Bunch of Stuff

I ended up behind this old bus conversion a couple days ago. I was hoping they'd stop somewhere but they ended up getting on the expressway. Michigan doesn't issue that style license plate anymore so it's expired by at least 10 years. They must have just bought it or something. 

I've been starting to get the inside 'finished up'. I finally got the new wood cut and in place for the little corner spot there. Where the TV mounts to and the part next to the door. I also mounted the TV, which I really like. I still need to tie up the wires so they're neatly routed, and figure out where I want to keep the Roku.

You blog readers finally scared me enough to swap out the old steering gear. I don't think it would have ever completely failed but still it was pretty loose. It was an easier job than I expected. I figured getting the pitman arm off would be the hardest part but I rented the puller from AutoZone for $15 and after spraying the threads with PB Blaster it came right off. The new one is very noticeably tighter. My only complaint is I miscalculated and the steering wheel is a little off center now but I'm already used to it.

I've been driving the motorhome around more as my daily driver lately. The van's brakes are grinding again and I'm afraid that eventually the rotor is going to get so thin it'll just break in half. A sticky caliper is the issue, but I'm hesitant to put more money into the van because it's got a lot of issues and I plan to retire it soon. Also, there's a lot of extra weight in the van right now because I cleared out my storage unit. I'm still trying to find new places for everything.

I'll finish up by leaving you with some pictures of the motorhome at the park I hung out at for a while the other day. I didn't even notice while I was there, but you can see the leaves are starting to change. 

I'm Still Scared

There's a lot of things to be afraid of when you tell yourself you want to move into a motorhome.

For me, something that has been very difficult for me has been getting rid of my stuff. Forcing myself to go through stuff that has been in boxes for years. Being faced with things from my past that I've either really tried to ignore, or that have brought up memories that are more painful than I thought. That has been a scary process, that is still ongoing.

The fear of needing something down the road is big for me. Not trusting in the future to provide. There already have been a few instances of wishing I hadn't gotten rid of something because I suddenly had a use for it. Truth is, in the mess of boxes in storage I wouldn't have known where it was, if I even knew I still had it to begin with.

The constant nagging in the back of my head that knows I'm somewhat more talk than action keeps putting that little seed of doubt in my mind. Am I really going to do this thing? Or am I just forcing myself to deal with all of my STUFF for no reason? Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just sit on the couch, or go work at a job you hate? Stuff has value in my family. To throw stuff away kind of feels like I'm shunning my parents, or betraying them in some way. Weird.

I'm definitely afraid of failure since I'm trying to do this "all in". When I hit the road I don't want to have a storage unit. The unfortunate reality is that I won't be able to get rid of everything. I will have some boxes hanging out at my parents house, I'm sure. But I also want to get rid of the van, and my old travel trailer. When I hit the road, I want the only form of transportation I own to be the motorhome and a bicycle. That's a bit of commitment.  It'd make it that much more difficult to throw in the towel after a month and return to normal life.

(You might be aware that I've hit the road twice before with my travel trailer and returned after my temporary jobs ended. Both times I had a full storage unit and a ton of mental/emotional weight. I want to do it differently this time)

My absolute biggest fear is that I hit the road and have catastrophic engine failure. I don't know why. The options, should that happen, are limited. If possible, fix it. Worst case, tow it and sell it on the spot. Not much to it. Finances used to be a big part of this fear. Lately I have felt much better about it because (as I've mentioned earlier this year) I've been working on rebuilding my credit. I finally got approved for a credit card with a credit limit greater than a couple hundred dollars. So, should a worst case scenario happen I could use the credit card and limp along until I could figure out a new situation.

I've been working on the motorhome slowly but surely. I'll have an update about what I've been doing coming soon. It's getting pretty home-like in there.

The First Walmart

Last night was the first time I walked out of a Walmart and back to my RV. The first of many, I hope. Haha. The scene above is typical of that Walmart. Lots of parking. Also, like normal, there's never any RVs. You don't see too many in parking lots in Michigan. I was the only one for the short time I was there.

My biggest fear of the trip was almost realized. It started very hard on the way out. So I need to figure out what that's about. Otherwise, it's still running great and I had fun just cruising around for about 40 miles. 

I felt very on display for the few moments I was hanging out in back. Obviously if I was parked with the intention of staying awhile I'd probably tuck myself along the edges or something. Still, that will be one of my biggest obstacles when and if I launch myself into the mobile lifestyle. Feeling comfortable anywhere I go. 

