Have I earned my RV repair patch yet?

I can't sleep - pretty wound from yesterday and just wanting to get on the road.  Sarah is struggling with the long adventure of packing and getting ready, and I can completely understand.  Yesterday we worked on trying to get on the road from 2PM until 9PM, and we still have hours and hours to go.

The problem is that the RV needs love.  Lots and lots of love.  Yesterday, the generator decided to act up at the last minute (a two hour ordeal) a plumbing issue arose (the shower leaked) and there were a couple of additional little things I needed to finish.  The two surprises - the generator and the shower - cost us about 5-6 hours yesterday.  That's pretty typical at this point.

Here's the deal - we bought a used RV.  It was pretty cheap, which was one of the motivating factors - less than $10K for the RV, the tags/title/taxes, two major repairs (things beyond my skillset/tools) and a few parts.  That's pretty good considering how much a new RV can run.  We looked at new RVs and they basically started at 10x that.  Clearly not in the budget.

We did look at renting, but renting one (including the miles for a cross country trip) just didn't add up - the cost was going to be more to rent than we've spent on the RV itself.  We also suspect this is something we'll use for a while, and we want to try out.

If you're considering going down this road, I would encourage you to think very critically about your skillset and your time.  And maybe take a spin down this list of repairs I've done to get a good idea of what it might take to get a used RV running.  For a little frame of reference - I'm pretty comfortable tackling just about any house repair job, from drywall repair to roof repair to complete in-wall plumbing rebuilds or electrical issues.  I'm also pretty skilled at car repair - I can typically replace an alternator in less than an hour, I've worked on basically all major systems from electrical to mechanical (but I won't touch a transmission - that's some sort of magic I don't want to deal with).  With that in mind, here's my list of accomplishments...in rough chronological order of breakage/repair:

