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Traveling the backroads of the world, or anywhere for that matter, clean, safe, pure water is critical. When we designed the Tortuga Expedition Camper, we incorporated a 40-gallon water tank that feeds an Everpure water purification system using the FDA approved Superchlorination method. (www.everpure.com) All would be well except the shop that installed the tank under all the cabinets did a sloppy job of attaching the fill spout. It is just one of many items we have had problems with because we relied on craftsmen, (I use the term loosely), who had no idea of the quality mandatory in an expedition camper.

The water leak contaminated the 1” plywood sub floor that sits on the main NidaCore/fiberglass floor. Since the cabinets were built around the tank, they all had to come out to remove the tank. Needless to say, it was a Cesarean Procedure.  While the tank is being repaired in Rancho Cordova, we replaced the damaged sub floor and cleaned up some of the electrical wiring that looked like a problem waiting to happen. We’re just glad we discovered the leak here in California instead of Tajikistan.

The fill connection to our water tank was "taking a leak" every time the water sloshed in that direction.

Removing the damaged floor board under the tank was a messy job.

Fortunately only the wood directly beneath the tank was damaged by water.

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Onboard compressed air is a critical and mandatory component of any expedition vehicle. On The Turtle V, it is used for our Hellwig rear air suspension, (www.hellwigproducts.com), the front ARB Air Locker, (www.arbusa.com) and the twin Fiamm air horns, (www.fiammtech.com), in addition to operating air tools, airing up tires, and even reseating the bead on a tubeless tire if it needs to be broken down for repair. Compressed air is also handy for blowing off dust from anything.

Extreme Outback's new ExtremeAire Velocity compressors use a 3/4 HP motor, 100% continuous cycle, to pump out 1.5 CFM @ 100 PSI.

To solve this need, we mounted twin ExtremeAire compressors in a custom K&W side box, (www.customtoolboxes.com). Using the two Extreme Outback compressors, (www.extremeoutback.com), gives us the security of still having air should one fail. The new ExtremeAire Velocity compressors feature continuous duty with a ¾ HP motor that puts out 1.5 cfm at 100 psi. They will fill our 5-gallon AccuAir aluminum reserve tank in just over a minute, (www.accuairsuspension.com). High-pressure air lines from PowerTank, (www.powertank.com), connect to a pair of Campbell Hausfeld mini pressure regulators (www.chpower.com), that feed the ARB Air Locker and the Fiamm air horns. All electrical connections to the various solenoids were made with reliable Quick Cable butt connectors, (www.quickcable.com), that have built-in heat shrink.

AccuAir's 5-gallon aluminum air tank was a perfect fit between our compressor box and the truck frame.

Campbell Hausfeld mini pressure regulators monitor the air to our Fiamm air horns and ARB locker.

K&W Custom Tool Boxes fabricated a special box for our new compressor system.

When The Turtle V first started to have front wheel bearings self-destruct, we just carried a spare unit with us all the time and changed them every 20,000 miles. Then Dynatrac Products (www.dynatrac.com), came to the rescue. The factory “unit bearings” were a problem for many Ford Super Duty owners. Dynatrac’s Free-Spin™ Heavy Duty Hub Conversion Kit is designed to replace the factory unit bearings with fixed spindles and serviceable bearings. Factory unitized bearing systems, also known as “unit bearings”, were designed to make vehicle assembly easier but are prone to failure due to a very narrow bearing design and plastic bearing cages. When a unit bearing fails, the vehicle is often immediately disabled and cannot be driven anywhere until the unit bearing has been completely replaced. You have about 100 yards to stop and pull to the side. By then, pretty much everything up to the tin backing plate: spindle, rotor, brake pads, caliper—everything is trashed.

Please check out the article “The Bearing Thing” on our Home Page under the brand new Tech Stuff Button.

