Iuzu Trek Owners Infoletter #35
December 2014
Isuzu Infoletter email contact information
Hi Ken,
I have a request – can you edit all of our letters to remove our email address, and change any name information to just J. White?
I googled my name and my email address, and I found it pulled up 3 letters with my name and email. It brought up letters 10, 12 and 25 and the site showed Al’ site and text with my name and email address.
I am finding that the sophisticated data mining operations for spam and phishing emails makes my email address available which compromises my internet security. Just putting “at” in the address still allows recognition of the email address for search robots to find and reconstruct.
You might want to send out a notice to other contributors alerting them to the fact that this information can be used for spam and identity theft.
Thanks,
J. White Email address withheld.
>Editor- the only thing I know we could do is to have contributors to the Trek Infoletters indicate in their text that they do not want their complete names and email addresses included in the Infoletter. Some people, me included, want to contact people to exchange information on issues written up in the Infoletters. Comments or thoughts from anyone?
Bumper paint and injector pump.
(clarkrvg at gmail.com)
Hi Ken and Cathy
We plan to be in the southeast again starting in March. Last year we were in Destin and it was too cold to enjoy the beach so we thought this year we would concentrate on museums and historic places and just wander.
Trek upgrades include painting the bumper the same tan as the coach; we like it. Also, I had a diesel injector place increase the fuel flow 2 turns and it makes a noticeable difference. I was worried about smoking and overheating but neither occurred. I ended up putting my spare tire under my bed. It just fit. We have twin beds in our unit; 2840 is our model number, I think.
Clark
Brake light switch & Generac generator.
(islandduo at comcast.net)
Something to look at on your Isuzu! I had a problem with my brake lights not turning off with the pedal fully retracted two years ago and simply adjusted the switch at the pedal. Problem cured, right? Well, recently the problem returned and adjusting the switch did not fix it. Upon closer inspection I noted the switch plunger rested on a plastic bushing set in the brake pedal arm and it had worn a HUGE dent (actually a hole) in this plastic bushing so that no amount of switch adjustment would actually affect the amount of plunger depression. Luckily the “hole” in the bushing was well off-center so all I needed to do was rotate the bushing to present a totally fresh surface to the switch (and now adjust the switch back close to the original position).
The above wear deserves a quick look to see if you are headed in the same direction with your Isuzu. It will also cause your cruise control to shut down prematurely when you hit a bump because the switch is too sensitive. OBTW I have 111,111 miles on the Trek.
Ken, here is another little tidbit for our Isuzu crowd. The Generac suddenly failed to run unless the start switch was held down. Running through the diagnostics indicated a bad “choke control module” which controls the propane gas valve in our propane units and some other safety functions. I ordered and received a new control module Part number 073601.
While replacing it and moving wires around to facilitate installation, I noted some evidence of scorching way back in the switch/junction box. I investigated further and found wire #11S had shorted against a bolt head, eventually severing it. THAT was the problem. 11S is from stator to
voltage regulator. We have no further description, however we now know nothing works without it. I added a bunch of zipties to prevent forther incidents like this. The extra control module will eventually be sold to a person who needs one.
This Generac has factory wiring in that nobody has added/altered anything. It has about 180 hours on it. This is a problem many owners may have. I would suggest an inspection and then adding corrective ties to move wires away from abrasion and chafe points.
PS: while I am on the subject of Generac, one of the common failures is the stripping of the starter gear. Everyone needs to know that the engine in the Generac and the starter are off-the- shelf Briggs and Stratton. Generac will try to sell you a complete starter for hundreds, but you can buy the gear from your local lawnmower repair shop for about $7.00. Just take it in and they will match it.
Bret and Laura
Injector issues.
(bobdiachuk at gmail.com)
Hi Ken, Bob Diachuk here. We met in Quartzite; my coach was the 92 Trek with the cat mural as its best feature. I was having fuel issues and changed many fuel filters. Now we’re parked at my daughters place and I have had time to address a few issues. I removed the tank and there was some crud in it. Also, the water separator had a lot of rust particles in it! I replaced the rubber fuel lines and cleaned the metal ones. You mentioned in your email a filter in the injector/fuel pump? I don’t see anything on it in the manual. Do you know this for a fact and if so, where is it and how hard is it to get to? Any help would be greatly appreciated ! Bob
Editor – My reply to Bob was I have not actually seen the filter but FMI in Portland told me about it. They checked my filter and found some cardboard/paper-like material in it. I could not find the filter in any of my manuals but they said it was a finger filter (long and thin) that is part of the “banjo” fitting where fuel from the tank is delivered to the diesel engine injector pump assembly. A “banjo” fitting looks like a ball at the end of a fuel line and it has a hollow bolt going through the ball to hold the line in place and transfer fuel. The casting at the top of the spin-on fuel filter assembly has several examples of “banjo fittings where lines connect to it.
More on the Injector Screen Issue
Bret and Laura (islandduo at comcast.net)
We need to put information in the Infoletter about the “elusive fuel pump inlet screen” that is not shown or mentioned anywhere, but has the potential to restrict fuel flow. It could be a maintenance item if you are having total fuel flow problems. It is not a regular maintenance item, not shown in the Isuzu manuals or maintenance schedule, not even shown in exploded parts views. Here is what I wrote on Trek Talk with added photos.
