-
Posts
90 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
4
Content Type
Forums
Downloads
Articles
Gallery
Blogs
Events
Store
Posts posted by Hotrod - R.I.P.
-
-
2 hours ago, gofastnow said:
Walter, if your coach has an external alternator regulator you may want to look at Balmar MC-614 Regulator for control of the alternator. I do not have any first hand experience with this regulator but the info looks pretty good. If I were to go this route, I would opt for the alternator temp sensor to try to keep from frying the alternator as those Lithiums will suck down all the current most alternators can produce.
Cheers and good luck
Renolgy makes dc to dc chargers in 20, 40 and 60a that should do a good job of charging them from the chassis side and have lithium profiles. They have an input from the ignition to let it know that the engine is running . Amazon has them .
I think you could still use a big boy for a boost. You could put a separate smart charger on the chassis batteries to maintain them w shore power.
Bill G 06 Dynasty
-
On 6/16/2020 at 2:54 PM, rtmurley said:
Ivan,
No, the tire was so mangled I don’t think one could tell what part of the tire failed. I took pictures but lost them with my last iPhone update. However, I did not try to determine the cause of the blow out. I am very aware of the aging of tires and replace them before seven years. I have Tire Minders and keep the tires inflated to required pressures.
Ray Murley
2009 Dynasty
Ray,
I have a vague remembrance of seeing you all and the body damage caused by this in Fl at Alliance if I remember right .
Something tells me it was a Goodyear gy670rv. Is that right ? Don’t remember if a 295 or 315.
Anyway, regardless, the Tyron is a good thing and a gy670 is not , imho.
bill g 06 dynasty
-
On 1/19/2021 at 8:09 AM, Rob connors said:
I need to replace my NAPA 8D Chassis Battery 110O CCA which is very Heavy. I would like to know if I should replace it with 2 each 12volt Battery wired in Parallel ? I would like to know everyones thoughts.
IF the 8D worked good, there would be little reason to want to go to anything else.
-
On 12/25/2020 at 2:52 PM, MHRookie said:
I’d like your feedback....
I have centramatics installed on each axle AND each wheel/tire balanced w/weights.
Do you other centramatic users do the same or rely totally on them for balancing?
I rely on my balance masters totally. The instructions tell you to remove any weights when you put on the disks.
If you spend the money to balance them and then use the disks you are wasting money. I’m not sure why you would put disks one tires that are already balanced ?
bill g 06 dynasty
-
1
-
-
11 hours ago, Eddy B said:
Last year my coach suddenly became really hard to control, the rear was wandering all over the road. The bushings in the rear were all falling apart. All bushings in the rear were replaced and the coach drove great again.
Fast forward to this year's state inspection and the inboard tires are rubbing on bolt heads on the frame. They are only touching lightly but the tires are rubbing on driver's and passenger's sides on bolt heads through the frame. There are no broken welds or signs of bent components, nothing is loose. Tires are the correct size and I believe it has the original rear wheels.
Anybody have a similar experience?
How are the Panhard bar bushings ?
bill g 06 Dynasty
-
1
-
-
47 minutes ago, hex_nut said:
I would also like to rotate my tires to alleviate a slight heal/toe wear pattern. However, to reverse this wear pattern it would require putting the drive tires in a position where they will rotate in the opposite direction from where they were first installed. I have always been told that radial tires should be rotated so they will turn in the same direction (front to back same side on a car). Does this logic carry over to the heavy duty truck tires on our motorhomes? Thanks for any insight you might have.
