Summer Vacation, 2013

[Stripe]

GO KARLI!  Hehe..

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Got the AC all cleaned up and the drip pan unclogged...what a nasty dirty job!  And I have to say I'm very disappointed with the poor engineering that went into the design of the new Coleman Mach AC units, especially the design of the drip pan and the filter system.

First of all, the filters are barely adequate in keeping large dust bunnies out of the fins, nevermind dust and pollen.  And secondly, the drain holes in the drain pan are about the size of a 1/8 inch drill bit, and there are only 2, one on each side.

When I pulled the shroud off, the outer fins were clogged and nasty, so I cleaned those first with a soft dust brush.  Then I had to pull a bunch of sheet metal screws to access the inside fins and drip pan...and yes, I have tried in the past doing it from the inside, and there isn't enough clearance...you have to do it from the top.  Once all the sheet metal screws are removed, the cover can be tilted forward or removed altogether, and you can see the inside fins and drip pan.  My fins were totally and completely clogged up!  I filled the opening leading to the cabin with old rag towels, and then sprayed the heck out of the fins with Scrub Free and let it soak (don't use Simple Green on AC fins...it damages aluminum).  I then cleaned them, up and down carefully, with a stiff bristle scrub brush so as not to damage the fins.  Then sprayed them down with a water bottle until they were clean...this minimized oversplash into the cabin, which is why I didn't use a hose...lol! 

The drip pan was more problematic.  I had to remove 2 more sheet metal screws that secure the whole fin assembly over the pan, since you can only reach one drain hole with the fin assembly in place.  Once the screws are removed, you can tilt the whole assembly towards the driver's side enough to clean out the drip tray with paper towels (its attached on the driver's side to the compressor with a copper pipe, but its flexible enough to move it just enough), and clean out the drain holes with a small pick...I used a metal shish kabob skewer that I bent at a 90 degree angle at the end like a dentist pick...the driver's side drain hole is VERY hard to reach, and this was the only way I could figure out how to clear the hole.  There was over a 1/4 inch of green slime in the drip pan...algae I'm guessing...so its no wonder it was clogged!  2 rolls of paper towels later and the drip tray was clean white plastic again.  I sprayed water directly into both drain holes until they were running clear, wiped all the nasty slime off the roof, reassembled everything, then went inside to check to make sure everything worked and that I hadn't broken anything.

Holy crap!  Like new again, blowing super cold at a much higher CFM.  I'm surprised it was working at all, and no wonder it was dripping...between the clogged fins causing extra condensate, and the clogged drip tray, its no wonder we had a big water spot on the floor and drips coming into the cabin!  By the way, the AC unit is only 2 years old.  I think I need to clean it at least twice a year, and I'm definitely going to try to find a better filter medium than what comes with it, which are these stupid thin foam things, less than 1/4 inch thick...more like an eighth, which don't filter for crap.

Next on the agenda was the water spot staining the carpet...an area about 2 feet by 3 feet, where it dripped before we put pans down, and splashed out of the pans.

Off to the supermarket to rent a Rug Doctor.  The Bissell pet spot cleaner is great for spots, but not for a huge area like the mess the AC made.  I went ahead and shampooed the whole carpet, and its clean again and smells a lot better in here as well.  Started to smell mildewy from the wet carpet.

AC has been running for over 2 hours, and no drips into the cabin, even with all the extra humidity caused by the Rug Doctor...SWEET!!!

I just got back from returning the Rug Doctor, and now its back to the store for Taste Of The Wild pet food...Patti wants to feed it to the cat now as well (they make a cat food), after seeing how much more energy Barnabas has and how shiny his coat is getting!  Amazing in such a short time!

So off to the store we go!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yay!  More dog food and cat food aquired and put away...I decided to start them on all Taste Of The Wild effective immediately, so what little was left of the Iams went to the dumpster.  Barnabas is tolerating it so well as a half and half mix, I don't see why not.  The cat loves his new food...although he ate it so fast he yacked it up...lmao!!! 

And that is it for today's projects.  Tomorrow I have a couple of small projects to take care of, but that's it for today.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We have an adapter to hook a hose up to our sink faucet, and with the water set to luke warm there is just enough hot water to wash and rinse one big dog before it gets cold...lol!  Karli won't need a bath for a while unless she gets into something nasty...gotta love that puppy smell!!!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yay!  Facebook icon successfully added if anyone wants to add me to theirs.

No leaks from the AC...mission accomplished!

