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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / April 2007First Year Maintenance with Used Popup
Good evening, I purchased a 1996 Coleman Rio Grande popup last fall and am getting ready to take it out this summer for the first time. I would like to know if you recently purchased a used popup and were a new popup user what maintenance would you have done prior to your first trip out. The condition of the popup interior and exterior is excellent but am interested in the mechanical side of things (tires, bearings, cables, etc.). I look forward to your best thinking and I appreciate your taking time to respond. Tom > Good evening, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Tom I had the 1994 version of this exact popup (until it got rear-ended - now my brother has it). This is a nice rig IMO. The first thing to do is to get the wheel bearings greased. That is the moving part when you are on the road and you likely have no idea if they were ever greased. Gotta do it. I also upgraded the tires when I had a blowout on the highway. I went with the highest load rating that I could find, and it made it trail _very_ much better in terms of wandering and just feeling secure back there. Well worth it. I would set it up in your driveway or back yard for a weekend before you go anywhere to 'try it out'. Actually pretend that you are camping and anything you need to run into the house for would have been something that you would have been chagrinned at by not having it along when you are gone. Make sure you have that electrical adapter for that funky 3 prong plug to use in a regular outlet. One thing that I remember about it is that when you fold it back up again, do make sure that you do not let the canvass get jammed in the bed's slide track. It very easily happens with this design; just fold it in carefully before pushing and you will be OK, but always think about it. I never had any problem with the lift cable, but it is a bit harder to crank than my Coachmen - try to goad the kids into doing it somehow - 54 cranks did it on mine - and when it stops do not push it extra. Another thing was that I found myself tightening up the screws that hold the side sheet metal in place every year - check those, and do not stress the latches for the front compartment - I had to move mine to the sides when they pulled out. The stabilizing feet: This was what I did not like about it, but it is what it is. It uses the friction type [if it still used it in 1998], which means that you stick a rod into holes and lever it up. If it gets bent at all or dirt gets in there they become really hard to do. Also bring along a bunch of 2x4s or 2x6s to put under the feet in case you are not on level ground. At minimum you need a square foot of outdoor plywood for under each foot so it does not sink into the ground or into asphalt. That is what I think of now. Come back with more questions on this if you wish, no problem. Tomes >Good evening, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >Tom Repack the wheel bearings, since you don't know that history. Lube the cable pulleys, if it has them. Test every appliance to make sure they all work. If it were me, I'd get a spray bottle with soapy water, and spray every propane joint it has, checking for leaks. Run all pumps, and valves to make sure they do not leak. Check the date on the tires (the DOT codes). If they are the originals, that means they are over 10 years old, and MUST be replaced, regardless of what they look like. Interior rot isn't visible from the outside. If equipped, check the battery with a hydrometer. Lastly, if it appears it is going to rain anytime before you take it out, open it up and leave it setup during a good rainstorm. Better to find out now if it leaks than when you are out using it. I can't even tell you how many campers I've seen that are drenched in the middle of the night. This simple step will save you from that fate. Ask me how I know. Tom > Good evening, > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I look forward to your best thinking and I appreciate your taking time > to respond. A little thing that made life easier for me. I got spray cans of silicone lubricant, WD-40, and lithium grease and put them in the turnk of my camper. When I set it up for the first time of the season, everything that moves in contact with something else got lubed. Wheel bearings, that's a must do. If you have any doubts about the tires, then replace them. Enjoy! >> Good evening, >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Enjoy! Get something besides WD40 for a lubricant. It is a solvent, and is pretty much worthless as a lub for longer than 2-3 days. "Calif Bill" ... > Get something besides WD40 for a lubricant. It is a solvent, and is > pretty much worthless as a lub for longer than 2-3 days. I agree with this. I love that lithium grease stuff, it seems to stay put for a long time. Tomes > "Calif Bill" ...> Get something besides WD40 for a lubricant. It is a solvent, and is > > pretty much worthless as a lub for longer than 2-3 days. > > I agree with this. I love that lithium grease stuff, it seems to stay put > for a long time. I'll throw in another 2 cents and be done. I don't know what it is with WD-40. Some people think it's a miracle chemical. It's been touted everything, including as as a cure for arthritis. Really. Probably someone will claim it fixes heart valves next. <snark> Here's the first page I googled: http://sapsa.mu.nu/archives/093077.html Frm that page: "WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time." I think I'll pass on that one. But others seem to think it's worthless and as Calif Bill said, it's only a solvent. He's certainly not the only one. I'm somewhere in the middle. It does contain solvent "Aliphatic Petroleum Distillates" commonly known as mineral spirits. But it also has oil, look at the MSDS. "Petroleum Base Oil" also known as Petroleum Lube Oil. The solvent will evaporate, leaving the lube oil behind. I use WD-40 where I need a light oil. For instance, door hinges. While the door step (which on my pop-up can be a real a pain to get out), the lift cable, the jack mechanism, they get the lithium. The slides for the beds, they get sprayed with the silicone. To Tom, the original poster, my advice is to lubricate everything that moves. Spray containers are easy to use. Chose the lubricants that you think are appropriate. Further debate on the merits of WD-40 should be carried out on alt.flame.wd-40. :) >> "Calif Bill" ...