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Letter 20

Isuzu Trek Owners Infoletter #20

 March 2007

 SOME REPORTED TREK MILEAGES              

MILES           YEAR              MODEL

34,360           1994               2830
58,233           93/94              n/a
62,000           93/94              2830
67,000           1994               n/a
86,000           1994               2430
88,000           1994               2430
92,200           1993               2830
100,003          1993               2430
1055,500         1994               2430
108,000          93/94              2430
173,206.5        1994               2430
225,000+         1994              2430

Tank Capacities

Does anyone think they have some good numbers on the capacities of the tanks on the Trek?  I thought I knew….then decided I didn’t. So I looked.  Safari (on purpose, I’m convinced) neglected to mention any gallonage in either their promo literature or owner’s manuals (mine, anyway). If you think you know, please let me know and I’ll put it in the next newsletter.  DalDR at aol.com

Trek EMB: Raising and Lowering without power

Rick Muething (TD.rmuething at cfl.rr.com ) shares a good idea:

Dale: Here’s a recent experience and a way to raise and lower the EMB when short handed..Feel free to use it in the news letter.  Reading the past news

letters was a big help for us “Trek Newbies”  Thanks.

Marcia and I made our first trip on our “new to us” 93 2830 Isuzu TD. Overall a great trip (7500 mi) with very few problems.  But 4 days out the

EMB would not lower. No noise, clicks etc. At a planned 2 day stop at Lake of the Ozarks the engineer in me had to take a look at what the problem was.

(It was also getting a little tight sleeping on the couch WITH the dog!) Power was OK at the switch and of course the rest of the business end of the

bed was in the UP position making any work or inspection impossible. After a few touchy trials and one rather abrupt crash (which scared Marcia!)  we

came up with a workable system for safely lowering or raising an EMB when short handed.

You will need:

-Two ratcheting type 1 inch tie down straps with “S” hooks at the ends (recommend 12 ft)

-Four temporary stops. Lowell stops are easy to adjust and convenient ($25 + shipping  lflinde <mailto:lflinde@PTD.net> “at”PTD.net)   You can

also use 4 quarter inch “U” bolts as temporary stops but they will take longer to move.

-Two extender straps with “S” hooks needed to extend the ratcheting straps as the bed drops so you can keep the ratchet in a convenient position

near the center. (you can usually find a set of 4  one inch straps (2 of which are ratcheting) at most auto supply or tool stores for $10-15.

To lower or raise the bed:

1)      connect the ratcheting strap (and extension if needed)  so the “S” hook goes into the opening at the top of the track , down “outside the bed,

across under the bed and back up to the other side.  Do this both for the front and rear gear racks. (The straps run parallel to the windshield)

2)      Now tighten the ratchets to take up the strain and support the weight of the bed. Do not over tighten pulling the bed UP too tightly

against the motor brake.

3)      Release the rear pinion gears by loosening the set screws and tapping in the pinions (toward the bed) until they disengage the track. Put

a bit of WD 40 on the shaft if it is rusted and the pinions seem frozen. This will free the rear pinions from the rear rack. The front pinions can be

freed by slightly pushing the bed forward pulling the pinions off the track.

4)      To lower the bed carefully release the ratchet a few inches first in the front and then in the rear.  Take your time and go only a few inches at

a time.   To raise the bed take up a few inches on the ratchet strap.

5)      After you have “walked” the bed up or down enough to require you to “unload/unwind” the ratchet strap or reposition the ratchet (with the

extender)  use the Lowell stops or U bolts to support the bed while you reposition the ratchet. Of course do not add any weight to the bed without the stops securely in place.

6)      When the repairs/inspections are finished be sure and slide the rear pinions out engaging with the gear rack and tighten the set screws.

With a bit of patience this approach will allow one or two people to move the bed with safety.  When the bed is in the lowered position and supported

by the stops you can go in and check/change the motor or make other repairs..In our case there was a broken wire caused by pinched insulation and an arc.   Simply soldering the wire and re insulating did the trick.