Today I have to run to the store and pick up a couple of drill bits (easier than trying to find my index in the storage compartments!) and hang a few things in the RV.  That is pretty much all I have on the agenda today aside from grilling up a whole bunch of burgers for road food/snacks.

Tomorrow it'll be time to change out the compost in the Nature's Head toilet, check air pressures and fluids, hook up the Jeep, and be ready to roll.

Next stop:  The Mor/Ryde plant in Elkhart, IN!  We leave here on Sunday, and they have a free camping area with 30 amp service across the street from the plant, so we'll get there and hook up.  Then Monday we'll have to figure out what to do with the pups while they work on lifting the rear suspension to the highest setting.

After that, its back on the road to Sussex, NJ to visit Patti's son and daughter-in-law and grandkids, then after a week or so, off to Tuxedo Park, NY for the Renfaire.

Time to feed the pups!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Not a heck of a lot to do today...just change out the compost, return some movies, cook up some more stuff on the grill so it will be easy to microwave on the fly, then clean all the grease out of the grill.  Also have to clean the Jeep passenger seat, since said grill leaked grease on it even though it was in a plastic bag.

No hurry tomorrow, so I'm not going to bother hooking up the Jeep until then.

Patti contacted the NY renfaire, and we can pull into the campground July 15th, which works out perfectly!  We'll end up pulling into her son's driveway on July 5th, which means a 10 day stay...the maximum time etiquette-wise before a visit turns into an imposition...lmao!

Its going to be nice being back up in the Northeast!  Just in time for Jersey tomatoes!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So below are a few pictures of yesterday's projects...lol!  Gotta love Patti!  It was actually her idea to hang these up!







And of course a gratuitous shot of Vera:



Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

And while I have a high speed internet connection, a few pics of the pups!

Barnabas is extremely happy and loves his little sister:



And Karli loves him too!



She's getting so big!  This is her today, weighing in at 17.2 lbs already!  She's all ears and legs and paws....lol!



Her facial marking are changing and becoming more defined.  She's going to be one pretty girl when she grows up!  For now, she looks like a fruit bat....lmao!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Lots to do before noon today!  Which is the checkout time at this KOA.

First I have to drop the Redbox movies off, then come back up and hook up the Jeep to the RV and load the porch chairs and grill and whatnot into it.  I also have to stow the firearms and lock them up.  Then I have to change out the compost in the Nature's Head toilet, make a garbage run, and batten down everything for travel in the RV, unhook, then hit the road to Elkhart.  About a 15 mile trip today...lol!  Tomorrow Mor/Ryde is going to adjust the tag axle height, so we'll arrive in their camping lot today, then unhook the Jeep and be ready to bring the RV to their service bay at 7am. 

I guess its not all that much to do after all.  I should have gotten a lot of it done yesterday, but decided to take a lazy day.

Karli made it through the night again with no accidents!  I took her out just after midnight, and she didn't wake me up until 5:30am...SWEET!

Kev

[Stripe]

Sweet update.. 

My favorite pic is what looks like a Winchester 30/30..  Love western style rifles..

I'm also especially looking forward to the Mor-Ryde report.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Frederic...that is a Henry Big Boy chambered in .357 Magnum.  Patti bought it for me a couple of Valentines Days ago.


Well, we are here at the Mor/Ryde parking lot...with a couple of other RVs awaiting service.  Electrical hookups and even a cable TV hookup made it a pleasant overnight stay, nevermind the cool weather we are having right now.  Supposed to be cool again today, which is good since we'll have to wait outside with the pups until they finish the job.


The appointment is at 7am, which only gives me a half hour to feed the pups, unplug the rig and open the curtains, and warm it up.


Pictures taken...I might have time to post them tonight, depending on where we end up camping.


Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Mor/Ryde is AWESOME!!!  I'm actually going to copy and paste this whole post to another new thread about Mor/Ryde under the General board, and please Mark, move it to a more appropriate board if I picked the wrong one!

Holy crap!  The mechanics were on staff already when we woke up.  When we got here, there was a nice service campground waiting for us, complete with power and even cable hookups!





Here we are at Mor/Ryde, a state of the art facility in Elkhart, IN!





Okay, that is out of the way.  Now for what they did for us...customer service WAY above and beyond what most companies do nowadays...

We arrived yesterday, and went to sleep...and in the morning the mechanics had already evaluated what was wrong with the RV.  Apparently, they sent us the wrong shear springs.  On paper the new design was okay, but in practice it sucks on motorhomes.  They went back to the old design, and installed it on our rig.  800 bucks worth of new heavy duty shear springs, on the house and "under warranty!"  AWESOME!!!