Richard
That may vary by tire model and manufacturer. I believe with the Michelin xza2’s that I run it is not supposed to matter. But the only rotation I have ever done is to retire steer tires based on time and put them on the right drive wheel as a pair.
bill g 06 dynasty
-
16 hours ago, Bob Nodine said:
Weather turned cold here a few days ago, 18 degrees at the house. We have three vehicles, all garaged, a 2013 Chevy Silverado Z71 CrewCab, a 2015 Ford CMax Hybrid, and a 2020 Chevy Sonic. Took the Sonic out Wednesday morning and soon got the low pressure alarm and the display told me the air pressure in each of the four tires. Keep in mind this is a vehicle that cost less than $20K. Took the truck out yesterday morning and got the same low pressure alarm and the vehicle shows me the air pressure in each of the four ties. Of course this was because of the large drop in temp from the garage to the outside. But it got me to wondering about my motorhome. I spend a lot of time keeping the TMPS on the motrorhome working by replacing batteries, etc. My three vehicles never give me any trouble and don't need battery replacement. Our coach is 15 years old and maybe this is not the case with new coaches, but why don't Class A motorhomes come from the factory with a built in TPMS like my other vehicles. I know you are going to say because the house and coach are built by different manufactures but surely they could solve that problem. From a safety stand point I think Class A coaches should have the TPMS built in just like my other vehicles.
10 hours ago, Paul A. said:I wonder if inflation with nitrogen makes any difference.
NO. Dry air and nitrogen behave the same way. Most of what is claimed about Nitrogen is false. The main thing is it has no oxidizer and so cannot promote or feed a fire which is great on an aircraft but not so meaningful on a Moho.
Bill G
06 Dynasty
-
1
-
-
I wish my pressure pro receiver could use the car transmitters. The batteries lasted 12 years on my pickup and I got a whole set of 4 for 40$ on Amazon. Instead I spend about 150$ a year on a few replacements that are supposed to last 5 years. I like the pressure pro other than that.
It has always been interesting that car tires are affected by temp change much more so than rv tires. The reason is atmospheric pressure is about 1/3 of the total pressure in a car tire but maybe only 1/7 of the rv tire pressure. So for the internal pressure to change by 10 percent to respond to a 10 percent change in absolute temp, the car tire pressure changes my more than twice the rv tire pressure.
If you were in outer space, the rv and car tires would change by the same. So, is there anything that can be done to make tire pressure less temperature dependent ?
Bill g 06 dynasty
-
7 hours ago, wamcneil said:
$643 each. Total cost for two batteries including shipping is $1519. Ordered from Shenzhen Xuba. I haven't found anybody with experience with their assembled batteries, but a lot of folks on diysolarforums have purchased the 272/280 AH cells from them and reported good service. They'll customize them any way you want.
I'll take them apart when they arrive and post some pictures inside.
Cheers,
Walter
They look real nice. I would be interested in the dimensions to see how many I could put on a deck.
Bill G 06 Dynasty
-
On 11/24/2020 at 10:29 AM, wamcneil said:
Well, my 5yr old GC batteries are toast. So rather then buy more GC batteries I'm going to Lifepo4.
Last week I did my first transaction on Alibaba and ordered two custom 272AH 12v Lifepo4 batteries to be built. It's a pretty reputable Chinese battery builder that has been supplying a lot of DIY components and batteries for solar forum users. Fingers crossed that they turn out nice and SAFE.
It'll be several weeks before they arrive, but I'll update this thread as I disassemble, evaluate, test and review them.
The specs for each battery include 4 272AH 3.2v Lifepo4 prismatic cells and a 300a BMS in a steel box.
Wish me luck...
Cheers,
Walter
Let us know how it goes. I’m going lifepo4 if my agms ever wear out. Been seeing price down to about 80$ for 280ah cells. Could diy 4 cells and bms and box and freight for probably about 600$ which is in line with agm price . Two of them should do it. Might be able to get three of them , 840ah , on one deck. Cut out a bunch of lead weight.
Bill G 06 Dynasty
On 11/30/2020 at 10:00 AM, wamcneil said:Getting closer... The batteries are built and waiting for shipment!
Look nice . How much ? With freight .
-
Yeah Bob N.
Not sure that you struck a nerve but maybe just noticing something is up.Not to sound political but my sense is that Biden may take office on Jan 21 and gas will be back to 4$ a gallon in short order , or more. I have taken to hedging my bets on oil of late in case he does. My guess is that as his admin makes things hard for oil producers that we will no longer domestically produce as much and may become reliant on imported oil again. Pa will get the shaft.
