New York, 2012

[HandyDan]

Those Dremel tools are sure handy.  I'm sure you are aware that they have an excellent repair service in Racine, WI.  If not, here is the link:

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/customerservice/productsupport/ServiceAndRepair/Pages/default.aspx

Good Luck with your trip.  I'm sure the new mechanicals will make the trip a lot less stressful. 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks guys!  Got it all done today...tires all aired to 90 psi, front air bags to 60 psi to err on the side of caution, a final check, and then it was time for the final packdown. 

2 trips to the hardware store, since the first run I grabbed the wrong stain color...it was in the wrong rack and I didn't read the label...and the wire run looks great in the bathroom, decent under the dinette, so I'll have to redo it when I have time...big wires and not a big enough box, so I'll have to make a slightly bigger one, but at least its secured and protected.

Everything is loading in the Jeep, and we pulled out to the parking lot around 5pm. 

The Jeep is hooked up to the tow bar, lights all attached, and we are ready to roll at first light!

Or until after I have my coffee...lol!

About 650 mile for the trip.  Gonna get most of it done tomorrow!

And just the very short trip to the parking lot showed my suspension work paid off...its a different ride altogether!  There isn't even a comparison...felt like I was driving a Cadillac instead on a wallowing RV...really looking forward to the trip!

More tomorrow morning, then we hit the road and this chapter of our adventures closes and a new chapter begins!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Good morning everyone!  Its now 7am...went to sleep around 10 last night so I'd be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our road trip to Huntersville, NC. 

As a system test, we unplugged the converter when we got to the parking lot, set the fridge to propane, then turned on the inverter.  It works!  Powers up the microwave no problem...ran it for 2 minutes heating up some mashed potatoes for Patti and it heated them right up with no unusual noises.  Then we tested the Splendide washer/dryer on wash cycle for a couple of minutes to make sure it would work...not going to use it as a dryer on battery power, but we'd still like to wash some clothes now and then when boondocking, and it works great.  We left the inverter on all night, watched a couple of movies before going to sleep, and it powered the TV and DVD player with no problems.  We left the laptops plugged in and charging and the tablet and phones plugged in and charging as well.  Because we were testing the system we weren't all that careful with lights, so a lot of them were on.  The inverter is still on and my 6 battery system is still reading at 12.4 volts, which is around 80% of charge...SWEET!  It actually reads 12.5 when I shut the inverter off, so its even better than we hoped.

We're out in the middle of a big parking lot, so I'm hoping we get some sun on the panels before we leave...I really wanna see what they can do!

This should be a relaxing and fun trip, and a very nice ride with the new shocks and tires and stabilizer and all...just the trip here to the parking lot showed just how smooth the ride is now. 

So this chapter is about to come to an end, and a new chapter, North Carolina, 2012, is about to begin!

Its coffee time, then leash the cat, take the dogs out, and hit the road by 9am.

Kev

[DonD]

Safe travels...

[HandyDan]

We wish you the best of traffic and weather.  We will be virtually following you on the computer.  Google Maps is a wonderful thing.
Dan

[gadgetman]

12.5 and the inverter off, you are doing well. To really tell where the batteries are at you have to shut "everything off and let them sit and it will give you a true reading, likely at least 12.6 which means you didn't use much Well you do have 6 batteries !!! I'm jealous !!! Have a safe trip !!!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So remember that little fuel delivery problem we had on the way from Kentucky to New York?  The one I thought just had to do with overheating and gas perculating in the carb?  Yeah, that one.

Turns out it didn't go away, even though we never reached over 205 degrees the entire trip so far, even up the really steep climbs.  Average engine temp was 185-190, average transmission temp right under 150, and it never got hotter than 160.  But we left New York with half a tank of gas, drove down Route 17 to I-87 South, picked up I-287 South, and got as far as that before she started sputtering up the steep inclines like she was out of gas.  I pulled off the first exit that had a gas station, and ALMOST made it there before stalling at a light with a police officer right behind me.  He put on his lights and took me and my gas can to the gas station once another police car pulled up, drove me back, I dumped the 5 gallons in, and after a little coaxing, she fired back to life and we drove the rig to the gas station and filled it up.  It took 30 gallons, plus the 5 we put in, so there was still 25 gallons in the tank, but the rig acted like it was empty.  So we decided to stop and gas her up often and not let her drop much below 3/4 of a tank.  As long as we kept her nearly full she runs perfect, lots of power up hills.  Once it gets about halfway between 3/4 and a half tank, she starts to loose power on the hills, and we only let that happen twice...no more stalls at least.  My guess?  Weak in tank pump, clogged sock, clogged filters, or any combination of the above.  Solution?  Especially since I can reach the top of the tank easily without having to drop it?  She's getting a new electric fuel pump and sock in NC, a new Holley pressure regulator if I can find where they hid the thing, new mechanical pump, and new fuel filters.  Not gonna play around anymore...in fact, if I do all this and she still has some issues I,m putting in an Edlebrock 1411 with whatever adapters and tuneup springs I need to make it work...but I know its a fuel delivery problem and that can be easily dealt with.

