Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Maiden Voyage
| Maiden Voyage [message #212202] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 14:19  |
GS2
Messages: 18
Registered: May 2013
Location: Naples, FL / Detroit, MI
Karma: 1
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Junior Member |
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Flew out from Detroit on fathers day to Houston and got picked up by John Sharpe at the airport. Rob M and him were kind enough to let me stay at their storage facility for the next few days while we ironed out the kinks before getting on the road north.
Before I even got there John had put on the new Sully Built Air System and stopped by Discount Tire to get 6 new tires put on the rig. Did I mention yet that these guys are amazing?
Spent the next day and a half working alongside these two geniuses to get the compressor back online, the power converter fixed, and the oil leak in the onan shored up. Everything went swimmingly with the exception of the onan (apparently, not too surprising).
Got on the road to start the 1300 mile trip at around 5pm on Tuesday evening. Took some getting used to but after a few miles I was more comfortable driving the "family truckster" as we now call it, than the minivan.
Pulled in to a Cracker Barrel at about 1am and called it a night. Woke up early the next day to grab breakfast and hit the road again. About 9am while in Arkansas I got a call from JohnS asking how things were going. No sooner had I said hello than the coach backfired and died. Managed to get it to the shoulder and John had me pull the lid off the motor and stare down into the carburetor to insure it was still pushing fuel. Sure enough it was and his diagnosis over the phone was a faulty ignition module, turned out he was right (per usual).
I had fully intended to register for CoachNet before the voyage and completely forgot. While dead on the side of the highway in Arkansas I signed up online and called right after and they were still happy to tow me!! Got taken to Jeff's Repair in Brinkley, Arkansas and Jeff was quick to diagnose the same problem John had assumed. A few hours later, a new ignition module plugged in, and I was back on the road.
Made it to Chicago that evening and found a TGIFridays that let me park in their lot after dinner. Got on the road early the next morning and hit Detroit by around Noon. Beat, but happy to be home.
Since then I've torn out all of the flooring and am about 3/4 of the way through replacing it all with new pergo. I think Don Hart in Corunna, MI has the dinette and table I'm looking for, seatbelts are on order for the kiddos, and the interior will be good to go.
The only lingering issue is that darned onan. Seems I'm not alone here. It continues to leak oil. We replaced the oil pressure switch and the seal around the shaft... but still she leaks. Runs pretty darn well, just drip drip drip. Any ideas? Any recommendations on someone who might be able to help here in MI?
In closing I want to take a moment to thank JohnS and Rob M. These guys are a real class act and certainly know their way around a GMC. It's guys like them and the Black List (and this forum) that pushed me in the direction of the GMC. I'm now the PROUD owner of a 1977 GMC Kingsley 
Happy trails to all of you!!
guy
Edit: tried to upload a photo, but it didn't seem to work, here's a link to a photo of the family truckster.. https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgftb102uvxcven/20130620_132330-1.jpg
[Updated on: Tue, 25 June 2013 14:28] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Maiden Voyage [message #212203 is a reply to message #212202] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 14:27  |
rcjordan
Messages: 1913
Registered: October 2012
Location: Elizabeth City, North Car...
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Welcome to GMCnet, Guy.
SOLD 77 Royale Coachmen Side Dry Bath
76 Birchaven Coachmen Side Wet Bath
76 Eleganza
Elizabeth City, NC
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #212204 is a reply to message #212202] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 14:27 |
Robin Hood
Messages: 1078
Registered: April 2011
Karma: 3
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Senior Member |
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My Onan leaked around the cylinder heads. They are made of aluminum, and
must needs be torqued to a particular number of pound feet, lest the head
get warped. That could be a source of oil.
Robin
On Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 2:19 PM, Guy <guy@scavone.com> wrote:
>
>
> Flew out from Detroit on fathers day to Houston and got picked up by John
> Sharpe at the airport. Rob M and him were kind enough to let me stay at
> their storage facility for the next few days while we ironed out the kinks
> before getting on the road north.
>
> Before I even got there John had put on the new Sully Built Air System and
> stopped by Discount Tire to get 6 new tires put on the rig. Did I mention
> yet that these guys are amazing?
>
> Spent the next day and a half working alongside these two geniuses to get
> the compressor back online, the power converter fixed, and the oil leak in
> the onan shored up. Everything went swimmingly with the exception of the
> onan (apparently, not too surprising).
>
> Got on the road to start the 1300 mile trip at around 5pm on Tuesday
> evening. Took some getting used to but after a few miles I was more
> comfortable driving the "family truckster" as we now call it, than the
> minivan.
>
> Pulled in to a Cracker Barrel at about 1am and called it a night. Woke up
> early the next day to grab breakfast and hit the road again. About 9am
> while in Arkansas I got a call from JohnS asking how things were going. No
> sooner had I said hello than the coach backfired and died. Managed to get
> it to the shoulder and John had me pull the lid off the motor and stare
> down into the carburetor to insure it was still pushing fuel. Sure enough
> it was and his diagnosis over the phone was a faulty ignition module,
> turned out he was right (per usual).
