New Purchase

[dirtrunner0519]

Hi all, 

I have been following this forum for a while, and I finally found a converted and registered RV in Oregon. See attached photos of the rig. 

Few Stats:

2000 Kenworth T2000 

It has tandem rear axles that have a locker in them so i can engage all 8 wheel to spin at the same time. 

Autoshift 10 spd with Clutch for Stop and Start 

Mileage is approx. 900k.

I did do an oil analysis results showed that the motor was very well taken care of. However on the way down we lost our jake brake only two stages. It has a Cummins N14 Celect Plus. So we are assuming it is a switch or something on the ECM. The switches seem to be going bad. We lost the light switch for the rear cab on the way down and another switch for the running lights. I am assuming that all switches need to be replaced. 

 

Inside noise is very loud on the drivers door it shakes towards the top. Any ideas? Other then that everything inside the works great. 

 

[SWharton]

Did you see the one that just posted? I think in FL.

[rickeieio]

Sweet.  I seem to recall that the T2000 had an issue with the door making noises right before it falls off.  Seriously, I do remember something about the doors warping or such that they don't make a tight fit to the frame.  We have several T2000 owners here, who seem to be happy with the trucks, so they can fill you in.

Has the smile worn off yet?

[dirtrunner0519]

Haha no not yet. It is nice. There is def a list of items that i will need to attend to. However i knew that going into this deal. I remember reading something about that. I just do not remember where. 

 

Swharton- Did see that post but that is about 40k more then i spent on myne. In addition it will be looking like this in no time. 

[SWharton]

I'm referencing the  Volvo for $29K

[dirtrunner0519]

Just now, SWharton said:

I'm referencing the  Volvo for $29K

ok 21k more then i payed. Still going to be under that even once i am done with everything i want. 

[Chad Heiser]

Congrats on the new purchase.  You should bring it to the West Coast Rally in June in Caldwell, Idaho.  Its just a hop, skip and a jump from Oregon.  There will be several other T2000 owners (including me) that will be there.  I also have a model year 2000 T2000 with a Cummins N14 and autoshift.

Your Jake brake issue is probably a faulty connection going to one of the three levels of the engine break.  I had similar issue and found a bad connection that I fixed and the issue went away.  The doors on T2000's are known issues.  The T2000's are skinned in fiberglass that is bonded to sheet metal.  As the door opens and closes over 900K miles, it flexes and that bond starts to deteriorate.  this allows the door to flex even more.  The air pressure (or negative air pressure) around the truck as you drive then pulls the door out at the top (typically).  There is a process to re-bond the fiberglass to the sheet metal, but it is expensive.  In the long run, it is probably cheaper to buy a new door and have it painted (this is what I did).  Although, even that doesn't necessarily fix the problem.  It really was just a poor design.  Other than that issue, I really like my T2000.

I am happy to answer any specific question you have, but I really thing it would be worth your while to attend the WCR to see some other T2's in person.

Here is a link to the WCR thread.

[dblr]

Congrats and welcome from another T2000 owner, I was lucky and found mine on here with the Smart car, have had it for 3 years now and am very happy with it, good luck and have fun with it.

[dirtrunner0519]

Thank you for the comments. I will probably not be able to attend the rally this year, due family health issues and our new born baby. I am actually located in Los Angeles and purchased the truck in Oregon. The next year i will be working on the truck and getting everything work out bugs etc. I have done a lot of reading on this forum "truckconversion/pirate4x4" forum.

 

I will be starting a build here shortly on this. Along with my house and garage build on the garage journal forum. 

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=335191

I will always be open to construction criticism. It only makes us better. 

 

[MrSeas]

Where are you planning to "Garage" the truck?

[rdickinson]

Re the possibly warped door, i just dealt with that issue on my Volvo 730.  I was able to put a straight edge on the door and have it make contact with 2 points and measure to a third on both doors.  It was 5/16" out.  The top of the passengers door was out enough to allow a lot of air noise in when at speed, even more when bucking the wind.  We were able to bend the door back into its correct position using a frame jack.

My point is, try to find out if the door is warped or just out of alignment. Take measurements in the same position on both.  Perhaps the hinges can be adjusted.

Never mind the redneck ideas. Don't try anything goofy.  Take it to the pro's at a truck frame shop.  It won't take much to get an answer and possibly have it fixed for less than you may expect.

if you PM your e-mail, I'll send pics of where mine was warped and by how much.

[Sculptor]

I'm told that's how the doors are aligned when they are first installed at the factory.

Two large enforcer types and a long board for leverage.  

[Chad Heiser]

The T2000 door problem is not an alignment problem, it is a structural weakness in the door.  When my and many other T2000's are not moving the doors are perfectly aligned and there are no openings for air or water or noise infiltration.  However, because the bond between the fiberglass exterior and the sheet metal interior weakens over time as a result of the door opening and hitting the outboard stops and then slamming shut when closed, the doors (usually the driver door because it is used the most) become structurally weak.  This allows the wind and negative air pressures realized while driving to pull the tops of the doors away from the cab frame at speed.  It is a known issue with all T2000's and there is no real fix for it, but it can be mitigated.

This is like the known issue with Volvo doors and the fact the bottom of the doors tend to rust when not properly maintained.  It is something Volvo owners have to live with, but can also be mitigated.

[Radman]

Dirt runner,

Congradts on the new rig.

I have a 2001 T200 / N14 autoshift and lots of experiences to share with you reguarding your up comming build...

More to follow and welcome.

Rad

[jkennell]

YOur Jake problem is likely a wire connection issue between the jake and the switch in the cab.  IIRC only 1 wire goes to the ECM.

