East bound and down. New member hits the road out of SOCAL

[luvrbus]

I never saw or heard of Blue Compass RV but they own Coachnet,lol they say nothing will change,anyone want to buy ocean view property in AZ

[beltguy]

Bad news.

It has been a long time since we used our AAA "large vehicle" policy.  We still maintain it because of the truck and trailer.

When last used, I don't recall any issues.

Jim

[Panton]

Sorry for the long delay in posting.  My trip went very well.  2800 miles from Palm Springs CA to Vermont solo.  Started to feel comfortable after an initial period of hyper-vigilance for the first 1500 miles or so. Good test of the running gear pulling Phoenix to Flagstaff on a 95 degree day. No issues save an oil leak at the base of the filter housing. The guys I had change the oil were just a little careless on the gasket was all. Easy fix.  I will be going through house systems over the next few weeks. Then down to Florida for the winter.  I will give more details and some photos as I go.  I had a short window to do the cross country trip and ended up just going truck stop to truck stop about 500-700 miles per day.  Once I thoroughly test and check all the systems I will be more comfortable with dragging along family and friends with me on the next trip. LOL!!! Thanks everyone! As to the running gear. I consider that a test passed with flying colors...
 

[rusty]

Glad all went well enjoy your Eagle 
Wayne 

[rusty]

Glad all went well enjoy your Eagle 
Wayne 

[Panton]

Sorry for the big delays between postings.  I ended up skipping the Insurance and loading up on tools for the journey. All went well Palm Springs to Vermont. I had a service guy change belts and oil and install tail pipes before I got to CA.  The trip went well with the exception of an improperly installed engine oil filter canister that began leaking onto the muffler in mid-Ohio.  Scary moment until I discover the simple cause.  Great relief came over my face, I am sure.

I ended up adding oil on the roadside to get me to a stop with KW dealer who sourced a new filter for me so I could properly install a new gasket.  They were nice enough to let me work in their yard and were very impressed and interested in the old Eagle and the guy rolling around in the rain under it fixing things himself. LOL! The service manager was a gem of a guy and will be on my Christmas list this year.

The rest of the trip was without incident.

Details -
So I flew into Palm Springs on a Sunday alone. I arrived and met with the local service guy, who mainly only agreed to work on the bus because we shared a connection to Alaska. I took a cab to the bus. Met and paid the man and headed to Harbor Freight and Wally-World for tools and living supplies for the 2800 mile solo adventure.  By 4 pm I was on the road with the goal of Quartzite for the first night.

No issues on the short first leg. I slept a bit at a truck stop just off the road in pre-season Quartzite on some fresh Walmart bedding and prepared to head out the next morning for the "big-test". The brand new (79 hours) 12KW Kubota gen would also prove to be a great friend in running all the aircons for the trip still on the factory original oil and filters.  

Jumping off 10 just west of PNX, I ended up taking I-17 north to Flagstaff.  It was a 95 degree day.  With the natural 8v71 and single rad set up I knew it would be interesting.  On pulling the grades I was pleasantly surprised to see modern pushers pulled off on the big climbs while I was able to manage engine temps with speed and manual shifting the Allison to keep the 8v in the RPM/load happy place.  Although I had one climb almost cause me to give it a rest at almost 200 degrees coolant temp, I was able to pull from Phoenix to Flagstaff non-stop with no single climb bringing me under the 25-30 mph range.  I called that a big win for the old model 7 and a small breath of relief for my hyper-vigilance to the gauges and my laser pointer thermometer of those first 2 days. 

All rolled along well with 500-600 mile days taking me diagonally across the country "almost" from sea to shining sea... Though I had no time for the sights on this one,,, the big windshields and polarized all angle mechanical visor made for some spectacular sights right from the driver's seat. With stops in Gallop and Oklahoma,  I had nothing to complain about with this purchase while I was mentally mapping all the systems yet to check and improve as I was testing the metal of the running gear from the driver's seat for 6 days. 

As mentioned the Ohio leak was the only real excitement and I was glad of it as I pulled into my family's truck shop in Vermont to do the big service for the next trip to Florida... More on that later.
 

[Panton]

Geez, I guess it had been so long that I forgot I gave a short update on this already. LOL!!!

 

[Panton]

Just arrived in Florida. Got out of Vermont just ahead of the storm on clean roads. I will get that update out soon. Merry Christmas everyone!

[beltguy]

Wow, it is so great to hear about a successful initial/long trip (actually two is you count Florida).  Thank you so much for the updates.  We don't care how long it goes in between posts as long as you keep posting {big grin}.

With those long days, I assume that you did some night travel.  What did you end up doing about the headlights?

Part of your successful trip was a result of doing your research.  For example, you climbed some big hills that could easily kill a two stroke if a novice let the engine temperature get too hot.  You did exactly what needed to be done to keep the temperature in check.

Jim

[beltguy]

Matt, as a side note, I have to smile about our dealings with the seller.  I don't recall seeing anyone so paranoid about internet communication.  Because of that situation, I have to believe you got a great deal on a wonderful bus.

Jim