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GVWR sense.


Mr Mark

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Hello fellow mini motorhome enthusiasts...I have been perusing the forum for some time after acquiring an '85 Nissan Pathfinder motorhome (bit of a misnomer as Pathfinder is not at all related to the Nissan Pathfinder but rather the name given by the camper company in Penticton, BC) in order to sort out what I can as there is next to zero information out there on the Nissans.

My concern relates to GVWR.  First off there are two separate plates on the driver door frame with two different sets of GVWR + GAWR numbers...I assume one set for the Nissan manufacturer and the other for the Camper manufacturer.  I noticed first off when adding up the two GAWR numbers listed on both plates the total is OVER the listed GVWR for the entire vehicle (one plate reads 1150 Rear + 910 Front = 2060 where the total on that plate reads 2005 and the other plate reads 1430 rear + 950 front = 2380 where the total on that plate reads 2180).  I am having to go by the largest weight (2380) for any sense of realism as when I weighed the unit completely empty of all gear, all water and a mere 3 gallons of gas plus myself the total read 2160.  It's a funny thing as there are four seat belts so if I was to have 3 more passengers they would have to weigh about 6 kilos each and not have any food, water or gear going by the largest total GVWR listed.   

Being that overweight is definitely not good,  why do the totals listed not match and how the heck did manufacturers get away with making things overweight simply by having a full tank of gas? ? (I see the older Toyotas also had a similar issue it seems relevant to this forum)

 

PS : I was looking for a Toy but considering they are hard to find and quick to go around here I had to jump on this opportunity when it came up...don't hate on me too bad !

 

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We pretty much ignore it. Your 85 has a full float dually wheel axle, right? Almost all Toyota motorhomes are overweight the minute you get in. Plenty of people load their families and lots of other stuff for a trip and as long as the axle was correct I can't think of anyone who had any serious problems. The owner of this group Greg used to have a Sunrader 4x4 that I think weighed in at 7600 lbs. 1 ton over GVWR. I also have a Nissan motorhome. Would love to see more pics of yours. Mine is a Sunrader so looks exactly like the other Sunrader shorties but on a Nissan chassis.

Linda S

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Awesome, thanks for the replies.  My first 'test weekend' learned me the value of keeping things light anyway due to mileage considerations so it's not like I have any plans to haul ridiculous amounts of stuff around, but it would be more comfortable with a better weight rating.  I have also learned the value of obtaining fresh water at my destination as opposed to hauling it with me, wow what a difference in handling, mileage and power between the fresh water full and empty (debating a relocate somehow as the tank is at the back of the vehicle).

 

Linda, I am fairly certain it is a full floating axle, definitely dually - but I'm not exactly a mechanic so can't tell for sure but the hub does protrude (something else to learn).  I had come across some of your posts via my googling so it was nice to have some info.  I have seen one or two others like mine on the internet and that is all.  I will post some pics for you but wonder if I should do them here or blaspheme the What's Your Rig and Where It's At thread...pics will also have to wait for the vehicle to come back from the shop as it is undergoing a full mechanical inspection (I hope the rear end is fine as I have read difficulties in sourcing parts for them).

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Well Nissan came out with the full float axle 2 years before Toyota so I'm sure your fine. Okanagan, brings back memories. I circled the country in an Okanagan van with my daughter when she was 15. Same plant made the early Airstream vans so they look exactly the same. We named her Gypsy and we still talk about that totally messed up old van that just kept plugging along just so we could have a nice trip. Yes I talk about them like they are alive. That old beat up van is also probably why I am here today on all these motorhome sites.

Oh your 24Z engine can have head gasket trouble. Might not but something to keep an eye out for. Knowing can make the difference between a simple repair or a blown engine

Linda S

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I kind of remember the 24Z having issues with the timing chain and guides if the startup rattle was ignored the chain would eventually grind up the plastic guide and clog up the oil pickup screen with unpleasant results. 22RE's had chain issues too both had very long chains but the 24Z had a rather long chain guide the replacement guide was made of a different material.

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Doesn't seem to be startup rattle so I think I'm good...will know better once the exhaust is fixed ha!  Just ticked over 170 k's and the engine seems pretty strong considering the factory rating was about 103 hp.  I take it real easy on things.

The inspection didn't include rear brakes as apparently the axle needs to come apart?  It is full float, and nope the front and rear rims do not match so I have a front spare only.  Oddly enough the original spare was still holding air on the back but obviously had to replace it due to insane amounts of decay!

 

Still working on a name for my new/used home.  I can understand the attachment if one drives all around the country.  I may get there yet, the reason I went with this instead of a camper van was supposedly better mileage - gas prices are ridiculous and they only promise to get worse.  I have had upwards of 16 mpg and downwards of 12 mpg so far.  The carb still needs tweaking (among other things) so I expect to better that yet.

 

Here are a bunch pictures for you; http://s10.photobucket.com/user/Swivelrocker/library/Pathfinder

 

I figure I'll keep it all in this thread - please excuse the long post but this has become a labour of love so obviously there is a lot going on and I don't want to muck about too much on this forum as it is a Nissan after all.

