New York, 2012

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So today begins a new adventure!  We'll be hitting the road today from Kentucky to New York!

The rig is ready to go...still have a few things to do before leaving, but should be on the road by noon or so.  Even bought a spare power steering belt... ...best to avoid Murphy and his laws, eh?

Its a 730 mile trip, so we'll take it in 2 easy days, arriving sometime Sunday night and boondocking in the big paved patron parking lot across the street from the New York Renaissance Festival...the same lot we stayed in during Hurricane Irene.

Once we pull into site and set up camp, I'll have a few days of work...setting up the workshop and display tent and whatnot...but after that, it will be a leasurely 3 weeks of building the few catapults we need for opening day, and pretty much just relaxing a bit before our busiest show of the year.  Heck...I might even have time to take and post pictures of all the projects we got done this year!   

About to hit the road!  But first, coffee, morning PT, pack up the porch, roll in the awning, have breakfast, take a shower...and we'll be off!

Kev

[Stripe]

I want a Trebuchet!   

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We have trebuchets!  And every member here gets a 10% discount...lol!  By the way...awesome German Shepherd in your picture!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So, the first day of our new adventure was brought to you by the letters "H", "E", and two "L"s...

Just goes to show that now matter how prepared you are, or how well you maintain your rig, stuff can still go wrong!

The day started out just fine, and we were indeed on the road by 12:30...then it was all downhill from there.

About 40 miles out, we had a blowout!  It was the rear left trailing axle tire.  Now, I checked the tires and tire pressures before we left.  All the tires on the RV are Michelins, about 3 years old, and in great condition.  We must have hit something on the highway!  We were on I-71 heading towards Cincinnati and BANG!  Sounded like a gunshot!  We were fortunate enough that where it broke down there was a very generous breakdown lane, so I pulled over, WAY over, half in the grass, and went out to check the tire.  Shredded!  No rim damage, thank the gods, but the poor Wheel Master simulator was toast!  So out come the safety triangles, the wheel chocks, the tire iron, the 20 ton bottle jack, my old Navy coveralls, the tool boxes, and the fun began.  First, I took the spare out of its back compartment.  Now, I had checked the spare in Oklahoma and aired it up.  It was old, but barely checkered...at least on the side I could see!  Once I took it out, I could see all the deep cracks on the other side!  Oi vey!  We are super tight on funds, so I'm going to try to milk it out to New York...where we'll buy 2 new Michelin tires and put them on the front of the RV, then take the two front tires, make one a spare, and put the other one on the rear tag axle.  I'll also have to look around and try to find a matching wheel simulator!  Yeah, call me crazy for trying to make it to New York on that very bad tire!  But if it blows, worst case scenario is that I can take one duelly off the other side and use it to limp to a tire shop...but hopefully we'll make it the rest of the way!  It took about an hour to change the tire, put everything away, clean up, and get back on the road.

That was just the beginning of the unavoidable mishaps that occured yesterday.  But, on the very bright side, having the crappy tire on the tag axle is keeping my very conscious of my road speed, and even downhill I'm keeping her to exactly 55mph...which, at last check, is giving us very decent gas mileage!  8.7mpg at the last fill up!

So we finally make it to Ohio, and its time for some road food.  Patti asks if I want something to eat, and goes to the fridge to get me some boiled eggs (Atkins friendly and all).  She opens the fridge door, and I hear a bunch of stuff fall...the upper hinge on the big door of the Dometic fridge broke!  You'd think they would make it out of metal, right?  Nope!  Thin plastic!  So she's holding the door and asks me to pull over, and we were lucky enough that there was an exit right there, so I pull off and into a truck stop parking lot.  I look at the hinge, and see that its integral to the whole upper plastic frame of the door!  And its snapped right off!  Out to the Jeep I go, unload some stuff to get to a box, where I have a roll of Gorilla tape.  I come back in, where Patti is still holding the door, and then I emptied everything out of the door, and got to work.  Its ugly, but the Gorilla tape is holding the hinge back in place until we get to New York!  All the stuff from the door we loaded back in the fridge, and back on the road we went!  Patti called the place in Carolina that sold us the used rebuilt fridge to see if that part is still under warranty...they said it has a 5 year warranty, but we don't know if that covers the whole fridge, or just the cooling coils.  Hopefully they'll just send us the part!  If not, I'll try to find it through Dometic, or even attempt to fix the hinge with a high strength epoxy glue, filling the internal voids in the plastic completely for strength, and then using fine sand paper to clean it all up...once we get to New York!  Of course, the fridge people are closed on the weekend, so we won't know until Monday!  For now, the Gorilla tape is holding!

