December 2003 - GMC Classics Motorhome Club
Contents
1. Horse shoe Pitching Contest A great deal of enthusiasm was gener ated during the horseshoe pitching con test The top 4 teams were to advance to the finals to determine the top 3 teams ONLY 3 oh boy the pressure was on The Finals consisted of Bob McKnight and John Tietje vs Charlotte Alumbaugh and Janice Wilson who played for third place Charlotte and Janice won and therefore placed third in the contest The other teams con sisted of Linwood Arthur and Ed Lilly vs Al Brieger played for and Willard Murdock who first and second places Lin wood and Ed won the title of first place and ond Al and Willard placed sec HOWEVER the losers in the match for third place Bob amp John wanted to see a play off just for fun between the first team Linwood amp Ed vs Charlotte amp Janice It was suspected that it was because the girls had beaten them and they wanted them to beat the 1 team The crowd Way agreed and so it got under Sue Arthur and Al Brieger THEN During the playing with a great burst of vim vigor amp vitality Bob amp John became cheerleaders leading the group in some rousing cheers for the girl s team on his very next throws landed two they were BUT for a real clincher Linwood ringers to cinch the fact that TRULY the CHAMPIONS Which of course no one had really doubted afternoon A great fin2. not cement the pieces together so the support can be easily and quickly disassembled for storage and travel Larry notes that it is very inex pensive compared to commercial manual dish sup ports Larry uses the digital satellite finder to aid in achieving satellite lock He reports much improved performance over analog devices It like the ana log devices does not identify the satellites It sim ply indicates the strength of the satellite signal be ing received Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 HEI Distributor Mechanical Advance According to one owner who services HEI distribu tors commercially about half of the distributors that have never been removed for service have poor or non functioning mechanical advance mechanisms If your distributor fits that description he recom mends you remove the distributor disassemble clean and re lube See the service manual for a complete description of the service procedure This work will substantially wake up the engine if the mechanical advance is not performing properly Here is an exploded view of the HEI distributor from the service manual 1 Cover Attaching Screw 2 2 C TEF Jd Crowd Demand 4 Coll Attacking Screw 4i 8 Igeilian Call amp Cold Termteals 7 Hulsher Sgal 5 Branh Spring and Button Ca LIF 10 Rotor Attaching Screw 2 11 Rotor 18 Shaft Assembly 13 Springs 14 Welgita 15 Bracket Atta
3. Knig You just had to be there LAST MINUTE UPDATES Lora Lee Howell reports that Joe is doing well His rehab is coming along fine She wants to thank everyone for the cards prayers and concerns Joyce and Willard Murdock In their Sundy go ta Meetin clothes Peggy Thomas passed away on June 24 2003 Our heartfelt condolences to Ed and his family December 2003 U pcoming R allies January 22 25 2004 Winter Rally Guadalupe River RV Resort Kerrville TX Hosts Ken and Ruby Thoma Harry and Nancy Fulks Bud Allen and Judy Morgan April 29 May 1 2004 Spring Rally Cedar Oaks RV Resort TVA Grand Lake of the Cherokees AP Grove Oklahoma Hosts Lorren and Bess White Justin Hill Uvalde TX Tentative More info at a later date Membership dues need to be mailed by January 1 2004 so the Roster can be printed and ready for delivery at the January Rally We are excited to be able to include photographs so be sure to include one of you and your spouse with your check Photo will be returned to you T hinking of Y ou Marvin Peck has been in the hospital recovering from pneumonia Betty Jackson is recovering from a mastectomy Joe Howell fell out of a tree and suffered a head injury Urgent News We are sad to report the passing of four of our Classic members Tom Stanford Pnut Tipton ila Joe Powers A e UPA Sarah Fayard They were friends to all of us and will be greatly missed Whispe
4. Massey HC30 Post 24 Box 12 Brownwood TX 76801 325 784 5861 Debbie EMail editor gmcclassics com Billy EMail webmaster gmcclassics com Website www gmcclassics com
5. any Mery rr vey yyy poy Special points of interest e Fall Rally LT Tech Exchange T Upcoming Rallies e Membership Dues e Horseshoe e Red Hat Tea r UN o en ie at NON a i e ON MMOS MQM NEN CGN CMO Wan e a MMe Ta a Inside this issue Fall Rally Review pg 2 Tech Exchange pg 3 Mini Golf pg 7 Red Hat Tea pg 7 Upcoming Rallies pg 8 Membership Dues pg 8 Urgent News pg 8 Schedule Reg Insert Rally Pictures Insert I m very pleased with the year we all have had with the GMC Classics Our fall rally at Whispering Pines RV Resort in Tyler TX which included our annual Halloween contest a horseshoe pitching contest and a golf putting contest was enjoyed by all Thanks to our hosts and all of you who made this rally one of the years best Those of you who missed this rally well can only say the Halloween contest wasa hoot Butthanksto those of you who took lots of photos and the tireless work of Debbie and Billy Massey many of those precious momentscan be viewed atwww GMCClasicscom siis 2 MET Es ad hey W ayne Alumbaugh I would like to encourage all of you to be sure and plan to attend our winter rally at Kenville TX where we will be camping along the Guadalupe River This should prove to be a good setting forthe winter rally would like to thank Rosa Bamsfor being called to lead usin our Sunday moming worship service at Tyler TX You inspired usall would like to say thanks to all of you f