> Get something besides WD40 for a lubricant. It is a >> solvent, and is [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > Further debate on the merits of WD-40 should be carried out on > alt.flame.wd-40. :) There are much better spray oils. >> "Calif Bill" ...> Get something besides WD40 for a lubricant. It is a solvent, and is >> > pretty much worthless as a lub for longer than 2-3 days. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] >Further debate on the merits of WD-40 should be carried out on >alt.flame.wd-40. :) I use the silicone lubricant for most of the light applications. Works well, including zippers on canvas, being careful, of course to not get it on the canvas. Tom > what maintenance would you have done prior to your first trip out. If it has a water system, that needs to be sanitized. Post here, and you'll get detailed instructions that go beyond the owner's manual and will ensure a thorough job that does not leave you with chlorine- smelling water. Austin >> what maintenance would you have done prior to your first trip out. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Austin Not so. Many of us with RV's have had them for years, and have never sanitized them. If you feel comfortable with it and want to, go for it, but there is no point. There is no reason for critters, or green growing stuff, to be in your fresh water tank. It is essentially a sealed system without access to sunlight. Tom >>> what maintenance would you have done prior to your first trip out. >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Tom Open a beer, coke, bottle of water, drink, close lid, put in basement for three months.....drink john >>>> what maintenance would you have done prior to your first trip out. >>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >john Not a problem with the water at all. I've had a pre-opened bottle of water in the back of the ATV for a year. Taste's fine. The others would probably taste crummy, they have stuff in them. Unless the tank has been contaminated, there is no need to do it. If the tank has been contaminated, you will know it by the smell and the taste. Research the subject on rec.outdoors.travel-rv, and you will find a lot of info, and differing opinions on it, but the majority never do. When we buy a used RV, I always do the bleach routine, simply because I don't know the history of it. After that, I never do. But if it makes you feel better, it certainly doesn't hurt anything to do it. Tom On Apr 16, 4:22 pm, a...@nospam.net wrote: > >If it has a water system, that needs to be sanitized. Post here, and > >you'll get detailed instructions that go beyond the owner's manual and [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > sanitized them. If you feel comfortable with it and want to, go for > it, but there is no point. This is strong evidence that you are a fool. > There is no reason for critters, or green growing stuff, to be in your > fresh water tank. Right. There is never anything in any water that you might put in your tank. Never any organics, never any bacteria, ever. > It is essentially a sealed system I see. So no water can come out from it, or it collapses when it empties? No, mine fills with genuine air as it empties, complete with it's airborne bacteria and airborne algi. Not sealed at all. Neither is yours. > without access to > sunlight. That may be true with some RV's, bu this is alt.rv.POP-UP-TRAILERS. Our water tanks are usually strung under the frame of the trailer where they may be protected from *direct* sunlight, but they certanly get enough to grow interesting things. Oh, and a *sealed* system protected from sunlight is the perfect growing environment for anerobic bacteria, which can be just as deadly as the aerobic bacteria you think you are protected from. To the OP: This post is by either a troll who does not have to suffer the health consequences, or someone who has been listening to the loudest yelling idiots. Believing this poster's advice is potentially dangerous. By the time you can smell a problem, the water in your system has bacteria levels millions of times higher than safe drinking water standards. Those who claim they have never had a problem have either 1) been lucky, 2) acclimated to the gunk in their systems 3) been putting heavily chlorinated city water in their systems or 4) Never connected *another* case of "the runs" with the water in their RV. "Musta been the chilli at Martha's Greasy Spoon." Austin >> Not so. Many of us with RV's have had them for years, and have never >> sanitized them. If you feel comfortable with it and want to, go for >> it, but there is no point. > >This is strong evidence that you are a fool. There is never a reason to get personally insulting on a difference of opinion. Since you have, you are by definition, an a.shole. Off to my filters with you. <plonk> Tom >I see. So no water can come out from it, or it collapses when it >empties? No, mine fills with genuine air as it empties, complete with >it's airborne bacteria and airborne algi. Not sealed at all. Neither >is yours. Nothing harmful in air. Tom On Apr 17, 1:00 pm, a...