Winter Vacation, 2015-16

[Rickf1985]

If your wipers are really tight against the windshield then the internal circuit breaker is tripping in the wiper motor. I have that problem with mine if I turn the wipers on and the windshield is not wet enough. Coat the windshield with Rain-X. That makes for not needing the wipers as much and also lubricates the windshield so it is easier for the wipers to move. Also check the ground connection between the wiper motor and the chassis.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Rick!  It is way past time for another coat of Rain-X...I think I may even have some kicking around.  I'm thinking its a ground problem.  I'll be checking all that out tomorrow when we get back from the DMV.

The air cleaner is oiled and reinstalled, and everything is cleaned up and put away from today's projects.  While its not an almost impossible job like changing out Mor-Ryde shear springs with just bottle jacks and C-clamps, changing out even just one air bag is NOT fun, and is a lot of work.

More tomorrow!

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Hey Kev personal opinion, Don't oil the air filter it just causes the heavier dirt to stick in place instead of falling off . Also adds restriction . Should increase MPG measurably Frank

[M & J]

Frank, these cotton media filters require it..

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep...you have to oil this type of filter.  The Spectre recharge kit, which I bought and used, comes with the cleaner that you spray on and wait for 20 minutes, and then rinse off from the inside out with a garden hose (low pressure water).  And then you let it dry completely in the sun.  It also comes with the oil in a clear spray bottle, with measurements on the side in milliliters.  If you go to their website, it tells you exactly how much oil to use based on which filter you have.  Mine required 50mls...which considering how large the filter is, isn't all that much.  You just keep spraying it evenly until the level on the bottle indicates you've gone through 50mls.

Off to the DMV!  Depending how long that takes, we'll get back and work on some more projects. 

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Frank, I used to say that about the K&N filters when they hit the racing circuit but they did a whole bunch of independent tests and they did actually flow better up to the point of when they got totally clogged with dirt. The good part is the oil attracts the dirt which get oily and attracts more dirt ect. Sounds like it would be restrictive but I have sen the dyno tests myself. Now on a diesel.................... they are not so good since diesels move a LOT more air and tend to pull the filters apart sometimes.

[Rickf1985]

Hey Kevin, I think you have the same tires as I do and I was wondering how they do traction wise in the mud and wet grass. You of any of us would be the expert on that subject after this year. Do you have the hi-way tread tires in back?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Hey Rick.  I've got the Sampson 8r19.5s GL283A models.  Front and back.  They are directional, so I kept the best Michelin as a spare, since its not directional.

I have had no problem whatsoever with traction...not in wet grass, not in sand, and not even in the mud this year in Carolina...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

DMV went off without a hitch!  Say what you want about Florida, but they have the fastest and most efficient DMV system that we have ever seen...probably because tax collectors offices like the one we went to in Fernandino Beach, FL take up a LOT of their traffic, and said tax collector offices are everywhere in Florida.

We ran some errands afterwards and got things we needed for the next 2 days of projects.  I then repaired the compressor hose end on my awesome portable USA made air compressor.

So here is what we are doing over the next 2 days before hitting the road:

Tomorrow, Saturday, is washing day!  The dogs are getting a bath, the roof and solar panels are getting washed, the Max Air vent covers are getting removed and thoroughly cleaned, the bathroom vent fan is going to get cleaned...and the REALLY NASTY Fan-Tastic fan is going to get a super cleaning!!!  I found a You-Tube video that shows the best way to clean it, and ours is NASTY.  Here's the link to the You-Tube video...it is very well done:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4JWUJvy_0s  .  And then I'm going to use Scrub Free to clean the mildew off the exterior fiberglass of the RV, and then wash the RV with Turtlewax Wash and Wax.