On we go.  I'm noticing as we drive that the gas gauge is moving very slowly, and I attribute it to driving exactly 55mph.  We usually fill up whenever we are at a half a tank on the guage, and it usually takes about 30 gallons to top her off...but being on a tight budget, we figure we'll fill up at a quarter tank, which would get us the rest of the way to New York...all is fine, the RV is running great, temperatures on the engine are right around 210 consistently, and the transmission temps are consistently around 155, and even without the fans never exceeded 200, although once we hit the mountains in West Virginia I put them on, but that is later in the story!  Okay, so we are still in Ohio, this time on I-70 East...and we keep hitting bumpy roads and road construction...the gas gauge is reading between half and a quarter tank, we start climbing a hill...and the engine starts sputtering!  Nothing is running hot, we have gas (we think), but it barely makes it up the hill!  what in the world?  We crest the hill, and power returns to the engine...until the next hill, where I again pull over into a wide breakdown lane so I don't stall out in the middle of the highway!  The engine promptly stalled out and wouldn't restart.  I put on the generator, which started reluctantly, let it warm for a couple of minutes, and put on the AC...it was HOT and HUMID outside!  I figure I could troubleshoot the engine problem in the AC, right?  NOPE!  The genny promptly stalled out too!  And wouldn't restart.  I opened the doghouse, which was hot but not extremely so, and checked the carburetor bolt...and little loose, but not extremely...I snugged them a bit, checked all the wires, checked the belts...nice and tight still and all in place...and couldn't find anything wrong.  I tried to start the engine back up....nada.  Turning over, but not getting any gas.  I put the air cleaner back on, put the doghouse back on, leave the key in the on position, and crawl under the rig near the gas tank...and thankfully hear the fuel pump running....a knock on the side of the gas tank reveals nothing...I can't tell if there is gas in it or not!  Okay, lets rule out the obvious.  I unhook the Jeep, take out the Brake Buddy, stow it in the RV, and drive down the road, leaving Patti with the dogs and cat...and the guns of course, so I know she'll be safe.  I was smart and left the gas can in the Jeep where we could reach it in an emergency...so 2 miles down the road there is a BP gas station with easy access for the RV, and I fill the gas can...of course, it takes another 18 miles of backtracking to get back to the RV!  I then dump the gas into the RV, leaving the Jeep unhooked just in case, stow the gas can back in the Jeep, and get back in the driver's seat of the RV.  I turn the key and let the fuel pump prime the lines, and VROOM!  Started right back up, perfect idle and good throttle response.  I hit the genny switch, and after about 10 seconds it starts too, and runs just fine.  So,  either I was out of gas and the gauge doesn't work and I'm getting horrible fuel economy, or the fuel pump is getting weak, or the sock strainer in the gas tank is clogged from the bumpy roads, or I don't know what.  I hooked the Jeep back up, and off we went to the BP.  It took 34 gallons to fill her to the top...so it appears the gauge IS working...unless I don't have a 60 gallon tank afterall...but I'm pretty sure I do!  I think I read it in the book that came with the RV, and although we usually fill up at a half tank, I remember going much farther and putting in over 40 gallons on many occasions!  Hmmmm....looks like I'll have to drop the tank in New York at some point and change out the strainer sock...and while I'm at it, I'll clean out the tank and change the fuel pump, any rubber lines that look crappy, and clean the sender contacts.  And then I'll also replace the mechanical fuel pump and call that system new!  I'll also measure the tank dimensions and use that nifty tank tool to figure out its capacity once and for all!  Anyhow, we were delighted to know that at least it wasn't crappy fuel economy...over 8 is pretty good!

