Maiden voyage

Road stories, questions about driving the B190, lessons learned
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Choptop
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B190 Year: 1990
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Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Well we decided to take a 4 hour drive to northern Mn to see some friends that I ride w/who were going to be staying at a resort for the weekend. Hours of preparation, cleaning, checking things, loading... to get 15 miles down the road and have to limp her home.
Had an issue the other day that I thought was transmission related well the same thing happened today and I believe it is engine related.
Drive starts out great, running nicely and the all of a sudden you loose most of your power, can't get it to rev in neutral has a hard time maintaining speed and forget about the hills, and on the straight it barely gets out of it's own way. Talked to the previous owner to ask him were he hid the jack, find out their wasn't one, never had one since he owned it and had Good Sam services so figured he didn't need one, would have been nice for me to know on my 200 mile ride home after purchasing it but the I would have thought he would have changed the oil, 3,000 miles on the previous oil change when I pulled in my driveway, but I regress. He also told me it never had a tuneup while he had it and I believe when he purchased it the thing had been sitting for like 7 or 8 years. Just bought plugs yesterday, will change them out next week and then get a distributor cap and what ever else I can do and see if that helps and if not, off to a mechanic. it is either not getting gas or not being able to burn it.
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Choptop
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Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Although I plan on popping the dog house next week and replacing what I am qualified to replace, I am beginning to think it might be the fuel regulator, we will see.
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Kentuckian
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B190 Year: 1993
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Kentuckian »

Choptop -
Changing plugs on the three or four cylinders at the front of the engine is not much fun. If you bought copper electrode plugs, I would consider trading them in for platinums so you won't have to do it again for a long time.
1993 Airstream B190
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Choptop
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Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Kentuckian wrote:Choptop -
Changing plugs on the three or four cylinders at the front of the engine is not much fun. If you bought copper electrode plugs, I would consider trading them in for platinums so you won't have to do it again for a long time.
Thanks, will do!
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Choptop
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Just got into the front 3 btch plugs, pulled away to read on advice to changing them before I became to frustrated. Upside of crawling under to retrieve tools that fell threw was That I discovered Bilstein shocks, have to be at least 9 years old but rides nice.
Picked up gas filter, cap and rotor, wires look good and a gas pressure regulator.
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Choptop
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B190 Year: 1990
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Well, spent the better part of the day putzing around , getting ready for "maiden voyage attempt 2". heading north a couple of hundred miles to Bayfield Wi, taking the ferry over to Madeline island and maybe renting a couple of bikes and riding around, then back across to Bayfield and have a campsite on the grounds of a newer Indian casino, overlooking Lake Superior. Hopefully the bug that got us during last attempt at a maiden voyage, is taken care of and I can re instill some trust in the S.O.'s mind :roll: ,concerning the purchase of the B.
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skater
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B190 Year: 1991
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by skater »

Good luck!
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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Choptop
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Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Thanks and when are you going to change your thing to '91bought back ? :P
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skater
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by skater »

Choptop wrote:Thanks and when are you going to change your thing to '91bought back ? :P
Yeah, I need to fix that. :)
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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Choptop
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B190 Year: 1990
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

An hour and a half into the trip and so far so good.
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Choptop
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

Well we are back home, some observations after our first outings, 8 hours on the road and about 325 miles. She is a beast, overweight and sensitive about it when you try to get her to move faster than she is going to move, kind of ugly in the way that only a owner can love but she likes her attention and she gets a fair amount of that. In light of the trip I do not believe the moniker of "Aunt B" fits her, she is now and forever to me "B"east. She handles well. the first couple of hours were rainy and windy but that was no problem. She does not like to be pushed to get up to speed, that will result in some sputtering and holding on to the gear till I let up a little and then she will shift, take it some what easy and know problem. Have to definitely plan for the hills, got caught half way up one @ 35 and had to go the rest of the way @ that, just need to be prepared for them, at speed and most aren't to bad. Got around 11 mpg, and about 20 miles from home, the gas gauge that didn't work for the 2 years the previous owner owned it and for me, up to that point, started working !!
2 people and the necessary stuff, or so you think, for a weekend, gets crowded real quick, we will get better at that. Hit 70 at one point and I can hardly wait for that first panic stop. S.O. slept on the couch w/a 3" memory foam pad, to confining up top, I tried sharing the couch, was not going to work. I love the over the cab, plenty of glass space and ventilation, but at 66 and 225, a b'ithch to get down from, she will try it w/me next time after I get a new pad, missing 1, that allows me to open it all the way. Got the furnace figured out before we left, although we didn't need it, warmer than we thought it would be next to lake Superior, still need to figure out stove and frig for the next time, if not this winter, next spring. I enjoyed the trip and my time in and w/the Beast. bseg
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skater
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Re: Maiden voyage

Post by skater »

Choptop wrote:She does not like to be pushed to get up to speed, that will result in some sputtering and holding on to the gear till I let up a little and then she will shift, take it some what easy and know problem.
That's odd. Mine will gladly run up to highway speeds without complaint.

Glad you had a good weekend!
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
User avatar
Choptop
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Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
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Location: Midwest

Re: Maiden voyage

Post by Choptop »

It's kind of odd, mine runs better cold then warm and if I mash the accelerator it will kind of stop accelerating before the point it should shift and stumble a bit unless I let off the gas a little and then it will shift. :?
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