Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #150 – March 03, 2018, 03:35:46 pm Lisa,The manuals were typed with hand drawings in that era. My 1988 Mid Bath on a Ford Chassis has a 1986 manual that only describes Chevrolet G30 limitations andoptions.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #151 – March 03, 2018, 04:36:27 pm Quote from: rodneyhelfrich - March 03, 2018, 03:35:46 pmLisa,The manuals were typed with hand drawings in that era. My 1988 Mid Bath on a Ford Chassis has a 1986 manual that only describes Chevrolet G30 limitations andoptions.Do they even have computers at the Mothership yet? 2 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #152 – March 03, 2018, 06:02:40 pm Is it weird that I bought my house just a few months ago but I am enjoying hanging out in my LD in the backyard more? I even have a bay view from my "loft bedroom."It's quieter in there than in my house. I think the windows are better insulated than my 1923 home.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #153 – March 03, 2018, 07:20:01 pm Quote from: HiLola - March 03, 2018, 04:36:27 pmDo they even have computers at the Mothership yet? Computers were a new feature at the Mothership when we ordered our LD, in 2002.I remember watching Uncle Paul play cards games on his for hours.Never fear, they still have carbon paper receipts.Larry 2 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #154 – March 03, 2018, 07:23:21 pm Quote from: meandthedogs - March 03, 2018, 06:02:40 pmIs it weird that I bought my house just a few months ago but I am enjoying hanging out in my LD in the backyard more? No, it's not weird, you are bonding.Most of us like to hang out in our LDs.Larry
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #155 – March 03, 2018, 07:27:26 pm Quote from: meandthedogs - March 03, 2018, 06:02:40 pmIs it weird that I bought my house just a few months ago but I am enjoying hanging out in my LD in the backyard more? I even have a bay view from my "loft bedroom."It's quieter in there than in my house. I think the windows are better insulated than my 1923 home.It didn't take you long to discover that clean little secret of an LD. Have the dogs figured out how to get up to the loft yet?You may have to build them a stairway. That shepherd may be hard to lift that high 1 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #156 – March 04, 2018, 09:58:31 am Oh yes the LD is quieter than my 1959 house. When the neighborhood irritates the dog, I sleep with her in the LD.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #157 – March 04, 2018, 02:47:44 pm F*!@!)#!!!!I was just looking out at the LD and noticed the damage that must have occurred when I backed into the phone pole. I smashed one side of the ladder into the shell. I am so sickened by this. I was going really, really slow when it happened. I can't believe it takes so little to damage this thing.I am sick to my stomach. I know that needs repair fast before interior damage occurs. It was in perfect condition before- that's one of the things I checked. I had even climbed up the ladder and it felt really solid. And there were no holes/punctures to be seen in the shell when I bought it. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #158 – March 04, 2018, 03:03:24 pm You & the dogsSwallow a frog first thing in the morning and you day is bound to improve.If it doesn't, you have at least baselined a really s****y day.Post pictures and suggestions on handling it should appear.CondolencesHug the dogs
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #159 – March 04, 2018, 03:47:06 pm Quote from: meandthedogs - March 04, 2018, 02:47:44 pmI smashed one side of the ladder into the shell. Sadly, everything in life breaks or fails at some time or another. It's just the way it is and without exception. My first suggestion is to seal the damaged areas as you've already mentioned. Secondly, check with your RV insurance company for guidance on coverage and the repair. As mentioned by many LDOs, there are not many repair shops that can work with the aluminum body on a LD as well as the Factory. If it was us and we lived within driving distance of the Factory, I'd call them on Monday and talk to them about the damage. If the insurance company will cover the cost of repair less the deductibles, then this damage to your lovely LD changes from terrible to something way less stressful. Best of luck. 2 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #160 – March 05, 2018, 12:58:41 pm Lisa, I remember you were having an issue with AAA regarding insuring the RV. Were you able to resolve the problem?
