Rikadoo

Ya know it might not be a bad idea if you have a amp gauge “clamp on or otherwise to check your current draw… you may be on the verge of excess, just sayin😎

Hey Jim, have seen that many times before no so much on motorhomes as i have with others. If i can offer a bit of advise also go upstream, to like the relay an inspect AND replace the relay. Often under that type of circumstance as that connection gets loose an starts to melt the connection from the resistance that the switch (relay) contacts get HOT too. Its good you found it now rather than discover its not working when you need the heater the most!

So mike i saw where you used cob over led, this is the second time i have seen this great modification of getting the old fluorescent lights out an upgrading. Looking at the cob light specs they state must use a dimmer? Are they ok with just direct battery voltage or ? I really like the motion sensor, however during a “nightime visit” i really dont want a bright light have you found a way to tone down the brighness? Also my experiance with cob is they get pretty “warm” in a enclosed area like the lamp assy have you found the lens getting warm after being left on for a while?

Perhaps this article may help…

Heres what i know abt step motor gear box replacement You dont need worry abt “timing” the motor and or the gear box. As the module looks at motor draw to determine when to turn off current to the motor, either out or in! So thats why it sooooo important to keep the linkage clean an lubed. Which also why im now using a spray dry graphite lube ($$$) lubricant for step servicing. It doesnt attract road grime an crud.

I had a customer who wanted a inverter put in there commercial truck for the purpose of being able to run there vacume when out on a job site. Never having looked at loads from vacumes i brought out my 2K inverter connected it to my pick up truck to evalute its performance, the inverter immediately went into overload and shut down! So then i used my 3K inverter which also has a battery volt meter as well as a Amp usage meter. I was amazed how much current there commercial vacuum cleaner used, the voltage consumed from my battery was tremendous! The only way it could keep up was to run the engine and my alternator almost had max output while under load. I told the company they need to consider a different plan, such as a generator. PS: i had tried using my Shark vacume on the same inverter set ups the draw was 1/2 of there commercial cleaner… now i have a better understanding of my utility bill increase when my wife has had too much coffee and decides the house needs a thorough, vacuuming🤦‍♂️

Hey Robert question, why are you removing the head?

Just addin my 2 cents, my buddie has a series 28 kwikee, his issue was the shaft for the gear box broke off, he bought one from amazon and it wasnt the same, so he ordered a motor for the gear box, they sold him (from amazon) the one made for the original gear box, didnt work. He got me involved, i called lippert they said the old style had a design flaw so they upgraded the gear box an motor and needed to buy the compleate kit which also inclued a new module AND door switches. Costs were well into $500.00 that doesnt include the $$$ spent with amazon. The moral of the story is reach out to Lippert to see if there has been an upgrade before spending money on parts don’t seem readily available

One other question when you were driving did ever notice periods of black smoke from the exhaust? Low boost will not only cause low power but will increase smoke, mostly due to the amount of fuel going into the engine doesnt change (givin the driving conditions) like heavy accel or driving up a hill. Or the other scenario is low fuel injection pressure can also cause low boost pressure in that the turbo is not getting the heat from the combustion process which in turn relates to turbo NOT spinning fast enough to build the required psi going into the intake… So then you need to look at the fuel filters, or plugged injectors.

My curiosity is different in that i would want to see what the INSIDE of that connector looks like. The reason is back in the day there were issues concerning components that had liquid under pressure “ABS, or transmission, or oil pressure sensors” that used “water tight” snap together connectors, that would start to leak inside the cavity of the plug, an that the liquid would be forced to travel between the wire and its inner side of the insulation. Often it would travel to other not sealed locations like electronic modules, fuse boxes or a non factory wire repair, that aside from the mess it would start to swell and fail insulation around other wires, short out modules even drip on your shoes while your driving. If you find the inside of the cavity of the plug is wet you need to determine which connector it is originating from as it may be inline to multiple connectors that are daisychained to several others not only being messy but raise havoc with other electronics.

I understand about dirty radiators, couple years ago i replaced mine. Same scenario in that i washed mine from the outside, when it started leaking is when i replaced it. I took the advice from some that had done theres, i cut a square hole in the bottom of the shroud then cut a piece of sheet metal to cover it an put a couple screws in it to hold it in place, that way in case i had to get something out i could open it up reach in an take it out. The other was to put two “ball valves” on the heater hose inlet an outlet so if the heater core starts leaking i can turn it off an continue my trip. When i cut my heater hose to install the valves i replaced the hoses on the engine sides so to illuminate the possabilty of the leak on that side of the valve. I am amazed how well the new radiator and the other cooling system parts changed my operating temps, i have not seen it go over 200 since then. Oh while i was in there i also removed the alternator an had it rebuilt

