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rayin

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Posts posted by rayin

  1. Posted · Report reply

    Read the truckers forums,  for more information. Talked to the owner of a HDT repair shop today about the ISX problems. He said they are now sure the  NOX reduction stuff(SCR) required be EPA was causing the problems. He went into great detail, describing what the inside of a failed ISX looked like; I cannot remember everything he detailed. A company in Florida figured out how to delete that, and was widely advertising their work. A trucker was caught without it, admitted where and who did the delete. The company was fined $200,000, then required to go back and re-install everything on every truck they worked on, to the tune of approx $6 million, they filed bankruptcy instead.

    That's what I was told, true? I doubt the man would lie about something that easy to verify if one wanted to spend the time.

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I just posted in the Cl A forum about  my primary fuel pump leaking. I called our local HDT repair shop Friday past, explained about the pump leak. The shop owner answered the phone, then said Mondays are very busy due to repairs resulting from wrecker tow-ins over the weekend, bring in in Tuesday morning at 8AM. The rest of the story is in that new thread, I'm a happy camper,  albeit my wallet is a bit lighter.

    If you ever have  problems in S. half of Indiana, shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to give you the shop details, BTW, he has a wrecker(4 total) large enough to retrieve a fully-loaded semi, MH's should be no problem.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Several have had their primary fuel pump mounting bolts come loose. Last week I noticed a small puddle of diesel fuel underneath my engine, remembering those posts, I took our MH to the local HDT repair shop who also works on MH chassis.

    The fuel pump was leaking fuel onto the starter when they did an inspection. Phew_ that is the primary cause of DP fires according to NFPA statistics. So in order to replace the primary fuel pump, first the starter must be removed, pump replaced, starter re-installed; then replace air dryer desiccant filter. Total bill $1,600, if no other problems are encountered.

    The mechanic said a bus chassis is the hardest engine to work on, The Spartan MM GT is a bus chassis.

    I could save several hours labor if I were still capable of  DIY work underneath our MH, regrettably  old age has claimed another victory over me.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    My MH has an exhaust brake, the brake lights illuminate when the exhaust brake engages, which is my preference anyway. Most OTR truckers will turn on their 4-ways if their brake lights do not illuminate with the engine brake - when they are below 45 MPH. BTW, that is the only time 4-ways are legal while driving on interstates.

     

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Mike, does your inverter/charger have a ="sensing" function? The reduces inverter draw on the batteries, and "tests" your electrical system for a user-specified current draw to turn on the inverter function fully.

    Example; I had my Zantrex RS 2000 set to "test" the electrical  system every 3 seconds for anything turned on that would draw more than 15A. I could not start the microwave, it just flashed, and I was stumped. I turned off the inverter "test" function so the inverter would stay ready all the time. Once again tried the microwave, and it turned on and ran normally. The controls did  not draw enough amperage to wake up the inverter.

    This may  not be your problem or solution, but it's worth re-reading your inverter owners manual to find out.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, manholt said:

    OK, I'm so confused.  One switch say's on/off (M) the other say's Low/High (M), does that mean I have "compression brake?"  

    That describes an engine/compression brake, turn off/on , then select hi/lo depending on downgrade % of braking force required.The engine brake is much more powerful than any exhaust brake, and it is the one that makes the loud BRAaaaak sound when slowing. Essentially what it does is turn the powerful diesel engine into an air compressor - in reverse, and has the same HP rating for retard and propulsion.

    Often wish I had one.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, huffypuff said:

    The exhaust brake and automatic downshifting is only there to assist you to slow your vehicle down.  You have to use your regular brakes if your RPM and speed gets too high.  

    Exactly! 👌 If I may expand upon your advice;

    When engine RPM's are allowed to exceed the  braking red-line the ECM will  command the TCM to upshift, the operator has no control over that up-shift. When this happens you only have your service brakes to reduce speed and engine RPM's to the point the transmission will again downshift to a lower gear. It does not matter which gear you manually select, the ECM will not permit a downshift until the maximum RPM will not be exceeded in the selected gear.

    For the ISC engine the braking RPM red-line is 2,800, vs the red-line under power, which is 2,500 RPM.

    reference: https://quickserve.cummins.com/info/qsol/products/newparts/jacobs_md_nondodge.html

    .  The RPM chart within the quickserve link shows the optimum RPM level to obtain the most benefit from your exhaust brake.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    On 11/29/2019 at 10:01 PM, WILDEBILL308 said:

    I wonder what flavor pellets would work best for racoon? https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/raccoon-was-once-thanksgiving-feast-fit-president-180973665/

    Bill

    Bill, when I was a youngster mom would fix opossum, ground hog, and raccoon once in a while for dinner. That's Crocodile Dundee food,, tastes like sh___, but you can survive on it. Remember the armadillo from the Willie Nelson movie Bandalerio? Same comment.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    On 11/26/2019 at 4:50 PM, hermanmullins said:

    That ok.

