Page 18 - 2017-Fall Vintage RVing

Technical Corner MAINTENANCE, PARTS, TIPS, INNOVATIONS AND MORESpare PartsEmery Stora | 1977 Kingsley | Frederick, ColoradoYou are driving down the interstate in the early evening on Saturday night many miles from the nearest town. All of a sudden, your engine stalls and so you coast over to the side of the road. You turn the key but all you get is the engine cranking over without starting. What do you do now?This happened to me on the way home from the 2017 Fall GMCMI Convention in Elkhart. I knew that I had fuel in the tank so I guessed that it was ignition. I pulled open the engine cover and checked for spark on a plug wire and had none. Then I opened the distributor cap and checked it and the rotor and they looked good. I then pulled out the module and found my spare one and installed it. Still no spark!I then removed the cover from the distributor coil. The coil was so hot that I could not touch it. Fortunately, I had a spare coil with me. I installed it and the engine started right up!If I had not had the right spare part with me I would have had to wait for perhaps three or four hours for a tow truck and then be towed for about a hundred miles to the nearest town. Since it was a Saturday night I would have had to wait for two days until a shop opened on Monday.What spare parts do you have in your GMC?Here is what I have needed at least one time over the years for roadside repairs:• Black Electrical Tape • Duct tape• Fuses, switchesGMCMI Parts InterchangePAPER VERSION AND ELECTRONIC VERSIONGMCMI, with the assistance of members and vendors, have compiled a comprehensive parts interchange for the GMC Motorhome. The electronic version of the GMCMI Parts Interchange is available to GMCMI members and the GMC Community by simply registering at gmcmi.net.Remember...thisis your parts interchange, please submit new and/or updated part numbers to [email protected] you!• Wire ties • JB Weld • WD 40• Dielectriccompound• Distributor cap,rotor, coil, module,pickup coil• Pin punch (to fitgear at end of distributor)OR perhaps a complete spare Distributor with parts installed• Extra spark plug and extra spark plug wire (to reach farthest plug)• Spare alternator (or short jumper for solenoid so Onan will keep your engine running)• Spare starter motor • Fuel filter• Extra fan belts• Fuses• Golf tee to plug broken vacuum lineMost of the time these parts should get you back on the road.There are other parts that could be needed but you might be able to move along without them until you can get someplace where you can purchase and install them.• If you have throttle body fuel injection: spare injector, throttle position sensor, oxygen sensor• Radiator hose repair kit• Radiator stop leak• Front wheel bearing and seals• Short piece of vacuum hose• Exhaust manifold gaskets• Brake pad set (front & back)• Spare air bag or threaded rod to temporarily replace it • Transmission modulator• Transmission governor gearThis list is nowhere complete. I know people that carry even more parts such as fuel pump, water pump, CV Joint, brake cylinder, caliper, fan clutch, and shocks. There are also some who only carry a cell phone and a credit card! I guess that it all depends on your degree of risk or your degree of paranoia.Of course, you will also need some tools with you to do the roadside repairs and you should know how to use them. If not, then ask another GMC owner to show you how to use the tools before your next trip.Happy GMC Motorhoming!18 GMC VINTAGE RVING MAGAZINE | GMCMI.COM