We had one in our shop, that intermittently would blow black smoke an no powerwe had the turbo rebuilt 2 times an replaced 3 actuators, we had a “cummins” tech come help us an said to overlay a couple wires. Nothing we did made ANY difference, after a period of lenghty time we had it towed to cummins. They had it two weeks an decided the turbo was the problem, new turbo an 9k $$$ later its running like new. We couldnt charge one dime for anything we did, were gonna try to recoup our $$$ from the turbo rebuilder… That said the lesson here is if YOU discover you have a bad turbo, just get a new one! P.S. The rebuilder swore that we had something else wrong besides the turbo cause in his words, “were done looking at something that doesnt have a problem”

Hey Dave is it dead because there is no power going to it, or because when you flip the switch nothing happens? I am finding on the little switch inside must get corroded or ? And many i try wont turn on. I would recomend test the power and ground going to it if you havent already.

I get it when he said for the winter… however how many times i have had to make different plans cause something unexpected came up🙀 case an point Covid !!! An closing the border!!! my motto, Be Prepared worst case your out a few bucks for some buckets! Arizona is not a state to turn your back on😎

If I had to concider some of the same questions you are, my storage around the Phoenix area would be: is there a indoor storage facility? Cause the type and level of heat in that area is brutal!!! If in fact you do concider storage there and its outside in the elements do like many of the locals have told me about an that, is place a few 5gallon buckets filled with water on the floor inside the vehicle with holes in the lid so you keep moisture inside so the wood inside wont crack. P.S. Perhaps on step further as you have put the water buckets inside, before you lock the door an walk away open all the cabnit doors to let the moisture circulate freely😎

Engine temp is for the most part a controllable issue provided you have done your part to ensure the engine has what it needs to succeed. Having a good 50/50 balance of coolant, a good functioning, coolant pressure cap, unrestricted air flow thru the radiator, AND if you have a fan clutch that it is functioning as designed. Now other factors that are relevant, a radiator that is not consumed with internal restrictions, such as solder bloom, loose fan belts, or powertrain issues (transmission slippage) or overloaded vehicle. Frankly i would be MORE concerned about blow outs, or generator failure (from running the roof airs while traveling in that heat) To be sure high heat is very much a real concern, and that automotive cooling systems perform the same be it a small horsepower automobile or a locomotive, there jobs are to remove heat, and if your cooling system is compromised by any of the above issues, you will possably have a problem. Consider this, as your going down the hiway look around, are the truckers still driving(pulling loads up to 80 k Lbs) newer cars still traveling? Consider what you dont see, old unmaintained vehicles that not been well maintained, or vehicles with old bald tires. I dont wish to diminish your question at all, in fact its a very honest question, however its one that begs the question, if in fact your concern is “can my cooling system deal with the heat?” Then the answer in my estimation is, “what shape is my cooling system in? “ As always in extream heat OR cold know your level of maintenance, then like the motto of the Boy Scouts… Be Prepared!

This is a follow up on the shock replacement on my coach, i finally got to do a 25 mile drive with the new shocks, i have found when driving thru my neighborhood at low speeds, that the low speed little nuisance were less noticable, alot less. Then the 3 miles of 45 mph before the freway were dampened so much it felt like a compleatly different machine, once on the hiway (there were no crosswinds) the one spot were i normally porpoise for 6 or 7 bound rebound stopped after going over the causal spot, then in the straight runs it was firm an decisive. When driving over irregular surfaces at slow speeds (RV storage) side to side it was a little better and small pot holes were still the same (i suspect the latter is due to my tire pressure, that due to not having the corners wieghed i defaulted to the higher spectrum of psi) Overall the money spent for the 8 shocks, the hassel of installation, im tottally satisfied AND i should have prioritized this repair alot sooner!!! Also for those that feel when compleating these repairs that physical support measures (jack stands, wooden stump, or a Prius) you are absolutly correct! With the Front end i opted to have it up on its bags plus i had the levelers down, that givin the space needed to manuaver for me was sufficient. However the rear is a compleatly different story, that untill i discovered the magic doors i did use 2 jack stands, that i chose to place on the very end of the frame (as seen in the pic) that i chose that location primarly to concider the frame as a lever, and had i blown a rear bag, my feeling is that with the levelers and the stands i would still be able to manuver. ***Fun fact, as of 2022 the capacity labels printed on the jack stands are for a pair not individual, it changes how i used to view there capabilty😳🙀

Hey Dan thats a circuit breaker, ised in many different applications, when researching it specify “Cole hersee” mfg. they have been building them for some time. On the case if shoud specify amprage. You can get them in “auto” reset or manuall style… that said the auto style is great but can be mis leading in that it will reset to a fault. Im all about brand an the Cole Hersee is a brand many chase…

