flagmanruss

When I had my AirDog 150 installed, I retained the stock filter / heater but ordered replacement high flow fittings in place of the banjos. Zero problems.

Now, I'm going to throw this out there. I had a hospital stay a year or more ago. There was supposed to be a wireless connection patients could use. I couldn't see any wireless signal. Eventually (when I was almost ready to leave) I was given the data to access it. The network was open but the network was not broadcast (what ever that means). I think this would be the best security because it's darn hard to target a network you don't know is there. I still have the instruction sheet (pessimist that I am)In XPRight click on wireless icon & choose view available networksclick on change advanced settingsclick on wireless networks tabcheck box "Use windows to configure my wireless networks"click add buttonThe network same SSID type "hospinetwork"

I think the biggest risk is from others who may be within range. Even though I'm out in the sticks, I can often see the neighbors wireless. My neighbor had ok'd my connecting to his network back when I was waiting for the ground to thaw so my underground conduit could go it & I was able to hit his wireless at 500-600 feet... only 1 bar but I could connect! I can see both the neighbors networks (either side) now though both have P/Ws. There are even antennas to extend the range... I'm no teckie, don't know how far that would carry.In built up areas... it's too easy to be in range. I know appartment dwellers who share connections routinely (& split the bills).

Couldn't find any little propane bottles for my hand torch... had to go to the store. I'm going to solder that ring terminal. Will follow up later.addition:Got propane bottle, my torch wouldn't pass gas. (Sounds like a personal problem, doesn't it! LOL!) Buddy came over & we finally fluxed & soldered that terminal.I lined all the batteries up in a row, same orientation. Cleaned all the terminals & cable ends... I started connecting cables... found just one I didn't like the ends on, down to tarnished brass & way oversized hole. I just cut it back 3" at each end, soldered on new terminals. With this layout, one can look at the battery bank & understand what's going on. Cover on the case won't close. It needed a stick to spread the opening in the center until it closes. Would not think such a HD box wuld distort. I'm showing good volts inside. I plugged the camper in & the charger started it's hummmm... But the refridgerator didn't start on propane. I could hear the solinoid click and then a minute later click back off & got a F code (ignite Failure). At least it didn't go to a C code (low DC volts). I have the refridge unplugged from it's AC power outlet because I wanted to run / test the propane.

Rogan,That's one "clean" engine, even in the car. Very nice. I passed your tips along to the new owner.We gave the Subaru to Sheila's sister & her finance`. He works in the family machine shop. It will be born again. It left last night on a trailer bound for Stetson, Maine. So much can be done if you are not paying shop time & labor rates. My projects went on 'hold' while we helped strap it to the trailer. Russ

Oh, crap, the picture of the cable ends disappeared. I'll try again next trip out.I bought 3 Marine RV "Deep Cycle" $79 ea at WalMart. I got them in the box on the tongue this morning. Used a small work table next to the step ladder to hoist them into place. (barely) Started work on the frame for the 45 watt solar panel kit from Harbor Freight. Nice panels but frame suited for permanent install, not camping. I don't expect the solar to carry the whole load, but on a 10 day trip off the grid, should reduce the charging needs. I figured to route a groove in a 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 boards with threaded rod to hold together. I was using the router table (my bro's trusty old one)... the settings kept changing. The frame on the old router had cracked in 2. I don't suppose Sears will stand behind it since I used an open end wrench on the thumb screw before I realized it was broke. The sun came around I got over heated... had to quit & cool off before trying to mount my 5 years ago Christmas router to the table. I'm going to see if I can salvage the wood.

I'm on unfamiliar turf here. The trailer has no motor of course, so wiring needs not be so heavy... or does it? Keeping in mind this trailer is NO VIRGIN. The B+ appears to be good sized... but the black ground wires (2 into crimp on) I'm questioning? It looks field made up, just a crimped on cable end. I'll try to get a good picture before the new batteries go in. There is at least one additional "cable" hole in the battery box floor. NOTE: this trailer has: propane/110 electric refridgerator,propane furnacepropane / 110 electric water heaterAC 110 electric (which we've never used) Russ

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/carroll-shelby-racer-master-car-builder-dies-age-200041629.html I'm officially in mourning!