I believe that there is enough solar to provide much of energy needs. Powering cars with electric is a good idea. But keeping gas at 2$ is a good idea too. Like Trump, I have no axe to grind with any form of energy. Well I wouldn’t want a nuclear reactor in my back yard that depends on control rods to throttle it.
Bill G 06 Dynasty
-
A 315 on an 8.25 rim is de-rated because The narrower rim moves the flex point in the sidewall farther outward. That is not the optimal flex point. That makes it harder to flex and thus the tire runs a little harder , having to dissipate added heat. So for a given energy dissipation rate at a given speed, the tire cannot carry as much as it could on a 9” rim. What one might learn from this is that the 315 reduces your mpg, having to dissipate more energy as heat than a 295.
bill g
06 dynasty
On 11/20/2020 at 7:11 AM, Ivylog said:I put 315s on the front of my 04 Dynasty 10 years ago... when more manufacturers approved them on a 8.25” rim. Contrary to what some say about derating the psi (very little advantage over 295s) the issue is a 8.25” rim is only rated for 7600 lbs. A 315 as a dual is not derated because at max psi (120 psi) it is NOT exceeding 7600 lbs... I kept reading the footnotes on derating. Today fewer manufacturers list a 8.25” rim for a 315... more lawyers have gotten involved.
I put 40K miles on the Dynasty with 315s at 12 psi less than what a 295 needed... no unusual wear although both outer edges of the tires were worn slightly more than the middles. Yes the RFront is a tight fit on a 42’ rig...not so on a 45’ rig.
One of the first things I did to my 08 Navigator was removing the 4 year old cracking Michelin’s and put 315 Continental on. The first thing was to slide under and adjust the TRW box after 200 miles of ownership. Have only put 18K miles on the 315s but I cannot feel or see any unusual wear. Even with wider front steps, there is plenty of room for a 315 on a 45’ coach.
Once I put 315s on the front there was no need for 295s on the rear so I put the same diameter 11Rs on, increasing the psi 8 because of the lower load carrying. Have not decided if I’ll do the same on the Navigator because the drive is at 23K.
Why can Michelin use 5 less psi??? PSI is pounds per square inch so Michelin’s have a bigger footprint... softer sidewalls and possible a slightly wider tread.
Your mileage and opinions may vary.
A Michelin uses 5psi less air pressure than other brands because its “virtual” foot print is larger. Since a 295 casing is a 295 casing then the difference is in the length of the chord struck on the pavement . That’s why Michelin’s have the low on air look. The pressure x the virtual area = the load. At 100 psi the Michelin’s strikes a 5 percent longer chord than the other brands . They Can do this because their sidewalk is more flexible than other brands . The actual tread width is less than other brands.
bill g
06 dynasty
-
23 hours ago, Bob Nodine said:
What Richard says. I am not a fan of equalizing batteries and use the PowerPluse on the house batteries. My chassis batteries are AGM so they don't get any maintenance.
Hi Bob,
Agms should not need equalization. One of the things that causes the need for that is electrolyte stratification, a layering or pockets of difference in the fluid. But the agm electrolyte is sandwiched in to its glass fabrics and can’t go anywhere to get out of place.
However, Lifeline says that theirs can be equalized.... and they have a procedure. I wouldn’t do it.
My 8 Duracell gc2agms are over 6 years old and going strong. And you know I use them hard.
Next batteries for the house will be Lifepo4. My little Duracell marine agm 34m chassis batts are only 5years old but doing fine. Maybe when I go to lithium for the house which will take less space and weigh a lot less I’ll go back to group 31 agm for the chassis. Hope the agms go a couple more years .
bill g
06 dynasty
-
1
-
-
I paid $1.60 a couple days ago at TA in Meridian Ms with the TSD card.
-
3 hours ago, rpasetto said:
Update. I tested the pressure control for the door air seal off the coach with my air compressor. The leak is easy to hear in the quiet of a garage.... hard to see bubbles. This pressure control is like the tag axle control except it's rated at 4psi... very low pressure so maybe that's why it was easier to hear then to see bubbles.
