Axis/Vegas Mods...1,2,3 Go.

[Long & Winding road]

Originally Posted by Deacon Blues

I went to my local Ford dealership today and asked about the correct torque figures for the front sway bar.
The torque for the endlinks (or end bars) is 59 ft/lbs


The torque figures for the front brackets that hold on the sway bar are 111 ft/lbs for the big (18mm) bolt and 18 ft/lbs for the smaller (15mm) bolt. Note that the 18 ft/lbs number is not a mistake.

What an odd bracket bolt ft/lb combo.

Good to know. Thanks.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

Well, it is tricky to fill
But, it can be done with a funnel and a hose attachment thru the front
That’s how i’ve changed my Vegas oil

The oil filter is very accessable

yes...as I posted previously..Ron has accessed it without much effort...he is wondering what changes were made under the hood that made it impossible to find the cap !

[Long & Winding road]

Originally Posted by vkb

yes...as I posted previously..Ron has accessed it without much effort...he is wondering what changes were made under the hood that made it impossible to find the cap !

No changes needed to the RV to fill oil from under the hood.

Just a large funnel with a long hose (3 - 4 foot long). Once you locate the oil cap, remove it then insert hose then hold the funnel upright outside the RV (mine is by the windsheild wipers and I have a metal hook to hold the funnel to wipers while its draining the hose and to hold steady for me).

Fill oil to correct level then when done you have to move the long hose up and down a few times to remove as much left over oil as you can, then use your finger to plug hose when you remove it to prevent messes, replace cap.

It will be a little messy the first time you do it but by the 2nd or 3rd time you will have the routine down.

I fill my oil by myself but it would be helpful to have a 2nd set of hands.

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by vkb

yes...as I posted previously..Ron has accessed it without much effort...he is wondering what changes were made under the hood that made it impossible to find the cap !

those of us with an '18 model year or below do not know of the changes.

but there must be additional air ducts or other Thor added alterations that have made it difficult to access the oil filler cap.

this info is from a previous '17 owner who now has a '19

[Thor-Machine]

Originally Posted by Long & Winding road

No changes needed to the RV to fill oil from under the hood.

Just a large funnel with a long hose (3 - 4 foot long). Once you locate the oil cap, remove it then insert hose then hold the funnel upright outside the RV (mine is by the windsheild wipers and I have a metal hook to hold the funnel to wipers while its draining the hose and to hold steady for me).

Fill oil to correct level then when done you have to move the long hose up and down a few times to remove as much left over oil as you can, then use your finger to plug hose when you remove it to prevent messes, replace cap.

It will be a little messy the first time you do it but by the 2nd or 3rd time you will have the routine down.

I fill my oil by myself but it would be helpful to have a 2nd set of hands.

I guess there's just no convincing those who have things in their head otherwise So I'm done trying to establish the facts.
Like the saying goes....there's things in this universe you just can't fix.

Thanks for responding.

[Long & Winding road]

Do you have a hose or something in the way the prevents you from reaching it?

Next time I see a 2019 I will see if I can reach it from under the hood.

Perhaps they have something new in the way that I dont have. But the engine is the same and im sure the bottom of the dash / fire walls are all the same or very similar. This is the RV world... they dont change much over the years on the underside.

Can you take some pictures?

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Thor-Machine

I
Thanks for responding.

Good Morning ! moving on from that conversation regarding the Oil Cap, etc.
…
I though I would pass on to you something we did out of necessity,...regarding the front curtains which cover the side windows … If Thor has not changed them for a better product,...the liner on them will disintegrate in the sun and heat within a year....I looked at making new curtains...then looked at all the hooks I would have to reinstall...and decided to simply cut out that white liner..as close to the seam as possible...which was relatively easy...job done...kept the OEM curtains and we are happy.
In addition...I did look for material to make new curtains...and just could not find anything I liked and which suited our taste. So the removal of the liner was done..and now I am happy with the curtains !

[csseeker]

Originally Posted by vkb

Good Morning ! moving on from that conversation regarding the Oil Cap, etc.
…
I though I would pass on to you something we did out of necessity,...regarding the front curtains which cover the side windows … If Thor has not changed them for a better product,...the liner on them will disintegrate in the sun and heat within a year....I looked at making new curtains...then looked at all the hooks I would have to reinstall...and decided to simply cut out that white liner..as close to the seam as possible...which was relatively easy...job done...kept the OEM curtains and we are happy.
In addition...I did look for material to make new curtains...and just could not find anything I liked and which suited our taste. So the removal of the liner was done..and now I am happy with the curtains !

Attachment 16465
Attachment 16466

My wife did the same thing. She just cut out the degrading liner. Our Axis is a 2016 with 11k miles. She also looked at making new ones but couldn't find anything she liked.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by csseeker

My wife did the same thing. She just cut out the degrading liner. Our Axis is a 2016 with 11k miles. She also looked at making new ones but couldn't find anything she liked.