Since back in the early 80s when we met one of the founders of K&N Air Filters, Ken Johnson, we have used K&N High-Flow Washable Air Filters in all of our expedition vehicles. From the silt bed traps of Baja California to the Atacama Desert in Chile and across the frozen Steppes of Siberia, K&N Air Filters have protected our engines through some of the harshest conditions in the world. Their ability to be cleaned and re-used gives them a life of hundreds of thousands of miles and saves us a huge amount of critical storage space that would ordinarily be needed for extra filters. As we prepare for the Trans-Eurasian Odyssey we will not even carry a spare. K&N recently posted an interesting article on their website.Type “Turtle Expedition” in the Search Box to find current and previous articles. http://www.knfilters.com/news/knews.aspx

In our preparation for The Trans-Eurasian Odyssey, every system on The Turtle V must be tested and retested. While not a serious winching job, moving a huge boulder in front of the new garage driveway was a perfect opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the Warn 16.5ti Winch, (www.warn.com), mounted in the new Buckstop Bumper, (www.buckstop.biz), and the Viking Dyneema® synthetic winchline, (www.vikingoffroad.com). Drawing on two Group 34 Odyssey Extreme Batteries, (www.odysseybattery.com), we didn’t even bother to start the engine for this short pull.

With our departure this upcoming Spring for The Trans-Eurasian Odyssey, (driving from Lisbon, Portugal to Shanghai, China following the legendary Silk Road), we are starting final preparation on The Turtle V. All systems are being inspected at Ken Imler Diesel Performance in Sacramento, www.imlerdiesel.com, and anything that might be a problem in the next 50,000 miles is being replaced and upgraded. Recently we installed a new Gates heavy duty water pump along with new Gates hoses, thermostat and belt tensioner, www.gates.com. The new Gates Green Stripe FleetRunner Micro-V belt is expected to last at least 100,000 miles under severe conditions. Coolant was drained and refilled with Fleetguard ES Complete Ethylene Glycol, www.cumminsfiltration.com, the same we used in Siberia where temperatures were often below minus 70° F.

Gates Rubber (www.gates.com) recently shot a commercial video training tape showing the Gates Solution Kit for 7.3 Power Strokes that eliminates the need to remove the top radiator hose to change the serpentine belt. Part of the video will include an interview with us and clips of our Trans-Siberian Expedition. The finished video will be shown on the web sites of Napa Auto Parts, AC Delco, and Gates Rubber, and will be used at this year’s SEMA (www.SEMA.org) and AAPEX Shows in Las Vegas. It will be on YouTube as soon as editing is complete.

Gates Rubber Company (www.gates.com) , suppliers of all our cooling and heater hoses, serpentine belts, belt tensioners, and HD water pumps, recently paid a visit to Ken Imler Diesel Performance (www.imlerdiesel.com) where The Turtle IV is on display, and where current preparation on the Turtle V is underway. A training video was shot showing the Gates Solution Kit for 7.3 Power Strokes that eliminates the need to remove the top radiator hose to change the serpentine belt. Part of the video will include an interview with us and clips of our expedition across Siberia. The finished video will be shown on the web sites of Napa Auto Parts, AC Delco, and Gates Rubber, and will be used at this year’s SEMA (www.SEMA.org) and APEX Shows in Las Vegas. We will have it on You Tube as soon as editing is complete.

Starting a 7.3 Power Stroke engine requires turning the engine at a speed high enough and long enough to raise the oil pressure to 450 psi to open the fuel injectors. Especially in cold weather, the factory starter really had to work. The MPA (Motorcar Parts of America) Xtreme HD starter (www.Xtreme-HD.com) is a direct bolt-in replacement. Each starter is fully bench tested using MPA’s T3 Testing system using computerized equipment simulating actual vehicle requirements. The X17802N starter has 4.0KW power compared to OE’s 2.5-3 OKW. Other features include offset gear reduction design for improved torque and durability, torque limiter to prevent ring gear/drive train damage during initial engagement, an inline solenoid and clutch for smooth engagement, sealed heavy duty ball bearings, oil-impregnated bushings, synthetic lubricants for improved easier cranking, and specially coated wiring to protect from heat. First impression was clearly audible: It spins the engine like a top.

After replacing our Seaward marine hot water heater with a FlatPlate (www.FlatPlate.com) double wall brazed plate heat exchanger that takes heated coolant from our Espar D5 Hydronic coolant heater (www.espar.com), we saw an unexpected problem. It works too well. Even after running the D5 Hydronic for 3 or 4 minutes, the water out of the kitchen tap could exceed 160°F to 180°F; scalding! The simple solution was to install a Watts Thermostatic Water Temperature Mixing Val (www.watts.com). After setting the desired temperature, the Watts valve adds cold water to keep the hot water at a constant temperature between 80° and 120° F. Using John Guest Speedfit (www.johnguest.com) connections made the install super easy.