Hotrod told me about a solution; indentation in the rubber stop where the plastic pin from the diaphragm shuts off the air flow. Not a good picture below but the worn part shows where the pin is not seating. Bill told me to sand down the rubber until flat. Put it back together and I could not hear leak, thanks to Bill. I don't know how long the sanded-down rubber seal will last. Hopefully long enough to go on to the next fix-er-up project.
Rick,
I have a good feeling about that repair. The rubber seat where indented was hard if not brittle from age and chemical reactions.
Refinishing / sanding the seat surface flat , which it no doubt was when new, has taken the hardened surface layer of rubber off, exposing new more flexible rubber to seat the pin to.
In any case since the repair cost nothing, you are ahead from the get go:)
Here is a picture of one I sanded but it’s also not that great.
bill g
06 Dynasty
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, birdshill123 said:
OAT coolants no longer require an extender. Just drain off a few quarts and add new. Shop around as the concentrate can be found for around $20.
For the zerex zxed1 product , it specifies the extender be added after 3 years but that is also at way more miles that any of us drive.
I bought a couple bottle of extender, zdex3 for 7$ at zoro.com . Now it’s 17$. My approach is to test the ph to assure it’s above 7.5. The extender ph is about 11 and it brings it up. You don’t want acidic coolant. To my knowledge one would still use the extender with TVs zerex product .
The final charge product does not list any need for any tuning up. I’m not sure that it wouldn’t be a good idea to At least monitor the ph over the years.
Adding a few quarts of concentrate does refresh the chemistry a little. It also increases the percent of af. Be careful not to get that too high . The Zedex3 product is simply a chemistry refresh and doesn’t change the percent af for what that is worth.
-
1
-
-
12 hours ago, terry05dip said:
05 Dip ISL 400 rear radiator. Unit seem to be running hot. Have clean radiator numerous times. I shift down and run slower and will still creep upwords of 200-205 on short grades. Now running Fleetguard Extended Service and just found out that instead of using regular DCA I should have been using a DCA4 extended service product? If this is the case I need to drain and replace. Thinking of going back to regular anti freeze. Can anyone tell me if this is the case and approximately what the capacity is? Thanks to all.
If you are running green af, it’s important to add dca4 and keep your sca where it’s supposed to be. Cummins has a card to check the chemistry.
Six or seven years ago I switched to zerex zxed1 OAT pink af and with that you don’t have to check sca’s anymore. I added an extender to it at 3 years, zxed3.
When I change it I think I’ll use That again or Final Charge which is also Oat and available at Walmart. It’s the af with the truck on the jug. That ought to be good for a decade. It doesn’t say anything about an extender. The final charge and zerex have drive Cummins spec on the bottle . Make sure you get the one with the Cummins spec.
These oat coolants are about 16$ a gal for 5050 or 32$ for concentrate which you dilute 5050 with distilled water . I won’t go back to the green stuff which is not extended life. You have to get the oat to not have to do the sca control. There are some extended life coolants that so require sca control.
bill g 06 Dynasty
-
17 hours ago, Dr4Film said:
The Aqua-Hot needs a good robust set of house batteries that are not allowed to be discharged less than 12-12.2 VDC. It won't run on poorly maintained batteries!
What happens is the blower speed is sensitive to voltage. If you run it below 12v, the reduced air velocity let’s the flame gets too close to the swirler where the air is blown in. The swirler is aluminum and can melt and then it’s ruined. So don’t run below 12v unless you want an expensive repair.
I have not had to reset mine in many years but I think all you have to do is cycle the power on the diesel switch to do it.
bill g 06 Dynasty
-
1
-
-
On 10/6/2020 at 7:29 AM, Bob Nodine said:
I need some education on the front air bag system and where to look for an air leak. I made 8 x 8 blocks that will just fit under the retracted leveling jacks so the coach will not drop more than one half inch from ride height when the air is dumped. After about 48 hours the coach air supply on both tanks will drop to about 30 PSI. When this happens the rear blocks are still not touching the jacks but the front is resting on the block. This tells me the rear air bags are not leaking but the fronts are. I have not started the search for the leak yet but thought I would get some input form those with experience doing this. I am guessing that if only one air bag has a leak all the air bags will deflate. Is that correct? Likewise, if there is a leak in one of the lines it will affect all four air bags, correct?
