Theadyn's van and trip log

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Ding dong, the mice are dead!!! lol

Been over a week and nary a mouse. All 4 traps still had peanut butter on them. The smell is gone, too, thanks to the obsessive vacuuming, bleaching, and vinegar use. I left the poison in there, where it shall stay in the dark recesses where doggies can't get to it. The washings of all to go back in has commenced and I'm one happy camper.

Actually.. I have been going back and forth with myself on the upcoming RTR, and what to drive. Still a little nervous about the tranny, and it acted funny the other day. Well, it had been sitting for a few weeks without driving it while on the war with the mice, so I'll give it a little lee-way in it starting a bit rough and going a bit rough til it warmed up a little bit. It's still wanting to die when I put it in reverse, but I just restart it and try again and it usually goes. But it did do a hiccup, at least to me, when in 1st or 2nd gear a few times over the past few weeks.

Yesterday my daughter and I decided to load our doggies up and take her for a good spin, went to a lake about 40 miles away, Dead Warrior Lake, to get her on the road and just see what happens. I put a few more cans of Freon in her just for good measure and she was blowing cold. She did great going down the road and all. But, when we got to the town about 10 miles from our destination, we decided to drive around town a bit, as she had lived there part-time with my ex when she was 10 years old. She wanted to find her old house.

Anyways, while going through the back streets and the stop and going, she once did a really big rev up in 1st gear before getting into gear. Not sure how else to explain it. My daughter felt it, too. We kept going and didn't have any other issue. Have no idea whether to be concerned about this or not. It never happened again, nothing was leaking, temp was good, pressure was good, tranny fluid still full, and no odd smells that my nose always picks up when they arise. Maybe it was just the way I was driving it, who knows.

Here was my worry over this past week: If it is the tranny and needs to be rebuilt/replaced, then it'll cost quite a bit. Should I do that, then there won't be a whole lot left of my dwindling funds to go much after that, without getting into emergency funds. Since I didn't have a lot of money put into her when I bought her, would it be better to just find another?? But then it's a whole nother can of worms I may not know about with a different one.

My minds been going back and forth with do I keep it, keep putting money in it? Get something else? Still keep 2 vehicles or sell both and have just one? The one would be multi purpose of town running everyday and camper, hopefully better on gas than van. But the van is more spacious. My other vehicle is running great and good on gas, great for town running. Yet.. it's still 2 vehicles to care for. But the van is already outfitted and has taken me to many states already and I like driving her. Then I thought, why not just drive my little car to the RTR? It's in great running shape and would definitely be cheaper on gas, but then I'd have to buy some more things to get her camp ready, so I'm not really saving anything, plus it'd be way more cramped than the van.

Ugh!!!! See how my brain works?? I can't stop it!! lol

Anyways, since my daughter and I bounce ideas off each other, she listened to all my thoughts on this. She said I was like a hypochondriac with the van runnings, I'm just waiting for something to go wrong, lol. Hmm... that made me think. Maybe she's right. Maybe I should just say to heck with it, load her up come January, mind how I'm driving, keep eye on stuff, and hope for the best. I do have AAA, after all, lol. If something DOES happen, deal with it then. And chill out about it.

I must admit, a sort of peace has settled over me with this. Definitely be happier taking the van over the little Vibe, and the van is already outfitted and comfy. Should something happen later, depending on how much it is to fix it, either fix it or scrap it, I still have another vehicle at home.

I do plan on taking her out a lot more in the next few months, just to make myself feel more secure. Would really like to figure out the dying thing, surely that isn't a huge thing. It's not really a big deal other than just a pain in my rear. Other than that, it's just looking forward to the Rendezvous. :)


(sorry for the long wall of text.. isn't nothing compared to what is rolling inside my head, lol. sometimes just feels better to get this out though)
 
I feel you with the rollicking head, it's a zoo in there! :p  It's like it never stops, should we get something else should we get something new or should we get rid of the Roadtrek and switch to plain van, blah blah blah.

I think the cure is this, we just need to get out there, in what we have, and see where the road takes us.
 
Theadyn said:
Ding dong, the mice are dead!!!    lol

Hooray!  Victory at last.