6. ce your issues and let the debates begin If you prefer to do neither advise me and will bring up your subject s as time permits Your club welcomes your comments and suggestions for Tech Exchange subjects You are also welcome to make a presentation on a technical subject of your choice Advise what you would like to present and when Call or email Fred Hudspeth at 903 509 2495 and fohtxak aol com respectively Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX December 2003 October 23 26 2003 Miniature Golf Tournament Red Hat Tea Men Women What a wonderful time all the ladies had while dressed in their finery About 44 ladies attended the Tea and were treated to some enlightening entertainment by the boys 1st Place Ivey Freeman Johnnie McWilliams 2nd Place Linwood Arthur Sue Arthur 3rd Place Bob McKnight Janice McKnight Harry Fulks Art Owens and Bob McKnight Ladies be sure to attend the next Tea you never know On Friday morning Carroll Owens led a craft group of about 28 ladies to make a beaded snowflake Saturday morning s crafts was led by Minnie Myers who showed them how to make a beautiful GMC etched coffee cup I wanted to let everyone know about the T ea for the J anuary R ally W e willhave the T ea on F riday afternoon at 1 30 p m E veryone come wearing purple with a red hat Please bring your own T ea C up and a door prize if possible We want everyone to win someth
7. ching Screr l Capacitator Bracket 17 Caparitatar L3 WLeing Harness 1 Matule Atiachlng Screw 7 anm Electronic Models 21 Retelnar Thin C Washer Zi Pole Piece and i Ammer y bE 4 Vacuum Advance Control T amp Fejt Washer 65 Plastic Seal ET Housing Figura 48 HEI Gertruter Espiaded Sun December 2003 e Successor toG r G159 Steelwall Radial T ire Tom Landis reported on the successor to the Goodyear G159 tire that many owners have on their motorhomes It is the Goodyear G647 it has a load range E rating Tom bought his tires from Camping World Tom Landis reported on the successor to the Goodyear G159 tire that many owners have on their motorhomes It is the Goodyear G647 it has a load range E rating Tom bought his tires from Camping World Here are a few pictures of the tire Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 Next Tech Exchange At the Classics Winter Rally in Kerrville Bob Thompson will talk on motorhome insurance with special emphasis on stated amounts Jim Davis will comment on drive shaft retaining bolts Jim mentioned this to me at Whispering Pines but I forgot to recognize him during the Tech Ex change my apology Jim Please make and bring a list of the service and repair issues you would like to have discussed during the Tech Exchange We will address them as time permits You are always welcome to lead the discussion or just introdu
8. e bearings hub and knuckle and note any unusual effects from us ing the spacers If still within specifications he will December 2003 reuse the bearings and continue with the test His goal is to determine the service life penalty if any from the increased bearing loading His hope is that the handling benefits will justify the cost of re duced bearing life if any will report service re sults as learn them in a later edition of the Tech Exchange Esch kit contains hwo 2 precision machined op qualify steal rings and a necessary hanmware e Satellite TV An increasing number of owners especially those who are news and financial junkies are using sat ellite TV in their travels Almost all report frustration with locking onto the satellites used by their service providers Sometimes they get lucky and can achieve lock quickly at other times it seems to take forever to achieve lock There are several systems that lock onto the satellites automatically some even while in motion these systems range in cost from 1000 to more than 2500 more than most GMC owners are willing to spend Among commercially available manual dish support de vices Owners report no significant advantage of one over another Larry Turner devised his own dish support and is pleased with the result Below are some pictures of his support It is made of PVC pipe he uses simple wedges to accomplish level ing He did
