What did you do to your coach today.

Topic: What did you do to your coach today. (Read 49708 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #550 – October 13, 2012, 09:54:01 am

Quote from: Jim Frerichs – October 12, 2012, 11:37:59 pm

Roland,

When you install the Zantrex inverter, be very careful not to short either the positive or negative cable to the case while the opposite one is already installed. It blows some internal components...don't ask me how I know.

Thanks for the advice, will take precautions.

Roland

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #551 – October 13, 2012, 12:24:41 pm

Sprayed two coats of 303 High Tech Fabric protectant on all awning fabric and washing with Ivory soap solution. Finished the day before rains hit the northwest!

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #552 – October 13, 2012, 06:13:35 pm

Today, the urge struck me to take the coach for a ride to Wally World about 12 miles away, felt it was time to get the oil splashed over the gears and bearings again, I am always amazed closer to surprised at the acceleration since the convert to the ISM500 setting with the resonator, you sure do not need to look at the speedo to see your picking up speed rapidly. Watched some TV and restock the vitals, then back to the garage and wash the front bug splattering from the Black Hills trip.
Was disappointed there "Biscuit" FOT, had painted the front with the Armor Coat, a piece size of a dime chipped off from the pressure washer, it chipped down to the gelcoat (white). Not a warm fuzzy feeling about that.
So guess another trip to Xtreme for solution.
Anyway, the coach is bedded down in the garage all warm and snugly.
Sometimes it is harder to laugh
Dave M

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #553 – October 13, 2012, 08:38:32 pm

Dave, I had chips too. Look at this one, it actually had green paint blown under it.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #554 – October 13, 2012, 08:55:23 pm

I am part way thru' my newest little project as I am changing the cable set up for the 3 AGM batteries for house power. I bought a length of 3/8 x 2" copper and made 2 bus bars bolted to 4 insulators I had poured from fibreglass resin. The frame and bars are mounted to the right side of battery support frame and my next job is to make all new cables 4/0 up with boltable lugs etc. The feed to Inverter will come off the copper bars. Hopefully this arrangement will work to have a more even loading and wear on the 3 batteries. I will be doing the cables etc while on holiday in San Carlos Mexico along with adding more solar power on the roof. I will pick that up at AMSOLAR on the way thru Oregon.
John H

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #555 – October 14, 2012, 10:11:06 am

Quote from: John Haygarth – October 13, 2012, 08:55:23 pm

I am part way thru' my newest little project as I am changing the cable set up for the 3 AGM batteries for house power. I bought a length of 3/8 x 2" copper and made 2 bus bars bolted to 4 insulators I had poured from fibreglass resin. The frame and bars are mounted to the right side of battery support frame and my next job is to make all new cables 4/0 up with boltable lugs etc. The feed to Inverter will come off the copper bars. Hopefully this arrangement will work to have a more even loading and wear on the 3 batteries. I will be doing the cables etc while on holiday in San Carlos Mexico along with adding more solar power on the roof. I will pick that up at AMSOLAR on the way thru Oregon.
John H

Great set up, think I'll copy when I redo my inverter setup.

Roland

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #556 – October 14, 2012, 10:46:28 am

I'm just thinking out loud , but I assume your going to have some type of electrically insulated guard or cover over the bus bars when in service. The though of a short across something with all but unlimited instantaneous amps is scary. Gam

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #557 – October 14, 2012, 11:40:31 am

you are correct Gam, I have a fibreglass cover that is to be fastened above the bars and it WILL protect from shorting out. I will be covering the sq tube below the unit too. I did not post this as job not done yet. Once connections etc are made I will take a picture of complete install.
Thanks anyway.
John H

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #558 – October 15, 2012, 10:47:12 am

Had the front-end bearing oil drained, bearings inspected, new seals...all back together and ready for another 150,000 miles.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #559 – October 15, 2012, 11:05:58 am

Chased air leaks, only one found was on the check valve on the inlet side. From the air compressor which I decided to replace since I have carrying a new one for about a year. Took apart the original / identical compressor to see how it is made etc. It has a reduced air flow/pressure compared to the new unit.
My leaks were to about every 55 minutes, the compressor ran about a minute or so.
Now maybe things will go back to sleep for a while.
Time will tell.
Dave M

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #560 – October 15, 2012, 03:43:47 pm

How about take out the entire inside front section. I think we will have a new TV.. why yes we will 46 inches LED.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #561 – October 20, 2012, 09:25:11 pm

I bagged some more desiccant (FYI Sorbent now charges $4.95 handling if your order is less than $45 so my latest batch cost more like $4-5/bag), made some Pourtravel snacks to take to the Grandvention, and loaded some stuff in the coach.

Steve re-did both roof a/c's (again, once more with feeling, the never-ending quest to try to make them quieter, this time with Dynamat in critical areas), adjusted bay door latches, updated our sewer hoses, tightened a loose ground screw in our Power Line Monitor, loaded the "Freecycle" items, and did quality control on the snacks.