@nospam.net wrote: <uneducated multipost reply re-combined> > Nothing harmful in air. Take the purest water you can find. Leave it out with the cover off for a week. Put it under a microscope. Where did that stuff come from? All of it came from bacterial spores in the air. The air itself is OK because the bacteria are in a cyst-like or spore-like state. But given time, they grow, enven at *extremely* low nutrient levels. > When was the last time you heard about anybody > getting ill from "old" water? I have seen it happen. The person died. > If they are going to get sick, it's because the water > was in some way the water was contaminated, and the > age of the water has zero to do with it. It came out of a faucet, into a rubbermaid-like container that had just been removed from a dishwasher (there is still nothing wrong with the dishwasher). It went into a refridgerator. They went on a trip. The container in the fridge (had been there about three months) had bacteria. No bacteria in the water supply, nor in the dishwasher. Must have been an invisible, odorless mouse in that container. > The overwhelming empirical evidence shows that to be true. I guess that is why bottled water distributors: 1) Put chemicals in their water. (They all do, even if they claim they don't. The most popular to use is ozone, but there are others). 2) Put an expiration date on the bottle (suspiciously similar to the expiration of the checmicals they put in the water). > >Those who claim they have never had a problem have either 1) been > >lucky, 2) acclimated to the gunk in their systems 3) been putting > >heavily chlorinated city water in their systems or 4) Never connected > >*another* case of "the runs" with the water in their RV. "Musta been > >the chilli at Martha's Greasy Spoon." > Wrong. Actually, all of that is true. The CDC says that most cases of food or water borne illness in the U.S. are never even diagnosed as food- borne or water-bourne illness, never mind identified as to their actual cause. More and more, communities are switching from chlorine to chloramines to treat their water supplies. There is only one reason for doing so. The chloramines stays intact much longer, protecting the water after it is put in sport bottles and such. Why, if there is no danger? There is a hazard, and that is the only reason they spend that extra money. Austin >That may be true with some RV's, bu this is alt.rv.POP-UP-TRAILERS. >Our water tanks are usually strung under the frame of the trailer [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >loudest yelling idiots. Believing this poster's advice is potentially >dangerous. While I am not the OP, you are incorrect. Other than an introduced contaminant (dead mouse, contaminated water source, etc.) there is no danger whatsoever. When was the last time you heard about anybody getting ill from "old" water? If they are going to get sick, it's because the water was in some way the water was contaminated, and the age of the water has zero to do with it. The overwhelming empirical evidence shows that to be true. Tom >Those who claim they have never had a problem have either 1) been >lucky, 2) acclimated to the gunk in their systems 3) been putting >heavily chlorinated city water in their systems or 4) Never connected >*another* case of "the runs" with the water in their RV. "Musta been >the chilli at Martha's Greasy Spoon." Wrong. Tom I'd like to hear about that. tia >> what maintenance would you have done prior to your first trip out. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Austin > Good evening, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Tom Do every thing it says in the manual... john AustinMN is quite correct about the dangers of not sanitizing the water system. The air is full of bacteria, fungi, molds., etc. Remember that penicillin was discovered by leaving a petri dish on a windowsill! Strictly speaking, these bacteria. fungi, and molds require something other than pure H2O to grow. But, the air is also full of "dust", which contains a gazillion other things, such as pollen from trees, specks of bird poop, etc. It is these other things which provide the organic nutrients needed for growth of the bacteria, molds, and fungi. Sanitize. It is cheap and easy. BTW, I am a retired physician. > Good evening, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > interested in the mechanical side of things (tires, bearings, cables, > etc.). > Tom >AustinMN is quite correct about the dangers of not sanitizing the water >system. The air is full of bacteria, fungi, molds., etc. Remember that [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >BTW, I am a retired physician. But you are not a retired RV service person. If it gives one peace of mind, that's a valid reason to sanitize it every so often. I wouldn't discourage that. But it isn't necessary. Tom >> AustinMN is quite correct about the dangers of not sanitizing the water >> system. The air is full of bacteria, fungi, molds., etc. Remember that [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Tom Ah, I see: Don't confuse you with facts. Your mind is made up. >>> AustinMN is quite correct about the dangers of not sanitizing the water >>> system. The air is full of bacteria, fungi, molds., etc. Remember that [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Ah, I see: Don't confuse you with facts. Your mind is made up. Ah, I see: Don't confuse you with facts. Your mind is made up. The overwhelming empirical evidence of many over the years contradicts you. Tom >> Sanitize. It is cheap and easy. >> >> BTW, I am a retired physician. > But you are not a retired RV service person. If it gives one peace of > mind, that's a valid reason to sanitize it every so often. I wouldn't > discourage that. But it isn't necessary. <ahem> [Trying to conjure Sill...] You, sir, with your lone stance on (now counting) two, different topics, run the risk of being considered a fool. Virtually all of the RV experts from Trailer Life, Motorhome, and Highways (Good Sam) would disagree with you. You stand alone with your opposing view on this important (to some) topic. Taking YOUR stance could represent a HEALTH RISK. Keep up the good work.  Signature<sigh> JR On Apr 19, 3:04 pm, a...@nospam.net wrote: > >AustinMN is quite correct about the dangers of not sanitizing the water > >system. The air is full of bacteria, fungi, molds., etc. Remember that [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Tom And you are not a retired bateriologist. Please tell us, what qualifies an RV service person to determine if a water system is or is not sanitary? Austin |
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