• Hot water heater
• The burner was burned out (would not create a flame correctly).  Repaired at the RV place prior to purchase.
• Brake lines
• As we drove it off the lot, the brakes gave way.  Had a local repair shop deal with this one since the brake pedal basically sunk all the way to the floor.  There was just no way for me to work on this since it was basically still stuck at the dealership.  Very frustrating since this place (an Orlando dealership off of Fairbanks specializing in RVs and trailers) failed to tell me the RV had NO brakes at all.  (I'd avoid this place like the plague if you can)
• Range
• The main valve controlling gas to the stovetop and oven needed to be replaced.  I'd never worked on propane fixtures before, and it reminds me a little of working on brake lines - same kind of tubing and joints.  Used soapy water to check for leaks.
• The oven burner needed some love.  I found a spider web in an unfortunate tube portion of the burner, which didn't allow the propane and air to mix and create a flame that would light a good pilot which prevented the entire system from turning on and making the oven hot.  This took FOREVER to find - I finally had to take the entire system apart for cleaning as a last resort.
• Furnace
• This device has a large propane burner which burns in a closed loop venting to the outside.  The closed loop is a large metal heat exchanger and a fan blows over this to keep the RV warm inside.
• The furnace leaked Carbon Monoxide into the RV - very dangerous.  I only discovered this while I was working on the RV with the furnace on and was getting headaches, at which point I purchased a CO detector.
• The fan was pretty old and there were mud dauber nests in the entire thing.  Once I had that cleaned out, I still couldn't find a hole in the heat exchanger.
• Purchased a used unit on eBay, replaced most of the guts of the unit with the newer one.  Had to leave some of the propane tubing in since it was specially fit to the Winnebago.  
• Broke the valve responsible for turning propane on and off while I was trying to move tubing around.  Had to order another one.
• Works perfectly now.
• Installed mud-dauber guards
• These are screen meshes that go over the vents for the furnace
• They are supposed to keep mud daubers out of the appliances.  I really hope they do.  This was a super annoying problem.
• Cutting board sink plates
• The sink is recessed and had a particle board sink plate go over the top of it.  This had absorbed water over time and swelled.  It was pretty gross and old.
• I built a couple of butcher-block sink plates to go in here.  They double as cutting boards for chopping up vegetables etc.  
• They look really good and now Sarah wants a couple for every-day use.  (Her Mom got my prototype and loves it...)
• HVAC Blower Motor
• Seems to overheat and stop running after a few minutes.  Never did get this working, despite spending a TON of time working on it.
• I think it's the resistor block, but I haven't been able to replace it yet.
• Engine
• Replaced spark plugs with new ones.  The old ones were pretty beat up.  It's a 1993 Chevy 454 and I figured it was about time anyway.
• Lots of coolant hose replacements.  Basically all of the hoses were dry rotted.
• Replaced coolant loop to the hot water heater.  This RV has a neat feature where the hot water heater can be driven by hot coolant from the engine.  I don't think it works terribly well, but it's a neat idea.  Had to replace the hoses anyway.
• Fridge
• This is a really clever device.  It runs on either AC current or propane!  (Yes, propane - it burns propane in an ammonia heat exchanger loop to make the inside of the fridge/freezer cold - pretty amazing if you ask me)
• This is one of my proudest achievements.  The fridge was so old I could not get parts anymore.  I ordered something close (with the same burner type) and pieced together some tubing attachments from the small brass plumbing fixture section at Home Depot.  This fridge works like a champ now.
• Radio/Speakers
• The previous owner installed 10" kickers and some additional speakers in the RV.  Cool, but maybe would have been nice to leave the system in a working condition when you sold it, after you decided to pull the amplifier out.
• Rewired the radio, retraced the speaker wires and reconnected factory speakers.  Disconnected old amplifier wires until I pony up the $150 or so for a new amp.
• Sway Bar Bushings
• This is a large metal bar that helps to keep the RV from tilting too much in corners.  It essentially links the left and right side suspension together.
• The bushings basically didn't exist and it sounded like I was running over my toolbox every time I hit a bump.  $10 in rubber bushings and 3 hours later the RV drove MUCH better. (the bolts were tough to remove - had to get out my 1/2" drive socket wrenches and a very long breaker bar to loosen them) 
• Steering Dampener
• This is a gas shock that keeps the steering from bouncing left and right when you encounter bumps.  Replaced.
• AC Converter
• This is essentially a big "wall wart" you'd use to plug any electronic device (like your cell phone charger) into the wall.  Same deal - you plug in the RV to 110VAC and there are 12VDC appliances that need power and batteries that need charging.
• The old unit was some sort of large transformer that got really hot and was full of nasty fuzzy stuff.  I think it almost caught fire since I found a black burned section of carpet under it when I replaced it.
• Bought a new "switching power supply" (a larger version of the supply in your PC) which works like a champ and runs a lot cooler.  Installation was super easy but I wound up replacing the fuse panel while I was at it.
• DC batteries
• These are in good shape, but I added another battery to the chassis to allow me to run the furnace overnight with a little more piece of mind.  Had to get a few cables to attach the two batteries.
• AC Inverter.
• Not to be confused with the AC Converter - this connects to the chassis batteries and creates 110VAC from the 12VDC batteries when the generator isn't running or you aren't plugged into the wall.  I'll be using this for running the laptop when we're running down the road, or the TV at night.