So back on the road again!  By now its 7:30 pm, and we haven't gone all that far yet!  It starts to get dark as we are crossing into West Virginia, just getting off of I-470 with more very bumpy roads and back onto I-70E...and we go through a flock of bugs that splatter all over my windshield.  And then it starts to rain...and the bugs mixed with the rain are making it very hard to see!  And then we hit the very steep mountains.  A little while back on the drive, Patti commented that the engine fan hasn't come on very much, and I agree, but temps were okay, so I didn't worry too much about it.  Now my engine water temps are going up up up!  We got as hot as 250 degrees up the steep mountains, hotter than I've ever seen her!  This is also when the transmission temp go up to almost 200...on with the fans, and the water temp stayed around 230, still way hotter than normal, but at least the trans temp dropped back down to normal.  No engine fan either, which usually kicks in around 220!  Back to normal on the flats and downhills, back to 230 on the ups!  Okay, its getting very hard to see, the roads are up and down and curvy as all get out, its raining, and we finally cross into Pennsylvania.  And pull over for the night in the first rest stop, the welcome center!  I no sooner take the dogs out, get the keys out of the Jeep...and the skies open up in a wicked thunderstorm...just in time!  So it looks like another New York project is going to be a new fan clutch...and a new water pump while I'm at it...and a new radiator cap and new upper radiator hose too, which is the only hose that looks like its on its way out.  Hopefully the electric fans will keep everything cool enough until we get there!

So hopefully today will be uneventful!  We still have another 400 miles to go!

After breakfast I'm going to check all the belts, fluids, tires, etc...and then we'll hit the road!  I'm obviously going to skip the Nordic Track this morning since I got enough of an extra workout all day yesterday!  And my weight dropped even further this morning...down to 221 lbs...so yeah, I can skip it today...

Lets hope we can make it without further issues on this trip!  Come on Nautilus!  You're a good RV!  Daddy will fix what ails ya when we get there, okay?  Just be a good girl and get us there safe and sound!

So today the adventure continues!

Kev

[Lefty]

Geez Kev!! Hope you make it there ok... That sure was a bad start to the trip. It never seems to end, does it? No matter what you fix, something else seems to go bad.
Will be wishing you and Patti luck for the rest of your drive to NY.

[DonD]

Life is a test, keep on studying.

[Froggy1936]

Life is a test, keep on studying. Hm?

Seems like i have been studying all my life & passed a lot of tests. And there are still more to come !!

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Please do not forget:
A. The fuel filter mounted to the frame rail between the front and rear tires
B. The small fuel filter in the carburator where the fuel line connects.
C.  You did not accidently get E85 gas did you?  Will cause these symptoms also

Dave

[Wantawinnie]

Hopefully the rest of your voyage is less eventful. I blew a trailer tire on my recent parts rig excursion as well. Fortunately, we were just passing a rest area when it let go.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Touchdown in New York!  We arrived around 8:30 PM last night.

Thanks for all the well wishes guys!  Dave, I replaced the fuel filters in Arizona, but you could be right...all the rough roads could have clogged the new ones, and I'm sure I didn't put E85 in the tank.  I'll be sure to replace the fuel filters while we are here though before leaving to North Carolina.

Okay, so the rest of the trip was pretty rough too!  But at least there were no major mechanicals!

And I think I sorted out my "overheating" problem.  While driving earlier in the day, I started to notice that every time I went over a bump in the road, my gauges would go to zero and jump right back up.  On a much older post I made on another adventure, I mentioned that when I put my signals on, the volt meter would bob in time with the blinker, and one of you mentioned it might be a loose ground strap...which of course, being busy, I never checked.  So when we pulled over for gas the first time (I wasn't about to let it get to less than half a tank!) I took off the dog house cover and yep, the ground strap was definitely loose, both at the engine and the frame rail.  I snugged them down, snugged every other electrical connection I could find in the engine compartment down as well, including those on the alternator, and then we hit the road again.

Gauges were reading just fine, and by now we were in some serious mountains!  We had never gone quite this route before...and I-70 East, coming through Pennsylvania is pretty hilly...but nothing compared to our next road, the Pennsylvania Turnpike!  Also known as I-76 East!  It was every bit as bad as the time we took I-68 through Maryland, and a heck of a lot longer!  We were on that road for 153 miles, and had to pay a 24 dollar toll at the end for the privilege...lol!  You know, we hit a lot of major hills out west, but the length, grade, and duration of the ones in Pennsylvania rival them, and in some cases beat them out hands down!  But even in these mountains, the water temp was reading an average of 210, and never got hotter than 220...and the transmission temp never exceeded 170, average temp of around 155...although I did start turning on my cooling fans at the base of each steep climb.