The ratcheting straps are also a fairly fast and secure way of safely locking the bed in the UP position for transit. We now use this in addition to the safety pins since the straps tightly secure the bed to the rails and support part of the bed weight which reduces the shock torque on the motor gear train when hitting any large bumps.

Differential noise and Exhaust Brake

Editor: A Trek owner asked me these two questions, and here, in caps, is my response. If anyone has other or additional ideas, please pass them on to me and I will send them to the asker. We have never published a procedure for adjusting the exhaust brake linkage, so if anyone can contribute one, please?:

The differential has a little louder  hum as we drive  on the highway.  Do you think that it needs to be adjusted with shims or new parts to repair it.

WITH ONLY 45K MILES, I AM MORE INCLINED TO SUSPECT TIRE NOISE ON CERTAIN TYPES OF PAVEMENT. PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO SATISFY YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THIS IS TO PUT THE TREK UP ON A RACK AND RUN IT WITH THE TIRES OFF THE GROUND AND HAVE A GOOD MECH LISTEN TO THE DIFF WITH A STETHOSCOPE.

I think the exhaust brake is not kicking in.  Have you had any experience in adjusting the switch located above the brake pedal.  There are 2 switches there, and I suspect one is for the stop light.   What’s your experience on this problem

I HAVE NEVER HAD TO ADJUST MINE. YOU NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE UNDER THE TREK WATCHING THE LINKAGE TO SEE IF IT TRIES TO MOVE. IF IT DOESN’T TRY TO MOVE, ADJUST THE SWITCH, BUT MORE LIKELY THE VALVE IS JUST CRUDDED UP AND NEEDS TO BE LOOSENED AND LUBED. BUT FIRST CHECK TO BE SURE THE IDLE CONTROL (KNOB ON RIGHT SIDE OF STEERING COLUMN) IS ROTATED TO MINUMUM RPM POSITION. IF IT IS NOT, THE ACCELERATOR IS NOT TOTALLY UP AND THE EXHAUST BRAKE WILL NOT FUNCTION.

House battery enhancement and stabilizing the suspension

Richard Patillo (pattillo at verizon.net ) shares:

In the past 2 years I have installed, Water heater / new toilet / muffler and tailpipe LCD TV / all new batteries / 2” foam on bed / Replaced the bed ladder with a step stool had transmission rebuilt at 81,000 miles / A.C. thermostat switch, and Mr. Heater  (portable propane heater, I love it).

House battery enhancement

I have installed an 80-watt solar panel it added an extra day on the batteries.

I recently decided my 2 batteries in the coach were not enough, but I did not want to add 2 more, so I decided to take one of the chassis batteries and add it to the house batteries.  The cost was zero, the cable were perfect in length to make the change. By doing this I added 50% more battery capacity. It works out I can stay 4 days without generator, and run a satellite and a 17″ LCD TV. I use the switch on the dash to connect the chassis and house batteries together when I start the engine.

(Editor’s note: That is a really interesting idea for adding house battery capacity without adding more batteries. I asked Richard how he handled battery isolator hookup:  (Normally, when charging two batteries from one source, an isolator is used to keep one battery from hogging the current flow and eventually boiling itself dry. To have some sort of confidence that this doesn’t happen, the two parallel batteries should be of the same model and age, and watched closely for one using more water than the other, so I am wondering how you  hooked up the three batteries- can you elaborate?). And Richard replied:  I agree with your thought on using different batteries, fortunately I purchased them all together.  They are Everready Marine Deep cycle.

stabilizing the suspension

When I purchased the 94 Trek it wandered all over the road.

It had a 1″ steering play in the wheel. I adjusted it out. (Helped 20%)

I had a 0 degree toe in. I adjusted it to maximum which is 12-degrees toe in. (Helped 20%) I will redo to 6-degrees, because the tires show a little wear.

I added Belstein shocks. (Helped 20%)

I added safety-plus steering dampener. (Helped 30%)

Now trucks pass with out pushing me off the road.

I’m now working on bracing the dash .