9. in Hill C L and Sandra Hood Fred Hudspeth Monte and Helen Jestes Tom and Judy Landis Ed and Kandy Lilly A J and Catherine Marshall Billy and Debbie Massey Byron and Angela Maxwell dos AF Ye k 3 Eugene Mazzuranav New Member Corky and Vergie McHaney Bob and Janice McKnight L D and Johnnie McWilliams Duane and Mary Mead Al and Eileen Mechana Frank and Henrietta Mueck Willard and Joyce Murdock Robert and Marilyn Musgrove Charlie and Minnie Myers C B and Kathryn Ohlhausen Jim and Peg Ong Art and Carroll Owens 3 Ernie and Jan Phillips Jim and Betty Presley Jerry and Francis Reeves Ken and LaRosa Rose Alan and Jois Ross Ted and Karen Ruppel Otto and Dora Schuster Bob and JoAnn Sullivan Ken and Ruby Thoma Rob and Mary Louise Thompson Bob Tietje son John Tietje Carolyn Tipton James and Nelta Cook Larry and Linda Turner grandson Colton Tommy and Ann Walker Charles and Janice Wersal Lorren White David Whittenberg and Beth Yolland Dave and Janice Wilson f Billy and Lillian Wortham W ii Ann Brieger s relatives Rusty and Rudy Anderson Jim and Sandra Anderson Lanny and Billie Young Ray Baker s brother and his wife sorry we did not catch their names A great time was had by all who attended It was great to see A J and Catherine Marshall It s been a long time the rally since they were able to attend A J and Catherine Marshall Unbridled Enthusiasm at
10. ing N ext O ctober willbe a biggie in U valde T x W e are planning a Pajama B reakfast S tart looking for purple pajamas gown or robe A Iso the most outlandish house shoes you can find or invent B ut remember you must wear ared hat of some kind B e creative on this also We will have a catered breakfast and entertainment M ore on that in a later newsletter B E mmy D unlap T Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 December 2003 After supper on Saturday we were treated to the talents of the Clear River Band a bluegrass gospel string quartet Everyone was very impressed They kept quite a few feet tapping in time to the music as well as people laughing at their antics Don t miss them if they are ever in your area CLS A On Friday most everyone dressed up in their Halloween costumes Costumes were judged and prized awarded in several different catego ries Judges were Phil Atkisson Carolyn Tipton and Sandra Hood Winners of the contest were Most Original Linwood and Sue Arthur Most Beautiful Tommy and Ann Walker Cutest Ugly Willard and Joyce Murdock Most Unidentifiable Al and Ann Brieger Scariest Ken and Ruby Thoma Best Thing Wayne and Charlotte Alumbaugh Weirdest Betty Presley Favorite Harry and Nancy Fulks Best Model John and Ellen Brecheen Funniest Bob McKnight Best of Show Larry and Linda Turner CER and grandson Colton Mayes E a Bob Mc
11. ish to an exciting December 2003 By Fred Hudspeth Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX This record of the Tech Exchange is presented as a service to GMC Classics members and guests Accuracy is not guaranteed Independent verification is urged e Alternator Field Wiring some owners have experienced damage to the electrical harness in which the alternator field and other conductors are located This damage has been attributed to overheating of the alternator field conductor This conductor is made of a nickle chro mium Nichrome material with a specific resis tance in pre 77 motorhomes The resistance is not stated in the service manuals In the 77 78 mo torhomes this conductor while not Nichrome has resistance of 100 10 ohms Some owners be lieve the overheating condition occurs as a result of abnormally high amperage flowing reverse to the normal path The normal path is from the battery through the ignition switch and alternator status light to the alternator The reverse flow is said to occur as a result of failure of the alternator or bat tery isolator The sequence of events within the alternator voltage regulator or isolator that results in the reported high reverse amperage has not been defined Here are a couple of schematics from the service manual showing the circuitry for the alternator and charging system i to Lj m 1 AMP ji L e TX ee ee ME d Gl NER AT OR Figure 24 T
12. or making thisa special year forme and Charlotte It has been great serving the Classics and we are looking forward to 2004 We wish each and everyone a great holiday season W ayne N ext R ally o Y Cue T Dates January 22 25 2004 VES Location Guadalupe River RV Park s 2605 Junction Highway NX Kerrville TX 78028 i b http www guadaluperiverrvresort com Wireless Internet available Hosts Ken and Ruby Thoma Harry and Nancy Fulks yy Bud Allen and Judy Morgan F See insert for reservation form map and schedule Reservations are due by January 15 2004 se 7 Seaeana December 2003 Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 F allR ally 2003 Whispering Pines R V Resort T yler T exas Host s L D amp Johnnie McWilliams Bob amp Janice McKnight Charlie amp Minnie Myers Chloris amp Kathryn Ohlhausen Attendees 127 58 Coaches 127 attendees Guests are listed in italics Bud Allen and Judy Morgan Wayne and Charlotte Alumbaugh Linwood and Sue Arthur Phillip Atkisson Vic and Gwen Ayres Ray and Earlene Baker Jerry and Rosa Barnes John and Ellen Brecheen Al and Ann Brieger Jim and Joanne Davis Harry and Mattie Driskell Gordon and Emmy Dunlap Frank and Cathy Emshoff Dock and Lill Feinstein Buzz Fisher Sue and Dan Franks Ivey and Shirley Freeman New Member Harry and Nancy Fulks Marvin and Gay Guelker James and Redonia Harper Jean Henderson Just