Sunday I'm going to troubleshoot and repair the windshield wiper problem and the low beam issue...and then treat the windshield with Rain-X.  After that, I'll be greasing all the fittings on the RV and the Blazer, and checking and topping off all air pressures.  I'm also going to troubleshoot and repair the Brake Buddy and get it ready to install in the Blazer, and install its break away switch and whatnot so we'll be legal.  And finally, I'm going to remove the loose steering box bolts in the Blazer one at a time, coat the heck out of them in RED Lock-Tite, and reinstall them tightly, for like the 10th time.  They keep loosening up, probably because of the frame reenforcement that was welded on...so Lock-Tite Red should do it!

And that's it!  There might be some crossover, depending how much I get done on Saturday...but we should be out of here and on the road west on Monday.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Oh yeah!  I'm also going to top off the batteries with distilled water, and if I have time, I'll install the Dimensions true sine inverter...but if not, that can wait until we get to Safford, AZ, and can be done in the campground.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Yea, I went to MV today also. NJ is NOT like Fla! I went there to get my handicap placard and ended up sitting on the floor waiting because I just could not stand any longer and I sure as hell was NOT getting out of line!!! 2.5 hours!  I am guessing that the dog wash and the roof and solar panel wash are pretty much one operation. :)rotflmao You are definitely thorough I will give you that. I would use blue lock-tite this time on the steering bolts and when you get to your next destination pull them all out and see if the holes behind the box are hogged out. If those holes are bigger than the bolts then the box is sliding around on the frame and nothing you do will keep it tight. You will need to get a welder to weld them partially closed and redrill them to the correct size and use new grade eight bolts and torque them to spec. You can use the red lock-tite at that time but just be aware that if you need to remove the nuts you will need to heat them to around 700 degrees. I almost never use red.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Its actually a pretty common malady on K5 Blazers once you weld on the aftermarket steering box support on the frame. 



The brace doesn't sit as flush as the original frame, so the steering box isn't sitting as flush against the frame.  The bolts tend to loosen up over time if you don't use locktite.  From everything I've read on the K5 Blazer forums, red locktite is the preferred method for stopping it from happening again.

I'm having my coffee now and letting it get a little warmer outside...and then its wash day!  Its supposed to be a balmy 78 degrees today in St Marys, GA.  We are really lucking out on the weather here for the projects. 

Kev

[Rickf1985]

That's interesting, The braces I put on many years ago were a good snug fit. I don't even remember now who made them. I would be looking into having some shims made and welded in to have the box sit nice and flush and snug. You could also go with supplemental hydraulics but your rig is not really big enough to need that unless you are really into rock climbing.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So lots of washing got done today!!!

First, a couple of pictures of the dirty vents and fans, so you can see what I was dealing with from not keeping up with them.

This is the bathroom vent and fan.  Not TOO bad, because it usually only gets used when showering.  Still pretty dirty, as was the screen.





It was a chore cleaning it from above and below, but it got done.  Pretty nice now!







And then there was the Fan-Tastic fan.  EXTRA dirty and nasty!





Here is the new screen on deck since the tabs on the old one were broken...



First you need to remove the fan and the bowtie/fan/blade assembly from the top.  Here is the vent with the assembly removed, totally cleaned up including the dome cover...all ready to reinstall the bowtie/fan/blade assembly.







And here is where the You Tube video was wrong, and I buggered the whole project.  My fan blade was STUCK, even after removing the allen screw.  So I put a punch on the shaft and tapped it a couple of times with a hammer...and not only did it NOT drop off the shaft, I messed up the bearings in the motor!  I had to hit is several times from the other direction just to get it to move, and its about 5 times slower than it was.  Dang it!!!  Also contrary to the video, mine didn't have spade connections to disconnect the motor wiring...so I had to cut the wires, and added spade connections, protected with electrical tape.

I cleaned it up anyway, so you can get it pretty clean without trying to remove the fan from the shaft.  Here is what it looks like all cleaned up the best I could since the fan blade wouldn't come off.







So the moral of the story is that you can get it pretty darn clean without removing the fan from the motor shaft.  Just leave the bowtie attached to the motor, and carefully wash the whole thing in your sink, trying not to get any water in the motor.