 

The previous owner let things decay quite a bit - unfortunately I did not take many before pictures but they are here; http://s10.photobucket.com/user/Swivelrocker/library/Pathfinder/Pathfinder Before

 

Synopsis of work so far - About a 200 hours of labour and about $1200 in parts/supplies.  First priority was to stop the water ingress; remove all windows and frames, scrub off the what I think was gobs of Flex Seal or Tar on all windows, install new putty, reinstall windows with frames then caulk.  There was leaks everywhere.  For the love of god do not ever use whatever instant seal crap (on anything - I do building exteriors by trade so this experience came in handy)...it took me ten days to scrub all that stuff off with Spray Nine and Kerosene.  Also for the love of...do not ever use Tuck or Duck tape (there was about half a roll holding the gas cap on).  Cleaned and resealed all the roof seams and penetrations.  I also replaced the front camper window with a thin sheet of wood covered with sheet metal as the old one was cracked and leaking...I had read they can condensate and leak on your bed plus I preferred the ease of privacy and saved a lot of bucks for use on other things.  If I want a view I look out the back.  At this point I have resealed everything except for the corner trim all around...it appears in good condition so maybe next year.

 

There is a large white panel on the side where it appears the previous owner chopped a hole in the side to install a 12 v battery.  The previous panel was a big old 1" thick chunk of plywood happily rotting away.  I installed a new panel made of 3/16" baltic birch wrapped in leftover metal from the front bunk window and finished it with weather stripping on the inside.  Above this panel was a custom chopped in exterior shower.  Works good, but definitely crooked ?.

 

I also had to replace all the marker lights, as well as clean and reseal their housings.

 

Inside I had to remove a wee bit of rot in the floor of the bunk as well as the rotten carpet.  I reskinned the area with 1/4" sure-ply.  For the hatchway I got rid of the full length piece of plywood and installed L brackets around three sides of the frame and made a custom fit hatch piece by screwing together enough thickness of plywood off cuts I had laying around...this turned out really well.  I then installed new interlocking foam floor pieces that you get in 2x2 sections at home depot, and had to custom cut around the hatch, again turning out really well although I doubt I will ever use the hatch.  Most of the floor isn't heavily secured in case there is another leak (think I got them all) but it doesn't move around so I may never screw it all down.

 

I had to repaint the dinette area as there was a lot of water ingress, however rot was minimal enough I didn't have to replace any.  I also TSP'd and Kilzd the entire interior to get rid of any residual mould.

 

I spent two days scrubbing down the fridge and stove, and have yet to really clean the stove (i.e. take apart the propane fittings and decrustify them).

 

Lots of little things...vent cranks, sink plug and screen (three trips to home depot to find ones that worked!), new exterior water fitting plugs and assemblies as well as fresh water hose and fittings, a couple of new cupboard catches as the old plastic ones were busted, resecured the mirror in the closet, resecured the electrical fittings to the solar panel controller as the wires were hanging out all over the show (bonus to have solar!), resecured the backup camera on the bumper with fresh packing tape :D (good enough for now - really long zip ties are ridiculously expensive but again bonus to have backup camera!), new spare, new engine filters (old oil filter was loose and a quick hand tighten completely compromised the old seal and I lost 2 L of oil an hour - yikes), reinstalled the one fallen die to the mirror, dewinterized everything, crash coursed myself in propane, 12volt electrical and plumbing systems as I have 0 experience with RV's, made new levelling blocks and chocks, fixed the falling off backsplash and stove fan assembly, installed all LED lighting (but saved the old bulbs in case I find I need some softer lighting), vacuumed a ridiculous number of insect carcasses out of everything, scrubbed all the old paint splatters off the floor, installed two new vents.  And more.  4 hard weeks into things so this week its been nice to take it easy as most major stuff is done.

 

Nice to have a roof rack for a surfboard.

 

Still need to do a bunch of stuff but otherwise things are rolling along pretty nicely.  The biggest concern I have is wear on suspension due to the weight and I would like to upgrade all of those components if possible at some point down the road but otherwise things are ok for now.  It would also be nice to tweak some more power out of things as the fact I will never get speeding tickets is nice however being a plug in the road isn't. 

 

Super stoked and Happy about the potential in this nice little unit - probably the coolest purchase I have made to date.  Life changing I would say!

 

 

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Wow Mark. You sound like an experienced RV guy already. Sounds like you did everything the right way. Cute little camper. It's a mini like my Sunrader. Probably about 18 feet bumper to bumper. The little ones are way harder to come by. Drives like a truck it's so short. Your going to love it

Linda S

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Thanks Linda, I'm pretty handy so this seems a natural fit when it comes to fixing things.  Definitely appreciate the shortness of it (18' bumper to bumper yes) as ferry costs will be the same as my car, not to mention I can park anywhere.  Shorter than my neighbours pickup.  The funny thing is the very next day I saw a mini Toyota advertised in better condition but was a lot longer and had the full faux wood interior (the listing lasted less than 6 hours before it was gone!).  I'm happy with the size and character of this one and the fact it is white inside as opposed to the faux wood akin to the trailer I grew up in...

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