Since we run close to maximum gross vehicle weight, they installed them at the highest setting.  We still had to pay the labor for installing them, since we were going to have it raised anyways, and it came out to a whopping 316.00 bucks!

Here are two pics, before and after, of what the springs I put in compared to the new ones look like:




Flimsy versus:




And you would not believe the height difference...almost 10 inches!!! 

Here is what we looked like before, sweeping the highway:



Note the difference, and how I had to remove the Blue Ox riser...both the hitch and the brackets on the Jeep now sit at 20.5 inches!



I'm going to have to get something neat to cover the cutout in the bumper where the riser recessed. 

And they gave us free t shirts and another night of free camping.

Best customer service EVER!!!

They went way above and beyond the call of duty.  Mor/Ryde is awesome!

If you are thinking about putting these in yourself, remember, it is the HARDEST JOB I EVER HAD TO DO in my whole life!  It is worth it to drive all the way to Elkhart if you can!  They can do the job in 4 hours, at around 70+ bucks an hour...well worth it!

Had we gone to another RV repair place, we never would have known the springs were wrong, and they would have charged us 4 times as much.

If you are as stupid as I was and want to do them yourself, the NEW part number for the shear springs is MO25-003.  Make sure you mention the new part number, the fact that you have an 80s version of the tag axle on a motorhome, and even mention Classic Winnebagos because they might give you a discount!

I've done it myself and it SUCKS!  If you have the time go to Elkhart. 

Mor/Ryde is awesome, and we should all support and promote them!

Kev

[Stripe]

Sweet "Money Shot" of the front end.  Looks like you only have one door to engineering in the front.  Is your grill still removable?  And where the heck is your laser turret??

Henry repeater, sweet...  And in .357, BAM!  I'm going to have to post a pic of me in my western outfit now with my Army revolver..  Hmm, Should I shave, or pose scruffy?/ Lol..

[moonlitcoyote]

Nice job on mounting the guns, I am always amazed at how some of these rigs have wall space for things like that.Mine has zero wall space, its all cupboards and doors and windows

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Of course the grill is removable, Frederic!...



The above picture is from Louisiana last November, when I rewired the headlights once and for all with heavy gauge wires through relays and circuit breakers...SUPER bright lights now!

Everything necessary to reach for regular checks and maintenance are easily accessed through the one door...fluids, etc.

Mine didn't come with the laser turret....lmao!  In fact, I couldn't install one now if I wanted to, since the front solar panel takes up that whole area up there.  I had to ditch my stock CB antenna while I was at it, since that is exactly where it was mounted...still haven't installed a new one yet in a new location.

And yep Moonlit...we have a lot of cabinets and drawers, but there are a few wall spaces here and there.

Just about to get on the road heading east on I-80.  I can't wait to see how she rides now!  Just gotta feed the pups first, take them out again, hook up the Jeep, and we are outta here!

Eastward Ho!

Kev

[Stripe]

woof!   

You have the stock cb with the channel switch and display on the mic?  I still have the stock cb antenna, but I replaced the old radio antenna with a shorter rubberized one. looks kinda cooler now.  I wondered about the front grill thing because I could not see the release latches on yours.
I also modified the "posts" that hold my trap doors open to hold them nearly vertical to the ground..

[ClydesdaleKevin]

 So we drove about 200 miles plus yesterday, and are about 100 miles into Ohio, just east of Toledo on I-80/90 at a rest stop/travel plaza.


Drum roll please!  The ride of the rig now is amazing!  There is no comparison. 


Wind and semi-truck air curtains barely push the rig now, float is down to barely noticeable, cornering is amazing now, and I keep finding myself having to back off of the gas pedal...I kept looking down at first thinking I was still driving 50-55, and was doing 65...lol! 


Thank you Mor/Ryde!


At the next real truck stop we pull into I want to adjust the air bags in the front up to 70psi and see what the ride difference will be at a higher pressure than 60psi.  I'd do it here, but that would require digging my compressor and gauges out of the Jeep since the air hose at this rest stop is behind us...no way to backtrack to it...and doesn't have a gauge anyways.  And of course they don't sell them inside.


We are going to put in about another 200 miles today which should bring us into Pennsylvania, where we'll pull in for another night at a rest stop/truck stop.  By then we'll be off this ridiculously expensive toll road with their crazy expensive "Travel Plaza"s.  Literally...its highway robbery!!!