Yes on your diplomat, if no air leveling , all 4 front air bags are plumbed together to the ride height adjuster .
Bob,
Time to spray down all the push fittings with soapy water. If you find a leaky push fitting , square the end of the tube or at least shave off a small amount of the tube, maybe 1/16”, wipe the end off with some Vasoline and put it back in. That makes it slide in easy.
Check to see if air bags have reducers that might leak.
Then there is the possibility of a bag leaking or the ride height adjuster itself.
I wonder if a stethoscope might help hear the air moving.
bill g 06 dynasty
-
1 hour ago, woodylmiller said:
Commercial Goodyear tire centers usually have the ability to do these alignments. What about Love's truck stops?
Woody Miller
09 Dynasty Regal IV
I don’t think you can adjust camber on the straight axle.
To adjust Castor takes shims. I think I have mine up around 6 degrees .
The toe in can probably be checked with a tape measure .
Josams in Florida would be a good one to take it to.
-
1 hour ago, David Pratt said:
I understand that many of you are wondering if we may have a 2021 Gathering. I have been trying to get some kind of commitment from Lazydays and it looks like it will not be happening for 2021
Because of COVID_19 Lazydays wil not take any reservations or do any scheduling for rally's at the present time. The Campground is being limited to only 50% of its capacity. I have been unable to get a commitment from them to schedule a Gathering for 2021, so I doubt we will be able to have one.
The campground has under gone many changes because of COVID-19. They have a new manager and he has not been a very easy individual to work with. They also have laid of over 60% of its staff.
It is not the best news. All I can do is work on a Gathering for 2022.
They should sponsor a c19 vaccine rally which only has those that have had the vaccine and fill to 100 percent: why has the cg not thought of that. They could make money.
bill g 06 Dynasty piii
-
1
-
-
On 9/12/2020 at 1:48 PM, pbustamante41 said:
I shut off power at the pedestal and the the disconnect switches. The multiplex switch buttons remain dead. How does a person remove the cover to the switch so I can check the connection. Is there another way to reset the switch board? I know that it will light up when I engage the master switch from the bedroom that illuminates all switches in the coach. It's the 10 button switch that doesn't respond when any button is pressed. I need to find a solution because it controls my front slides. I have one slide stuck in and one stuck out. I have 2 weeks before the park closes to resolve my problem. Thanks
Pat
2007 Monaco Executive
Push up From the bottom of the cover and pull top out. It’s kind of difficult but the cover will snap off.
You can reset the multiplex system by cycling the salesman switch by the door.
If you are saying that only the 10 button keypad does nothing but the others work, then you probably have an issue with that keypad.
-
1
-
-
The only place that they are likely to break , is at connectors . But I thought the two runs to the bedroom were just whole runs. Are you sure you found the right ones. Short the two in the bedroom , ring to tip and look for contributing up front .
-
On 8/4/2020 at 10:12 AM, gburgman2000 said:
The tank comes back with all new sensors and heating element, I had him ship me the one "curly" hose that is for the pre-heat pump, all the rest are standard heater hose.
He also redid the radiator cap flange and pointed the overflow nipple towards the front vrs back of the coach and provided a new cap.
I will be replacing the exhaust with a 1.5" pipe this time, Monaco only used 1.25 flared it out to 1.5 at the connection to the iron pipe. Specs call for 1.5 inch..
No left over parts after assembly 🙂
-
1
-
Going Lithium... Wish me luck...
in Batteries
Posted
Sounds great Joe, Do you still have the boost relay and can you use it without tripping the overload on the bms ?
And what are you going to do to charge the chassis batts from the house when it has shore or genny.
Does the charger have any lithium profile or just treating them like lead? Got any way to take them to full charge ?
Bill g 06 dynasty
Actually I guess your dc to dc will take them to full charge if you drive long enough .
bill g 06 dynasty