The blocks were not used in any particular order... I've heard some as late as 01 or 02. You go under the front of the truck with a good flashlight. It should be on both sides of the block above the oil pan flange but which side you can see it on depends on where you have access. My 01.5 2500 has a 56 block. A lot of 53 blocks do not fail. Some very high HP & tow weights are fine. But the failures are distinctive & higher numbers than expected. Some have speculated that the warm up & cool down may be involved.

From everything I read, in service the original (strange) design spark plugs were nearly impossible to remove without breakage if run to the specified service interval & when they broke often a piece would enter the cylinder. Redesigned plugs were made & available. The problem is they should have been recalled at once when they could have better odds of successful replacement. This is what I would have done had I owned a F-name vehicle. Instead they hoped for the best & hung it on their loyal customers (wonder how many will be after this?)

Thanks Mike. I wasn't getting the part about the flame hitting the electrode. I have to get the burner cover back off.

My charger is built into the AC / DC panel in the kitchen. There are no controls / switches on it, comes on automatically with the "dockside" AC power. It's a metal box & mine has a hummmm. I would disconnect the AC from shore power & pull your fuse panel, see if anthing is unhooked. Mine was not a virgin (been F***ed with before) and I found things wired on the same breakers that would not hold set. Is your main breaker good? Do your other AC circuits work?

I modded the Propane hold down. It was impossible for gimpy clutzy self to get the full tank under the hold down. I added a double nut & washer with a spring and then a sleeve (keeps the regulator from jamming the works) to get the lift under the hold down bracket. Then, when the down pressure is released, the spring lifts the clamp enough to get the new tank in there. When the top wing nut is tightened, the spring is compressed & the tank hold down works normally. PS I think I discussed this before but I couldn't find the post. Here's a pic since I had the cover off

Thanks Mike, Your batteries look like group 24s. (group 24 measure nominal 11"L, 6 7/8"W, 9 1/2"H) (group 27 measure nominal 12 3/4"L, 6 3/4"W, 9 1/2"H). My battery box. My re-memboratory was faulty... the green tops are group 24 RV/Marine, the black top is a group 27 RV/Marine. So obiviously they are not a matched set, as I dreamed. I unplugged the refridge from AC & after a couple of tries it started & ran on propane. I'm going to see if I can get the new sparker installed. I seem to recall our nephew saying that it helped to wire brush the sparker electrode & the grounding pipe. Interesting how much scale came out of a magnet. addition: I got back & tested the batteries. I just shut down the charger, pulled the grounds & tested. The black top read 10.5 volts (dated 2008), the center green top (Interstate, no date punched on either) read 6.5 volts, the far green top read 13v. So (at least) 2 junk batteries... ought to replace all as the set. Maybe I'll set asside the good one for other use. The charger was still running... the refridgerator was in F (Fail) mode when I went back. I really won't know until I have good batteries in there. addition #2 Retested an hour later. The "best" battery had dropped to 11 volts. All junk, trade them all in when I buy new! Russ

I think here on a 4X4 diesel... they check for codes, look at the exhaust. But I'm 8800 GVW, annual safety inspection. Don't know about the lighter trucks.

I thought of something else we run is sometimes the furnace heat (with blower). Mike what size batteries are you using? Mine are group 24, RV / Marine they call them "deep cycle" but we all know they are hybrid, not sealed AGM batteries which can not be fast charged. (Used in scooters.)

Yes, I left the RV on the timer all winter to keep the batteries charged. I can't get the batteries out by myself. I'm concerned about possibly over charging. I'm not sure how good the charger is.There is a single cut off switch under the battery box / trailer tongue but it cuts off the charger too.The trailer has a electronic control panel for water tank levels (very inaccurate) and battery. I'm going to take my multi-meter out there to check the real voltage. I haven't been able to inspect / test the batteries yet.additionI did pick up the 45w solar charger kit today. It reportedly measures 3' X 3' assembled. Damn it is heavy! It includes lights (12V compact florescent that I'll probably never use) but more importantly a controler. I'm figuring this will be a PITA to set up, but if it carries the refridge during daylight hours, it'll be a big help. I'm recalling looking over my V shaped plastic battery box... recalling the huge lips & groove which kept me from putting larger batteries in there. If these come out, my scaber saw is going to do some customizing before anything goes back.