Today I checked the “elusive” screen that Bob discovered and found it full of #$&* just like Bob did. This thing is not hard to get to: 17MM socket, short extension and out it comes. Access from underneath, passenger side, not to worry about kinking if the nearby bracketing is removed first as the hard line connects to flex. I painted the hex on the banjo fitting white for I.D. (I am not as good as Lowell as I have not learned how to draw arrows or red circles on my photos) Bracket shows in last photo.
Photos on Trek Talk show what I found, and hopefully the location (white bolt head) and some large pieces in the filter are obvious in the photos, most of the rest was hair, fine fibers, and some grit, but no rust. So far everyone who has checked one found it full of debris.
Bret and Laura
Banjo bolt-screen location
Editor – perhaps the best way to initially locate the banjo fitting at the hand-operated pump is to look down from the top in the engine compartment. Locate the large engine-driven diesel injector pump assembly on the right side of the engine (metal fuel lines come from the top of this unit and go to the four injector nozzles). Now look for the fluted top of the hand-operated plunger-type pump mounted to the outboard (right) side. In my service manual the hand pump is depicted in the section 6C3-2 Fuel Injection System, Figure 1 as item #4 (Note: other depictions in the same manual show a different pump body). In Brets photo the banjo fitting with the screen is shown at the lower aft end of the hand pump assembly (identified as part of fuel delivery line A)
Bret added: as a result of our connections on Trek Talk a number of us have now inspected this elusive filter and all of us are finding debris in it. So far no power loss although it looks like it should have restricted the fuel. It is something all Isuzu Trekkers should know about.
Roof reseal, refrigerator replacement and rats!
Ken & Cathy (IsuzuTrek at aol.com)
Roof reseal.
Our Trek was about 12 years old when the gel coat on top of the roof started to deteriorate and very fine shiney fibers became visible. To reseal the fibers I painted it with Blue Water polyurethane topside enamel that is used on the walking surfaces of fiberglass boats. This worked well for 10 years but then very small cracks started to appear. The cracks looked too small (1/16″ to 3/32″) to be a problem but after washing the roof and letting it dry I checked it using the end of a vacuum cleaner hose. Sure enough, water was pulled up through the cracks and it was time to do a roof reseal.
Looking into roofing systems, I checked with Camping World and they suggested a Dicor fiberglass roof product, but when I called their technical assistance line I was told their product was for appearance only; it improved UV sun protection but was not a roof sealer. Then I found ProFlex on the web, talked to their tech assistance people and was told it was for local repair only, not for complete roof resealing. My advice: check with the manufacturer.
Next I found RV & Marine Technologies and they have a product that is for resealing the entire roof. It is a high-density acrylic latex reseal product. It is applied like a thick paint with a brush and roller and you do not need respiratory equipment.. They have done a lot of Safari coaches in Minnesota and they do mobile roof reseals in the Southwest during the winter months. They claim to have reseals that are still good after 20 years. Time will tell.
Refrigerator replacement.
About 4 days into our 2014 summer trip I noticed the food in the lower part of the refrigerator was warm. Checking the temperature gage it showed 60 degrees. I just assumed the door had not closed completely and checked the freezer; everything was frozen. I lowered the thermostat setting some and checked the freezer again the next day. It was close to zero but when I checked the lower part of the refrigerator it still showed 60 degrees after being closed overnight.
Then I remembered that before this trip I had jacked up the back of the coach to do some work and had forgotten to lower it until the end of the day. The refrigerator was left running all day at that angle. I tapped on the cooling tubes behind the frig but nothing helped. We had the refrigerator replaced and I went to the clinic for what I think was a case of food poisoning.
Rats!!!!
We live within two blocks of the national forest and have problems with pack rats under our vehicles. They chew on electric and plastic parts but we had never had a problem with the RV. This winter we had a rat invasion in the area and they got into the Trek for the first time.
Our first indication of a problem was finding rat debris under the coach and then finding a nest on top of the gray-water tank. Further investigation in the coach disclosed a nest below the bottom drawer under the stove. Looking for an entry point through the floor led me to the drain pipe under the shower.
This area is accessed outside the coach by looking in the left aft basement storage compartment (on the 24′ Trek). There is a fiberglass box in the upper inboard aft corner; behind this cover you will find the J trap for the shower. It was obvious that all the fiberglass insulation from this area had been taken inside the coach to make the nest. Further inspection showed a 4.5″ circular hole cut through the coach floor with a 2″ plastic shower drain pipe passing through. It allowed plenty of room for vermin to gain access to the interior. From below the shower there is an opening to the water heater area and the drawers below the stove.
To seal the hole I cut a closed-cell plastic foam plug to fit around the plastic drain pipe and fill the 4.5″ hole. Where the pipe leaves the J trap box area and goes to the top of the gray tank I installed a fabricated plate with an oblong hole to keep vermin out of the J trap box. I plugged smaller gaps with copper wool (similar to steel wool, but it will not rust or burn, available from exterminator suppliers). I had to remove the water heater to gain access to a damaged TV cable and shore-power cord to make repairs.
Ken & Cathy