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #161 – April 14, 2018, 07:58:29 pm Hi all!I know it's been a while, but work got really intense and I was overwhelmed. Plus the rain made it less appealing to go out and deal with the LD. Then I got another concussion a couple weeks ago, so I couldn't do anything. Especially not try and drive a 10.5 ton vehicle!Anyway, the good news: I got a new gate installed on my driveway. That was not cheap. BUT it did add about 8" to the clearance. If I remove a tree/bush that I'm not all that attached to, I will have even more room. That said, I had some guys over doing some work on my house today and they acted as guides so I could back out my very long, sloped driveway. The top of the LD is about the same height as my roof eaves, and it was the first time driving this thing since I smashed it into the old gate posts trying to back in. But this time went fine! I did really good AND with their directions, I was able to back it in my driveway this time without any issue! I hope to get better at it so I don't need anyone to wave me in, but she is now parked face out, so I can at least drive her out to get more work done without needing help!I've also spent more time in her, and I have to say, aside from the weird smell (kind of reminds me of an airport, but definitely not mold or musty), it's really a nice place to hang out. i spent an entire afternoon writing a motion at the dinette. It's great because I can look out at my yard and watch the dogs from the comfort of my little home. That's the only downside to switching directions- now the dinette is on the fence side. But since I plan to start driving it soon, that's ok. The good thing is that now the house door faces the yard, making it easier to go in. So my next thing is to find a place to look at the brakes, do an alignment and look at the suspension. It was suggested that the steering might be loose due to the suspension. That scares me, but I'd rather find out than die in a fiery accident.As for insurance, AAA never helped. They suck and when my insurance ends in May, I'm switching. I ended up with Good Sam, who was the cheapest and easiest to deal with by far. No problems with identifying my RV as an RV. I didn't even think about calling them regarding my mishap, as I've always only had liability insurance and so any damage I've done to my own cars was never covered. I can't recall what coverage I got for the RV, but I think there was some limited damage coverage, so I 'll call. There are some RV body repair places nearby, so I'll have to check with those before thinking of driving all the way down South to the LD factory. I am taking some much needed time off now that my case from hell has ended. The concussion sucked but it made time off a necessity, which is good since otherwise I might have continued to take on new clients. Now I can't for a while. That means very real possibility for trying the LD on the road! I'm excited (and a bit nervous) to see how she does. Even if she turns out to be not great for long trips, I still think she'll be great for my intended purpose of a mobile office locally.Yay!The picture is today. It looks weird because of lighting- there is really very little banged up on this side.Lisa G. 1 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #162 – April 14, 2018, 08:23:13 pm Hi Youandthedogs , glad to hear from you.Sorry about the concussion. Didn't they teach you in law school NOT to bang your head against the wall over something the client said? It looks happy there and so do said k-9s. How much room does the the shrub removal add?Is the right side the one that got scraped? At least the post was lower than the awning - that seems unaffected. From the pic it doesn't look too terrible (doesn't necessarily mean cheap to fix).Rest and recover, concussions are never trivial.If you want, can you send pics of the damage to the ladder? Some here might have some helpful suggestions.joel
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #163 – April 14, 2018, 09:13:59 pm Thanks! For now I'm going to keep the ladder taped up as there is more rain in the forecast. With the tape on, you can't see the hole. Also, now that i've turned it around, it's too close to the fence to photograph. And I put so many bricks in front of the wheels I don't want to hassle with them until I actually drive this to the next shop for diagnostics.The other side is actually much worse. This side the compartment doors are fine- nothing pushed in or anything. There is a scrape and minor dent on the door, but it appears cosmetic so not concerned. I wish there were more RV places around here. The Bay Area is already so expensive, but coupled with the high price of real estate, there are very few shops within a 30 minute drive that have the space to work on RVs. Between the already high prices and the scarcity of options, the few places there are seem to charge ridiculous prices and have bad reviews. The one place I was referred to, and which seems to be the primary RV go-to place in the area for mechanical stuff quoted me at least $5k for transmission. Seems like that is generally accepted. Good thing I checked with my regular place, since that saved $1800 for the same job. For mechanical stuff I hope to find a place that specializes in trucks that also words on RVs, as I suspect they will be cheaper. There is a place not too far that works on the structural/house parts of RVs, and I'll check them out. But a woman on the Lazy Daze Facebook page says she works at a place in San Jose that does structural RV work, and told me to contact her because she is a fellow LD fan/owner and may be able to help me out. So I'll be checking out my options. I just worry about driving to San Jose right off the bat. An hour drive with a ton of traffic *shudder*.