Time to feed the pups and drink more coffee...then its back on the road!


Kev

[Stripe]

Be careful driving through Ohio, especially Toledo.  You'll get swallowed up by a sinkhole..   :)rotflmao

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Gotta keep this short since the internet connection here is horrible.

Relatively uneventful trip about 89 miles into Pennsylvania.

Those Ohio crooks charged us 40 bucks for a toll!  I estimate about 40 miles of road was coned off for construction, and only about 2 miles was actually being worked on.  What a rip off and what a bunch of jerks!

Anyhow, made it all the way to the Flying J near Punxatawny, or however you spell that...the Groundhog town...about 89 miles into PA on I-80.  No toll in PA and the road is much better...go figure.

Some perculation problems with the carburetor when the temps really started heating up outside, but I think its the open element air cleaner causing the problem...but that is posted in another thread.

Ran the genny all night with the AC running...lots of truck noise, since we parked with the trucks...the RV parking was full of trucks, so it was only fair the trucks share a spot with us...lol!  You can barely hear the trucks running next to us in our rig if the windows are closed and the AC is running.  Nice and safe for us, since we have a CO detector.  Readings stayed at zero.

After morning coffee and feeding the pups, I'll check all the fluids, probably top off the tank since we ran the genny all night, and adjust the air bags to 70psi.

Then its back on the road east.  I want to make it almost to the Jersey line before we call it quits today.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Gotta keep this short since the internet connection here is horrible.

Relatively uneventful trip about 89 miles into Pennsylvania.

Those Ohio crooks charged us 40 bucks for a toll!  I estimate about 40 miles of road was coned off for construction, and only about 2 miles was actually being worked on.  What a rip off and what a bunch of jerks!

Anyhow, made it all the way to the Flying J near Punxatawny, or however you spell that...the Groundhog town...about 89 miles into PA on I-80.  No toll in PA and the road is much better...go figure.

Some perculation problems with the carburetor when the temps really started heating up outside, but I think its the open element air cleaner causing the problem...but that is posted in another thread.

Ran the genny all night with the AC running...lots of truck noise, since we parked with the trucks...the RV parking was full of trucks, so it was only fair the trucks share a spot with us...lol!  You can barely hear the trucks running next to us in our rig if the windows are closed and the AC is running.  Nice and safe for us, since we have a CO detector.  Readings stayed at zero.

After morning coffee and feeding the pups, I'll check all the fluids, probably top off the tank since we ran the genny all night, and adjust the air bags to 70psi.

Then its back on the road east.  I want to make it almost to the Jersey line before we call it quits today.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We decided to push on through all the way to Sussex, NJ, and are now in Patti's son's driveway.  SWEET!

They (Patti's son and family) went to a wedding in NC and won't be back until late this afternoon.

So we decided to have some yummy New Jersey pizza last night for dinner...Ah, I missed good pizza!  Its worth breaking the low carb diet for pizza up here once in a while!

So we are here for 10 days visiting, then its another whole 18 miles to Tuxedo Park, NY for the Renfaire for 8 weeks.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Going to run down to the hardware store today and get a few bolts and screws for the Jeep...the hardtop is coming off today, and its back to the bimini top for the summer...SWEET!  Patti's son Joe said we could store the hardtop and doors at his house until the end of the NY renfaire.  Very excited about taking the top down again!

Kev

[Elandan2]

Gotta love it when the tops come off!! 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The top is off! 

And YE GADS its bloody hot here in the northeast right now!  Holy crap!  The last few days have been the hottest and most humid we've had so far this year...and we were just in Oklahoma and southern Missouri!  Geese Louise!  We are in the mountains of northern New Jersey...this is crazy weather for up here!   

I think I lost 10 lbs in sweat just taking the hardtop off the Jeep and putting on the bimini top!

Karli and Barnabas both get along great with Patti's son Joe's dog, Rex.  Which is a very good thing!

Not going to do much today in the heat, besides finish vacuuming out the Jeep and wiping down the interior with ArmorAll.  Its just too hot to do much of anything.  Can't wait for this heat wave to be over!  This crazy heat and humidity is supposed to last all the way until the 14th!  90s, high humidity, "real feel" of over 100...What the heck?

You'll never hear me whine about cold weather...heat is another matter...

Glad Joe has a pool!

Kev

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Ask MJ! Wait till the rains come!  Then you can just sit in the rig and get frustrated.