I will now have to replace this motor/bowtie/fan assembly once I get to Safford, AZ, since there isn't any time to have one shipped here.  I found the whole assembly for 55 bucks plus 12.00 shipping, so it was a 67.00 mistake!!!  DO NOT HIT THE SHAFT AT ALL IF THE FAN WON'T COME OFF!!!  If the fan won't come off the shaft, just leave it and clean it with the shaft in place.  I am running the fan to see if the bearings or whatever I did frees up or corrects itself...but there doesn't seem to be any improvement.  Dang it!!!

I also got the RV roof cleaned and rinsed, the solar panels cleaned, and the whole RV washed with a wash and wax.  It looks a LOT better when it isn't nasty!

By the time the RV was done, it was almost 5pm and I was exhausted.  So the pups will get washed tomorrow, along with a host of other projects!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The Maxx Air II covers also got thoroughly cleaned and replaced.  No pictures of that, but they are clean...lol.  Did I mention DO NOT TRY TO FORCE THE FAN OFF THE SHAFT on Fan-Tastic fans? 

Also...note to self:  Clean these things at least once a year!  They get NASTY after 3+ years!

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Dang Dude! You running your woodshop in there?! W% If that is what is coming from your Vape machines you may want to rethink that stuff!!!!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Woodshop is outside in a tent workshop.  Vaping anniversary was June 2nd, 2015 (my very last cigarette was June 2nd, 2014).  A lot of the nastiness, pretty much all of it, was either nicotine cigarette smoke, or just plain old dust and dirt.  No more tobacco in our house!

Kev

[TerryH]

Agree with the "nastiness", Kevin. It is amazing how fast nicotine will stain and how it continues to accumulate.
My RV is my home and has two rules that apply to me and any who wish to come in:
#1   No smoking inside.
#2   Also applies to nastiness, stains, and cleaning up after:
       My home is "gender equal". This means that whoever you are or what gender you are, when you use my head you pee sitting down.

Should you disagree with either rule there is lots of room outside.
Works so far. 

[M & J]

You are wise beyond your years Terry.

[Froggy1936]

Wish I could enforce that sitting down rule ! But there is only me and I refuse , Even though I have to constantly clean the mess ! Does that make any sense ?  i?? Frank

[Rickf1985]

Woodshop is outside in a tent workshop.  Vaping anniversary was June 2nd, 2015 (my very last cigarette was June 2nd, 2014).  A lot of the nastiness, pretty much all of it, was either nicotine cigarette smoke, or just plain old dust and dirt.  No more tobacco in our house!

Kev

I knew you quit smoking a while ago, congrats on that. Been 29 years for me. I though the vent cleaning was a yearly thing and this was a years worth of accumulation. I'll bet those fans move a lot more air now!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Well...I sort of slacked on these...I haven't cleaned them since I installed them, except for cleaning the screens.  So this was more like over 3 years worth of dirt.  And the Fan-Tastic fan WOULD be moving a lot more air if I hadn't broken it...lol!

I got the dogs washed yesterday and some grocery shopping, but that was pretty much it.  Patti is pretty sick and I have to bring her to the Walk-in medical center this morning...she has a really bad cold and it hurts when she coughs, so we don't want it to turn into pneumonia.  When we get back I'll knock out a few more projects, and hopefully get out of here tomorrow!

Kev

[joanfenn]

Sorry to hear that,  hopefully she will be feeling better soon. 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Turns out that the doctor says Patti has pneumonia, so she's on some heavy duty medicine.  The doctor visit and waiting for the pharmacy took up a huge part of my day, so aside from buying some spray lithium grease for the wiper linkage assembly, not much else got done today.

So tomorrow, everything else will get done, and then Wednesday we hit the road, first thing in the morning.  That is one of the benefits of owning a motorhome...Patti can still rest and watch TV while I drive us out west along I-10.

Kev

[HandyDan]

Take it easy, Patti.  Pneumonia is nothing to fool around with.  Hope your trip goes well.  We will be following along with Google Maps.