I mean, what would happen if I didn't visit all states??  Nothing.  I doubt John would be upset if I didn't get to Delaware or North Dakota.. ya know?    I don't know..  maybe just go to some certain places, special places.   Places he would have liked.   My brain goes over and over this and won't shut up.  Definitely not going too far in this heat coming up.  Why play with fire, right?

Hey, I think 50 states is a nice goal to keep in mind. But you are very right that some states are more beautiful and interesting than others. Because of biz travel earlier in my career plus my own love of travel, I guess I've been to nearly 40 states.. I never really counted them up. But do I plan to make a special trip to DE or RI? Nope.. I don't care if I see them (no offense intended to anyone who lives there or loves them).

So, why not start out with the sub-goal of seeing the 25 states you'd MOST like to see. After that, you can decide about the other half? LOL

 

[Theadyn]

Sounds great... Thank You!!

 

[Theadyn]

Haven't had much exciting happen lately.  Have really been trying to figure out the best way to move forward from here.  Here's the situation, would love any thoughts or input from you fine folks out there.

So we already know the Van is having some problems.  Have differing opinions on what's going on.  And my stupid brain thinks everything to death.  Things have to make sense to me logically.  Here is the scenario, and then the two different opinions and my thoughts on them.

The scenario:  Hours and hours of steep inclines, declines, hairpin curves, gunning the engine and in the heat.  At one point the tranny got po'd and started spewing tranny fluid.  Thankfully this was seen and I got pulled over.  Poured in more fluid, managed to get a bit further down the road until I felt it slip 3 times and pulled over at the first safe spot I could.  The others went to find a close town to find more tranny fluid and were gone about an hour.  Was parked in the shade and gave tranny a break.  Loaded in more fluid and limped it the 20 miles to the next town, kept stopping and checking levels, barely any drips, zero more slippage, took it easy.  Found a motel and decided to drive it early the next day in the cooler temps, slow, and check often to try to get it to the next bigger town.  It actually drove the next 310 miles perfectly, zero slippage, a drop or two of fluid dripped, and was in the high 90's the last hour of two of the last leg with still zero problems, but it was mostly flat across Oklahoma on the drive.  I've pretty much left if parked since waiting for some $$ to come in from RV sale and then decide what to do. 

The different opinions:  Opinion one:  source, bf
Bf thinks tranny needs an overhaul, has brother that can get it done for about $1,600 at his shop.  Bear in mind, the van itself only cost $2,550 to begin with.  He can afford this type of thinking, I can not. 
Opinion two:  source, dad
Dad has had this exact thing happen before.  The mechanic explained to him (I'll do my best to describe how he put it, but I am not good at mechanical lingo) that there is a seal on the transmission that will fold up when under too much stress, dumping fluid.  It's hot and overworked.  Mechanic told him not to pull with that vehicle anymore and avoid that much stress like limiting high mountains with high temps.  He did and hasn't had a problem since.  Dad also suggested possibly getting a bigger fan to cool it better.

Situation Two:
Van has been tending to die when put in reverse.  I've been told the two have nothing in common.  It did this on the Arkansas trip, never did before.  Yesterday when moving the van it seemed the idling while in gear is screwy, going from normal idle, then slowing down to sounding like it's about to die.  In park, nothing.  In reverse or drive, it does it.  When driving then breaking, feels like it's about to die.  Have no clue what this is.

Situation Three:
The A/C.  There is a leak somewhere.  The compressor in it works, so he took back the new one and the new accumulator.  There is a leak somewhere and bf suspects it's somewhere that's going to be hard to get to.  This is logical to me because, yes, the AC ran until the Freon leaked out.  It's possible the back has AC back there as well, there's a box midway against the wall on the drivers side.  However, right on the outside of it is a tiny spot of rust.  In Oklahoma, it's not often you see a vehicle with rust.  When driving it the past few months with the AC going there will usually be a puddle of water right there, right where the inside unit is located.  That could be where it naturally will drain the condensation, or it possibly could be where it's leaking, I don't know.  Yet...  that's more $$ to take it in to someone to fix the leak.

So I'm sitting here tossing this up in my head of all the $$'s to keep Van Halen going.  She is already outfitted, and she's paid for.  Thus far, the motor has been great.  And she has 120k miles on her.  So, do I keep sinking money into her?

On the other hand, she does still only get 15mpg on the road.  If I do the above scenario's it won't leave with much to travel with before I'm back to broke again.  So I've been going over and over in my head if there are any alternatives and have considered something..  different vehicle?

