Buying 85 IDI ATS turbo motorhome!

[Cubey]

All my simulators end up for sale on craigslist. I'm kind of a no bling guy.

Well they were on it when I got it. They do make it look much nicer so I have left them since this thing needs all the prettying up it can get. Now I find they are annoying for not being able to keep an eye on those bolts. Just keeping the painted rims cleaned up might be enough. They have been covered by the simulators for who knows how many years, so the paint on them doesn't look bad.

Maybe I'll consider selling them someday, but for now I'll continue to use the front ones. They aren't as big of an annoyance as the rear ones. There's also nothing to really keep my eyes on up front like on the rear.

If I stayed on paved roads all the time, it maybe the flange bolts wouldn't be at risk of working loose, but I go down some pretty rough gravel roads sometimes. Blue loctite might be a good idea on the flange bolts. Maybe I'll go back and do that later if I find that they are in fact working loose. I torqued them to 50 ft-lbs per the manual spec (40-50). Online info says the same. Maybe they could stand to have new lock washers too or instead of locktite, these washers do seem a bit flattened out. I could always do that at any time by just pulling one bolt at a time, so the RTV seal doesn't get broken.

 

[Cubey]

I swear it seems like I lose at least 1mpg with winter fuel.

My MPG lately has been crap vs this summer (even in the mountains) when I was getting around 9mpg. It's down to around 7-8 lately. Looking at my fuel economy on the drive to AZ last November, that's about what I got too. I did have the hammer down a lot on i-10 between Las Cruces and Yuma, doing 65-70 a fair bit from what I remember, and it was pretty head-windy, so that could have been why.

It seems I have been "over" filling the front tank lately, due to the crazy long filler tube from the neck to the tank, so that throws off the MPG calculations short term too. This morning, I added 3.7 gallons to the front thinking I used that much a few days ago on a 30 mile drive (30mi / 8mpg = 3.75gal), and also refilled the 3/4 empty rear. I usually use the rear tank first so there's less weight towards in the rear but I have been doing that for over a month mostly so I switched to the front for a 55 mile drive today. I barely got below the full line after that drive. Usually that would use about 1/4 of a tank, so either my MPG jumped to 15-16 (unlikely) then I must have had several extra gallons over the tank's capacity.

Although, I did notice my tire pressures were down some all around on the RV. They were at about 63 PSI when it calls for 65 for all, but I put 70 front, 75 rear since it seems to help MPG and rides fine. I fixed the pressures yesterday before the 55 mile drive today, it isn't very windy, and I stayed at 55-60 so that probably helped. Also mostly flat roads. The trailer tires were down by about 10 too, so I put them back up to 50 (tire max).

I came out to TX for the winter from AZ in early October, but now after almost 2 months, I've decided to go back to AZ. My poor budget, with fuel being about $1.50/gal more than this time last year!. Especially after I just spent over $1k on a new MPPT solar charge controller and 2 lifepo4 batteries (100AH and 200AH). The old lead acid "house" batteries were going bad anyway, so I decided I wanted to do that since I'm committed to RV living long term. They'll help pay for themselves long term vs running my small generator for my laptop as much.

I wanna get back up to WA to empty my small storage unit finally (after 5 years as of right now) next summer, but I need to sell a few things out of the cargo trailer first to help make room. I should be able to in AZ since it's mainly just a 30# propane tank a 3 ton floor back that can't let the rear of the RV. Odds are I can find buyers for them over the next 3-4 months. I almost went up there this summer but changed my mind after I was in SE Idaho. But next year, I think I will.

Maybe I'll sell the simulators too since there is no shortage of dually RVs around that could use them.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

You seem to lose MPGs on winter fuel because you DO lose MPGs on winter fuel!

#1 diesel is a mix of kerosene and #2 straight diesel. Kerosene has fewer BTUs per gallon than straight diesel.

That said, according to the Google machine it's only about 7.2% less BTUs and the mix isn't even as high as 50-50 IIRC. So it must affect timing as well so we get it on both ends since we don't have a computer to adjust for timing.