Definitely be happier taking the van over the little Vibe, and the van is already outfitted and comfy.  Should something happen later, depending on how much it is to fix it, either fix it or scrap it, I still have another vehicle at home.  

You may want to have the title with you in case it goes belly up and you need to sell it and fly home.
 
Theadyn said:
Anyways, while going through the back streets and the stop and going, she once did a really big rev up in 1st gear before getting into gear.  Not sure how else to explain it.  My daughter felt it, too.  We kept going and didn't have any other issue.  Have no idea whether to be concerned about this or not.  It never happened again, nothing was leaking, temp was good, pressure was good, tranny fluid still full, and no odd smells that my nose always picks up when they arise.  Maybe it was just the way I was driving it, who knows.

Here was my worry over this past week:  If it is the tranny and needs to be rebuilt/replaced, then it'll cost quite a bit.  Should I do that, then there won't be a whole lot left of my dwindling funds to go much after that, without getting into emergency funds.  Since I didn't have a lot of money put into her when I bought her, would it be better to just find another??  But then it's a whole nother can of worms I may not know about with a different one.

Let me suggest that you repost this question over in the Mechanical Issues sub-forum.  We've got at least a half a dozen really sharp mechanics here, but there is no guarantee that any of them read every post or follow everyone's Captain's Logs.  You are more likely to get helpful responses with a separate post over there.

Regards
John
 
A suggestion for the 'Circus in the Head' phenomenon... I've found that my biggest problems come from keeping the whole mess in my head rather than putting it down on paper (or excited electrons!).

Since this particular 'worry' is all maintenance related I want to ask - do you have a maintenance schedule drawn up? As in, a chart that shows what needs to be done at which mileage/month mark? The most successful vanners I've seen online all seem to have this in common. They are able to relax because they have mapped out their 'expected' travel/maintenance/perishables expenditures and they know where they stand. In the case of a van that's still a bit hinky you'd also want to make a listing of each major function (engine, tranny, cooling system, tires, etc.) that might fail and the estimated cost to repair or replace.

This laying out of all the variables SHOULD help you to focus and think calmly about each facet of your problem.
 
dhawktx
Great idea , thx for sharing it.

I have a list of future anticipated expenses ,
just bought a bunch of brake parts and hope to cross off replacing all brake stuff soon !
It does make sense to do that for everything.
 
Well folks, I'm sad to report... Van Halen's tranny is shot. :( Garage finally called me today. I can afford to fix it, will run my funds low, but she will be fixed. The dying thing they said was causde from the tranny trying to get into gear and locking up, so will not have that issue anymore, either. I'll definitely feel better driving her after the fix.

By golly, you guys will be seeing this weirdo chick in her tan Van Halen come the RTR. :)

Before I took her to the mechanic, I decided to remove the desk that I had in there. It didn't really work that well for me and the drawers weren't all that compatible for kitchen stuffs, so I gave it to mom. Added all my plastic bins that I've been taking in, then out, then in again, lol. Lots more storage, for sure. I may or may not keep an eye out for a small chest of drawers, but who knows. Kinda fun moving that stuff around and seeing what I can do with the space.

Taking a small trip in a couple weeks. Nothing huge, just a place we went to last year in my RV, near Sulphur, Oklahoma. The ole dude has been working on his monster old rv to get her ready. I am already nervous about the drive, I hate riding in Class A's, haha. Hmm.. if Van Halen is ready I may just follow. :D
 
Sucks to need the trannie but better at home than somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the road.

Does this mean you'll be able to do the RTR in January??
 
highdesertranger said:
glad you got it figured out, not glad you need a new trans. highdesertranger

Me, too!! :)

Almost There said:
Sucks to need the trannie but better at home than somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the road.

Does this mean you'll be able to do the RTR in January??

No lie, I woulda been on a stretch of nowhere when it kaput, knowing my luck, lol. And yes, definitely going to the RTR! :)

(now how to gently tell mom that although I would enjoy her company, I'd rather go alone, lol. Well.. okay, I don't want to hear her snores!!)

(p.s. lookie at me! finally figured out how to multi-quote, lol)
 
Lady Theadyn
It is my duty to remind you that "knowing my luck" is incorrect.
The breakdown happened at your home base , no?
I think whatever your luck used to be , it seems to have changed.
Maybe the tranny going south on you is not so great but you are far from "the middle of nowhere" ! Which is not so bad as it would seem..........