Okay, so on to the positive.  We left just before 10am...had some business related stuff we had to go over with Todd before we left.  Rig ran awesome the whole way until the fuel incident, but we temporarily corrected that by keeping her topped off, and the police being right there and helpful didn't cause us to delay us long.  I looked at the bright side of all the extra fuel stops as being a chance to stretch my legs.

Our eyes were open to find the first Flying J so we could top off and fill the propane.  The first one we found was on I-81 South in Pennsylvania...and wouldn't you know it?  It was the first Flying J I ever saw that didn't have RV lanes or propane, or even a place for RVs to park for the night, unless they wanted to back into truck spaces, which you can't do with a tow vehicle.  Onward we pressed, topped off at a Pilot, then found a REAL Flying J a ways down I-87.  Had the propane filled, went to pay for it, and found out Chase froze our account because of all the gas purchases in rapid succession in multiple states...a phone call sorted it out, but its not the first time its happened.  Couldn't they just call us?...lol!  I guess I'd rather our account be secure, but its annoying.

Okay, so we leave the Flying J and stop at the first rest area for the pups, who do what dogs do, then we got back on the road.

The shocks and steering stabilizer are amazing!  I mean a really good ride!  Even over the rough first half of I-78 W before hitting  the much smoother I-81 south, she soaked up the bumps better than she ever has, and better than I thought possible.  Between the new directional Samson steering tires in the front and the new steering stabilizer, she was a pleasure to drive with very little fatigue...Semi wind push was still there but greatly diminished comparatively, and wind gusts didn't move us as much either, and we hit a few!

The new heavy duty fan clutch works just as its supposed to, unlike the one we removed.  Any time the gauge approached 200 degrees, it would kick on and bring it right back down...consistently, every time.  SWEET!  Temps are running consistently cooler now than at any other time we've owned and driven her.

We definitely have some electrical demons in the dash to contend with though before leaving NC.  There is a short in there somewhere, and it has to do with the lights, or when the lights are on that is.  No problems during the day, but as soon as the lights came on, things got weird.  Highbeams worked fine for a while, but starting flashing after about a half hour, so we stuck with low beams.  Volt meter on the dash dropped to 11 volts as soon as the lights came on, even though the digital battery meter I installed showed 14.2-14.5 volts throughout the day and even at night, so I know that wasn't the solar alone...the alternator is putting out the volts, but something isn't right obviously.  And periodically I'd notice the left signal arrow start to glow softly by itself while the light behind the speedo would dim, then go out and the speedo would brighten. Put the signals on, and the volt meter needle bobs back and forth in time with it...yep, there's some shorts in there somewhere!  Another odd thing it does is once the lights come on and the voltage meter drops, all the other gauges go up a bit, about the same amount as the volt meter drops!  So the water temp reads 185 with the lights off, then goes up to 200 when you turn the lights on.  Same with the trans temp meter and the oil pressure meter...sure is weird!  Can't be the ignition switch or headlight switch, which are brand new.  So looks like I'll be inspecting every wire and connection and running down the short or shorts.  The needle bobs during the day as well when using the signals, but not as bad.  Fortunately I have a switch that operates a solenoid that cuts all the chassis power down when not in use, so I'm in the habit of shutting off chassis power when we're parked...don't want any electrical fires!  I'll run down the wire demons though, even if I have to remove the whole dash and rewire everything!

Onward through the night we drove, through a little rain, which was just as well since I forgot to clean the windshield before starting the trip, and drove and drove and drove.  Stopping often to top off the tank.

Finally, after about 12 hours of what was otherwise a pleasant drive, we get to the exit for I-77 South, exit 80, and decide to go down one more exit to a Flying J to stay the night and have dinner at Denny's.  So yep...its the SECOND Flying J I ever saw that didn't have RV slips or fuel lanes...oi vey!

Luck was with us though, and there was one pull through parking spot left back with the semi trucks, and pulled in, took the pups out, and had our dinner at Denny's after all.

So now we are back in the rig, ready to sleep for the night, batteries fully charged from the alternator and/or solar panels, inverter on and Patti watching the telly, me drinking a much deserved bourbon, and only another 120 miles left before we pull into the North Carolina faire.

Back on the road bright and early tomorrow morning!  Gotta set up camp completely, and then run to Walmart for a new workshop tent.  Then the next day offload our workshop tools out of our friend's booth into the workshop tent, set up the Underhill Pavilion and tables and get our booth ready, and maybe get at least a couple of days off to relax before the faire opens and we start all over again...lol!