Mornin everyone, so after having had to suffer some white knuckel driving performance an handeling i decided to crawl under my rig an look around. First thing i saw was some old looking shock absorbers, they were monroes an from the crud i could see on the outside they may have been original, so i decided this would be a great place to start. Thru my work i got a great price on a set of Koni’s, once arrived i decided to install them myself, for several reasons i wont go into right now. Anyway i started on the front shocks which were challanging to say the least. My perticular shock application has a eyelet on the bottom with a stud mount on the top. The nut an bolt on the eyelet came off easy, however the stud mount was not so easy, they were rusted so bad they would no longer unscrew, so i had to use a longer wrench an turn till the stem or threaded portion actually broke off. I used a 19mm socket with ratchit on the nut then held the stud from turning using a 19mm open end wrench at the base of the stem to keep it from turning… The first one i thought to be a fluke but after that i thought, humph 70 years old an the ole guns still got it😂😂😂 *Note: if you decide to do this same repair, make sure you got some old cloths on cause the way you have to position yourself to get a good angle your wiping off old suspension grease🤦‍♂️ and your shirt get greasy FAST. So now the second half of this repair is doing the rear shocks, now mind you i have already placed jack stands under the coach, but so you know space is still limited, but in the rear ITS REALLY LIMITED!!! I tried several positions trying to get to the forward of the rear shocks, i discovered there was no humanly way this body was going to accomplish the positions i was needing to perform this job. So i sat beside the coach an asked the rv to help me figure this out… (sounds wierd but often opening up my mind helps when facing difficult operations) So i laid on the ground an looked up an saw the fender straps that hold them secure in place, so pulled out four screws, opened the adjoining cabnits an simply lifted the fender skirts, propped them open with a broomstick an what do know perfect access.I was able to replace the rear shocks in half the time it took to do the front shocks. All this said the fenders had been also held in place with some spray foam sealant that i will replace as soon as i get to the store, but i have to say that access point is awsome, an if its the shocks, air bags or ??? It allows sooooo much room its like they designed it that way. P.S. The old shocks were really worn to the point of not working much at all and all the rubber mounts were hard as a rock an loose, so far the new ones gave me a substantial handeling difference!!!

Mornin all what a wonderfull day👍 So as my mornings go, i always enjoy getting up having my coffee reading the latest posts. On this one i agree that the 14 volts is within range, normally when checking charging systems the industry standard for years has been 13.8 to 14.2 for non computer controlled systems, and that i ALWAYS check voltage at the end of the system “AKA the battery”, AND in the automotive world if i had a vehicle come in an the battery was getting 17 VDC i would shut it down an start finding the problem, cause that battery is gonna be hot an can go boom if it is gassing. However that said there was a mention of adjusting the voltage of the alternator, like i said the output is with in range, BUT if you ever need to leese nevill alternators are the only systems that offer that option. There is a condition that you MUST do prior to performing the adjustment, an that is you must use a plastic screwdriver, or at least one that wont short out. On the regulator there is a “plug” that has to be removed an under it is a adjustable potentiometer, an with the engine running slightly above idel, while watching a voltmeter turn the slot one direction or the other to increase or decrease the voltage your wanting. They “ the alternators” were designed this way cause they are used on many HD applications that require different voltage requirements. In the pics you can see the little white plug.

Hey paul what type of product did you use? Machine or hand polish did you use

Welcome😎 this site is a great place for info, glad to have you abord.!.

Yes i can, I believe his name is Jim at the Source. I bought one from them and am tottaly satisfied, great team to by from. Not only did they sell me my radiator, but they gave me a fan for my rig free cause my old one had a piece missing. When calling them it will be important to provide them with the info on a sticker that tells the builder which one you need. They originally said it was on the radiator, however on mine it was located on the fan shroud

So the shop where i spend my time out had a rv with exact problem. I compleatly removed the outer door handle that housed outer handle an the salesman lock. After lubing the tumbler with tri flow an insert an remove key an trying to get it to turn i was able to get the key tumbler to turn one way but not the other. Unfortunately the tumbler is not a serviceable item, you can try another key but that one is still the same then you will have to replace the outher handle / tumbler assembly.

Morning Jim, so when you speak of this wifi router, is it ios or android? Sorry for my stupid question but can any router be used? Or is it specific? i know the issue being tethered in that theres no way to charge the phone, or does when your connected to the computer does it charge it? when you got your sim card does it have to be inserted to a phone or can it be plugged into a router with a sim port? There are so many options to making this stuff work it makes my head spin🤦‍♂️