Eric just got back with the Jeep. It was 2 hours of labor and some bolts and parts and it was $243. 2 other RVers pulled into the welding shop with TOAD problems. They all hit the same big frost heave and it caused some damage. Ours was pretty minor compared to the other vehicles. Eric had noticed the one side starting to pull away but he didn't think it was a problem. It was really pulled out last night...so that one big frost heave must have done the damage. That shop said they are making lots of money off that bump! We are going to REALLY slow down now.
Off to get road ready. No services tonight at the Laird Provincial Park. Probably have internet again on Saturday night.
6/25/10
6/8/10
Fixed the Toad
OK, so the internet is a great tool. I posted on some boards about my jeep not running and within 10 minutes it was diagnosed as "Crank Position Sensor". Apparently this is a common failure for the 4.0 Motor. I was able to find the part at O'Riley's here in town, even cheaper than the on-line sites, so that was nice.
When I meet the engineer who decided it was a good idea to put the sensor on the back side of the bell housing, near the body of the vehicle, I will have some stern words for them. After about 2 hours of trying different extensions and different sockets (a 15 inch extension with an 11mm Wobbly socket works) I was able to get it out and the new one back on.
The good news is that it fired right up, and now runs more smoothly than it ever has. I would post the picture that my wife took of me all greasy past my elbows, but I look kind of dorky in it so I will spare you all that visual.
When I meet the engineer who decided it was a good idea to put the sensor on the back side of the bell housing, near the body of the vehicle, I will have some stern words for them. After about 2 hours of trying different extensions and different sockets (a 15 inch extension with an 11mm Wobbly socket works) I was able to get it out and the new one back on.
The good news is that it fired right up, and now runs more smoothly than it ever has. I would post the picture that my wife took of me all greasy past my elbows, but I look kind of dorky in it so I will spare you all that visual.
6/5/10
Toad Trouble
Today we decided to focus our attention on the impending trip and to get some things done with the RV. We decided to go through the RV and take notes on what needed fixing/adjusting and where we were going to store things. Nothing really needs fixed, but we decided to optimize spacing. We want to utilize the space under the dinette seats. There is a cabinet door that opens in the aisle, but that isn't the best way to access it. We drilled 2 holes in the top part and ran a shoelace through it, so that we can easily pull up the cushion and pull the string to lift the top of that storage area.
I've also been bugging Eric to move the coffee maker and he's been reluctant. We exchanged a few words and then he cursed like a sailor for a few minutes, but he is pleased with the results. He moved the coffee maker over to the back edge and then moved the can opener that was in front of the paper towel roll (and right next to your head between the stove and sink) back next to the coffee maker. These moves really opened up the counter area, which felt so crowded.
Then I requested that Eric put a few shelves into the big closets that flank the washer/dryer. He pointed out that we would need some hang up space, so we decided on 2 shelves in one of the closets. He was going to use some scrap wood we had, but I wanted a deeper piece so we decided to go to the hardware store. He wanted a new cordless drill for his bday too. On our way we dropped off the recycling and the Jeep just stopped running. (We left it on with the A/C running.) Eric figured it was just overheated, but we could not get it started. I was pleased by how many people offered to give us a jump, but we knew the battery was OK. Finally we pushed it to Napa what was just down the street. Us girls walked over to pick up something to eat and drink and Eric got the tester thingy from Napa. He also talked to his dad and our BIL who determined it was electrical. BIL ran over to our house to pick up our tow hitch and came up and towed us home. We were calm about the whole thing and very thankful that it happened TODAY and not while on some back road in AK. Eric is now reviewing electrical diagrams for the vehicle and hopes to figure out the trouble soon. I think this opened our eyes a little bit and we are going to do some extra planning/prep for emergency situations.
I've also been bugging Eric to move the coffee maker and he's been reluctant. We exchanged a few words and then he cursed like a sailor for a few minutes, but he is pleased with the results. He moved the coffee maker over to the back edge and then moved the can opener that was in front of the paper towel roll (and right next to your head between the stove and sink) back next to the coffee maker. These moves really opened up the counter area, which felt so crowded.
Then I requested that Eric put a few shelves into the big closets that flank the washer/dryer. He pointed out that we would need some hang up space, so we decided on 2 shelves in one of the closets. He was going to use some scrap wood we had, but I wanted a deeper piece so we decided to go to the hardware store. He wanted a new cordless drill for his bday too. On our way we dropped off the recycling and the Jeep just stopped running. (We left it on with the A/C running.) Eric figured it was just overheated, but we could not get it started. I was pleased by how many people offered to give us a jump, but we knew the battery was OK. Finally we pushed it to Napa what was just down the street. Us girls walked over to pick up something to eat and drink and Eric got the tester thingy from Napa. He also talked to his dad and our BIL who determined it was electrical. BIL ran over to our house to pick up our tow hitch and came up and towed us home. We were calm about the whole thing and very thankful that it happened TODAY and not while on some back road in AK. Eric is now reviewing electrical diagrams for the vehicle and hopes to figure out the trouble soon. I think this opened our eyes a little bit and we are going to do some extra planning/prep for emergency situations.
5/22/10
Toad Ready
Eric sent me this pic from his phone this morning. The jeep is all ready to be hitched up! He & his dad have been going lots of little things with the vehicles. Mostly going over how to use things. Eric has been taking notes and has started some check sheets. They have a few more things to go over, but he will probably come home with both vehicles this afternoon. w00t!updated~ New photo just sent! All hitched up and ready to head home!
The Jeep looks tiny in comparison!!