>
> I had fully intended to register for CoachNet before the voyage and
> completely forgot. While dead on the side of the highway in Arkansas I
> signed up online and called right after and they were still happy to tow
> me!! Got taken to Jeff's Repair in Brinkley, Arkansas and Jeff was quick
> to diagnose the same problem John had assumed. A few hours later, a new
> ignition module plugged in, and I was back on the road.
>
> Made it to Chicago that evening and found a TGIFridays that let me park in
> their lot after dinner. Got on the road early the next morning and hit
> Detroit by around Noon. Beat, but happy to be home.
>
> Since then I've torn out all of the flooring and am about 3/4 of the way
> through replacing it all with new pergo. I think Don Hart in Corunna, MI
> has the dinette and table I'm looking for, seatbelts are on order for the
> kiddos, and the interior will be good to go.
>
> The only lingering issue is that darned onan. Seems I'm not alone here.
> It continues to leak oil. We replaced the oil pressure switch and the
> seal around the shaft... but still she leaks. Runs pretty darn well, just
> drip drip drip. Any ideas? Any recommendations on someone who might be
> able to help here in MI?
>
> In closing I want to take a moment to thank JohnS and Rob M. These guys
> are a real class act and certainly know there way around a GMC. It's guys
> like them and the Black List (and this forum) that pushed me in the
> direction of the GMC. I'm now the PROUD owner of a 1977 GMC Kingsley :)
>
> Happy trails to all of you!!
>
> guy
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
--
Robin Hood
Jackson, MS
2013 Subaru Outback "Top Flight"
1968 Pontiac Catalina "The Cheshire Cat"
1978 GMC Royale motorhome "Pinto Bean"
1977 GMC Palm Beach motorhome "Barn Queen"
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| Re: Maiden Voyage [message #212211 is a reply to message #212202] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 15:14 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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awesome story. the adventure begins.
as far as onan oil leaks,
I replaced the crank shaft seal behind the flywheel. really was easy once I had the correct puller for the flywheel.
and the gaskets around the oil filter. there are two. do a search on the net and they would explain those.
really not that difficult to do.
I think Jim K or jeff sirum might be the place for the correct onan parts.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #212212 is a reply to message #212205] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 15:24 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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A common source of oil leakage on the Onan it at the oil filter adapter. It has a steel plate (part of the engine mount system) running between it and the engine block with a gasket on each side of the plate. To get to it, you will need to pull the sheet metal cover off the right head and remove the oil filter. You will probably need a distributor wrench to get at one of the 5/16" (1/2" head) nuts that is kind of buried behind the adapter. If you clean that all up and replace both of those gaskets, it will at least stop any oil from leaking there.
I took a stab at fixing various oil leaks on mine a year ago, and I think I finally succeeded. It took a while for all the built up oil on the outside of the generator to finally drain off and whenever I used it, I would still get a few drips, but that has now stopped.
Good luck.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #212216 is a reply to message #212212] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 15:30 |
Emery Stora
Messages: 959
Registered: January 2011
Karma: 4
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Senior Member |
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Another common leak is the low pressure switch. Two of these have failed on my GMC over a 20 year period. Others have has this problem as well.
Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO
On Jun 25, 2013, at 2:24 PM, Carl Stouffer <carljr3b@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> A common source of oil leakage on the Onan it at the oil filter adapter. It has a steel plate (part of the engine mount system) running between it and the engine block with a gasket on each side of the plate. To get to it, you will need to pull the sheet metal cover off the right head and remove the oil filter. You will probably need a distributor wrench to get at one of the 5/16" (1/2" head) nuts that is kind of buried behind the adapter. If you clean that all up and replace both of those gaskets, it will at least stop any oil from leaking there.
>
> I took a stab at fixing various oil leaks on mine a year ago, and I think I finally succeeded. It took a while for all the built up oil on the outside of the generator to finally drain off and whenever I used it, I would still get a few drips, but that has now stopped.
>
> Good luck.
> --
> Carl S.
> '75 ex Palm Beach
> Tucson, AZ.
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #212231 is a reply to message #212216] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 17:39 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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G'day,
John and Guy replaced the Oil Pressure switch - oil leak continued.
Ref Parts Book 78Z page 28-76 Gear Cover and Governor
Guy and I replaced the crankshaft seal- oil leak continued.
There are three holes in the gear cover that hold the alternator on and four holes that are in standoffs that do nothing. After
replacing the crank shaft seal and the oil leak continued Guy disassembled the Onan down to the flywheel on his own and I showed him
how to pull it with a puller. Once the flywheel was off we noted that the area around the magnets was full of oil - despite having
been scrupulously cleaned with degreaser and spray brake cleaner before assembly. That meant the oil HAD to be coming from inside
the radius of the magnet mounting area. I noticed that the fourth hole on the right side of the gear cover was full of oil so we
sliced off a chuck of JB Weld epoxy metal putty and mixed it up and shoved it in that hole and applied a bunch around that stand
off. When it cured Guy reassembled the Onan and fired it up but it still leaked. The gear cover bolts were all tight and had copper
washers under their heads. My next idea was to remove them all clean the holes and put silicone on each of the bolts when they were
reinstalled. Guy needed to hit the road so that idea was not tried.
