Hey guys, I just found your channel. I’d like to give you a tip for changing oil. Jack up the passenger side front to give you a little more space. Loosen the oil filter only!! Now go up top, and remove the air cleaner and turbo pipe. Now you can remove the filter without spilling a drop. I usually put a gallon ziplock bag around the old filter.
Thanks!! We used the gallon ziplock bag trick this time but didn’t think to take that stuff off the top to reach it instead…might have try that next time! Unless I’m being impatient and just end up doing it the “fast and messy” way again 🤣
When your disk brake pads wear that unevenly that means your calipers are not free floating. You need to clean and regrease the caliper pins so the caliper can free float side to side. Also if you took the tire off when changing the oil filter you could get to it a lot easier.
All my kids that are old enough to drive (currently 22 & 19) have been taught how to do the standard maintenance items (oil changes, filter changes, diff oil, transmission oil/gear oil, disc brakes, fluid top offs, etc.). The other major rule is there first car had to be a manual transmission.
When you are working on the truck with the tire off...slide the tire under the frame for fall protection, add a few boards under or on top of it to raise height close to frame....not as good as jack stands but helps....and get a c clamp and compress both pistons at same time with old brake pad...
Hi Craig, when I’m changing brakes, I learned this from a mechanic many years ago. Take a large screwdriver before removing the caliper, put the screwdriver between the brake pad and the rotor and pry into the brake pads to push the pistons back into the caliper. Then remove the caliper and install the new pads. I’ve done it this Way ever since I have never needed any tools and only takes a second. I hope this helps next time.
It would have been nice if Brinkley installed a permanent 4" gate valve at the hose connection. I have one of those "twist on" Valterra gate valves and you have to be careful when installing or removing your sewer hose because it twists very easily and you could twist if off inadvertently.
I enjoy watching the two of you. I look forward to your videos I see you’re driving their owning a Brinkley there’s several other RVers on the RU-vid there got horrible problems with their frames. I hope you don’t develop any of them problems. It seems like the frames on all these new RVs are all coming from the same company and they’re all junkmaterial they are using is not adequate for full-time RV. I hope you don’t have any problems anyway love you guys.
There is a special tool for the oil filter on the Cummins which screws onto the filter which allows you to pull the old one out and put the new one in without spilling any oil
Team DIY. I will let you know they want the truck to last past the warranty period and it will make that following the manufacturer instructions. HOWEVER I change mine at 5000 miles. Transmission oil and filter every 50,000. Pretty much cut all the recommendations in half.
Well done on all fronts, you two. It's great to see young people who get out and experience the world. It helps, of course, to have a guy who knows how to fix things. That's how we grew up and it seems it's become lost to most people. You're setting a great example!
Thank you so much! So thankful I’ve got Craig around, it makes life a heck of a lot better and easier when you’ve got someone who can do just about anything! 😄
Don't fill up your filters before installing. The engine oil pump flows enough oil to fill that filter in a split second. Also, when you pour new oil into the filter, most people pour it into the center of the filter.. this is the clean side of the filter. Most brand new oil out of the jug doesn't meet the manufacturers' ISO standards for cleanliness. As someone else mentioned, they make a plastic tool that screws into the oil filter so you can get it out without dumping oil all over the place. Good videos yall! We enjoy watching!
I’ve had good luck on Amazon for Valvoline Premium Blue 15W-40 oil for my 6.7 Cummins as well as Mopar oil and fuel filters. It almost always hails/rains in the evenings in Colorado in the Summer. It’s a good compromise for us to not have to deal with humidity. Love the truck and videos.
Yesss we’ve started getting them off Amazon and it’s so much cheaper than the auto part stores! And we had no clue about the hail in Colorado. Lol us Floridians just aren’t used to this. 😂
You guys need or at least look up the MoreRyde Suspension for your RV. One other (that I know of) full time RV couples installed it on two different RVs. It’s an independent, disk brake game changer for the violence that goes occurs on travel days.