And that brings me to the cooling fans...but this time the driver/passenger cooling fans!  As the day went on it started to get hot inside the RV.  I did fix my dash controls for the heater...somewhat...but there is still a little bit of heat that comes out of the dash vents (it used to be a LOT of heat...lol).  So I turned on the fans that are located in the upper corner of each windshield...and then I saw that the bumpy roads had shaken even more electrical connections loose!  If you turn on those fans, the volt meter drops about a quarter on the gauge, and the water temp gauge immediately spikes up a good 10-15 degrees!  Turn off the fans, and the volt meter reads normal again at about 10-15 degrees cooler.  So yep, something shorted out in my passenger fans...dangit!  The fans I wired in don't effect the gauges at all...but they are wired right to the battery and a solenoid switch, completely independent from the original wiring...so there was at least that to be happy about.

So we drove in the heat, windows open and Fantastic roof vent fan open and cranked on high, and sweated it out.  On we went.  The signals still make the volt meter bob, so it isn't the ground strap causing it, but at least the gauges don't go out anymore over bumps, so that WAS the ground strap.

And then it started to rain.  And rain.  And rain.  And thunder and lightning too...apparently we drove right along with that big storm system that just rolled through, right in the middle of it!  It could have been much worse though, since we didn't get caught up in any of the high winds that were in some parts of that storm.  And this is when I noticed more electrical problems!  Turn on the windshield wipers, which only work on high (I think that is just the intermittent wiper relay box, an easy fix and a GM part), and the volt meter gauge would go down just slightly, but not bob, and the water temp gauge would stay constant.  But turn on the lights?  Even just the marker lights?  The volt meter plummets to about 10 volts and the water temp gauge goes up instantly 5 degrees!  Funny how it doesn't effect any other gauge on the instrument panel...just the water temp gauge.  But they are right next to each other on the dash panel...so I'll have to figure that out.  The weird thing is, the digital volt meter that I installed to monitor my coach batteries doesn't change its reading with any of the lights or fans or whatnot turned on...just reads at over 14 volts when the engine is running.  Gotta be a wiring issue.

I had to do something about how hot it was getting in the rig though.  We couldn't afford the gas to run the genny and keep the roof AC on...and I couldn't run the windshield fans with them shorted out and acting crazy (way worse then running with the lights on!)  So I had an idea!  I pulled into a rest stop.  I have this Lasko squirrel cage type fan that I use for working out and also in the workshop, and it was onboard for the Nordic Track.  I turn on the inverter, hoping it doesn't draw too much power...and it works!  And that thing moves a lot of air!  I set it on the living room floor aimed at the middle of the dash, but low enough so that Sheba and Barnabas could still get some cooling air...the dogs were getting hot too!  Worked like a charm!  The much cooler air from the back of the RV was now blowing forcefully at the dash and cooling off the whole area....SWEET!  Back on the road we went, fan blowing away, running off the inverter and coach batteries.

So the drive continues...on and on in the thunderstorms and heavy rains.  At some points the rain was so bad we were only driving 35-40 miles an hour on the flats.  About the same on the uphills, and riding the downhills in second gear the whole way at 40-45 tops. 

Hours later, and a couple of more stops at gas stations every time the gas gauge got anywhere near the half mark, we finally are almost at the New York border.  And we hit a traffic jam that goes on for MILES.  At least it was down hill!  It was raining, but not super hard at this point, so we figure it must be an accident.  CB works, but barely, so we can't find out anything from the truckers.  First gear, stop and go, for over an hour, but engine and trans temps are fine and I'm not too worried about sitting in traffic, considering it a bit of a break!  We finally round the corner and see what all the fuss is about...nothing!  Just the left lane closed ahead, about another mile up!  Just a bunch of idiots trying to get ahead of everyone else and jamming up the traffic!