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #164 – April 15, 2018, 01:23:31 am Hi, we just had the Silver Fox realigned - mostly as a precaution after our long trip last summer and before we take off again - it was fine - just a few tweaks. We took it to a Les Schaub (sp?) dealer and they were very good and very reasonable. Since we didn't need much, the charge was $79 + tax. A full alignment would have been $179 + tax. This is a national chain so there are probably some in your area. Not all of the Les Schaub dealers do motor home alignments so you may want to call and check. We had to go about 30 miles but it was certainly worth it.Good luck.Jean 1 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #165 – April 15, 2018, 01:52:36 am Thanks for that info. There is a truck (BIG truck) shop somewhere in the industrial area in my city that I called who said they do alignments for RVs. Funny, as they stated it was $179.99! It was not a Les Schuab, but sounds like competitive pricing. I'm not sure if the issue is alignment- I'm worried it could be something more serious. Someone mentioned it could be the chassis (earlier I mentioned suspension, but remembered they had mentioned the chassis). But I suppose the alignment is probably still a good idea. Ideally I'd find an honest shop that can go over the whole thing and tell me what needs to be done in order of priority. The transmission shop I took it to looked it over and thought overall it seemed good (other than the transmission and alternator that were shot), but they were honest and said they specialize in transmissions and that they are not the people to diagnose problems specific to RVs.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #166 – April 15, 2018, 10:18:05 am The very best place to take your RV 🚐 for an overall check up is the mothership. They would be able to give you a priority list and even do the work. If I bought a new to me LD that’s the first place I’d go. You can trust them. Learn to drive that short thing and take the trip down south 😊 I drive a 30’ IB so I know it can be doneCynthia 1 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #167 – April 15, 2018, 11:14:40 am The factory doesn't do "chassis", engine, or systems repairs, e.g., alignments, brakes, hoses, tires, what-have-you. Some "shops" do some things, but not all "shops" do all things; the type and cope of the work should be matched to the repair savvy and abilities of a particular facility. IMO, for the type of work that Lisa feels may be needed, I believe that she would be better off to find a mechanic/shop who's familiar with Chevy engines and chassis of that vintage. YMMV, of course. 1 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #168 – April 15, 2018, 04:53:05 pm Quote from: JCT - April 15, 2018, 11:14:40 amThe factory doesn't do "chassis", engine, or systems repairs, e.g., alignments, brakes, hoses, tires, what-have-you. Some "shops" do some things, but not all "shops" do all things; the type and cope of the work should be matched to the repair savvy and abilities of a particular facility. IMO, for the type of work that Lisa feels may be needed, I believe that she would be better off to find a mechanic/shop who's familiar with Chevy engines and chassis of that vintage. YMMV, of course. Ah! Thanks! That's kind of what I thought. I know the mothership does repairs on the house part (what's the official term for that part?), but before I even start thinking about the damage I caused from hitting the ladder into the shell, I want to make sure this thing is mechanically sound and safe to drive. I wish my dad was closer, as he has been driving and repairing his old Chevy and Dodge vans /trucks my entire life. My first memory of being in a vehicle is sitting on the engine block with my older brother behind me. I know, real safe At least my dad was considerate enough to cover our "child" seat with a canvas tarp. Some of the really old models of the LD that I've seen have a front end that looks just like some of the vans I grew up around. I'm taking a while off work so I'm going to be calling lots of places to see who can work on this. But again, if anyone is local to the San Francisco Bay Area and has recommendations, I'd love to see them. The place is Pleasanton or Pleasant Hill (can't recall which), is a no-go for me based on experience I had there (total coincidence- tranny in my Corolla just happened to go out near them).Thanks again!Lisa
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #169 – April 15, 2018, 05:08:07 pm Quote from: JCT - April 15, 2018, 11:14:40 amThe factory doesn't do "chassis"Ah! Going over some other threads I return to my original statement- it WAS the suspension mentioned to me , not the chassis. Doh. I can only hope and pray I don't need to spend as much on making this safe to drive as it would cost to buy a new one!!Lisa
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #170 – April 24, 2018, 08:18:59 pm Hi again,Just updating in the hopes that if anything sounds off, someone will chime in and give a warning:I took the LD to a truck place- Specialized Automotive Systems in San Leandro, CA- to have the brakes and suspension checked out. They have told me several things it needs, including new brake pads, rotors, something arm, and some other stuff. I guess I should get the specific list (there were many items). He said the left rotor (?) is warped and that's why it's pulling to the left. And these other things are the reason for the loose steering. Total parts and labor is about $2400. Since that is less than I expected, it sounds ok. But I really don't know!Also said the shocks superficially look ok, i.e. no leakage, but they are the original shocks. I asked about replacements and he mentioned AC Delco, Munroe (sp?), and when I mentioned there was some type I've read about, he said there is a really good brand, much more expensive, that are the best for RVs.Also looking into a radiator, but the problem is all he can find are plastic ones, or an aluminum that is 4x the price.So all in all, is this sounding right to people? Is the $2400 a good price? I'm going to call him back and get the list of items..Lisa
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #171 – April 24, 2018, 08:50:20 pm Without a complete and itemized list of the repairs, replacements, parts, and estimated shop time to do the jobs (and shop labor charges; always high in the Bay Area), it's impossible to say whether the figure you were given is "fair". You may be referring to Bilstein or Koni shocks; Konis are more expensive than Bilstein. You might want to check Bilstein - KYB - Rancho - Monroe - KONI Shocks and Struts - Shockwarehouse.com for shock options appropriate to your rig.
