flagmanruss

There is nothing wrong with linking to an old thread while putting forth new ideas on a subject. I do it often... sometimes link 2 or 3 prior threads.

This is what life should be about... neighbors helping neighbors. I just hope I can hold up my end at times.

I read with interest the recent thread on AC repair http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/6080-A-C-lines, & it brought up issues which I believe I have. History: Evaporator failed & I had it replaced about 2006 Last year it stopped working, finding no leak I mistakenly assumed the freon had leaked out & suspected the Evap again. My nephew did a quick recharge & it seemed to work briefly. Soon after, it stopped working again, I took it to AC service. The guy is actually a very impressive backyard shop (zoning is all over him to not have customers cars in the yard in addition to his own vehicles & a race car). He repeatedly evaced & refilled, reported the system was fill but plugged... an hour or so while I waited & helped from the cab. Eventually, he got it to work, I paid him & left. He seemed honest, said a filter or orafice was plugging... He thought it might hold but might not. It worked a couple of days. It was inconvenient for me as I don't live in that neighborhood. I'm going to send this to an AC shop... Knowing what I learned here, I know to ask to get the oraface tube replaced. If I have gained oil in the refill attempts, can it be separated or removed? Thanks, Russ

Really can't tell MPG without hand calulating the odometer / fuel fills. Has there been a tire changes, changes in driving?

Yes, air in the blood stream is called an air embolism, a real danger for novice scuba divers. One takes a breath at depth which equals outside pressure, if air supply is cut off one must exhale on the way to the surface. Yes, it is possible... not proud of my bad judgement staying to tighten one last shackle on a job at 110 feet of ocean. I sucked 2 more partial breaths out of the empty tank on my way up. I was a pro at the time & a certified instructor... like I said... bad judgement & I nearly paid for it. Lets say one is at 33 feet pressure = 2 atmospheres or about 30 psi... 1 atmosphere is a little less than 15 (rounding up 14.7 but the decimals don't matter). If you filled a ballon as full as you could at 33 feet... say 1 cubic foot... it would expand from the change in pressure to 2 cubic feet. Since lungs can't explode outward in destroys the lung tissue forcing massive amounts of air into the blood stream which, like a stroke, block the blood flow. The only divers I know to survive this were submarine excape drills in the 100 foot training tank at NewLondon sub-base (there used to be data available on this but it been withdrawn) or other military dives where the diver could be retrieved and swiftly (the clock is ticking) recompressed far below the starting depth... enough that the bubbles will now go back into solution & pass all capillaries. Think days in a decompression chamber with full medical support... while healing takes place.

I don't see any possible harm in keeping airflow after shut down. It depends on ambient temps outside. Popping the hood, would let the heat out too.

If the 'Mod God' moves it, it was in the wrong place. After my co-admin & myself reorganized the boards on our MS site the members became so good at choosing where things go... very rarely do we move anything any more. The old Mod moved things every day & folks couldn't find their threads... but some think he was on a power trip!! LOL!! He was the GOD Mod!

Thanks to War Eagle for his previous PM with his source. $15 a lamp seems pricy but is actually a decent price for a lamp with specified lumens light output. http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/rv/index.htm Even a choice of lamps! I appologize for initially missing the other choices... They even discuss the softness & color issues. Might have a winner. There are much cheaper prices on ebay but none specify the light output or color. Never got a response to the question I sent to the ebay seller.

Lighter... a little touch of humor expected...

When I was involved with Scuba Diving... heard about a rash of "clowning around" injuries tank pressures of 2000-3000 psi. I've heard of it with HP industrial air lines blowing grease right through the skin. They used to give Polio Vacines with air pressure... I went to a clinic where it was done.

Inspect & replace as necessary... the Vacume lines to the dash vent selector knob & back through the dash. The troublesome vacume powered vent selector on the hump to the right of the driver's foot, can't be changed without pulling the dash. judging from the amount of trouble with these, I think OEM is brittle or doesn't like deisel vibrations. The resistor is pretty easily done in the passenger's foot well. Must redo! The troublesome electric mixing control on the vent on the passengers side. The plastic coupler between the drive motor & the flapper. {It can be be fixed without pulling dash, by squeezing in, roll up the rug & tear out the foam cushion on the hump & use trick right angle tools. Fix it while it's out!} I suggest you replace the screws with hex or spocket heads. You'll need to reindex the drive motor after. The motor is not marked & can be assebled backward. You can make a new coupler or put a clamp around the OEM plaatic before it breaks or make your own out of steel & set screws or buy one from heater treater.net.

The E350 chassis could have either engine. A lot depends on the time you have available & your ability to do the work yourself. If the roof is good as you suggest, then that's a big load off your mind. Painting the roof with reflective sealant is no big deal. Mechanically, I'd expect the brakes to be rusted & need service, likely rubber brake hosed, etc. steel brake lines can rust out too. If you want the unit for yourself, it might be worth it... if not, it'll be a headache. Is there a trusted mechanic where the RV is who would inspect & give you a list to make it road worthy?

Sheila more than agreed with the inadequate light output on the 36LED bulbs... unfortunately, she also objected to the color which she thinks is blueish... I see it as whiter. Her eyesight is different than mine, I know... but I'm concerned that she'll not like any LED bulb. She seems intent on "soft white" like old AC 60w bulbs at home... which are rapidly becoming obsolete. I had already decided to move the 36LED bulbs to secondary locations when more of a background light is desired, but we are also disagreeing what are secondary locations. It would not be worth getting the $15 LEDs if she's going to refuse them anyway. So far we've not run out of battery power (3 RV batteries)... but we are not primarily RVing. We spend most of the day in the primitive camp, return to the RV for meals & sleep. But I'd like to extend between chargings with Mr Honda... the determining factor may be my scooter rather than the RV batteries... if I have to run the generator, for a few hours every other evening, might as well charge both which it did fine. On the other hand, as we get into RVing... we may find other uses.