Okay, we finally get through that mess...and onward we drive, almost to New York!  We decide to get gas one last time so our genny will work when we get here, and we decide to get it while still in Pennsylvania...we get off an exit, can't get into the first gas station, find another, top off, and get back on the road...and it starts to POUR again!  Lightning and thunder too.  And now its starting to get dark, and y'all know how night blind I am and how much I hate driving at night in the rain!

But we press on.  We cross into New York...just 3 more exits then the smaller roads we take to the faire!  Yippee!  We get off the exit, and right into another traffic jam.  An accident maybe?  An hour later, we pass a car pulled way over with its signals on...not an accident, just stupid rubbernecker drivers!  Traffic speeds up right after that car...and then slows down to a crawl again when a semi is pulled way off the road with its hazards on...really people?  You have blizzards up here but can't drive in a rain storm?  This happened 4 more times!  For nothing!  What should have been just another 45 minutes left turned into another 2 hours!  And by now it was pitch black outside, still heavily storming, and we roll into the parking lot across the street from the faire, over 3/4 of a tank of gas left, and ready to completely call it a night!

I go to start the generator...and she won't start.  I go out and talk dirty to it...play with the linkage...and it finally starts and runs smooth...and now I'm soaking wet.  I go inside and turn on the AC and blissfully soak in the cold air...and had to grab a big soup pot to catch the water dripping down from it...I guess the heavy rain was overrunning the AC pan, but I didn't care...drip away little AC, as long as you blow cold air!

We ran the AC for a few hours just to cool down...although it was pretty nice outside!  But in the rig it was still pretty warm, what with the humidity and the engine compartment still radiating heat.  I also wanted to make sure the Boondocker converter had some time to fully charge the coach batteries, since I didn't now how much power was being drawn by the 120 volt squirrel cage fan and inverter.  The rain let up a little bit so I took the pups out while Patti made dinner, put on my dry clean jammies, and sat in bed and had dinner, watching an old Peter Sellers movie (after turning off the AC and genny)...we both passed out before the movie was even half over!

So we are here!  I'm going to skip one more day from using the Nordic Track so I can set up camp today.  I won't be able to take a shower until camp is set up anyway, and boy does that machine make you sweat!  Well, I could take a shower in the rig, but I'm beat!  And my weight is still stable at 221, so yep, another day of recovery!

And OMGs, the tire made it!  I didn't want to worry anyone, but that tire is BAD!!!  But again, even with the rain and slow travel, and keeping it at 55 when it was nice enough going, I averaged 8.2 mpg, even in the mountains...can't complain about that at all!  So from now on, I'm keeping it to 55, although with new tires I'll let her coast as fast as she wants to down hills (well, as fast as its safe)...so fuel economy might even go up from there!

And on the brighter side, I guess I'm a decent mechanic after all...lol!  My belts are fine, just as tight as when I put them on....and the transmission fluid stayed perfect with no leaks.  Although, speaking of transmission fluid...now that I've changed the filter and fluid, I've made the executive decision to drain the pan at every show from the drain plug (leaving the pan in place) and catching what comes out, measuring how much drains, and replacing it with the exact same amount of new transmission fluid.  Its cheap enough insurance, I tell ya, and with a drain plug an easy job!  With dropping the pan and changing the filter, it used 6 quarts to fill it back up...on an 11 quart system.  I'm figuring that with just draining it from the plug, which sticks up in the pan a little, about 4- 5 quarts will come out.  Cheap enough to change at every show!  And with the gas mileage I'm getting, I want to keep this transmission as nice as possible...3 speeds works fine the way we drive...I honestly can't see the benefit of overdrive anymore with how heavy we travel.

So the faire starts on the 4th of August...which gives me about 3 weeks of down time...on a shoestring budget.  I'll have to build a few dozen catapults, but that still leaves me a lot of time.  So, while I'm waiting for the faire to start, I'm going to check every darn wire under the dash and in the engine compartment and exercise these electrical demons!  I'm even going to remove the alternator and have it checked for output at a good shop.  None of this will cost any money, since I'm fully supplied with electrical repair materials, and it will take time, which I'll have. 