The Toyhauler has a Norcold model N621 propane / electric refridgerator. (There is a recall for certain serial numbers of this model but not mine.) The trailer has an onboard charging system (under the kitchen) and a 3 matched battery bank RV/Marine (I think they are group 24) on the tongue behind the propane tanks. Batteries came with the trailer, previous owner claimed they were "new" but frankly, we bought in the Spring & the trailer was not in use over the winter so most likely a season old at that point. I'm no longer able to set up a primitive camp, so we are setting up a day camp & RVing in the parking lot of rendezvous... totally off the grid. But sound carries so even as quiet as the 1000 Honda is, we only run when we are at the camper during daylight hours... and we spend as much time as possible in the primitive camp. Last year, at this event, the fridge ran happily on propane for a couple of days... then began having trouble restarting. The other loads are water system & hot water, a scant few lights, I manually lit the burner and we ran it on the 1000w Honda generator which seemed to be barely able to carry it. I bought a new sparker but it seemed to work ok in the yard, so I have a spare. I had nephew look at it but did not see a fault.While we were using / working on the trailer, it was plugged in & powered up so charger was working. During the inactive period, I've had a timer on the power so the trailer had power for a few hours each day... all winter. Since there little to no use, I thought the batteries should be fully charged. I started it on propane... (dockside off) fridge seemed to run but now a C code showing which means "low volts" to the refridge. I moved the power to on all the time, yesterday. It's pouring rain right now... frustrating my desire to check the battery voltage.I'm thinking the batteries have likely croaked though it could be corroded cables? How long do you guys expect from RV batteries? I am considering adding a 45W solar charger (Harbor Freight $159)... to charge silently during the daylight. I've been impressed with how little light it takes to charge the dashboard maintainer I use. Any other ideas, guys?

Well, don't use the red if you ever want to take it apart again. Some time ago, a sport fisherman complained that his 12' antennas were unscrewing & I must not have installed them right. My boss said to stop them from unscrewing. I used my red on the full threads 1"d X 1.25" thread length. The owner proceeded to destroy the antennas (by the shock of wave jumping). My tech couldn't get the broken antenna off so I went there with a big pipe wrench & a 5' cheater... I got it off but it fought every turn.

If it's an OEM unit, than it should be wired right. If it's the problem, than the unit has crapped out.

From my experience as an installer... there is likely a switched power lead, an 'always on' power lead (parasitic draw) controls the station memory when the truck is off, and ground. Possibly the switched power lead is on all the time (wired to the wrong source) Possibly the unit has a defect.

My horse trailer has torsion axles. The Toy Hauler has leaf springs, so not that (in this case). Thanks for the thought, though... I appreciate it. Russ

I farm out to a local heavy equipment excavation contractor (if I can get them). I still feel the toy hauler trailer axles are off to one side. They crawled around underneath & said maybe so but the mismatched steel wheels have different offsets. They are chromed steel aftermarket wheels. Today I did what they told me to... each axle had matched wheels, same size 225/75R15 trailer but different branded tires. I swapped the wheels side to side. Pretty much a 'beach' for me to do, I'm so physically limited now. Jack up one side, blocks under the brake drum, move around to other side, swap wheels, take wheel back to start & reinstall. The lugs were on pretty d@mn tight, had to use 1/2" drive, breaker bar & a 3' cheater. I gave the 20T Harbor Freight jack a workout! I think it took me 4 hours +/-. Got 'er done! If you look real close to the wheels... one has round holes, the other has D shaped "mouse holes" before the swap. They are now matched on same side. The round holes are 3 1/2" from the wheel center to the inside bead while the D shaped is 3 1/8". So my guys were right. Spare is round holes.

I run a solar charger on my dash if I'm not using the truck often... It's just enough to offset the parasitic drain. Be sure all your after market toys are wired according to their instructions. I unplug the accessories GPS (+ radar in cirus). Truck has an installed Escort anti-radar system. Yes, with parallel batteries, a bad cell in one battery will drain a good one. Pull leads & charge them individually, then test. Dodge draws power from driver's side, ground from the passenger's side I believe. Test for good ground. Check all connections, not just the ones on the batteries.

I'm under the impression that this radio / player was not OEM in this truck. I used to work as an electronics installer (marine, Rescue, Police, Fire, school busses, commercial vehicles). A lot of electronics these days have some slight parasitic draw but it's not significant for a vehicle driven daily. The Dodges even have a fuse for these loads for long term storage. I might suspect the installation... perhaps the installer did not understand something... Or it could be a bad unit. At this point there is no "proof", except we know the player causes a dead battery problem. It would take a knowledgeable person with the vehicle & the player manual to sort through this issue.