[Ronbo]

My jake problem was the three position switch. Switches are not cheap at kenworth. My doors will let in sit in a large crosswind. They do pretty good must of the time. Check your exhaust. The flex pipe goes away pretty quick. It is worth it to get the stainless steel if you can find it. The straps for your tanks will rub holes in them as will the fairing if the tank is too far back. A good radiator shop can fix the tank. I paid $240 to have patches welded on and a new bung installed. Not hard to remove or install at all. Ask your questions. We have several T2000 owners and we all have had our repairs to do. A lot of it is just catching up on stuff that was not fixed when it broke.

[Radman]

I read a TSB about the KW T2000 doors from 2000.  If I remember correctly they were doing a "not mandatory" recall to fix loud doors in cross winds.  Not surprisingly when I contacted the local KW dealer he know nothing about it and there was no documentation on file so nothing was done.  I replaced all the seals and readjusted the doors and it provided some relief.  The drivers door top window frame on my rig is warped slightly outward in the center.  With new seals it makes no wind noise now until we get serious cross winds - like going across KS?  The down-wind side pulls out from the seal and it howls. 

I have considered some aerodynamic aids to minimize the low pressure area like a vertical elements to minimize wind flowing horizontally under the visor to around the corner of the windshield and across the top of the door window frame? 

I would consider getting a second fuel filter if not already installed and some good cleaning of the final strainer at the cutoff would be a good idea too.

As a note to all the T2000 owners I have a set of factory service manuals (2002) it they would be of assistance I can PDF specific pages for your consumption upon request.

 

[dirtrunner0519]

17 hours ago, MrSeas said:

Where are you planning to "Garage" the truck?

I will be housing it in the new garage i will be building. Or in my driveway along with my trailer. 

 

Thank you for all the advice on the doors. I am going to remove them and look to see how warped it is or if there is anything else going on. 

Here is a short list of fixes: 

Light switch 

Exhaust brake switch 

Radio 

Door handles and doors 

Cab radio 

Storage compartment for dash 

Glove box 

Headlights 

Tow hitch 

Tail lights 

Exterior lights per 

7 inch headlight 

The above are simply just wear and tear for 900k mile truck. I really have not gone through anything in depth. However, i did look at the flex pipe to from the turbo to the exhaust and that does have a clamp on it. So i will be replacing that piece. Other then that look for updates on here and the garagejournal for both this tow rig and my fummins I will be rebuilding .

[MrSeas]

27 minutes ago, dirtrunner0519 said:

 

17 hours ago, MrSeas said:

Where are you planning to "Garage" the truck?

"I will be housing it in the new garage i will be building. Or in my driveway along with my trailer".

Let us know how the visit to the DMV goes on the registration of the truck.

Does you city allow parking of a "class 8" truck on residential property? How about the trailer?

 

 

[dirtrunner0519]

6 minutes ago, MrSeas said:

 

Truck is a MH and has plates as a motor-home, should not be an issue parking an "RV" in my driveway. I was already pulled over by CHP on my way home regarding speeding due to the fact i was a truck, i was not speeding simply following the car speed of 70 mph on the 5. I nicely explained to the officer that it was registered as an RV. He did not understand as it looked like a truck. I then explained you cannot use it for commercial use, it does not have a hitch, the air glades connections, the correct tires for the weight, and the interior was set up for an RV but above all it was clearly registered as an rv. He understood my reasoning and said ok, no problem, it is a really nice concept. He did write me a ticket for a tire that had poor tread, fair enough it did have very low tread. 

[MrSeas]

Sure it has plates as a MH in the state that you purchased it in, what I am asking is about "California" registration as a MH.

 

 

[dirtrunner0519]

Not sure. Hopefully it goes off without a hitch. Will keep you informed. 

[MrSeas]

5 minutes ago, dirtrunner0519 said:

Not sure. Hopefully it goes off without a hitch. Will keep you informed. 

Thanks

[Radman]

54 minutes ago, dirtrunner0519 said:

Truck is a MH and has plates as a motor-home, should not be an issue parking an "RV" in my driveway. I was already pulled over by CHP on my way home regarding speeding due to the fact i was a truck, i was not speeding simply following the car speed of 70 mph on the 5. I nicely explained to the officer that it was registered as an RV. He did not understand as it looked like a truck. I then explained you cannot use it for commercial use, it does not have a hitch, the air glades connections, the correct tires for the weight, and the interior was set up for an RV but above all it was clearly registered as an rv. He understood my reasoning and said ok, no problem, it is a really nice concept. He did write me a ticket for a tire that had poor tread, fair enough it did have very low tread. 

Mine is also registered as an RV but looks like a box truck (MH / Toy Hauler with garage in back for dirt bikes).  I was pulled over twice in the first year for passing the scales and not again since.  Fortunately for me never ticketed - I think the cops seemed a bit embarrassed for making the stop after they saw what was going on.  The one guy was a rookie ADOT guy in Alabama, demanded my log book and got upset when I told him I don't keep a log book - its an RV...  I finally had to show him the RV designation on the Missouri Tags and the VIN Plate on the door jamb before he would believe me.  Then he ran my Tags and Drivers License and when they came up clean - he let us go.

[Ronbo]

Message sent about manual. Where in California are you located? I am in West Sacramemto for 3 more weeks. I don't believe California recognizes the rv designation. If you get it passed that will be great. Go to a small dmv office. Most of the signs in California say 3 axles speed limit is 55. I do 65 without problems. If you need window regulators they are $200 each on Amazon.