Ivylog

Took almost that long to get the SS flex pipe off the muffler’s pipe without destroying it. There was 6” of pipe inside the flex so I cut 3” off of the solid pipe... insurance that I’ll never have to take it apart again.

Cracked the corner of the aluminum oil pan going into a gas station on our 08 HR Navigator...didn’t think anything about the dip going into it. This was the 3rd station in Rawlings WY...1st out of diesel, 2nd ran out at 47 gallons...lucky me. Was able to grind a U in all 3 directions and JB weld it up enough to finish our trip out West. Even with a fiberglass patch over the JB it still leaked slightly. Decided to replace instead of trying to TIG weld the oil saturated aluminum. Found a used pan (rare and nothing like a truck’s) for $600. Made gravel ramps to get the back up enough to have more room to work. Naturally the exhaust and the hitch were in the way of getting the bolts out...cut Vs into the plate that holds the engine mount to get enough room to get those bolts out on the front of the engine. Finally got all the bolts out BUT the front of the oil pan could not drop down enough to clear the oil pump as it was hitting the hitch. Look into raising the front on the engine up but would have to remove the front pulley to get to the 2 large motor mount bolts. Decided angling the hitch (remove 6 of the 8 bolts holding it on) and jack the ball up changing the angle (lowering the hitch) enough that the pan came off. Hooked a shop vacuum to the crankcase vent so I could add a valve to the drain saving the oil with only 3K miles on it. Will start carrying one as instead of dumping 12 gallons of oil it would have let me patch it without loss of oil and the cracks would be dry.

For the second time I’ve had to replace the two diodes on the bird board in the 04 Dynasty. First time they shorted out...back feeding power so the engine would not shut off. This time they totally melted so replaced each one with three 6A diodes. Fortunately the direction is marked on the board.

14 years with a 04 Dynasty...used to raise the tag if making multiple tight turns. Did a test raising and not...made no difference. Haven’t raised the tag in 7+ years. New rig (08 Navigator) is heavier so putting 31,000 lbs on the drive is not a great idea.

The pictures were to determine the tint. The window is unusually large at 29.5 H X 62 W...we have 3 of them. Don’t understand why anyone would buy the latest frameless windows that open 20%.

Update: even though the glass has Apex on it, it’s not the company in PA. I was not the first to call them. Took accurate measurements and several pictures of the window pane and Sun Coast Designs (Hudson, FLa) is cutting and sending it off to be tempered... they thought they might have it in stock, not. Will stop by after Christmas on our way south and have them install. Should not rely on memory ... glass has EXCEL on it.

Update: even though the glass has Apex on it, it’s not the company in PA. I was not the first to call them. Took accurate measurements and several pictures of the window pane and Sun Coast Designs (Hudson, FLa) is cutting and sending it off to be tempered... they thought they might have it in stock, not. Will stop by after Christmas on our way south and have them install.

Dennis, unlike you, we are only half timers so not as much use as FTimers gives it. Will be interesting to see how long it lasts although it’s now our daughter’s so even less use. I had to adjust the one on our 08 Navigator when we got it 2 years ago. ..still holds the right amount. Time will tell. Hope you’re doing well in these interesting times. We just got back from a month out West.

10 minutes adjusting over 14 years and now 20 minutes fixing...$260/ hour by my math and I doubt you replaced in less than 30 minutes. Different strokes for different folks. My point is “what do you have to loose” beating on it???

I’ve had to bend up the portion that sticks out 3 times in 16 years on the 04 Dynasty that’s still in the family. Recently that didn’t work well... pivot is very loose. I know others have replaced the pivot and/or added a bigger dimple or even replaced with a gas strut. These solutions seem overkill but I decided to remove it and see what was needed. Could not remove it easily as the door mount is pop-riveted to the top of the door, So, I got two heavy hammers and tightened the pivot. Took longer to find two hammers of my liking than the 10-12 times of hitting it to get it tight again. Now it’s probably only good for another 14 years. I’ve found a pipe wrench works the best for bending the end that sticks out... had to bend it back down to get the door to shut.

Thanks for all the leads....been on the road from MT back to GA. Car was passing opposite direction on a very clean road, when a very load crack...almost like a small cal gun going off. Impact was high on the sliding portion of the window, over 8’ high. A glancing blow that high up would not break it. I think it was a metal ball out of a slingshot. Tried the RV fog doctor in AR... have the #s off the identical window but they would have to make a pattern from the other half, cut a new one and send it off to temper...6+ weeks. May try the place in Hudson Florida.