Please get a good floor jack and jack stands before you do your brakes again. The factory jack is barely safe enough to change a tire with much less work under. I've seen many people get hurt doing that. I've always used C-clamps to spread brake calipers, they have a special tool to do that also.
Your question about maintenance on a vehicle, I won't even let the lotus dealership in Denver change my oil in my car. If you want to prevent the nitrate glove when taking off the oil drain plug. Purchase an EZ oil drain plug that will fit your year make and model, another one you can look at it is called valvomax quick twist oil drain valve. I had an 02 Dodge 3500 that the valvomax was on and it made it very easy to change the oil. The guys that mentioned to you about using a flat head screwdriver to compress the Pistons on the brake calipers, are absolutely correct. To your comment about the rain in Colorado, I live Northeast of Colorado springs for 22 years and have never seen this much rain or hail. And it's a very cool summer as well normally it's hotter than boiled owl. I do believe it's that global warming at its finest. Safe travels to you all. I've been dragging fifth wheels around since 02. And I hate to say they're all pieces of crap with a different price tag on them. First trailer was a trail Bay, then I upgraded to a Montana, next one was a heartland, and currently a redwood 42 footer. And all of them except the Montana was POS! Hate to be negative they try to make them as cheap as possible.
It's a good thing Craig can do the maintenance on the truck and rig. Beautiful waterfalls. Have a wonderful week. Thank you . I really enjoy watching your videos ❤❤❤❤. Much love Mary
Love your channel guys, keep up the good work!! If tie ever in the Southern California area we’d love to meet up with you guys. Thanks again for all the entertainment, take care and be safe on the road, this is Alan.
Most auto parts stores will have loaner tools. You can take it back when you turn in the pads for core return. The brake tool has a couple of adapters to compress the pistons.
Great job on the maintenance, its always something, my new GM has brake pad life sensors, so no more guessing 😀... new rv looks amazing and you guys look happy, safe travels
I don’t go to the Stealership for maintenance. Craig summed it up when he said “they are not going to care about your stuff as much as you do“. Thank you for 37 minutes 51 seconds of enjoyable video!
I like my beloved 6.0 Powerstroke. 200k miles, 5 gallon bucket, filter on top...20 min max. There is so much hate for this motor 😅 Nice job man. Not sure if greased your brake.pins...next time. Do this upgrade....upgrade the differntial cover. On my ford, holds 1 additional quart and the cooling fins a must for us towers. The rebuild is $5k+...my opinion seal was leaking and ran low on fluids. I caught it in time!! In the rig, lay down elastomeric RV coating...great content and will make sure your roof last forever. I reapply every 3 to 4 years. It has a 10 year warranty. I went with Ames 5 gallons.
@@wildrvlife the hate is legit...from the factory, mega problems. We go through a bullet-proof process to remedy... Great truck. I think the Cummins is the best. I had the tractor...2005 Dodge.
Hey Craig - since we're talking trucks..... I'm looking at upgrading my 2005 RAM 2500 to a newer version. We used to camp a lot with a couple of long bunkhouse travel trailers. Now that it is just the two of us, we're looking at a 5th wheel that is under 10,000 pounds and 30 feet. I'd like your advise on any truck tech that you wish your RAM would have (even if you already have it). I've seen options for trailer TPMS, towing packages with extra cameras, connections for trailer cameras, air suspensions, swapping gear ratios from 3.73 to 4.10, gas versus diesel. So many options! My current truck is diesel but 2005 is pre-DEF so I don't have any experience dealing with that. Any advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated. My wife and I love your channel.
I think for a camper like you described a 2500 would be good, just double-check the payload. I would recommend at least getting some sort of exhaust brake with it, a backup camera on the truck (I don't really use the other ones too much), and gas is a good option, however diesel has always seemed to outlast the gas engines. I personally would choose diesel just for the higher resale value as I never intend to keep the truck till the wheels fall off. I do wish our truck had the trailer tpms built in, but it does work using an external solution
Great job on the video! I thought for a second you were going to leave us with a cliff hanger (so to speak) until next week to see how the drive went away from the falls.
