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Forum
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RE: Question for 2009 F250/350 Owners
After a long stay at the dealer this issue has finally been resolved with the help of Ford engineering. The dome light connection to the Ford (dealer installed when the truck was new) security system was causing the problem. That connection was removed and the instrument panel brightness now holds it's setting. According to the service manager the alarm was reprogrammed so that it does not need this connection. I will need to verify that the alarm is still functioning properly as I have received conflicting information from this dealer's service department.
Dick
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dclark1946
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04/20/13 07:20am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: GPS navigation device vs. Smartphone
I have a Verizon smart phone and a Garmin. On two occasions they have disagreed as to which route to take. Both times the Garmin chose the shorter route but the route was awful. Both times, I took the Verizon route on the return trip and it was longer but much better. There were no interstate highways involved it the trips.
I always rely on the Verizon first now.
How do you have your route preferences set on your Garmin?
Dick
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dclark1946
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03/26/13 08:13pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Question for 2009 F250/350 Owners
The dash brightness should be controlled by the Smart Junction Box, and as far as I know, it should retain the settings with the key off... Is it JUST the read-out on the instrument panel that's affected or is it the whole dash (i.e. all the switches, knobs, and buttons too...)??
And just to be sure, check Fuse 10 (15A) in the smart junction box (right hand side of the instrument panel, I *think* behind the toe kick plate, though I'm not positive..... Might be behind the glove box door...).
The whole panel guages, speedo, tach etc. all go to max brightness when I turn the ignition switch to off. When I retart it stays at max brightness.
I was researching the panel brightness troubleshooting diagnostics and found a comment that the SJB defaults to max brightness when it detects a fault. I am wondering if that might be what what is going on. I will check the SJB fuse.
Keep the feedback coming.
Richard
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dclark1946
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03/25/13 08:13pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Change your shocks!
I am a little confused with some of these posts.
Shocks are intended to 'dampen' the bounce when driving, but the springs carry the load. I know that some shocks come with springs to provide additional lift, but that is hardly a standard shock. And gas-filled shocks might provide an additional 25 pounds or so of lift, but that is hardly the purpose of the gas.
How can a shock absorber change the attitude of a standing truck?
They cannot.
I have seen new gas shocks change the vehicle height slightly myself when replacing the old ones that have lost their pressure.
Dic
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dclark1946
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03/24/13 08:24pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Question for 2009 F250/350 Owners
I have an 09 350 and mine does not do that.
Thanks for your response.
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dclark1946
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03/24/13 01:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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Question for 2009 F250/350 Owners
My 2009 F250 dash light brightness control has always reset to max when the ignition is turned off so that I have to reset it again to the mid range level I prefer each time I start it at night. I would like to know if that is the way that model is supposed to work. I have never had any other vehicle operate this way and would like to have it repaired if it is operating incorrectly.
Thanks;
Dick
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dclark1946
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03/24/13 11:16am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: EU2000i only runs with choke closed
Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to submit ideas.
No, I was not using StaBil in the gas, but I will admit that I had not started the generator for maybe 9 months.
Will Post progress as it develops.
Any time more than a month with today's gas (without a fuel stabilizer) is asking for this type of problem. I tried Seafoam in my Honda Eu1000 which had the same problem and ran it for several hours plus let it sit overnight and it did not get any better. Finally took it to a dealer for a carb job. I was leaving on an extended camping trip and needed the generator to be operating properly and could not wait.
I use Stabil Marine and have not had any more issues but I don't leave gas in it for more than a month. I remove all fuel from the tank, drain the carb and start and run it off the remaining fumes until it will not even try to start.
Dick
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dclark1946
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01/22/13 08:13pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Replaced Anod Rod today
I drain our water heater after each trip and wire brush the anode rod to get rid of the white deposits.
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dclark1946
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11/10/12 04:48pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Nexus 7
We do the Cradlepoint thing with our Virgin Broadband2go USB modem so our Blackberry tablet (plus KOBO e-reader and laptop computer) can access the internet via WIFI (all at the same time). Works great. You can get an inexpensive Cradlepoint router from a number of sources.
That is what I do also.
Dick
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dclark1946
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10/14/12 08:01pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Which clamp on ammeter would you buy today
Craftsman that measures both AC & DC
I have the Sears combination DMM and clamp on AC/DC Ammeter and while it will not measure as low current as my more expensive one (Extech) it is very useful. I use it it to check both discharge and charge current.
Dick
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dclark1946
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10/14/12 07:52pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Honda 2K troubleshooting
When you are done using your Honda, and know you won't be using it for a while you should remove the large side cover and drain the carb using the convienient drain that Honda provides. Always use fuel treated with Blue Stabil in your small engine equipment. You never know when you will stop using that equipment and the fuel will always be treated.
This is the procedure I follow and have not had any more issues with needing to have the Carb cleaned. Even with blue Stabil I don't keep gas more than three months. I put it in one of my vehicle's tank and buy fresh for my 5 gallon tank.
Dick
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dclark1946
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10/14/12 07:37pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Who uses Sta-bil
I had the chance to talk to a guy (ya right), but honestly he is a real world expert on gas stabilizers.
He did NOT recommend Sta-bil as, as he said "they haven't changed their formula one bit to reflect the addition of alcohol and the newest other fuel additives"
He recommended either Seafoam or Briggs&Stratton fuel additive.