Now its time for bed so I can get up early and try to get to camp before noon.  At least its a short drive, the weather is supposed to be nice, and we won't have to use the lights!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Oh yeah...not quite sure yet how to interpret all the data the remote monitor for the solar system logs, but they were certainly the highest so far...too tired to do it now, but in the morning I'll take out the manual, figure out what all the data means, then let y'all know what kind of amps it put out and watts and whatnot.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Forgot to mention that at my second gas stop I did a quick walk around inspection of the RV and Jeep, and was glad I did!  I don't know what we hit or what little bit of road debris got kicked up, but the front passenger signal light assembly was broken off its back mounts and just dangling by the wires!  Maybe a small bird hit it?  Anyhow, glad I caught it before it fell off the wires!  No doubt it would be near impossible to find another!  Eternabond to the rescue!  2 small strips to hold it in place and its secure and functional.  The assembly itself wasn't damaged, but the little plastic tabs on the back were broken off, so I'll have to make a bracket of some kind for it in Carolina and reinstall it...and figure out how to get the Eternabond residue off of it when finished...lol!

The remote meter log is hard for me to interpret, but according to the meter it stored 87 amp hours and produced over 900 watts, but doesn't tell you when, or peak amps reached, at least not that I can find yet...I'll figure it out.  I think the most useful data to me is going to be when parking in the full sun and reading the current current output as its happening, which is easy to do on the meter.

Gonna hit the road by 9am...didn't drive that hard to waste hours at the Flying J...so we'll get to the faire no later than noon, and thus will end this chapter.

I'm going to be taking a lot of pictures this week of all the projects done, but won't be uploading anything until after the 7th when my billing cycle resets for Verizon...too close to the limit right now with all the research I've been doing and files downloaded.

Alrighty then!  Gotta finish my coffee, take the pups out, do a walk around safety inspection of the rig and the Jeep and tow setup, check the fluids, and be off!  120 miles to go!

Kev

[gadgetman]

The remote meter just logs the min and max voltages  and max amps and watts. also logs the total ah since reset. So to see what its doing for the day just reset the logs.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Gadgetman.  This meter also records 7 days worth of data so you can compare them day to day.  Sitting in the full sun yesterday, early afternoon and not much cloud cover, the meter said the panels were putting out 740 watts...more than the specs for the panels say they are supposed to put out, which would be 705...hmmmmm....

Voltage was a bit higher as well, at 32.5 coming in. 

The real time amps at that given moment was 9.97...SWEET! 

Even with the low winter sun and flat mounted panels, and even with the inverter on as Patti was watching TV, the charge controller was still charging the batteries at absorption stage voltage, 14.5 volts, and keeping up with it all.  By the time we got the RV backed into our campsite and hooked up to shore power in the late afternoon, under trees in the shade again, the battery bank was full...when I plugged the converter back in it just cycled right to float voltage of 13.2.  Granted, the batteries had been being charged by both the solar panels and the engine alternator the whole trip, but still, that's pretty darn good!

So it looks like the system I put in wasn't overkill, but was just right.  Thanks again for all your advice and input!

Kev

[gadgetman]

You are very welcome. Sounds like it turned out nice. Hope you have a great trip and keep the reports coming

the meter said the panels were putting out 740 watts...more than the specs for the panels say they are supposed to put out, which would be 705...hmmmmm....

It is pretty normal to see more than rated. Some days it could be as high as 20% more. Cool panels and the right sun/hazed bouncing ray day will produce the best

[ClydesdaleKevin]

And thus endeth this chapter. 

Kev

[johnnytugs1]

Hey JT, we are over here in Tuxedo, NY, off of 17 A.  The tires are 19.5s, pretty standard on the Chevy P30 chassis. 

I got all the ceiling taken out yesterday of the site fifth wheel...and what a nasty job!  Aside from the wet wood and mold and wet fiberglass insulation, when I took down one panel, about a million black carpenter ants fell out and rained down all over me!  I didn't get bit, but they were crawling all over me and sent me running out of the RV, smacking at myself, and screaming like a little girl... :)rotflmao   Glad no one was around!

So after getting the ceiling out, it is obvious that the roof is still leaking in spots, so today's project is to seal the heck out of that roof, and get my platform for my show tent rebuilt...then tomorrow I'll install the new ceiling, and hopefully have time to set up my tent while I'm at it, and then finish setting up my workshop.

After my morning coffee and PT routine I'll get to work...and then sometime this afternoon I'll install the new ignitor board on our water heater...its going to be nice to have hot water again!

Kev

Kevin, I'm so sorry I was just cking my previous posts and saw that I never replied to this. For some reason i'm not getting notifications when people reply. He wouldn't have had that size anyway the biggest I believe were suv 17" or pickup truck duelly tires.
but again i'm sorry that I didn't respond.
JT
if your ever in the area and in a jam (or just shoot back a couple cold ones)
my number is 91seven- eight42-18zero9
I just found out they had a pretty good size renny fair (a month or 2 ago) in lakewood n.j. thats a stones throw from me.