Yes we are very happy with it!! There will always be little things to fix and tweak on the road and that is totally fine with us, keeps life interesting 😆 at least our back wall isn’t falling off anymore 🤣
FIVE BANANAS Brake Caliper Press Tool, Car Ratcheting Brake Caliper Piston Spreader Press Tool with 2 pcs Steel Plates, Red, Works better than any other
The daily rains are called “ the monsoon season” as summer afternoon thundershowers are the norm. The western mountains depend on them to keep everything green.
Enjoy your videos, informative & humorous… great team work too! Maybe mentioned already… Push caliper pistons back before removing caliper by pry bar / Lg screwdriver between old pad and rotor. For safety, Brakes require more than Pads to restore full braking performance. New pads are only 50% of brake surface; won’t provide designed braking performance on old rotor surfaces in cooling & stopping… important when towing heavy. Your rotors also displayed uneven wear between inner / outer surfaces, indicating calipers not floating as designed. Most new Rotors only have .080-.100 between new and minimum thickness specification and many not recommended to machine since it requires minimum .010 surface removal (0.020 total both sides) to restore surface. The days of heavy brakes and extra material to machine have been replaced by thinner, lighter, higher temp metals & improved pad compounds. Normally Rotors & Pads need replaced to maintain optimum braking. Caliper pins & sleeves need to be removed, cleaned & lubed or replaced with caliper mount kit… lube with hi-temp anti-seize or brake lube. Good performing brakes are the most important, especially when towing… most brake failures are results of no maintenance ( worn out) or partial brake replacement ( pads only). Filter change… on diesel, important to pre-fill oil from external side of filter chamber, not center… the center is outlet, dirt or contaminate won’t be filtered if poured in center. Multiple methods to mount & not spill full oil filter on RU-vid. More important is Fuel filter should be primed before starting to ensure Fuel Pump is lubricated (diesel is lubricant) on start-up to prevent premature fuel pump failure… high cost repair. General rule, cycle key 6-10 times or when you hear filters full before starting. Last check, drain or change water separation filter.
I just watched this episode and had to laugh at your comment "Craig uses a yoga mat to change the oil . . . just sayin'!" because I bought a thick, cushy yoga mat for my hubby to use when crawling under our VW Westfalia for repairs and oil changes - It's a BRILLIANT idea if I do say so myself 😇
Nice work. If you find yourselves in the PNW I've got a 40 acre off grid ranch outside Bickleton, WA you could stay at. Plenty of power. Prolly 3Kw per day between wind n solar.
So the Rocky Mountains brew thunderstorms June, July, and August. West of the rockies is dry, east of them tornado ally. Count your blessings. Your not twisted upside, down. So stay there the rain cools it down daily.
We definitely had a wet summer here in Colorado last year, which is great for fire danger, but on the other hand, June is still a teeter totter month of bad weather and snow melt. I live right here in the central Rockies and do plenty of RVing. I highly recommendJuly 4 and later, including August September, and even early October. But the very very best months August for camping.
Have a question regarding your service on your dodge... Currently have a 2022 3500 dually and have been doing the maintenance regularly ourselves... All of a sudden it has started producing white smoke... The dealership is claiming now that they can only do the oil changes and this is due to a process they do where they burn off the def in the filter... Has anyone experienced this or know how to compat this?
I would invest in a good bottle jack, since you don't want to put a jack stand under it for safety, I would never trust those jacks that come with the truck. And go by yourself a pair of brake caliper spreaders. They're pretty cheap. They'll make life so much easier.
I don't want to sound like the safety inspector or anything but use a jack stand when your working on that truck with the wheel off. I know it feels like you'll only be a minute and your not sticking your legs under the truck and whatever other excuses you tell yourself at the time but...............just use a jack stand, it only takes one time, one unfortunate little slip you don't see coming...........
Should get an oils sample tested then you will know what is going on and if you need to change earlier, usually people change it to soon by the sample test but with towing you would be on the severe cycle not normal routine.
