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Re: New Owner Questions [message #320436 is a reply to message #320425] Fri, 14 July 2017 17:57 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Matt Colie is currently offline  Matt Colie   United States
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma:
Senior Member
Sky,

Welcome to the group, family, cult, asylum....

You found your way here and that is good, but there is some things you should do right away.
First is go to the Bdub page and get a copy of the Black list (aka GMC assist list). Keep a copy in the coach.
Next, from Bdub's page find and go to the registry and make sure we know who you are and where your coach calls home now.
Last, but by no means least, is fill in the sigfile like you see everybody else here has. (Control Panel/Account Settings and scroll down - be sure to go down to "Update when you are done.) This has some serious reasons. It should have your real name, This is so that when you meet other owners, they know who you are and they don't have to back up and repeat everything. It should also have a bit about the coach. I know you wrote 78 Kingsley, but that should be on every entry as it does matter and so do major mods. Lastly, a geographic reference helps. If there is someone that understands an issue you are having or can direct you to someone else that does, he can do so. We do a lot of helping each other here.

Now, about getting under the coach.... Ramps are safest, but if you have the luxury of working on a concrete floor of a enclosed structure, 3 ton jackstands and a floor jack are a good investment. There are several here that built ramps of construction grade lumber and they are quite successful. That will take a search and if you don't find it, ask.

Draining the transmission is always messy. The vacuum modulator is in the passenger (starboard) side just above the pan flange. It comes out easily. If you pull that out first and let it drain down, there will be less of a surprise factor when you get the pan loose. The entire pan will still be full when you try to bring in down. When you buy a replacement transmission filter, be ready to take it back. They are all Chinese now regardless of the box that it may be in and there is a good chance that the draw tube will be undersize. If it is wrong, take that back and ask them to try again. It should come with a pan gasket and a new O-ring. Put the filter up with both the new and the old O-ring. That provide an extra safety for the filter.

While you are at it, go get a good grease gun and a couple of tubes of Valvoline SynPower. The grease is not cheap, but it is still cheaper than parts. I do not suggest a powered grease gun because I like to feel the grease going in as well as look for it coming out of the seals. I am currently using a gun with a flexible whip and a pistol grip, I am too old to be flexible enough to hold the coupler on and not shake it loose pumping the gun. There are 14 zerk fittings in a typical GMC front, but that can change for lots of reasons. I do use a two hand on the bogies, but then you are standing up. I try real hard to over grease everything.

There is a problem with the lube oil fill that you may have to address. You have a 403 and I do not know if it has the same issue as a 455. If I put the book 6 quarts in after a filter change, that top quart blows off it about 500 miles. If I do not make it up, I can run another 1500 before the stick is down another quart. So, I just fill with five and add one more at 2Kmi.

About airsprings (the real name of the airbags in the rear), never put any part of your body that you are fond of under a GMC that is not securely supported. If an airspring blows out (and this can happen at any time) the back end of the coach could crush strawberries. Yes, it gets that low.

Now on to the fun part.
You have just found a couple of thousand brand new old friends. (Remember the Assist list?) There are people on there that no longer even have a coach at all, but they are on that list to be a help if you need it. You can imagine what that says for the community. These are wonderful helping and supportive people that want nothing more than to see you enjoy your coach as much as they have. It is much more than just a new toy, it makes you a part of a community like few others. You will find that it extends you life's range by an amazing amount. The only other community like this that I know of is that of the watermen that are my world. because of that, I have take taken to welcoming a new owner her much as any new owner or vessel is welcomed there. So,

May the Good Lord bless this coach and all those that set forth within her.

Welcome Andrew

Matt


Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit

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