 

[bigdog]

Looking for leaks is best found by looking inside the cabinets at the roof edge and the wall where the builder put it together. Looks like this coach has radius corners which runs from the front to the rear and is most commonly where the water starts to get in. When this is sent to the builder it is called a cab and chassis or incomplete. The back of the cab is left off either buy ford or gm back in the day. Looking above the cab from the outside at the underside of what is the bed will be a good place to see how much water has gotten in. Look for brown water stains and a sag around this area . This repair is a little challenge to repair. Helping people with Recreational vehicles has been something I have been around for the day my family started a RV dealership in 1969. If no body is sure of the tires then look for a oval shaped embossed area on the side wall. It should have four numbers in it. First two numbers will be the week and the second two numbers will be the year. I hope some of this mum bo jumbo helps with your venture into the RV life style.

 

[Cubey]

You seem to lose MPGs on winter fuel because you DO lose MPGs on winter fuel!

It's just such a big hit when we're talking single digits. A 1 mpg loss (from 9 to 8) is a 12.5% loss! That means it costs me 12.5% more for fuel. That plus the higher fuel prices lately.

I guess I'll have to try to keep my foot out of it on the drive to Arizona, staying around 55 if possible. It's mostly interstate driving, and what isn't is divided or 4 lane highways, so people can pass me if they wanna.

Unrelated kind of, but I shopped around online and spotted the Power Service white bottle (winter) additive on sale for $14 at O'Reilly, $2-3 less than Walmart, so I grabbed a bottle today on my walk to an Amazon locker to pick up a package since it was right across the road. I am out of the white bottle, but I dunno if I really needed it since I'm going back to southern AZ where it mostly doesn't get that cold. But it never hurts to have it.

My budget for Dec is shot though, I'll have about $120 for "extras" after fuel and food. I mean, I have tons of open credit on cards for emergencies, plus money savings, so it's not like I'd be stranded if I suddenly blew a couple of tires or something like that, I just can't (and don't need to) buy extras very much. Although, I might treat myself to a new pair of sweat pants since the pair I've had for 6 or 7 years is getting holes in them finally.

 

[Cubey]

Looking for leaks is best found by looking inside the cabinets at the roof edge and the wall where the builder put it together. Looks like this coach has radius corners which runs from the front to the rear and is most commonly where the water starts to get in. When this is sent to the builder it is called a cab and chassis or incomplete. The back of the cab is left off either buy ford or gm back in the day. Looking above the cab from the outside at the underside of what is the bed will be a good place to see how much water has gotten in. Look for brown water stains and a sag around this area . This repair is a little challenge to repair. Helping people with Recreational vehicles has been something I have been around for the day my family started a RV dealership in 1969. If no body is sure of the tires then look for a oval shaped embossed area on the side wall. It should have four numbers in it. First two numbers will be the week and the second two numbers will be the year. I hope some of this mum bo jumbo helps with your venture into the RV life style.

I put new a set of cheap Chinese tires on it (from Walmart) in early 2019 after I got it. They were about $80/each at the time. The tires it had were so cracked, the steel belts were showing. They are holding up fine, just the typical slow pressure loss from elevation and season/temperature changes. It was a pretty equal loss across all 6 tires, none were crazy low vs the rest.

It has big fiberglass pieces on the cabover nose, the section under that, and the entire rear end. Oh and the roof between the front nose and rear end is one huge piece of fiberglass too. I fixed large sections of major leaks shortly after I got it and then fixed a couple more small ones since then.

It's probably still leaking in a few places it's almost impossible to completely seal such an old RV without tearing it down to the frame and rebuilding it all over again. It has a steel skeleton throughout, including the cabover, with wood do supplement around the windows and the gaps between the skin for the trim.

I just got a box of torque washers (they keep carriage bolts from turning when used in wood) for fixing the rotten grey tank supports and floor under the tub/shower, I just gotta wait until I get to Arizona to start tearing that out and rebuilding it. It won't even cost much in wood, probably just one or two 2x4x8 boards, a 24"x48" piece of 1/2" plywood (the most expensive thing), and a small box of construction screws. About $60-65 tops including the torque washers.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Cubey, for the way you drive, I'd run the cheap tires too. You don't put very many miles on them each year.

 

[Cubey]

Cubey, for the way you drive, I'd run the cheap tires too. You don't put very many miles on them each year.

Yep. I've had them almost 3 years and I've put under 10k miles on them so far. They'll be due for replacement by age before they get worn out, probably.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I think so too.