5/16/10
Toad Protection
A lot of advice we have read about towing a vehicle in Alaska is to protect your radiator and headlights from rocks and debris. All the stuff that is sold specifically for RV towing is Uber Expensive. We checked around and read other blogs and forums and found a solution.
Most people who live in Alaska just put Hardware Cloth on the inside of the car fascia protecting the radiator. Well that takes a lot of time and removal of stuff, so I just picked some up at HD (a 5 foot rolled up sheet of it) for $8.88. I cut a piece to cover the radiator, and then two more to cover the lights.
Yes I drilled and sheet metal screwed it straight to the fascia.
We are making a Vinyl padded protector for the windshield next.
-- Eric
Most people who live in Alaska just put Hardware Cloth on the inside of the car fascia protecting the radiator. Well that takes a lot of time and removal of stuff, so I just picked some up at HD (a 5 foot rolled up sheet of it) for $8.88. I cut a piece to cover the radiator, and then two more to cover the lights.
Yes I drilled and sheet metal screwed it straight to the fascia.
We are making a Vinyl padded protector for the windshield next.
-- Eric
5/10/10
Brake Buddy Bought
Yesterday I found a supplemental brake system for the Jeep while it is being towed. Nearly every State or Provence we will pass through and including Alaska requires a braking system for towed vehicles.
The Brake Buddy sits in the Jeep and is connected to the brake pedal. When it senses the RV slowing down it in turn presses the brake pedal. It improves (shortens) the braking distance dramatically.
I exchanged a few emails with the owner of the system and we worked out a deal. I sent the funds via PayPal.
-- Eric
The Brake Buddy sits in the Jeep and is connected to the brake pedal. When it senses the RV slowing down it in turn presses the brake pedal. It improves (shortens) the braking distance dramatically.
I exchanged a few emails with the owner of the system and we worked out a deal. I sent the funds via PayPal.
-- Eric
12/12/09
Updated Plans
Gosh...it's been a while since I posted. Let me catch you up...
First off, after calculating the price we have decided that we will not be going on the Alaska Marine Highway at all. It is going to cost us roughly $8000. YES~ $8K! That is just too much!! I was bummed at first, but now I am ok with it. There is still so much to see and do.
We've also started to figure out what we are going to see. We went over to Connie & Kent's a few weeks ago and spent several hours discussing AK with them. Kent has worked up at Denali NP the past several summers and Connie (who retired in the spring) joined him this year. They had a lot of great tips and suggestions for us. I hope to get together and talk with them again as we basically just covered the first half of the trip with them. One of the best things they told us is to purchase a booked called The Milepost. The Milepost is a mile by mile guide of Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and British Columbia. It a very thick guidebook, but it covers EVERYTHING! They publish it each year, so we will order ours when the 2010 edition comes out in March. C&K did pass on several guide magazines that they've received in the mail, which have a lot of info also. Eric just finished up his last final yesterday and plans on using the time between semesters to do lots of research on AK and map out the whole trip.
Last week we sold 2 of our vehicles~ the Porsche and the little red pick-up. It's so nice to have our driveway open. Eric's parking the Jeep in the garage. He's also doing lots of work on the Jeep...routine maintenance and some other stuff. He recently purchased the a tow hitch so that we can tow the Jeep behind the RV. So we have officially decided that the Jeep will go along with us. We also purchased a kewl bikerack off Craig's List that hooks between the hitch & the RV. We need to gather some rugged bikes for all of us to take with us. I'll be keeping my eye on Craig's List for that. Don't you just love CL? BTW~ the funds from the sale of the 2 vehicles will used to get braces for Jake.
First off, after calculating the price we have decided that we will not be going on the Alaska Marine Highway at all. It is going to cost us roughly $8000. YES~ $8K! That is just too much!! I was bummed at first, but now I am ok with it. There is still so much to see and do.
We've also started to figure out what we are going to see. We went over to Connie & Kent's a few weeks ago and spent several hours discussing AK with them. Kent has worked up at Denali NP the past several summers and Connie (who retired in the spring) joined him this year. They had a lot of great tips and suggestions for us. I hope to get together and talk with them again as we basically just covered the first half of the trip with them. One of the best things they told us is to purchase a booked called The Milepost. The Milepost is a mile by mile guide of Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and British Columbia. It a very thick guidebook, but it covers EVERYTHING! They publish it each year, so we will order ours when the 2010 edition comes out in March. C&K did pass on several guide magazines that they've received in the mail, which have a lot of info also. Eric just finished up his last final yesterday and plans on using the time between semesters to do lots of research on AK and map out the whole trip.
Last week we sold 2 of our vehicles~ the Porsche and the little red pick-up. It's so nice to have our driveway open. Eric's parking the Jeep in the garage. He's also doing lots of work on the Jeep...routine maintenance and some other stuff. He recently purchased the a tow hitch so that we can tow the Jeep behind the RV. So we have officially decided that the Jeep will go along with us. We also purchased a kewl bikerack off Craig's List that hooks between the hitch & the RV. We need to gather some rugged bikes for all of us to take with us. I'll be keeping my eye on Craig's List for that. Don't you just love CL? BTW~ the funds from the sale of the 2 vehicles will used to get braces for Jake.
11/12/09
Jeep!
Eric wants to tow a vehicle with us to AK, so he bought a Jeep Cherokee. I am not completely sold on towing a vehicle...I mean driving 35' of vehicle is certainly a chore! This means we now have 5 vehicles, so he is going to sell his little red truck and hopefully his Porsche too!
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