It has taken two years, but we finally have our truck.
The truck is spacious for its footprint and should be able to do everything we want of it. The basic bones of the truck and box are strong and the layout works as intended. I have been disappointed that there are so many small issues that still need fixing however we are relentlessly pursuing each one and eliminating them. After each improvement I am feeling better. I have no doubt that in time I will be proud of it.
We have just competed a two thousand kilometer trip up the east coast to Port Elizabeth and then inland to Addo Elephant park and Mountain Zebra Park before heading back down through Cango Caves to Cape Town.
Thanks to Heinz Modricky of Metalian Trailers for his help with sorting out some of the problems.
What we have fixed:
- Removed the speed limiter - drove me mad before we removed it. Drive down the hill at 80km/h and then struggle back up the other side at 60km/h. The ECU uses the same protocol as an Isuzu D-Max apparently.
- Re-fitted the turbo outlet pipe after it blew off. Bang and whoosh. Tina thought we were trying to kill her. I correctly guessed what it was. We were back on the road in an hour or so.
- Got the camera system working on the morning before our return to Australia. Needed to lock the drive bay. So frustrating having all the cameras but none working for the trip.
Some of the major items still to be sorted:
- Diesel water heater is only running on electric.
- Auxilary air line for pumping tyres to be fitted.
- Additional solar panels to the deck roof.
- Deck tent sides to be installed.
- Thicker wiring to the switch board and air conditioner. Can't run it on full power or the voltage drop causes it to shut down as it thinks the battery is low. Wires also get very hot.
- I would still like more power. Amazing that the 6.7l Cummins has nearly twice the power of the 7.8l Isuzu. I will look into a turbo upgrade. The existing one in small in diameter which gives good low down power but not much up top.
- The gearbox is also slow and notchy. I will talk with Isuzu and see if I just got a bad one or if this is normal and hopefully it will run in.
We are back with the three kids in January for a major tour. Three months all up, two with the kids. I am looking forward to it.
Truck on the trip
