Getting ready to go

We are getting ready to head on over to Las Vegas for the NASCAR race next weekend.  I checked on reservations for 4 nights and found it was cheaper to get the weekly rate than the 4 nights so we leave on Monday for a week.  Since I haven’t driven the motorhome for a year it will be good for it and me.

The guys are coming back tomorrow to add another layer of wax on the motorhome.  Hopefully this time it will come out better.

 

The last couple of days it has been real windy here.  I hate the wind.  The temps would be in the high 70s if it weren’t for the wind chill.  It did calm down enough this morning to take a hike to the Bill Williams River.  It is amazing how green the desert is right now.  Won’t be long before the flowers start popping out.

No wax today

Well the guys were supposed to come by today and talk about what we can do for my wax job on the motorhome.  As you can see in this photo, it is a lot whiter and brighter but most of the shine is gone. 

 

Anyway, we didn’t get together today because a friend came by with his Razor and asked if I wanted go for a ride.  Now I am not going to miss out on a ride so I called the wax guys and postponed it until tomorrow.

 

Who says the desert is hot and miserable?  This is what we woke to Wednesday morning.

 

Yeah that’s snow on the hills behind the resort.  It wasn’t too cold here in the resort at 600 ft above sea level but it must have been pretty cold up there at 2200 feet.  In the 6 years we have been here I have never seen it so low.

I made the call

Today, after the rain, I got out my can of wax and did a test wax on a spot.  It came out much nicer than the machine job I just got.  Most of the “highs and lows” came out and it shined much more than the Professional job I got.  So I gave the owner of the detail shop a call.  He said he would send his detailers out tomorrow and possibly stop by himself to see what they can do about it, if anything.  At the least I would like to get some of my $310 back so I won’t feel so bad going over what they already did.  I don’t mind buffing it out by hand myself.  I just though they would do a better job.

Not happy

Today I got the motorhome washed and waxed.  Usually I do it myself.  I figured I would have it professionally done because… well I thought they would do a better job with their electric buffers than my hand wax job.  I was wrong.  In fact I think I did a better job by hand than they did and I paid them $310 for this.  It does not shine and there are a lot of swirl marks.  Their excuse was that the fiberglass is oxidizing and it will take more waxing to bring the shine out.  OK maybe so but I wish they had let me know this before they completed the job and given me the option to pay for a bad job or do it myself.  I may have to give the owner a call and see what he suggests.

Chassis Lube

Today I did the chassis lube on the motorhome.  All went well except I could not get to one fitting.  It is in a tight place and requires turning the front wheels one way or the other.  Since we have a steering wheel table with Susan’s knick-knacks on it that wasn’t an option.  When I take the tranny oil down for recycling I will pick up a 90 degree fitting so I can get to it.

My next task will be to replace the coolant and thermostat.  I discovered I have a cracked recovery bottle and I knew I had a crack in the cap so I am looking for a replacement.  This is not an easy task.  Seems no one has the caps, even on line.

Tranny maintenance

The wind finally died down today so I did the tranny fluid change on the motorhome.  I first marked a 5 gallon bucket at the 1 gallon, 2 gallon, 2 gallon + 1 quart, 2 gallon + 2 quart, 2 gallon + 3 quart, and 3 gallon mark.  I was told I would only get about 3 gallons out on a refill.  I purchased 3 gallons of PB Autrans Syn 295 at about $57 a gallon (ouch!).  Finally I slid the bucket under the tranny and pulled the plug.  1 gallon, 2 gallons, 3 gallons (oh no!).  Imagine my anxiety when it went past the 3 gallon mark with no sign of slowing down.  After pulling the pan and draining the screw on filter I measured 3 gallons 3 quarts and 3 cups.  Off to the store I went for another gallon.

 

 

Well all went fine.  There was absolutely no metal in the bottom of the pan.  Some fuzz on the magnet in the pan and filter, that’s  normal.  I was thinking I should replace the main filter since it was right there after pulling the pan but didn’t want to run back to the store.  Would probably have to order one anyway.  Also I figured since the fluid was so clean and the main filter change is only recommended during a rebuild, I didn’t worry much about it.  I placed a tarp under the motorhome just in case but didn’t spill a drop.

Torque specs on the pan bolts are 18-21.  I torqued them to 18.  The drain bolt is 22-30.  I torqued it to 25 which sure seemed tight.  Next I started it up and ran through the gears leaving it in drive and reverse for about 2 minutes each then put it in park and checked the level.  Lastly I shut it down and checked for leaks, none found.  Glad that’s done.  Since I used synthetic this time, the next change isn’t for another 100,000 miles.  In other words…never again.

Slacking

Every once in a while I get a kick in the pants from one of my website Followers for not updating the site.  I just got another the other day.  I will try to be more diligent in posting here.  The only excuse is that we aren’t traveling so I didn’t think there is anything to write about.  The truth is, there is a lot that goes on here and you all might be interested in hearing about it.

Every Thursday is hike day at the resort.  There are lots of trails thought the desert and plenty to see.  Today we hiked about 40 miles away in a small community called Yucca.  I know today is Friday and we did hike yesterday but sometimes we do a few extra days here and there.  Anyway I though you might be interested in seeing a few photos of the beauty the desert has to offer.

 

 

We hiked through some cholla fields and got pretty stuck with cactus.  I think I still have one in my leg.  My favorite is to climb to the top of the hills and enjoy the views. 

This is a big weekend for Havasu.  We have the big pyrotechnics show where the manufacturers bring their best for show in hopes to attract more sales.  It is a whole weekend event starting Thursday night on through the weekend.  Also is the Rockabilly event.  Lots of music, classic cars and freaks.