Regards,
Rob M.
-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org [mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Emery Stora
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 3:31 PM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage
Another common leak is the low pressure switch. Two of these have failed on my GMC over a 20 year period. Others have has this
problem as well.
Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO
On Jun 25, 2013, at 2:24 PM, Carl Stouffer <carljr3b@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> A common source of oil leakage on the Onan it at the oil filter adapter. It has a steel plate (part of the engine mount system)
running between it and the engine block with a gasket on each side of the plate. To get to it, you will need to pull the sheet
metal cover off the right head and remove the oil filter. You will probably need a distributor wrench to get at one of the 5/16"
(1/2" head) nuts that is kind of buried behind the adapter. If you clean that all up and replace both of those gaskets, it will at
least stop any oil from leaking there.
>
> I took a stab at fixing various oil leaks on mine a year ago, and I think I finally succeeded. It took a while for all the built
up oil on the outside of the generator to finally drain off and whenever I used it, I would still get a few drips, but that has now
stopped.
>
> Good luck.
> --
> Carl S.
> '75 ex Palm Beach
> Tucson, AZ.
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #212288 is a reply to message #212232] |
Wed, 26 June 2013 07:27 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Senior Member |
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I look on small gensets weeping oil here and there the same as my old BSA Victor Special - if it ain't leaking a bit, it's out of oil. I wipe it up, check the level, and continue on.
--johnny
________________________________
From: Matt Colie <matt7323tze@gmail.com>
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 6:40 PM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage
Guy,
I am a little bust and you were quick out of the blocks....
Welcome to the group/family/cult/asylum.
You keep saying Detroit. That is a big place.
Where Detroit???
You might just be in striking range of a whole lot of help.
I live in the shadow of DTW.
It is not all that hard to make an Onan lube oil leakage bearable. I personally don't think you can actually stop it, but if you don't have to add between the annual (at least) changes, I call that good enough.
Let me know where you are and I will tell you how long it would take me to get there.
As you may have already surmised, having a GMC gets you into a community that I know well. Waterman (those that make a living on the water) are also like this, so it was home as soon as I got here. You will also soon find that this community makes the GMC much more a part of your life than just another toy (like a waterman's relation to his boat. For that reason I have taken to welcoming new owner much as we would welcome a new vessel or owner but a paraphrase a bit when I say:
May the Good Lord bless this coach and all those that set forth within her.
Welcome Guy
Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie
'73 Glacier 23 Chaumière (say show-me-air)
Now with 4 working Rear Brakes
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #212606 is a reply to message #212288] |
Fri, 28 June 2013 07:34 |
GS2
Messages: 18
Registered: May 2013
Location: Naples, FL / Detroit, MI
Karma: 1
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Junior Member |
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Matt Colie was kind enough to swing by yesterday and take a look with me. It was, as a few of you guys had suggested, leaking from the bracket that the LOP plugs into. appears it has a hairline crack in the metal itself below where the LOP goes in.
I called Jim K and have a new bracket and gasket flying out to me. hopefully this will solve the oil woes.
new floors are in, I'll post pics soon.
guy - 77 Kingsley
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| Re: Maiden Voyage [message #213695 is a reply to message #212202] |
Mon, 08 July 2013 11:32 |
GS2
Messages: 18
Registered: May 2013
Location: Naples, FL / Detroit, MI
Karma: 1
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Junior Member |
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Matt stopped by yesterday and we got the new bracket put in. no more leaks and a functioning generator. God is good (Matt wasn't too shabby either).
plan to hit the road this sunday to start a few week journey back down to naples. first stop is at the finger lakes in upstate new york.
guy - 77 kingsley
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| Re: [GMCnet] Maiden Voyage [message #213714 is a reply to message #213711] |
Mon, 08 July 2013 13:49 |
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Matt Colie
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma: 7
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Senior Member |
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| Robert Mueller wrote on Mon, 08 July 2013 14:21 |
Guy,
When you get a chance post a picture of the cracked bracket, so us two old buggers can see what you young guys found that we couldn't see! 
I trust you have R&R'd the lug nuts?
Regards,
Rob M.
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Rob,
We didn't get any pictures. But that won't matter much as the failure was not visible to the eye. We were only able to identify it by spinning the engine to make lube oil pressure with all the sheet metal removed. Finally we were able to see oil accumulate under the LOP switch boss. When we got the original off, I inspected it at great length and could only see what might be a casting flaw.
Not a real situation for warm-fuzzy, but we repeated the cold spin with the replacement adapter installed and the leak was not apparent. So, I watched while Guy put all that sheet metal back on.
We ran it then and a limited amount of oil came out that was probably left over from before the repair. Guy told me has run it since and there was not additional oil showing up.
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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