13. regoing discussion of this problem is designed to be fair and balanced This is the report you decide e Front Wheel Spacers Owners of GMC Motorhomes have long com plained of the tendency of the vehicle to chase the ruts made by trucks on asphalt based highways The spacers see picture below are designed widen the track of the front wheels to within a frac tion of an inch of the rear track Owners who have installed the spacers report greatly reduced rut chasing Several of those owners however and others who have not installed them are concerned about the effect of the spacers on the service life of the front wheel bearings These bearings have long been referred to as the Achilles heel of the GMC Motorhome and are likely near their design load limit in the stock configuration The spacers are believed to substantially increase the bearing load especially on the outside bearing Some own ers who are engineers have analyzed the bearing design and raised flags of caution on the use of the Spacers Engineering calculations notwithstanding two owners know one an engineer have elected to install the spacers and do their own field test One has 9000 miles with the spacers and has found them to meet or exceed the claimed handling benefits thus far he has observed no adverse ef fects At the regular bearing service interval of 24000 miles provided he has no problems before then he will carefully inspect th
14. rienced it They and other concerned owners want to help others avoid it The frequency of the problem thus far however appears to be limited as one owner a long time GM dealer before his recent retirement said his service department never dealt with such a problem He notes that the charging system used on the GMC motorhome is conceptu ally the same as that used on GM vehicles since the industry converted from generators to alterna tors in the mid 60s There have been some annoyances with the system reported by some Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 owners over the years over a wide range of GM ve hicles some of the annoyances resulted in the issuance of GM tech service bulletins to address them but no bulletins addressed meltdowns Another owner a long time owner of a GMC Mo torhome service company said he had never ser viced a GMC Motorhome with this problem A third owner an electronics engineer recently analyzed the charging circuitry and could find no obvious flaws in the design These owners including me are quick to point out that this may be an evolving problem and could be related to the aging of the fleet their comments reflect only their own experi ence and are not intended in any way to question the account of those owners who have experienced the problem other owners who are concerned about the problem and the remedy devised by one owner Note the fo
15. ring Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 The Classics Chatter is a quarterly newsletter for the member ship of the GMC Classics Motorhome Club The club is a chap ter of the Family Motor Coach Association and primarily draws i s membership from Texas Oklahoma Louisiana and Arkan sas It s purpose is to promote the preservation of the GMC Motorhome and to bring it s owners together for their exclusive enjoyment and common interest Officers President Wayne Alumbaugh 7000 Glen Hills Rd Richland Hills TX 76118 817 595 9068 E Mail cwachar sbcglobal net Vice President Ann Brieger 104 Laurel Ridge San Marcos TX 78666 512 392 4789 E Mail ab27 swt edu Secretary Ellen Brecheen 540 Rocky Creek Dr Coldspring TX 77331 936 653 5454 E Mail jabrecheen msn com Treasurer Linwood Arthur 3400 Firewheel Dr Flower Mound TX 75028 972 539 8202 E Mail larthur539 aol com Wagon Master Joe Powers 3018 County Road 2160 Iredell TX 76649 254 364 2416 E Mail joequata webtv net Administrator Billy Massey HC 30 Post 24 Box 12 Brownwood TX 76801 325 784 5861 E Mail bdub gmcclassics com FMCA Representatives National Director Corky McHaney 1257 FM 337E Medina TX 78055 830 589 2431 EMail jvmchaney 278055 com Alternate National Director Gordon Dunlap 510 Brookhollow Dr White Oak TX 75693 903 295 6828 EMail emmydunlap aol com And publications Newsletter Editor Webmaster Debbie Massey Billy
16. ypical Lead Connections Whispering Pines RV Resort Tyler TX October 23 26 2003 GM C Classics TECH EXCHANGE ik INDICATOR LAMP p ee Oe C L RECTIFIER BRIDGE yn ku ee ee ee ee o ee ee L Figure 23 Schematic Diagram of Generating System Typical One owner Gene Fisher Florence Oregon has devised a wiring modification that he believes will prevent the wiring overheat problem It consists of an alternator protection cable APC that is in Stalled between the alternator T1 and T2 terminals and the OEM plug for the black and brown wires that connect to these terminals Gene presented a paper on this subject at a recent GMC Western States rally Following are a few frames from his paper and a picture of the APC We Think The APC Will Stop E The Problem Removes reverse voltage 4 Corrects dim alternabor light s Light now indicates real probleme a Protects regilor wire Reversible solution New connector for alternator December 2003 a APC Is Easy To Install To Summarize Albernator circuit is not faulty Isolator or regulator can burn wires Dont cut wires and create problems Put on the APC for cheap insurance Wires melted Replace resistor wire Repair depends upon year model For more details on Gene s paper and the APC go to http www california com eagle engine htmi alternator This problem is a major one for those who have expe
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