After the faire starts, I have a list of things to do that do cost money:

2 new tires.
A new fan clutch.
A new water pump.
New fuel filters.
New electric fuel pump.
Clean out the fuel tank.
New rubber lines at the fuel tank.
New sock strainer on the fuel pump.
New mechanical fuel pump.
New chassis battery.
Maybe a new voltage regulator.
New upper radiator hose.
3 new gauges, in addition to the "stock" VDO gauges on the dash, which will be water temp as a backup, a vacuum gauge, and a digital volt meter.
A new CD player for Patti, new speakers if necessary.
Splendide washer/dryer.
Possibly a small capacity grey water holding tank just for the washer dryer, installed in the top of my very-high battery compartment over the batteries...which will then also require a set of those battery caps with filler hoses so you can keep them full without having to look inside them.

If the show goes really well, then my boondocking projects will commence, like 2 more golf cart batteries, 300 watts of solar with a good charge controller, and a good and accurate battery usage monitor.

So the adventure continues...and is in fact just getting started!  Today's adventure is setting up camp, which at this show is a bit involved, running out 400 feet of hose, running 50 feet of shore cable, etc.  And offloading everything that goes into the workshop out of the Jeep and RV compartments.  I'll save setting up the workshop for tomorrow.  I'll also have to set up the porch completely, including the Nordic Track platform, so I can keep at my morning PT.  And between today and tomorrow, set up the dog fence around the whole porch.

In just a few days, I'll be able to relax and just work on the catapults at a leisurely pace, and go through all the wiring in the RV, chassis and coach, with a fine toothed comb! 

Thank the gods we are here!  What a drive!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Woohoooo!!!  Another plus about driving in the raging thunderstorms and super heavy rains!  (Besides keeping the temps cooler than they otherwise would have been)...my RV is cleaner than it has been in a LONG time!  So's the Jeep!!! :)rotflmao

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Hi Kev And Welcome to Pa. I dont even notice those hills anymore. Its not necc to change ATF that often and fresh fluid is very high in detergents wich could cause problems with old seals clutch & external. When the fluid turns dark is often enough !  Frank

[Wantawinnie]

Glad you made it safely. I spent some time running on I70 and I76 when we went to Chambersburg, PA a few years back. We bought a sawmill setup out there and made the run with a White 18 wheeler with a CAT diesel and a Dodge cummins pickup with trailer. The hills were rather fun on the way home with a fully loaded semi. It is really pretty country though.   

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Glad to hear you made it safe and sound even if it was a bit of a white knuckled drive.  I can feel your pain over the tires.  Recently had 2 blowouts on 1 trip and the 8R17.5's are even harder to locate than yours.  The fuel system clean out is a good idea however don't foget at 3/4 tank your talking 45 gallons of gas.  Might be a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to temp store that.  I can transfer from main to aux on mine at least. 

After looking at my 84 and 92 Service Manuals, I would say the best fuel system description is the free Chevy MH Service Guide (page 7-29; pdf page 122).   84 manual indicates to forward/aft mounting straps holding tank in place.  Not sure if you 89 is the same.  My 92 is based on a TBI setup so is a bit different.

In tank electric Fuel pump should put out around 14-15 PSI max I believe.  That is reduced to 4.5 to 5.5 PSI by the Fuel Pressure Regulator mounted to the frame aft of the passenger side rear wheels.  Mechanical pump output should be 5.5 to 7 psi.

Fuel Gauge -
Sending Unit (circuit 30) - 0-90 ohm unit just grounds the signal from the gauge
0 ohms = F, 90 ohms = E.
Pink wire from sending unit to gauge.
Black Ground wire at tank (circuit 150)
Instrument cluster is feed by the 10 amp Gauges fuse on the fuse box via Pink with black stripe wire (Circuit 39).  That fuse is feed from the Ignition Switch (pink wire)
Ignition Switch is feed by large red wire which should go to a junction block located under the outside front hood (below winshield) on passengers side mounted to the fire wall "via" a fusible link.  That junction block is feed from the large terminal off the starter solinoid via "another fusible link" at the starter end.  Either fusible link maybe getting old and flimsy (failing) resulting in lower voltage to the circuits downstream of the link.

Dave

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Dave!  I'll be digging into the electronics starting this week...after I figure out and fix what went wrong with my water heater this time!  I'll be making a separate post for it, but I think the circuit board went out...    It makes a whining sound from the circuit board when Patti hits the switch inside, and doesn't strike a spark...And after I fix the fridge hinge...

