2010 Prostar ISX (General Questions)

[vewdew1]

Hi all,

I'm a new HDT truck owner. Recently purchased a 2010 International Prostar with a Cummins ISX that has been converted to an RV hauler which my family and I will use to start traveling full time next summer. I've provided a picture as an attachment for those curious. It has a little over 690k miles, runs great, and oil analysis looked good. It has an enclosed garage on back where I carry a small car, and a hydraulic tail section with air ride RV 5th wheel hitch (clever design). I will be pulling about 20k lbs counting the RV and piggy backed car.

Now that I've had it for a couple weeks, I've started to work my way through a long list of relatively small issues and questions, many of which I've been able to research through this great website. Here's a few questions that I still have:

- I have the Carrier 6000 APU for the sleeper HVAC and to run an inverter for my fridge/tv/microwave in the sleeper. It is also wired to power my RV if I want for boondocking purposes. I would like to use the truck as a small RV for overnight excursions to places I can't fit the full rig and have researched adding shore power. Carrier offers a shore power kit, but it seems kind of expensive. My first thought was to roll my own with an automatic transfer switch, but then I realized there would be no communication back to the APU controller to tell it not to start the generator. Anybody know of a cheap workaround to accomplish this, or should I just pay the Carrier ransom for their kit?

- I have the dreaded wind noise from the front upper corner of the drivers side door. I can pull in just a little and it stops, so wouldn't take it much to make it seal. I've adjusted the door latch but didn't help. Was about to look into tweaking with the hinges, but then stumbled up on a TSB where the OEM offers a shim kit to address the issue. Anybody tried that instead? Can I accomplish the same thing with washers? I read here where several had just put weatherstripping under the seal to push it out further, but they didn't provide the dimension (thickness) of what they used. I ordered some 1/8" thick so will probably try that first, then try the shimming of the hinge.

- My sleeper windows have been caulked shut, so I'm assuming they both leaked. Looks to have been clear silicone or something, but now its turned kind of yellow and looks ugly. I don't need to ever open the windows really, so I was thinking of redoing it. Anyone can recommend a good product to use that won't turn yellow?

- The gentleman I bought it from had ordered a really nice service tool kit in a hard case with datalink module, a bunch of cables, and Inline 6 software CD. Much to my disappointment, when I tried to install I learned that he had not purchased the actual license (which is apparently very expensive). Is there a cheaper aftermarket software solution to use with this hardware? I can't see myself using it very often, so hard to justify the annual subscription cost.

- Since I will only be pulling around 20k lbs max, for maybe 20k miles each year, what would you guys recommend for a service schedule? Oil change and filter replacements once per year?

- I've been looking for a good online store that I can order OEM parts from, but most of them seem pretty sketch with weak search tools. Guess I'm a little spoiled to automotive sites. If anyone wants to PM me some recommendations that would be awesome.

- I had a DOT inspection done at a dealer before I bought it, just to look for any big issues. They did find a few things, but quoted $130/hr labor rates. Is that the labor rate I should expect pretty much anywhere? Am I better off to find an independent mechanic for most minor repairs (e.g. hub leak)?

- I noticed that the fuel gage likes to wander around, as much as 1/8 tank. Makes me a little uneasy as to weather or not I can trust it. I'm guess the sending unit is the first thing to replace? Or is this normal? I read that it only reads the drivers side tank and transfers from the passenger side. Is this only one direction, or will it transfer from the drivers side the the passenger side to keep them balanced?

Thanks in advance for your time!