OK , now to the real point for my post.
I have broken down in many places that may be considered "the middle of nowhere"
BUT there are always people that call that place "home" and I've found that many of them have treated me like it was my home too!
Yes , there were a few that were not so kind but they were greatly outnumbered by the "good guys" .........and IIRC the "good guys" seem to usually be located "in the middle of nowhere" and the "not so good guys" were usually located in the "big city, not the middle of nowhere" places.... so , if anyone is worried about breaking down "in the middle of nowhere ,,,,,,don't , that's a good thing!

Ahh the stories from the road I can tell are many , (hey , I've lived out there most of my life!)  Stay Tuned

Glad you're going to be able to get VanHalen well again !
 
Bob Dickerson said:
Wishing you the best of luck with the trans repair.

Thank you, I'll need it. :)

rvpopeye said:
Lady Theadyn
It is my duty to remind you that "knowing my luck" is incorrect.
The breakdown happened at your home base , no?
I think whatever your luck used to be , it seems to have changed.
Maybe the tranny going south on you is not so great but you are far from "the middle of nowhere" ! Which is not so bad as it would seem..........

OK , now to the real point for my post.
I have broken down in many places that may be considered "the middle of nowhere"
BUT there are always people that call that place "home" and I've found that many of them have treated me like it was my home too!
Yes , there were a few that were not so kind but they were greatly outnumbered by the "good guys" .........and IIRC the "good guys" seem to usually be located "in the middle of nowhere" and the "not so good guys" were usually located in the "big city, not the middle of nowhere" places.... so , if anyone is worried about breaking down "in the middle of nowhere ,,,,,,don't , that's a good thing!

Ahh the stories from the road I can tell are many , (hey , I've lived out there most of my life!)  Stay Tuned

Glad you're going to be able to get VanHalen well again !

Very, very good point taken!! I have been in a bind before, more than once, and had good fortune to meet kind people to help me in my time of need. I need to remind myself of this often when I take to the road. *bows to your wisdom*
 
No bows required!
I just didn't want you to start questioning if you should give up the road life so soon......
 
How long do they guarantee the Repair will last ?
 
Silver said:
How long do they guarantee the Repair will last ?

Not sure yet the length of the guarantee yet, will find out when I go to pick it up. :)
 
Well, I have begun the task of making CD's for Van Halen.

Van Halen came with a radio that's fairly decent and plays CD's, but nothing else fancy with it. Since I want to keep things cheap and don't want to buy a new radio just to be able to plug in a phone, or whatever, to play songs I like while out on the road, was looking at alternatives.

Had a Youtube playlist started with songs I like, right now there is 163 songs on there. Converting them one at a time to mp3 to be able to burn to CD was going to be tedious and a PITA (pain in the arse, lol). Through Google, found a converter that did my whole list in the matter or minutes, then moved them over to a new iTunes account, burned them from there. My cheapy $2 pack of 5 CD's worked pretty good and now I have music I like I can listen to on the road. $2 and some of my time on Sunday, not too shabby.

Next weekend will be heading to south Oklahoma. Will be going in the Beast (the old guy's big ugly RV) and I'll be riding shotgun. Say a prayer for me, I'll be nervous as crap!! Unless... :D ... they have my Van Halen done from the transmission place. If that's the case, then I will follow the Beast in Van Halen so if my daughter joins me, her and her new hubby will have a place to sleep. They live about 15 minutes from where we will be. Sure hope my kiddo shows up... otherwise it's just a 3 day weekend with the old guy's kids (ie. me the odd man out and uncomfortable the whole time).

The foliage should be pretty there, will be sure and take pictures!!!

(and I hope I don't miss Tony and Karen coming through my part of the world while on this tiny trip)
 
Hope Van Halen is fixed by the weekend! We're still in slow, slow mode so it'll still be awhile before we hit western Oklahoma. Sending you a PM for more details. Have a good trip!
 
Yes, Indeed! I have figured out how to get videos with a 3rd party downloader, but not how to convert that to an MP3.
 
Top