About the fridge hinge...nope, not under warranty...just the electronics and cooling coils...and the worst news is that the hinge is integral to the entire door!  Its not a replaceable part...you have to replace the whole  door!  They have a used door for 150 bucks, and a new door is 350 bucks, so I'm going to try to repair it first with Marine Tec 2 part epoxy putty and a good 2 part epoxy glue.

And all of this is hitting us when we are lowest on funds...yay...

Anyhow, yesterday I got camp set up completely except the dog pen...and the workshop is partially set up.  Today I'll be helping my friend Matt build some counters since he's been very ill, and also because it allowed us to get into the campground early...instead of waiting until next Saturday, although we did have other options.

Oh yeah...I discovered that I have a coolant leak somewhere when I started the RV yesterday morning and let it warm up in the parking lot...it appeared it was coming from the overflow bottle until I looked at it closer...it was coming from somewhere behind the radiator...and I'm really hoping its just a hose and not the radiator itself!  I'll be looking into that this week as well!

So now, its coffee time, then Nordic Track time, then breakfast, then off to work with Matt!

Kev

[ibdilbert01]

Kinda hard to avoid those hills going through PA.    First time I headed over I took 68, that was crazy hilly and curvy.  On the way back we did 70/76 and that was a little better.   I just got back from NY last night, we took 80 over and back, wasn't bad at all as far as hills.  As for the toll on 80, I'm still confused.  It cost us $12.50 on the way over, and $1.00 on the way back.   Hm?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So Matt and I got some of the cabinetry work he's doing accomplished, but he's very ill, so it was slow going and we quit early.  Hopefully he'll be feeling better today after some antibiotics and rest!  Today is more of the same, and then we'll attack the ceiling job in a faire-owned fifth wheel...hey, I don't mind helping out a friend, and its giving us free camping!  Woohoo!

Also found out we have another job coming up that is going to cost us some money...some clown in a big truck backed up over our tent platform on site, and crushed it.  Whoever did it didn't admit to it, so I'll have to rebuild it this coming week before setting up our pavilion.   

On a better note, I found the circuit board for our water heater from Dinosaur Electronics for less than 70 bucks delivered, so that will be here before Saturday and we'll have hot water again!  Also found out there is a hinge repair kit for our Dometic fridge...guess the hinges breaking are pretty common...I think my repair idea will look better and be just as strong, but its nice to know that I do have the option if my repair fails to be able to fix it for 40 bucks rather than have to spend 150-350 bucks for a new door.

So today I have to finish my coffee and work out, then help Matt all day...Patti is going to run out to a marine store and get my epoxy putty and a 2 part epoxy glue for the fridge hinge, so this evening I'll attempt my repair and get rid of the Gorilla tape.

Supposed to be torrential thunderstorms this afternoon so I'll have to make sure I tarp off my Nordic Track before it hits. 

I've got about a week's worth of work with Matt, so that will still leave me another 2 weeks to work on the RV electrical troubleshooting and get some more catapults finished.

Back to work!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Matt and I worked late to get caught up, so I didn't get a chance to do the fridge repair yet, but I'll get to it this morning before going off to work with Matt again.

Tomorrow and the next day...might end up being a 3 day project...I'm going to gut the ceiling on a faire trailer (a newer fifth wheel that is never going to move again...they put a heavy plywood roof over it with tar paper, so now its just a park model) and one kitchen wall to get rid of the moldy water damaged stuff, then run any joists needed to have something to staple Luan up to (I'll use 1x2 firring strips), reinsulate it with styrofoam panels, and tack up the luan.  The faire is supplying the materials, and they don't even want the panels painted...just put em up and get rid of the wet moldy stuff.  In exchange, I get free camping this year, no fees for my workshop in the workshop building, and probably even free pet fees...woohoo!!!  And since that trailer is never being moved again, I don't have to take the cabinets down...just gotta work around them.  I have no doubt I can knock out the project in 2-3 days, then I can get back to work on my own stuff.  Sweet!