I'm wondering if I should sell both my Van Halen, as is, and get what I can out of it, and also sell my lil Pontiac Vibe for what I can, and get something that is a cross between the two, a minivan.  And have only ONE vehicle.  One that serves both purposes, daily driver, and mini camper.  One thing to tag and insure.  One to keep up maintenance on and tires good.  A minivan would definitely get better gas mileage on my trips.  I'll be driving a lot and not staying in one place for any length of time (except the RTR ), so really just need a place to crash and store some stuff.   Trade the known for the unknown?   

I'm not going on any trips for a while, not in August heat and not with my daughter's upcoming wedding Sept. 5th, so I have a while to decide and think on this.  My brain just won't shut up about it.  Would love to hear what someone would do in the above situation.  Let's say you have $9k to play with, but that is all you have between you and broke, with minimal other income coming in, $200-300 a month (no reals bills).  You want as much as you can to be able to travel some but still leave a cushion.  You have a 1996 Ford E150 with 120k miles outfitted as a camper with the above issues, and a 2007 Pontiac Vibe that runs great but not the best body with 138k on it (both paid for).  You have zero mechanical ability and will have to have professional work on vehicles.   What would you do?

 

[gramakittycat]

Love my minivan '03 ford windstar.Just the right size for me and my 4 kittys.Since you have some time have you thought about trading your two vehicles for something you like better? I was very fortunate mine was at 139000 miles and I was the 3rd owner.Had all the maintenece records and the carfax also.So far no issues but I keep up the routine maintanence without fail.Im in a very similar financial situation with a MUCH smaller $ reserve so I feel you with the indecision. Best of luck.

 

[Theadyn]

Love my minivan '03 ford windstar.Just the right size for me and my 4 kittys.Since you have some time have you thought about trading your two vehicles for something you like better? I was very fortunate mine was at 139000 miles and I was the 3rd owner.Had all the maintenece records and the carfax also.So far no issues but I keep up the routine maintanence without fail.Im in a very similar financial situation with a MUCH smaller $ reserve so I feel you with the indecision. Best of luck.

Absolutely have been thinking of trading both for one. Wish I had one of those magic 8 balls that you shake and gives me the answer of the correct way to proceed. That would be nice. Or a fairy Godmother to sprinkle dust on both of them and combine into one: spacious enough yet still decent on gas and good running. I can dream, right? hehe Until then, will just let the internal brain battle continue onward. Cheers!!

 

[corky52]

Why not a comfortable/economical car and a small trailer?


Corky

 

[Theadyn]

Why not a comfortable/economical car and a small trailer?


Corky

Have the comfortable/economical car, but a trailer would kill the stealth aspect. Will be relying on urban dwelling while traveling. But thanks for the thought!

 

[corky52]

Stealth is highly overrated!  A modified trailer is easy to over look for a couple of days in many places.

Corky

 

[rvpopeye]

Theadyn
Sorry to hear about your mechanical issues after doing so much to fix up your van already.
I'm thinking that if you do the repairs , you will have that much less to worry about in the future.
I also know the feeling of throwing money into what seems like a sinking ship......I have one of those :dodgy:

I'd just hold off for now and see how things play out.
Meanwhile keep working on your plan B and watch for deals too.

If you decide to fix 'er up:
There is a type of AC recharge fluid that has dye in it to aid in finding leaks.

Ask at the place that you buy parts if they can recommend a reliable tranny guy and go ask him about yours,
usually advice doesn't cost ya !

Hope the little Theadyn has a great wedding and wonderful new life.

 

[Theadyn]

Will keep that in mind about the dye to find the leak, thanks for the tip! I might try that to see if I can locate where the leak is myself and proceed from there.

Well, there's a certified check with my name on it for the RV, they will be coming tomorrow to get her. That will be one less headache.

Conversing with a friend mechanic, will be doing these 3 things on the van, on the cheap, to see if that fixes the issues with the idling: clean the throttle body, clean the mass air flow sensor, and replacing the fuel filter. Think I can get these done without taking it to someone, only be out parts. If that doesn't work will go from there.

As far as the tranny.. I'm leaning towards my dad's advice on the issue. Which, isn't really an issue unless there's been a lot of load, stress and high heat all mixed together. Without those conditions, doesn't leak or slip and shifts just fine. So no more hours and hours of multiple steep inclines and tromping on the gas in the high temps for this chick.