I use “C” clamps to compress the pistons on the calipers, just do it slowly so you don’t blowout the diaphragms in the other wheels or the master cylinder.
Why are you doing vehicle maintenance on public lands? You pride yourself to boondocks, yet there you are changing your oil in natures beauty. Why didn’t y’all do this before you left the house?
i do the cummins filter by laying on my back on the ground and reaching up straight, i have a 5.9 though maybe different. my brother has a lifted truck and he just unbolts his inner fender and pulls it out of the way with a tarp strap, as for the tight filter if you reach in and loosen while the truck is just starting to cool, the heat helps make it easier to loosen. cheers
as others mentioned don't be under the truck with only one support. jacks slip, break, and otherwise fail. if you feet are under like they were when it fails, your next adventure is navigating a wheelchair. a jackstand is nice but the tire underneath can be enough. and don't display yourself spilling oilnand fuelnin a natuonal park that could be a 10k fine.
On the breaks, i use 2 flat screwdrivers to pry them in before i take the caliper off, and on the back fuel filter, the zip lock bag works great toncut down on the mess
The only thing I ask my self is why you didn't remove the tire before changing the oil that was much much easier for you and plus you end up to take the tire off anyway. Also the Autozone or O'Reilly auto parts you can rent the most tools and then they when you returned they give your full money back
Hello Don't know if you look back on old videos but chances are the batteries are the problem on the door latch. I go through 3 sets of batteries in mine every season.
My 400 hp cat takes 32qts of oil plus lots of filters. I hope you took the used oil back to where you bought your oil not in field you are in. I still say go to you dealer for your oil and filter changes.
You should be taking your glide pins out and greasing them everytime you do your breaks. Your caliper needs to glide easily every time you use your brakes.
You could fill up the filter and cover the top with cling film and a rubber band to keep the oil in the filter They may even have a plastic lid at the dealers for it Or dont even bother to fill it as they dont give a crap most likely plus the fact they work on book time for jobs and are given like 5 minutes to change a oil filter Oh and get a C clamp for the brakes using the channel locks was painful to watch But you did a great job on the maintenance
If you put the oil filer in place first before screwing it’s on add the new oil to it with a funnel and you won’t dump it out if you add it first and then try to install im a mechanic by trade so I do all my own repairs I’m team do it yourself lol way way cheaper
Regarding your new Valterra sewer slide valve: Get yourself a 4”-4 1/2” Radiator clamp, install around the connection to your rig’s sewer pipe and moderately tighten it up. This ensures the Valterra stays snug and securely on, even if you are twisting and turning the clear cap…
Craig we love your new haircut.... That is an amazing waterfall, not sure if we are up for that drive. That was an amazing spot at Turkey Springs... We really loved that spot for a few days before we got kicked out of it a few days ago.- Kyle and Michelle
Thanks guys for another wonderful video. I also do all the oil changes on my 2012 Ram with cummins diesel. Like you, I replace the brake pads and drain and refill both differentials, transfer case and the auto trans (there's 2 filters inside) as needed. There was no drain plug on the trans pan so I got a drain plug kit at Auto Zone ($10.) and installed it. Also, if you've got a grease gun you can grease the u-joints, ball joints and tie rod ends as long as your truck has the zerk fittings. If you can do those things, I bet you can do just about any repair on your truck or camper. But I hope you don't have to! Safe travels!
they make a pre fill plug that is a game changer. You fill your filter with fresh oil and then put the plug in. then once you get the filter in the spot and standing up then you pull the plug and still have a full filter. amazon has it.
Heads up I would take this video down. Their are people who will call who ever is running the area They could fine your for oil changes ect.. especially not using a catch all, shoot their coming after people filming in national parks and fining them. Anyways Good luck on your adventures.
It might not have been obvious in the video but I just wanted to be sure and point out that we did use a drain pan for the oil and fuel and used a clear bag around the oil filter to catch the oil...definitely did not drain the fluids on the ground!