I have been using Stabil Marine(blue) for some time with no issues on our Honda generators. The formulation has changes in the last few years to deal with the alcohol gas additive.
Dick
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dclark1946
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09/22/12 05:18am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Exxon Disaster
So what is the rationale for insurance paying for damage associated with contaminated fuel?
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dclark1946
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09/10/12 08:52pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: EU2000i Carburator Drain Screw // Drain Fuel Pump
What it does is remove the fuel that could otherwise gum up the works...the OP's original problem.
I've had the same problem and now run the tank dry and use the carb drain screw to get the last few drops out. When the generator is needed, it takes little time to put in fresh gas and get it going.
I follow the same procedure but add one more step after draining the carb I start the generator and it will usually run for a second or two. I repeat this until it will not start any more.
Dick
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dclark1946
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08/05/12 06:27pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 40" TV zapped my batteries
I don't believe that anyone is going to be able to determine the nature of the problem or come up with a solution without some additional information. First of all, you need to know the condition of your batteries and their state of charge. Secondly, you need to be able to measure the current and voltage delivered to the inverter at least for some known load if not the full output. Finally, you need to know how much power the inverter is putting out when you assume it is only powering the entertainment center. Things are not always as they appear.
I agree with whoever said that the batteries you already have should be able to power the load you described for much longer than you observed. At least one of your assumptions is not correct.
X2. Without knowing current draw, battery and inverter voltage you can not determine the root cause(s)
Dick
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dclark1946
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07/29/12 09:23pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Battery needs
Actually, We mostly dry camp.. hence the need for extra capacity. I'm looking for suggestions for a good BRAND of battery. I've read that there are only about 7 manufactures of batteries in the U.S. I don't care whose name is on the battery (walmart or Auto Zone for Example). I'm mostly interested in the "reserve capacity" rating and the price. 20% more capacity for 2X the price is not a good deal. I don't have much faith in warranties so prefer not to pay any extra for that.
If you don't mind spending more for quality the Trojan SCS series 12V deep cycle batteries should be considered.
Dick
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dclark1946
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07/21/12 10:02pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 13,500 btu or 15,000 btu?
There is a one amp difference in current draw. Is that enought to anguish over? Really?
The Coleman 15 k BTU is rated @ 16 A while a Coleman 13.5 k BTU PS version is only 10.4A and is actually rated 2% more cooling capacity than a standard Coleman 13.5 k BTU unit. Just think about it, you could have two 13.5 k PS units for only 4.8 more A than a single 15 k BTU unit.
Dick
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dclark1946
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07/21/12 02:56pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Converter to change modified sine wave to sine wave?
I'm sure I'll be flamed for this but I'll try to remember things from 30 years ago.
Don't really remember about the reflected voltage but I think that as long as the inverter can handle the reflected voltage all is OK. Power is not dissipated in the inverter. Could be very wrong about this. Like back in the days of tubes. On old radios if you disconnect the speaker some times you could draw an arc across the output transformer primary leads, maybe the same?
In my case it was 40 years ago but I don't recall the rejected frequencies being reflected eirther. I think they just see a high impedance and don't get through the filter.
As you go up in frequency a signal seeing a high load impedance (compared to the source impedance) is reflected and this effect is quantified as the reflection coefficient. At low frequency such as 60 Hz you can think of the reflection as a load impedance that increases with frequency. This means the high frequency components don't see the same load as the fundamental which will cause these components to have a higher amplitude relative to the fundamental at the source because these frequency components are seeing essentially an open circuit load. This is similar to an RF impedance mismatch which results in reflected energy or a poor return loss ie. high vswr
Dick
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dclark1946
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07/03/12 08:43pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 13,500 btu or 15,000 btu?
I have a 15k, but would prefer a 13.5k instead.
The 13.5 would work on my home outlet and on some of the smaller gens like the Yamaha 2400.
The 15,000 btu unit draws under 20 amps, and if I remember correctly, it's only an amp or two more than the 13,500 btu unit. No reason you couldn't run the larger one off your order plug at home. Just have to be a little more cautious with your loads since it's close to a 17 amp draw is all.
You can get a high efficiency 13.5 K BTU unit from Coleman or Dometic that draws a little over 10A. There are no high efficiency 15 K units that I have been able to find.
Dick
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dclark1946
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07/03/12 08:00pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Converter to change modified sine wave to sine wave?
I found a source that calculated the power content of the harmonics in a square wave at 19%. The THD of a square wave is 45%, and the THD of 3-level MSW (the common one MSW type) is ~24%. I'd hazard an intuitive guess that the power content of the MSW harmonics is in the 10% ballpark, meaning a good filter would result in at least a 10% power loss. Aside from all the other issues, said filter would have to dissipate a pretty good chunk of heat.
I am not sure you can conclude that the filter would be dissapating very much power since the higher frequency components would be reflected by the filter not absorbed. The desired fundamental output may be lower than desired but that is because the fundamental component was lower to start with before filtering. The main loss would be resistive losses in the inductors which can be controlled by wire guage and magnetic core selection. There is no question that the inductors would be physically large.
Dick
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dclark1946
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07/02/12 09:07pm |
Tech Issues
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