And I’m in the process of installing the Timbren  load booster

And re-arching my springs.

Isuzu Trek for Sale

Our 1994 Isuzu Trek will be available in June for sale.

1994 Safari Trek; Pathmaker Intercooled Turbo Diesel model 2430.  Super tough Isuzu turbo diesel engine and chassis, 10-12mpg towing a heavy toad, 12-14mpg without toad, transmission temp and boost gauges, six way power drivers seat, large custom patio awning, pushbutton hydraulic jacks, rear camera, 3600 Watt LP Gas Onan generator, 30 amp service, large basement storage, 6 gallon gas/electric water heater, Queen size patented Electro Magic bed overhead (lowers from the ceiling at the push of a button) with luxury pillowtop inflatable mattress, computer and writing desk with file drawer and three storage drawers, rear bathroom with a shower and skylight, large wardrobe closet, plenty of cabinets for storage, wood plank flooring in the kitchen, convection microwave oven with power hood, 8,000 btu roof air conditioner, gas furnace removed but included, plumbed for catalytic gas heater, 35 gallon fresh water, 35 gallon black water, 35 gallon gray water tanks (to the best of my knowledge). Three burner cooktop, eight cubic foot A/C Norcold fridge, double sinks, super quality solid Alder wood cabinets throughout, 1000W inverter, ladder, solar panel, 20” TV with booster antenna, satellite dish cables installed, CB radio, sleeps 4, very comfortable, All maintenance system manuals and records.  86k miles. Only 5000 miles on new oversize tires + spare. New chassis batteries. Reverse Osmosis watermaker. Eagle mural. For additional info email Dale, DalDR at aol.com. Located in Baja until June, then central Oregon coast. Won’t be advertised nationally until May.  $23,500.

Mildew and Ceiling Carpet Stains

Joann Figueras (j.figueras at verizon.net) continues the story of fixing the roof and mildew:  When you last heard from me, I had put moth crystals in the RV to kill mildew spores.  We left the crystals in shallow pans in the closed RV for about a month, and then we aired it out.  I used fans and open doors/windows, and it took a long time to get rid of the mothball smell, but the mildew smell is GONE!  We used para-dichlorobenzene crystals.  The other type is naphthalene crystals, which has a similar odor.  I suspect napthalene may pose fewer possible health problems than the chlorinated benzene but is reportedly not as effective.  But we did a thorough airing-out, which took several weeks, and there is no perceptible odor, either of the moth crystals or mildew.

The ceiling carpet stains were a problem until I tried a wet-vac.  I sprayed a mild water/vinegar solution on the carpet, wetting it well, and then vacuumed it off using a small upholstery head.  I continued this process till all the stains were gone.  Ceiling looks like new.

When we prepared the RV for our Jan. ’07 trip, it hadn’t been used for nearly two years because of the roof leak.  First problem we ran into when we added water and turned on the pump was the kitchen faucet, which wouldn’t turn off completely, and the toilet which wouldn’t flush.  Apparently the faucet had been leaking for some time, because when I removed it, I saw evidence of water damage.  I replaced it with a regular faucet from Home Depot.  The toilet linkage was apparently broken, or maybe I broke it when I attempted the first flush, but the round ‘flapper’ didn’t move.  Bought a new Thetford hi-rise hand flush toilet, and it’s much nicer than the old one.  Plumbing had to be adapted for the higher toilet, but the flush action is much better.  Apparently they don’t make the same size Thetford as was in the ’94.  [Note: a screwdriver pushed against the ‘flapper’ will allow partial flush until new toilet is installed.]

Other problem on this trip was a leak above the oil filter—maybe just o-ring, but they replaced the pipe also.  And I just installed the 4th igniter board for the refrigerator; thank goodness for Dinosaur boards.  The generator is working, but requires Onan spark plugs.  Next thing I’d love to have is a working cruise control.  Been reading about the AudioVox installations Trekers have done, but we would need an installer; haven’t had working cruise for about 10 years.

Thanks to Dale for doing this newsletter.  Joann & John, ’94 2430