Had the outer pain of a side window shatter...tempered glass. These are the thin dual pain with a small air space. Trying to find the manufacturer. Thanks

Yes, the pictures of the broken #6 valves has chunks of the outside perimeter ( sealing surface) missing. I’ve been told a 1.25” metal freeze plug fits nicely into the EGR tube where it bolts to the engine intake tube.

I learned of the ISX #6 intake valve issue a couple months after buying a 08 Navigator with a 06 ISX 525 engine 2 years ago. A higher % of MHs are having this problem than trucks and the higher HP (600-650) are dropping the valve more often. They are not snapping the valve off, the perimeter of the valve breaks off usually getting the piston and the turbo. I know of two 525 HP, 06 or older, that have dropped #6. Hopefully the better valves and seats will stop the acid created by the EGR gasses from weakening the intake valves...$20K if you do it preimptpley and $30+K after it breaks. the EGR

The original GPS in my 08 Navigator works well and anytime we get near a big city the DW pulls up Waze on her phone and we use it to navigate as it has the latest roads and traffic conditions. I added Silverleaf as a overlay on the backup camera which is on the Kenwood display. Costed more than the one that needs its own display/computer/IPad.

With the true center engaged your slop is all in the Sheppard as it’s keeping the tie rod from moving. I had that muck slop in the new to me 08 Navigator and after 3 hours I crawled under and adjusted it to less than 1/2”. Previous owner installed a Safe-T-Plus which after 4K miles I removed as I found it made driving tiring compared to the 88K miles on the same chassis. I made an adjustable mount so I can adjust it on the fly to compensate for cross winds. I would start with a TRW keeping the true center.

If you have a rig with the raised side rails, mounting the panels on it makes for easy tilting. I made my own mounts out of aluminum U channel and wooden supports. 7 tilt and 2 fixed for 990W. There was some concerns (not by me) that the panels would raise up at speed. I put small pieces of paper under the ends of the supports and they were still under after a high speed test run.

History: Previous owner put a Safe T + on my Navigator but after 4000 miles I disconnected it. Under perfect conditions (level road and no wind) it worked fine but any crosswinds it made driving tiring as you had to fight it. I decided I would not use it unless I could change/adjust the center point on the fly. Too cheap to buy a $600 air activated adjustable mount so I made my own. Bought a 4", 1350lb 12V linear actuator ($54 EBay) and it might be that strong in compression but not in tension. Added a 12” adjustable arm to the mounting plat that bolts to the axle with a 3 to 1 leverage advantage...41-230 should have 230 lbs of force so only 76 lbs of force on the actuator. Silicon sealed all the openings on the actuator since it’s going to get wet... first picture. Mounting a $6 DTDP switch on the steering column that will let be move the center point L-R as necessary. Total cost less than $70. Time will tell how well the actuator will hold up. l Update, after 6,000 miles I make more fine adjustments...several in an hour as conditions or direction change. If I have to keep making slight steering inputs in the same direction over several miles I’ll bump the switch in that direction which is normally enough to equalize things.Overall I’m glad I spent the time (not a lot of money) to make it adjustable as I would have removed it otherwise. I’ve learned to not oversteer my MH... mainly giving steering inputs slightly longer to take affect, which in my opinion, is all a Safe-T-Plus does by tightening the nut behind the wheel.

The adjusting screw has a 3/4” jam nut, in plain sight on the side of the box.

The 08 Navigator we bought 2 years ago had a Safe T+ on it. After 4K miles I unhooked one end as it made driving noticeably tiring compared to the 85K miles on the same RR10S chassis (04 Dynasty). Under perfect conditions (no cross wind) it probably helped but the extra force when having to hold the steering wheel off center was was a pain in the shoulders... I still do 750+ mile days. Decided to make an adjustable mount for it once I found a $54 linear activator. DIY here: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/making-a-safe-t-plus-adjustable-451209.html

Original owner, 90K miles, 1000 hours generator. $73K with 2 new front tires and 5 year old rear tires or $75K with 8 new tires. NorCold replaced with 21cuft Whirlpool on a separate 400AH AGM-1000W PSW inverter-100A charger. Aladdin works except for tank monitors. Upgraded large LED TVs. Side mirror cameras with separate monitor. 3M film removed-new paint. 2 basement sliding trays, AquaHot, 800AH AGM house batteries. Cherry interior with 2 sofas...have custom cherry desk and 4 filing drawers in place of driver’s side sofa. Engine and generator recently serviced. Stored inside in N GA. 706-781-7189 Will include a Hydra Lift for $2K or sell outright for $3K.