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #172 – April 24, 2018, 08:56:53 pm Quote from: JCT - April 24, 2018, 08:50:20 pmYou may be referring to Bilstein or Koni shocks; Konis are more expensive than Bilstein. You might want to check Bilstein - KYB - Rancho - Monroe - KONI Shocks and Struts - Shockwarehouse.com for shock options appropriate to your rig. Ah! It was Koni.I'm waiting for the list to be emailed. I will post after I get it.Lisa
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #173 – April 25, 2018, 02:59:48 am Quote from: meandthedogs - April 24, 2018, 08:18:59 pmAlso looking into a radiator, but the problem is all he can find are plastic ones, or an aluminum that is 4x the price.Just about every new car's radiator, sold today, has plastic tanks. If you are old enough, you will remember that brass tanks developed leaks too. Back in the dreadful days before the better coolants were developed, along with less corrosive engine chemistries.You will only find aluminum tanks on high performance, race car stuff.Try to find a radiator with a 1-1/2" minimum core thickness. Make sure it is made for an automatic transmission, the radiator needs to have a built-in transmission fluid cooler. You should also have an external transmission fluid cooler.Larry 1 Likes
Re: 1991 LD with 90k miles Reply #174 – April 25, 2018, 03:03:36 pm Ok, below is the list I was sent.The first list of parts and labor is for suspension and brakes. They said they use only quality, namebrand parts. I have to just take that on faith I guess. Does price sound fair (keeping in mind I live in the SF Bay Area)?The shocks are TBD. Any input?Then there is that list of things they found. Which of those need to taken care of immediately?Thanks!Lisa Parts. $ 915.00 Calipers, rotors, pads, upper a-arm shafts and bushings, front seals, idler arm, right side tie rod, brake clean, brake fluid, grease.Labor $1,375.00 11.0 hours. Inspection, Remove the upper A-arms, press out old bushings.press on new bushings.restall the a-arm.remove and replace the defective idler arm and tie rod end. Remove and replace the calipers, pads, rotors, clean and pack the bearings after inspection. flush and bleed the brake system. Align the front suspension.Tax $ 89.21 Total $2,379.21 -------------------------------- +ShocksParts $ 300.00 w/Tax Good quality Monroe shocks.Labor $ 187.50 1.5 hours. (Flat rate is 2.5 hours $312.50) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Parts $ 800.25 W/Tax Best quality- Bilstein shocks.Labor $ 187.50 1.5 hours (The same discount applied as above).I had my guy do a quick inspection of the motorhome.(no charge). He found.-small engine oil leak at the oil pan or rear main seal area.(not poring, just wet).-Left side inner brake light turns off with the headlight on.(wiring issue).-Right rear marker light is not working.-Right center clearance light not working.-Left rear marker lens is broken.-Right headlight is full of water.-Lic plate light is not working.-wiper blades are not wiping well(needs blades).-The power steering pump is leaking.(leaves a small puddle on the ground).-The exhaust catalytic converter heat shield is rattling. muffler has several rust holes in it.-The radiator has corrosion in it but is not leaking at this time. The radiator that is in it now has an engine oil cooler and transmission cooler. The aftermarket aluminum radiator does not have the built-in engine oil cooler.
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