The Marshians 17.56.2 OB
- Thread starter Smergen
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- 17.56.2 17.56.2 ob
Thanks gang, I appreciate the feedback, although truth be told @bigcol she's not a brand new lid, it's had a few years in the elements. It's obviously in a spot where no one (except Kareem Abdul Jabbar) could see so I wasn't really aware of it. Might do a bit more searching and give Jayco a call as well. I must admit, once getting on the roof, some of the "finishing" work of the sealant and the joins made by shabby job with the speaker look professional.
Mate, just looked at our van and i got similar to your cracks. Given the amount of rain we have here at home recently, yhere is no way i am concerned of any leaks. Glad to support @Smergen
Great to hear mate, well, sort of if you know what I mean. Comfort in numbers, that kind of thing!
OK... in the van tonight installing @Pace's light fitting that he generously gave me a couple of weeks back. For those in the know, the roof light above dinette doesn't work and hasn't since we got the van. So off it came, replaced with the new one, flicked the switch and..... nothing.
Damn....
This might be a little more serious than first thought. I noticed that when I took the old fitting off that the screws in the connector had actually corroded to the extent I couldn't undo it. Now I'm worried about whether or not water is getting into the roof somewhere...
Out comes the ladder tomorrow to check what I can find on the roof.
Might also check the wires in the roof skirt to make sure one hasn't been pinched somewhere.
Damn....
This might be a little more serious than first thought. I noticed that when I took the old fitting off that the screws in the connector had actually corroded to the extent I couldn't undo it. Now I'm worried about whether or not water is getting into the roof somewhere...
Out comes the ladder tomorrow to check what I can find on the roof.
Might also check the wires in the roof skirt to make sure one hasn't been pinched somewhere.
Whilst on the roof check the condition of the silicone , i have stripped and re done mine , and the old stuff just fell out.
Also check the little rubber boot on the antenna cable where it goes through the roof fitting as mine came off pretty easy , but now has a cable tie around it. worth a look .
Thanks @Colin&Sue... will keep an eye out for those tell tale signs... I hope it's as easy as the boot...
@Colin&Sue was up on the ladder having a bo-peep see if there was anything "obvious". Saw this rubber cover where the antenna cord goes through the roof. Is this what you were referring to, as it was not sitting on it properly and had a few tell tale signs of possible moisture getting in. I sat it on properly and then cable tied it tight.
@Smergen thats the one, my cover was off, had slide up the cable.
"a 1 mm hole will let in one litre per hour"
"a 1 mm hole will let in one litre per hour"
Thanks mate... I'm hoping that might be a culprit, but just read another thread of a van of similar vintage with panels installed like ours where one mounting bracket didn't have any sika on it. I'm going to have a look at that tomorrow. Fingers crossed, I don't have the same problem and it was only the rubber boot that caused issues. Having said that, I'm not sure how then to fix the wiring if it's shot within the roof.
Took the van out to Mt Franklin Campground on the weekend. Damn I love this thing... it really has opened up a new lifestyle and sense of adventure for us. In what otherwise would have been a non-descript run of the mill weekend, we now have a new bunch of memories, some new friends we met out there and some adventure tales for the kids to tell at school.
Review of campground and some pics can be found here:
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/mt-franklin-campground.6628/
Off grid for the first time and it was the first time I'd towed with the tanks full too. So what did we learn?
One thing to come out of it was another affirmation to ultimately upgrade to a caravan, more than likely for the Big Lap. No real reason than being jealous of convenience. Made some new friends who had a 20.63 Expanda with triple bunks... A thing of beauty that was. Big, but damn the mod cons were impressive.
Now... where's that tatts ticket?
Review of campground and some pics can be found here:
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/mt-franklin-campground.6628/
Off grid for the first time and it was the first time I'd towed with the tanks full too. So what did we learn?
- Fridge runs excellently on gas. Nice and crisp and no issues whatsoever.
- The full tanks add quite a bit of weight... Whilst the 'rado ate it up, I notice thanks more than likely to the rear tank being way back, that there seemed a bit of bounch in the back end. With the tanks a little lighter on the way back, it was much better.
- Water tanks are great though, and the pump provides excellent pressure all round the van's various taps. We didn't use the shower, or hot water service, but it all worked well.
- First time our battery gauge didn't show full! With two big panels on the roof, our battery has never drained down, and having always "plugged into the wall", never had a need. So with nightfall descending we noticed the use of the pumps/lights/12v plugs charging our battery went down to half. Not sure if that's good, but it was chockers at breakfast the next morning with an overcast and shaded site. The panels could do with a wash I suspect, but I think we'd have enough power for basic trips no problem whatsoever.
- I love the new truck... seriously. What a beast... Effortless towing, safety and comfort. Also, the ute at the back is brilliant for packing the bikes...
One thing to come out of it was another affirmation to ultimately upgrade to a caravan, more than likely for the Big Lap. No real reason than being jealous of convenience. Made some new friends who had a 20.63 Expanda with triple bunks... A thing of beauty that was. Big, but damn the mod cons were impressive.
Now... where's that tatts ticket?
Another trip done and dusted as we went to Lang Lang Caravan Park for the weekend. I might post a trip report elsewhere (maybe...in the Trip Reports forum would be good... ) and my review of the CP itself can be found here.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/lang-lang-caravan-park.6735/#post-109700
Thought I might try and keep this to specific work and findings of the van itself, which is the way I think the forum is intended to be set up.
The latest trip saw a couple of learnings and teeny tiny mods...
Hooking up for the trip home, I noticed that the left indicator was playing up on the van (or the connectivity to said indicator). A little jiggle of the plug and on it came. So that might need a look at before the big Easter Trip methinks...
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/lang-lang-caravan-park.6735/#post-109700
Thought I might try and keep this to specific work and findings of the van itself, which is the way I think the forum is intended to be set up.
The latest trip saw a couple of learnings and teeny tiny mods...
- Tried out the HWS off grid for the first time, and worked a treat. Fired up nicely and heated the water quickly. No idea how much gas it used but we made sure we kept turning it off after the round of washing/showers. With running the fridge on gas as well, it'll be interesting to see how long the gas supplies on the van can last.
- We filled up both tanks, and between the washing up, hosing down from the beaches and 3 kids having showers each night, we managed to get through both our tanks before we left which was surprising. At least it enabled us to work out how much water is required, and if we were to have a longer off grid stay somewhere what we need to be mindful of.
- Added a couple of small lights around the van to add to the functionality. The little sensor lights we originally intended to install in the fridge have started going in all the overhead cupboards. They're not great, but help during night time searches. Also added a small battery light over the bench just inside the door. This was extremely popular with Mrs Smergs and the kids as it's a nice soft, but effective light which was used as a night light until I joined them in the van.
Hooking up for the trip home, I noticed that the left indicator was playing up on the van (or the connectivity to said indicator). A little jiggle of the plug and on it came. So that might need a look at before the big Easter Trip methinks...
Nah mate. I replaced it with the fixture you gave me but still no dice. I have a feeling it might be an issue with the wiring in the roof as I'm out of ideas otherwise. I suppose I could try and "chase" the circuit, but at this stage I'll be getting Jayco to look at it when it's next in for a service.
I do have one (although I'm not entirely sure on how it works!)... I'm pretty sure the power isn't getting there, as I've tried two different light fixtures.
Not overly that hard and 12v is good to learn on
could come for a drive and give you a hand.. although might have to be after Queensland trip.
Appreciate it mate. Already onto YouTube....