Michelle

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #562 – October 20, 2012, 09:48:30 pm

Today was the day !!!
Another Puck lite burned out and I have a big bag of the LED replacements, problem, could only do a very few as not able to remove the cover to expose the bulb and make conversion to the LED. TODAY, I had had it, so I used a small hook and just jerked the lens cover down & off, was expecting to need a new assembly, nope, just make the conversion and put the lens back on with a slight twist to make snug.
What a joy to have good light and no heat, BINGO !!
FWIW w/ a

Dave M

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #563 – October 20, 2012, 10:12:09 pm

Hi Dave,

The ceiling puck light lenses become midley adhered to the vinyl ceiling due to summer heat. You might try using a dull table knife or putty knife (even a credit card) to separate them - about 1/2" under the perimeter all the way around. Then maybe use a rigid jar lid opener or strong finger grasp to the outside edge of the lens to unscrew it a 3/4" so it will come off as designed. The retention mechanism is somewhat fragile so be pretty careful about pulling down before it is released by rotating it counter clockwise.

If you brake the plastic fingers of the lens latch mechanism, maybe make a super glue repair so it will have a normal connection to the base catch of the fixture.

Another hint, possibly bend the pins a little of the LED replacement disc so that they reliably will make better electrical contact with the socket. Seems the pins many of the LED discs are smaller in diameter than the halogen pins.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #564 – October 20, 2012, 10:24:39 pm

Jim,
All good words & thoughts, I had in fact run my small butter knife around the outside to make sure it was not attached to the vinal head liner, and with a large channel lock pliers, could not rotate the cover, that was when I did the real red neck thing and simply hook on and jerk it down and off, Bingo, worked great, so for me, all bets are off for the next batch I attack. Ya, gotta do what works best, I found it.

Oh, No damage to either lens or housing, everyone I did, looked like the new one I have in reserve
Thanks
Dave M

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #565 – October 20, 2012, 11:12:52 pm

Use the palm of your hand. I had an issue with one on my coach and one of David's guys showed me how to take it off. I could not budge it he popped it right off.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #566 – October 21, 2012, 10:11:31 am

Put the coach in secure, locked storage about 30 miles away. Totally enclosed, owner lives right next door, no kids around, but also no electricity in the storage. I removed the two large batteries and brought them home.
DW had gall bladder removed last month, Catheter exploration of her heart last Monday, and Knee surgery this last Wednesday. Heart is OK but she had a "floater" causing problems in the knee. Can't walk without crutches. Other health issues so we decided best to stay home this winter--but next year LOOK OUT!!

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #567 – October 21, 2012, 06:46:21 pm

Norm,

Yuck! Best wishes for quick and full recoveries. We look forward to seeing you on the road.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #568 – October 21, 2012, 06:58:54 pm

Just finished having the desk cut down to a cabinet and the part that was cut off is now hanging of the wall so we can flip it up and have a full desk or push the chair back when we are underway. I had the front TV replaced with a 46 inch LCD and the back TV done as well but much smaller.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #569 – October 21, 2012, 11:53:21 pm

Hi John S,
Any pictures of the new desk, up and down? And the new TV?
Raymond

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #570 – October 22, 2012, 12:15:01 am

Thanks for the well wishes J.D.
Why is it that we almost always get a statement from someone that:"when we want to get rid of our GV, to give them first chance"? The Foretravel quality shows!!
I turned the owners of the storage facility onto Foretravels. FOT, MOT, and Encore, along with this website. So I think we will be having another Foretravel owner in the near future. Their Class C only has the cabover bed and they are tired of that arrangement. SO---?

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #571 – October 22, 2012, 08:57:57 am

Got a new cylinder head installed on the Cummins 5.9 6BT. One of the threaded nipples(?) that the exhaust manifold bolted to was broken off. The price of the head wasn't bad, but the labor was ouch! Have had a minor exhaust leak for a very long time. No more exhaust leak and now the PRXB exhaust brake works great. Also knew that my charging voltage from the alternator was low. Found the wire to the alternator exciter was broken. Now the chassis batteries are getting a proper charge!

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #572 – October 22, 2012, 09:43:11 am

Quote from: John S – October 20, 2012, 11:12:52 pm

Use the palm of your hand. I had an issue with one on my coach and one of David's guys showed me how to take it off. I could not budge it he popped it right off.

I use a rubber jar opener to get a good grip and it comes off easily.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #573 – October 23, 2012, 06:59:27 am

PatC,

B engine exhaust manifold distortion with miles is a known issue. If you're lucky, a manifold leak will tip you off to the problem before you crack the head. It's best to annually check the manifold bolts. They run through slots in the manifold. Look at the end one at the front of the engine. If there is no clearance at the end of the slot, it means the manifold is starting to bend the bolt. Either replace the manifold with OEM, or better with a three piece aftermarket manifold that grows adjusts for thermal expansion and contraction.

Re: What did you do to your coach today.

Reply #574 – October 25, 2012, 04:26:55 pm

During the past few weeks...
Replaced both dump valves and fixed some leaks in the sewage and waste water tank flush connections.
Replaced the old house water pump with a new Aquajet ES pump from the RV Water Filter store.
I used the Soft loop kit which made installation much easier and the pump runs quieter.
Also got some new washers from the RV Water Filter store for the fittings in case they did not want to seal to the new pump.
Thanks to JD and others for pointing me in the right direction.
Rodger

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