So in a bit here, after my first cup of coffee, I'll do the fridge repair with the epoxy, run to the market while the door sets a bit, come back and work out, then get back to work with Matt.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Got most of the cabinet work done with Matt today, so after a few hours tomorrow, I'll move on to demolishing the inside ceiling and one wall of the fifth wheel...and get an idea of what the faire needs to get for materials to make it a livable park model.

So now, its movie night with Patti!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So today its raining cats and dogs...but we'll still get the cabinets on site put in...then I'll start the ceiling demolition in the fifth wheel...which should make it easier to find the leak, eh?

The hot water heater control board is scheduled for delivery tomorrow, but the cover won't be here until Monday or Tuesday, so it looks like we'll be using the shower house for a few days...yuck!  They are nasty here on site, and the mosquitos are pretty bad this year. 

But the fridge door repair worked great!  Its back in use now, and works flawlessly...can't even see the repair...SWEET!  Gotta love Marine Tex epoxies!

Okay...more coffee, then back to work.  Gotta skip the Nordic Track this morning...raining so hard so the rain is bouncing into the porch, so I have to keep the tarp over the machine to keep it from getting wet.

Fortunately I got the pups outside and then back in the house just in time!

Kev

[HandyDan]

So what movie did you watch?  By the way, send some of that rain to the midwest.  We are so dry and HOT we don't even have to light the bar-b-que.  Just throw the meat on the sidewalk and turn over after 5 minutes.  I'm taking the two sons and the youngest son's wife and leaving Saturday for Oshkosh, WI.  Hopefully it will be a lot cooler up there.  We will be pulling the Jayco pop-up camper behind the Suburban. 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We watched Ghost Rider 2, which was horrible...and The Killer Elite, which was much better.  Have fun at the air show, Dan!  Wisconsin this time of year is a little cooler than where you are, and it rains more this time of year....but watch out for the mosquitos!  They are as big up there as some of the airplanes you'll be seeing!  Right now its a balmy 68 degrees outside, and still raining...

Kev

[RedneckExpress]

Got left behind again cause there wasn't any transition post on yer last thread :p. 

Was going to suggest taping the hinge bracket that was on the fridge itself that the door attached to and then adding a pivot fitting to the door so that it's simply held in place by a bolt tightened down through the top bracket (It's how the door on my old G.E. 2-way is installed). 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Redneck...I figure the travel posts are all stacked on top of each other in the same place, so it would be easy to continue the thread.

Anyhow, the Marine Tex Rapid Set Epoxy is amazing stuff!  Even the thin layer left over on the paper plate I mixed it on was VERY hard to break...so I'm confident the repair will last longer than the rest of the fridge.  It worked so well, in fact, that I'm going to buy another pack of the stuff to leave in my emergency RV repair kit in case any of the other hinges break.

I THINK I have the whole day off today!  We are going to my wife's son's house for a BBQ this afternoon, and so she can hang out with her son and daughter in law and grandkids...so I'm still deciding whether or not I want to start the fifth wheel demolition project today...or just attack it tomorrow and take a day of rest today.  We worked on Matt's project yesterday and got it all done, but it was almost 5 pm before we finished, so I didn't see the point of starting the other project so late in the day. 

In either event, after my coffee is done I'll hop on the Nordic Track for 30 minutes, then shower and have breakfast...and then see what time it is and if I feel like getting started on that project or not.  A day off sounds pretty appealing right now!

The new Dinosaur Electronics ignitor board arrived for my water heater yesterday, but it won't fit in the old cover, so I have to wait for the new cover to get here before installing it...which should arrive Monday or Tuesday...so it looks like a couple more days of using the campground shower house...yuck!

Ah!  I know what I'll do today, which won't take too long, and I should be able to finish before going to the BBQ!  I'll set up the dog fence around the camp!  And I should also have time to finish setting up my workshop.  Yep...I love it when a plan comes together!

Kev 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I had time to get the dog fence set up completely, so that's done.  By then it was time to go to the BBQ, and good times were had by all.  Turns out that my cover for my water heater control board arrived yesterday, but the local post office doesn't deliver to the faire on weekends...so I'll get it all installed, and hopefully have hot water again, on Monday.

Today, is morning PT and whatnot of course, then I've got to get to work on the fifth wheel ceiling demo.  If I can get it all torn out today, I should be able to get the new ceiling in completely tomorrow.

Kev