My wife cut out the liner and sewed really nice fabric where the liner was and then turned the curtains around so the gold is on the outside and the new fabric is on the inside. The gold fabric has lasted well for 3 years exposed to the sun.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

My wife cut out the liner and sewed really nice fabric where the liner was and then turned the curtains around so the gold is on the outside and the new fabric is on the inside. The gold fabric has lasted well for 3 years exposed to the sun.

That is a good idea too ! … I, simply, never found a fabric I liked...but her way of doing it certainly saved on having to work with the hooks !
Thank for sharing !!

K

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by vkb

That is a good idea too ! … I, simply, never found a fabric I liked...but her way of doing it certainly saved on having to work with the hooks !
Thank for sharing !!

K

My wife’s a quilter. If you can’t find something in her “stash” you haven’t looked hard enough.

[JamieGeek]

Fresh coat of Rejex.

Looks pretty good for a 5 year old. Its starting to really show some gelcoat oxidation but not too bad yet (some of the places with a lot of oxidation just soaked up the Rejex).

A few of the decals are/have cracked; mostly the maroon ones.

Funny thing: for the past few years I've used some black streak remover to wash it. I ran out of all of that so this time just used some dish soap--it did a much better job!. The dish soap combined with the Rejex'ing process removed about 99% of all the black streaks.

Overall, however, looks pretty good for this season.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Fresh coat of Rejex.
Attachment 16526
Looks pretty good for a 5 year old. Its starting to really show some gelcoat ox
Overall, however, looks pretty good for this season.

Looking good Jamie …weather permitting, tomorrow, we are washing ours...going to use Dawn … we have black streaks on the rear more than anywhere....
Gone down the checklist...just about ready to go !!

happy camping !!

[markgable]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and as of last week the owner of a new to me 2017 Vegas 24.1. I am so glad this forum is available and I would like to contribute when I can!
My first mod I just completed came out really nice. I did not like the way the outside TV door was on gas struts and I wanted to have it lift all the way flat against the wall when open. Problem is, the latches hit the glass on the kitchen window. So here is my solution that seems to work well. The gas struts simply pop off with a clip. I left the mounts for them intact so if I change my mind I just pop them back on. The magnetic doorstops hold very well, but come apart with a slight tug. Plenty of clearance so the door latches don't hit the glass. Maybe a little strange looking with that piece stuck to the side of the Vegas, but....function over form in my case! I used the same thing behind the ever-banging kitchen counter extension and it locks it down tight! They stick on with 3M VHB adhesive disks so nothing to drill. About $15 for the two on Amazon. Hope this helps someone!

[Long & Winding road]

Welcome,

You found the Best forum around IMO. Lots of valuable info found on these pages.

Good Idea and Looks good.

I hit my head once on that darn TV lid/cover so I cut about 1 foot peice of pool noodle and store under the TV in that compartment so when the TV lid is open i slip it on the right side be the RV door. Works like a charm.

[vkb]

Looks like a good fix for both locations...thank YOU for sharing

Ron and Kay

[taylorbob1]

TV Door and Counter Extension Fix...

Nicely done!!!

[vkb]

Originally Posted by markgable

The magnetic doorstops hold very well, but come apart with a slight tug. Plenty of clearance so the door latches don't hit the glass. Maybe a little strange looking with that piece stuck to the side of the Vegas, but....function over form in my case! I used the same thing behind the ever-banging kitchen counter extension and it locks it down tight! They stick on with 3M VHB adhesive disks so nothing to drill. About $15 for the two on Amazon. Hope this helps someone!

hi...I have visited Amazon in search of the Magnetic Doorstop you installed...can you give us a name or the link to the item you purchased? I found about 100 when I searched the item !

thank YOU ! Ron and Kay

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by vkb

hi...I have visited Amazon in search of the Magnetic Doorstop you installed...can you give us a name or the link to the item you purchased? I found about 100 when I searched the item !

thank YOU ! Ron and Kay

I just did the same mod. Ordered this doorstop (Amazon).

It comes with two of them.

[Rich&Cathy]

Originally Posted by markgable

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and as of last week the owner of a new to me 2017 Vegas 24.1. I am so glad this forum is available and I would like to contribute when I can!
My first mod I just completed came out really nice. I did not like the way the outside TV door was on gas struts and I wanted to have it lift all the way flat against the wall when open. Problem is, the latches hit the glass on the kitchen window. So here is my solution that seems to work well. The gas struts simply pop off with a clip. I left the mounts for them intact so if I change my mind I just pop them back on. The magnetic doorstops hold very well, but come apart with a slight tug. Plenty of clearance so the door latches don't hit the glass. Maybe a little strange looking with that piece stuck to the side of the Vegas, but....function over form in my case! I used the same thing behind the ever-banging kitchen counter extension and it locks it down tight! They stick on with 3M VHB adhesive disks so nothing to drill. About $15 for the two on Amazon. Hope this helps someone!

Nice mod! Welcome to the forum.