• Major plumbing blowout
• This was exciting.  We went camping at Alexander Springs a few weeks back.  While doing dishes I heard a pop and the water pump started going crazy.  Looked outside and found that a drain in the RV had let loose and now the entire contents of our on-board water supply were spilling out.
• It turns out a small plastic plunger was forced down the line - this was used to drain the system but was not properly secured and blew out.
• Used chapstick to lubricate the o-rings, secured the plunger with the metal ring from my car keys.  Disaster averted!
• Front wheel bearing replacement, brake system overhaul, new front air suspension helpers
• I suspected we had some sort of wheel bearing issue after our trip to Alexander Springs.  There was a squeak coming from the front wheels I wasn't happy with.
• I took the RV to crawford tire in Ocoee - they are GREAT.
• Front wheel bearings were gone.  As in - not there any more since they had burned up.
• Brakes were ruined because they were old.
• Took the opportunity to put in new front air suspension helpers - basically air bags to help the suspension out when the RV is fully laden.  (They make a huge difference)
• Vacuum line replacement
• I noticed that while I could get hot air from the HVAC blower for a few minutes (see an earlier post about the blower motor resistor block overheating) but I could not get the air to come out of any vents except the defroster.
• Found a complete rupture in the vacuum line coming through the firewall.
• Replaced lines and fittings.  Can adjust where the air comes out of the ducts for the 10 minutes the blower motor runs now.
• Generator
• Changed oil.  Never seen red oil.  Carmel colored (new) and black (old) yes, but this was rust colored.  Even my wife, who has seen me change the oil maybe a couple of times at most remarked that this was unusual.  I hope it's not a sign of bad things to come.  Used high-mileage oil in the hopes that it will keep the generator running longer.  Also replaced oil filter.
• Tried to replace fuel filter/pump.  It's a special Onan part and will be tough to replace.  Also, there's a rounded off nut fitting that makes this tough.  Gonna see if I can get a new part on the road.
• Fixed the governor linkage with a couple of 2 cent washers.  This linkage keeps the generator running at the correct RPMs by varying the throttle based on load placed on the generator.  (If you turn on the A/C you'll require more juice)  The linkage was rubbing against the protective cover.  I added a few washers and it's running great now.
• Replaced back window shade.
• Purchased a $10 window shade from Ikea to replace the $8 walmart special that was dry rotting and cracking.
• New one is no longer spring loaded, deciding to spring up/down on its own schedule.
• Caulked/Painted the roof (Sarah!)
• The roof is rubber, but it's old.  Used roof paint from home depot to protect all the seams etc after we finished caulking.
• Fixed firewood compartment
• There's a compartment near the door entrance that is absolutely perfect for firewood - good size, under the awning, etc.
• Apparently the previous owners thought so too.  I know this because there were wood scraps in there.
• I also know this because the old wood scraps had termites in them at one point, which ate part of the door frame in that compartment.  Replaced the bad part of the frame with some green treated wood and some caulk, plus new screws.
• Built new shelf
• There was an old compartment above the wheel well below the closet.  Now it's just a hole.  The previous owner seemed to just add a thin piece of plywood which bent with the smallest of items placed on it.
• Rebuilt shelf to be able to take more weight.  Added side and back panels so you're not looking at bare wood and things can't fall into the depths of the RV framing.
• Installed satellite radio
• Drilled hole and caulked hole in roof for satellite radio antenna.
• Fixed in-dash radio mount.
• Radio was kind of floating/falling in the dash from the previous owner.
• Found the appropriately sized metric bolt and a few fender washers to secure the radio to the dash structure.
• Built windshield washer sprayers
• I don't understand this one.  There was a working sprayer on the vehicle but the tube ended in the engine compartment, spraying all over the radiator.  The tubes that went to the wiper arms had clearly been removed.
• Bought new tubing and makeshift nozzles (1/8" vacuum fittings) at pep boys.  Built new wiper sprayers.  Works great.
• Adjusted main door.
• The latch on the main door was loose and the door never closed quite right.  A quick adjustment to the door jam fixed this.
• Added brita water fauctet filter
• This should help with the drinking water issue - it's a three stage filter and claims to filter out all the bacteria as well as the chemical contaminants.  Fit right on to the RV faucet.
• Installed fridge thermometer.
• Since the fridge is full of perishables and isn't necessarily plugged in all the time, we need to monitor the fridge temperature to make sure it doesn't warm up and ruin everything.
• Installed thermometer with alarm.  Digital with one decimal point.  It's nice to see how cold it is and see if it's getting colder after I turn the fridge on - the fridge doesn't make any noise so it's tough to tell if it's on or not.
• Fixed shower leak
• The last few times I've powered the water pump on for any period of time, I've noticed a slow leak in the back of the RV under the wheel.  It's right under the shower stall, but outside.
• Took the shower valve off the wall (this was easier than expected, thanks Winnebago!) and discovered plastic hand-tightening fittings that had come loose.
• Some teflon tape and gorilla grip later the faucet was no longer leaking.
• Special note: I'm surprised at how well the shower works.  I've stayed at hotels where the shower was worse than this one.  I really think we should be able to take quick but good showers in the RV.  Unexpected!

I've enjoyed working on the RV, but this has been one long repair project.  I'm glad I'm almost on the road now.