I realized while I was there that I had electricity, in both 12v and 110v. I had a fridge. I had a stove. And I had a shower and a toilet. I could have showered right there in a Walmart parking lot. I could have made a meal. It was a powerful moment of true freedom. 

I couldn't have actually showered though. Almost. I redid all my plumbing yesterday as well. There's not much of it. The hardest part was limited access and tight spaces. I'm happy to say all my new lines are good and they don't leak. Unfortunately, it's still leaking right at the tank. So I drained everything again and I still need to get back out there. It's one of two things. Either the vinyl tube isn't clamped down enough (probably) or the actual fitting into the tank is loose. Easy enough to fix.

Back in Motion

Soon

We're getting close now. So close that I can no longer hide behind too many excuses and my fear of actually doing what I've been saying I want to do is going to be shown!  

I pulled back into my parents yard 3 years ago, pretty much to the day (I don't know the exact day) with the intention of getting back on the road within a matter of months. A lot of plans came and went and nothing really happened. I bought the van and started building it out. When I got close to finishing that I chickened out and/or decided it was too small for me if I took the cats. A year and a half ago I bought the motorhome thinking it'd be a couple months before I'd move into it. Took a little bit longer, but I'm close to having a really darn nice motorhome. So many new parts. 

I don't really have a 'move in' date. I guess that seems too finite and I want to test the waters slowly and build up my confidence in the vehicle. I still don't completely trust it. 

Anyway, the motorhome is back from the shop again. Other than the transmission being sluggish (was very low on fluid, must have finally cycled all the way through after I changed the filter and fluid), the motorhome ran great when I picked it up. So, as of right now I'm calling it 'ready' mechanically. Focus is shifting back to the living space and getting things up to speed. 

My most recent plan was to start taking short trips in it as of September 1st. Which now seems quite achievable. This next week I'll probably just drive it to the store and here and there. Maybe drive to the closest Walmart and hang out for a while. Haha. 

Hopefully, The Last Time

Back to where I started. Kind of. Got the motorhome back from the shop the other day, must have been Friday afternoon. He did the best he could, and it did run considerably better when I picked it up. However, the intake manifold started leaking coolant. It was plain to see that it was. He also told me that the EGR Valve had a vacuum leak.

The tuning cost me $50, but I gave him $60. He said once I get those two things fixed to bring it back to him and he'll fine tune it for free. Can't beat that, other than the (minor) hassle of dropping it off and picking it up.

The picture above is the engine with the intake manifold removed once again. I did that this evening. I was really tempted to just leave it with him and pay him to do it, but I knew it's a simple enough job (now) and that it'd probably cost a good amount to have him do it.

I've already got it put back on. I used RTV on all the gaskets this time and things should be great. I torqued all the bolts down to spec. I admit, I skipped that part last time. With luck I'll have no more coolant leak and no other vacuum or exhaust leaks from the intake. 

Still have to put the carb and whatnot back on. I'm letting it sit for 24 hours before filling it back up with coolant anyway to let the RTV cure. I also still need to address the EGR valve leak.

I know all of these engine posts are boring, and far from what this blog was supposed to be. Hah. I'm fairly certain the end will soon be in sight and I can start posting pictures and stories about actual adventures. The blog is kind of the tell all. I promised myself I wouldn't make anymore videos on YouTube until I'm living in the motorhome. 

Hang in there. I'm almost there!

At the Shop

The motorhome tucked in the corner at the shop

The motorhome took its maiden voyage with the new engine this morning. Only  about 3 or 4 miles down the road to a shop. Didn't drive too bad, really. Only had two stops. The intersection right next to the house and then a stop light down by the shop. I threw it in neutral both times for safe measures. Tends to want to stall out at idle in Drive.

I'm eager and nervous about it. I don't like shops. I don't trust them. Even though I like them and trust them a lot more now after working at NAPA for 2.5 years. It would have been nice if the store I worked at was near home so that I would have built the relationships with local shops instead of ones 25 miles away.

Anyway, I want to believe this guy will be able to time it and tune the carb to near perfection. Another part of me doesn't quite believe this motorhome can run smoothly. Just kind of the way this thing has been going the whole time I've owned it. Admittedly, it's an almost 40 year old vehicle with a carb so I'm probably being too picky with my expectations. Even with practically everything being brand new. It's still older technology.

No pictures again. How boring. I need to start taking more pictures. (I added a picture above now. The shop posted it to their facebook page and I 'borrowed' it.) 

Next update comes when I get it back from the shop. Supposed to be today or tomorrow.