    If I were going to use a tarp or made for an RV cover I would place a couple of large size beach balls under the cover/tarp to allow as much air circulation as possible. That may keep down the possibility of mildew. Just a thought.

    Herman

    Some do that here in IN, I never did because the 5er roof A/C units held the tarp up enough for air circulation. We've also used beach balls to hold up slide awnings in snowy weather. That kept snow melt from puddling on the topper and freezing solid, which prevented slide retraction.

     I suppose you'd have to drive North a few hundred miles to get snow.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    The lift pump only runs for approx. 30 seconds(each time the key is turned on) to pressurize the injector pump, then it(inj pump) does all the work of pulling fuel through the filters and pumping it into the injectors, all the way from the tank.  When the filters become restricted, it shortens the life-span of the injector pump.

    The lift pump is known for loose mounting bolts (3), which causes an air leak.  One guy experienced that, and after re-torquing the bolts installed a FASS Titanium fuel pump,

     and made other mods while he was "under the hood" so to speak.]

    Oh, and yes, that is about right for the work to be done.

    UPDATE: Our MH is in the shop now having the 20 yr old lift pump replaced. I was going to have  the pump repaired, however the labor involved is the same either way(plus rebuilt labor N parts) so I'm having a new pump installed and be done with it for the rest of my driving life.

  17. Posted · Report reply

    I apologize Herman, that was my fault. I still think a tarp will suffice,IF he uses about twice the  amount of grommets already in the tarp and elastic "bungee" type hold-downs. It does look cheap, but for me efficiency and low cost was foremost.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    14 hours ago, IanBullock said:

    Our Heat Pump automatically switches over to the propane furnace at about 40 F. If the forecast indicates a chilly night, I generally switch over to the furnace before retiring.  

    I really like having the Heat Pump option, works really well when its cooler overnight, like in South Texas or Florida in January/February.

    That's how my basement heat pump  operates. The outside temperature change-over depends on humidity level for mine, I've seen it switch to LP at 45° outside, a couple times not until 35°(although it was quite inefficient anyway)

    RSBILLEDWARDS; in Sep. we looked at an '05 Panther. That was the first time I saw a Jacuzzi tub in a MH. I walked away though, it was in sad condition, I estimated $15K to restore everything and they asked $98K.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    No, that one is not mine, belongs to a friend, mine is all red and a bit larger-60'x40'x15', I have room for my MH, my 1932 Chevrolet, my Silverado pickup, small workshop,  the obligatory lawn mowers, tractor, and a 20'x16' storage balcony above the old Chevy. This was 2 days after finishing the floor:image.thumb.jpeg.0c1f4345465e8def53ac6136191b4065.jpeg

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Kaysmith, had that happened to me, I would have had a smelly ride the rest of my trip.

     

    4 hours ago, manholt said:

    My last 7 have been in garages, some in rental units, some at home.  At home I have 50/30/20 amp, water & dump, next on list is Temp control.  We have a Barnominium in the Valley, just drive inn & enjoy a 2 bedroom condo!  

    We drive or pull expensive toys...I want mine to last.  

    Some years ago I used to have the link to plans for similar "Barnominium" type RV + apartment building. One of the plans was arranged so you walked thorough the inside apartment door on the same level as the RV door, yet both doors would function normally if need be. That website disappeared about 12-15 yrs ago. If I recall, the website was connected to Purdue University's school of architecture.

    image.png.ef82c0e409b8dc3cd4f06b1e1e4e03e2.png

  22. Posted · Report reply

    22 hours ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

    Well just so you know it appears that FMCA has been putting out videos for a while. Go to

    https://www.youtube.com/user/fmcaonline/playlists

    You will find a list of over 750 videos. If you play one and click on the "Subscribe" you will get notifications of new releases. 

    I think there is a wealth of information available.

    Bill 

    Duh_Duh, I found the link under RV marketplace on our home page; problem is, the homepage is so busy it's hard to locate things.. Now for the publicity angle to emerge.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, richard5933 said:

    Then they best get to work building out a modern grid, cause they are like it or not EVs are coming, and it's going to be happening sooner than people expect.

    Maybe building a new electric grid will be the equivalent of a moon shot for the coming generation.

     

    The electrical grid is only one part of our failing infrastructure; worst part, NO-ONE is talking about our foremost national infrastructure problem. Climate change is a lower priority when we become buried in trash and cannot breathe or find safe water.

    I'm not sorry I got carried away.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, kaypsmith said:

    I know this sounds redundant to many on this subject, but because of new readers coming on board daily, I will restate this again. Black is the only color that is UV proof naturally, therefore in this case a black tarp outdoors will outlast any other color many times.

    OOPS!  I only had the option of yellow or blue. An aside; the local pot patrol planes/choppers used my bright yellow tarp as a marker for the ground units. I built the garage (red) and they switched to using my garage.

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