 

[Cubey]

Dang, my MPG has been really good (for a big RV with a trailer) on this drive to Yuma. I've been staying at 55'ish for basically the entire drive, save for many slow downs on steep grades and a couple times I had to get up to 65 to deal with people who don't know how to merge onto freeways. (I give them room ahead of me, but they slow down and get along side of me, so I have to speed up and/or get over if possible) It also hasn't been windy at all, so that's helped a lot. Last year, I had a lot of head winds, and I had the hammer down a lot more, if I remember right. It was most noticeable on the steep grade between Las Cruces and Alamogordo. Last year with the heavy head wind, it got me down to 20-25mph. Without it the other day, the slowest it got me down to was 40-45.

My latest fill-ups:

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If you add the MPG numbers all together, then divide by 5, the MPG average has been 9.776! That's crazy good for this thing. That's better than I was getting this past summer, but I was around a lot more hills/mountains, it was windier, and I had the A/C on a fair amount.

I have been using my two 5 gallon cans to carry extra fuel to extend my range/buy more when it's cheaper. The TSD fuel card has been a huge help, since i-10 had very cheap fuel between TX and round Eloy, AZ. It cost me about $70 less than expected, between the 1+ better MPG and the cheaper than expected diesel.

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I get charged 10% fee of the discount (that's how TSD makes their money) but even so, that was a big savings. The pump price was around $4 (just under?) and "my" price was $3.026 (as shown). I paid $3.17'ish after fees, but that's still a good 60 cents less per gallon that I would have paid going to a regular gas station and using my credit card for 2% cash back on fuel.

That was the pump (doesn't show the discount):

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It's so easy to get up to 60-65mph unless you really pay attention, especially when you're in a 75 zone and people are flying past you. I had to actively slow back down a few times. I've gone past many highway patrols running radar in the medians and none came after me, so I guess they're fine with 55.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Those sure are good MPG numbers. I'm impressed.

 

[Cubey]

I finally ordered a dirt cheap vacuum gauge to have permanently installed. It was already cheap to begin with, but then it was also marked down the other day, so I got it for under $13 with tax. I don't really care how accurate of a reading it gives as long as as it shows that it's functioning when driving, so I can keep an eye on my vac pump's working condition.

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I'm thinking about one of these gauge pods for it since it keeps it out of the way, plus gives a space for a future gauge of some kind. It costs almost as much as the vac gauge did:

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I already have the pyrometer in it's original tilting pod relocated to the a-pillar, but I'll leave it in that I think, since I like it being adjustable for a better viewing angle. The vac gauge doesn't matter so much as long as I see it having a good reading. There is space above it for the dual pod.

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[IDIBRONCO]

I finally ordered a dirt cheap vacuum gauge to have permanently installed. It was already cheap to begin with, but then it was also marked down the other day, so I got it for under $13 with tax. I don't really care how accurate of a reading it gives as long as as it shows that it's functioning when driving, so I can keep an eye on my vac pump's working condition.

You won't regret it. I also feel this way. Mine usually reads 16.5" while driving down the highway. It's "not enough", but my brakes work fine and it's where it reads. If it starts having a lower reading, I'll know that something's up. Just keep in mind that you will have lower vacuum as you go up in elevation. Around the Colorado state line, I'll have 1-1.5" less vacuum on the gauge. It will still have .5-1" less vacuum at Colby, KS. I think you know where that is. So you can see how sensitive to elevation it really is.

 

[Cubey]

You won't regret it. I also feel this way. Mine usually reads 16.5" while driving down the highway. It's "not enough", but my brakes work fine and it's where it reads. If it starts having a lower reading, I'll know that something's up. Just keep in mind that you will have lower vacuum as you go up in elevation. Around the Colorado state line, I'll have 1-1.5" less vacuum on the gauge. It will still have .5-1" less vacuum at Colby, KS. I think you know where that is. So you can see how sensitive to elevation it really is.

I do have this to go by. This was with a new vac pump, and I was testing it with various things hooked up or not. I can't recall what was what though after 3 years lol. But at least I know roughly what it should be. I might do a new reading before I hook up the permanent gauge so I can have something to compare the other gauge to, if they don't show about the same thing. I have cruise and something else (not sure what, vac warning sensor?) disconnected from the vac manifold and vinyl caps on the barbs, so it's easy to add in gauges, no tees needed.

New video by Ben

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[IDIBRONCO]

They are pretty easy to hook up. I did find out that my cruise cancel switch on my brake pedal was leaking vacuum. I was trying to get a better recovery after using the brakes so I took the vacuum line off of it and put a bolt in it. I have better vacuum, recovery now plus I gained 1" of vacuum while on the highway. My cruise control is my right foot so that switch isn't needed.