VERY NICE!!

There are a lot of mechanical parts that don't have sensors... that's when you need a real mechanic. (Modern techs are lost if there are no codes... because they've never learned to troubleshoot logically.)I would pull the hoses on the tubo & inspect. Next I'd pull the valve cover & check for damage. I think it will become clear with these 2 things. Pressure in crankcase?Compression test next.

Yes, there is a setting on the Norcoold to keep it on LP... but previously I had to shut it on/off repeatedly so just simpler (KISS!) while I was outside with the cover off to leave the AC cord unpluged. My 1000 Honda would barely run the fridge or charge the batteries (RV + scooter) but not enough power to do both so I was taking no chances. I suppose I could print out the manual.

We ran the refridge on propane the whole 9 days of our trip off the grid. i unplugged the fridge from AC power so it would stay on propane. With the new sparker, it ran perfect. If that's all it takes... wonderful!! A fridge failure the year before gave us fits. I bought a spare sparker from the RV places for $27. Cheap insurance if it fails on a vacation. I have enough tools on board to change it out.

More "Gifts" from China in my mailbox today... http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-12V-24V-Red-Digital-LED-Car-Auto-Voltmeter-Voltage-Gauge-Tester-Volt-Meter-/120895807320?hash=item1c25f39f58&item=120895807320&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr arrived. I like the unit. I actually ordered a couple, besides the one I intend to install in the RV. It works, looks ok. Bright enough. Small glass fuse in the cig lighter plug. I'm going to give one to my brother... $4.85 ea with Free Shipping There is nothing in the plug besides the fuse. I took one apart, because I'd like to surface mount it in a recess under the kitchen counter in the RV... with sticky tape & just a small hole for the wires & a mini-toggle. Exploratory "surgury" (on the plug) was easy. I ordered 6 of these... http://www.ebay.com/itm/220974117118?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 A couple for myself, one each for the other mechanics in the family. I like this unit also. I don't see a cig light plug unit as a semi permanent application but this sure is a handy way to quick test the power. Also has a small glass fuse under the center plug. $3.61 ea with Free Shipping... can't go wrong! All the items shipped very quick! ADDITIONAL: I disassembled the plug on the first unit... just a tiny glass fuse in there. Wires soldered to center spring (fuse holder) & outter cig lighter contacts.

BlueChip Diesel mentions trying this approach without success. http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/about_lift_pumps.html That doesn't mean it's not worth trying... just that BCD has not been 100% successful yet. The VP44 is a hunk of metal, mechanically physically connected to a HOT hunk of metal. It's going to be hard to keep it from heat soak. Maybe a cool down timer makes more sense than ever. Boats are required to have bilge ventilation to prevent buildup of gas fumes... usually connected to clamshells by 4" flex hose. I had an assembly contract with a small local builder... still have my 4.25" hole saw from installing the vents.

From what I'm reading, the 1156 replacements should give off 220+ Lumens. Since the ad did not list Lumens, they didn't lie. However, if the ad does not state the Lumens, I'll not buy again. The shipping was very fast, the product is nice for what it is... but I'd have to run 2 bulbs the get the light I want. At around $2 a bulb, it was worth the risk & I will use them... just not in primary fixtures. It's not like you can easily add fixtures to a RV either. Actually the primary filament bulbs I swapped out are getting dark from the heat. New filament bulbs are even brighter! New Std 1156 to the left, China "36LED" to the right. Photo doesn't really show the light difference. I'm going to have Sheila look at the lights some evening but I think she'll agree with my evaluation.

I'm assuming... yeah, I know... the AC only runs on shore power? I should have checked my circuit panel instead of asking dumb questions. Since heat sets my MS off, Sheila asked what it takes to run the AC. I imagine it must take shore power or a real generator. (My 6500 is still broke & my battery charge generator is just 1000.) I am interested in the AC capasator... Nephew works in HVAC so I'm sure we could get it installed.

I'm looking forward to the digital volt meter, mine hasn't arrived yet. I'll certainly install under the counter on a switch. Sheila has yet to view the bulbs at night.

The LED test order from China arrived... 1 week!!... in a brown bubble pack envolupe with several wraps of foam cushion around the bulbs. They look really nice. I can't wait to try them. I was in the RV place yesterday & saw some cards by the register with flat type LED lamps... I didn't bother checking the price... guess I should have taken the time. At the RV place... I bought a spare sparker for the propane fridge... it could save a vacation trip! We went 9 days, never bought any ice & were making ice for our daily needs. Lesson learned!!ADDITIONAL:OK, after dark... headed out to the camper to try out these new LED bulbs. The light is definately whiter... but I would judge to be noticeably less bright than the conventional bulbs they replace. I was hoping for the same or slightly more light at fewer amps... they do not fulfull that. I am disappointed but not MAD as I knew this sample was an experiment & these are the results. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! But I have spent a few dollars to gain knowledge which I share with you. There are the correct number of small LEDs & the ad never stated the lumens. I don't find them acceptable for primary light in the RV, I doubt that Sheila will either (and we don't over lamp at home either!). I would not consider them acceptable for auto/truck tail lights, backup lights either. I will use these as background lighting in the RV, but not as primary lights on a work space. I will NOT order more of these units.

Also look for added wired running through the firewall in the driver's foot well or by the e-brake. I have my XZT switch through the driver's knee panel, the box is under the edge of the carpet (only other place was the e-brake bracket). My escort install anti radar system is velcroed under the steeling column behind the knee panel.

How hard is it to spot damaged lines? Can you see the flaws or feel a crack or rough spot? This would help allof us troubleshoot this problem system.