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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: My friends need your help.......UPDATE....good!
Good to hear Craig! I'm glad the little one is OK.
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 09:48am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: JPonders tips for max MPG
If you are running manual and need to come to a stop, put the truck in nuetral and take your foot of the clutch completely. This reduces the premature fatigue on the clutch pressure plate fingers. I have 143,000 miles (in town) on my 1997 Toyota Xtracab Taco 4x4 and can still spin the tires in 3rd gear, and/or pull the boat out of a steep boat launch without the clutch slipping. I am going to shoot for 200K miles before changing the clutch. :C
It also reduced throwout bearing wear.
I've been practicing that since I learned to drive. (Other than for the driving test, where coasting is a no no.)
I just redid the transmission on my little cr@ap commuter car. One of the bearings on the input shaft went out. At 221K the clutch was at 35% left, and the synchros were all above 50%. New clutch, new throwout bearing and now I'm sure I'll never have to do it again!
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 09:45am |
Truck Campers
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RE: TOW HITCH
You have multiple options depending on the length and tongue load you're planning on carrying.
Lots of information can be found using the forum search
For lighter loads and 18" or less extensions, use a hitch extender
For longer lengths, you have two options.
The Reese Titan with extension
or
The Superhitch
Another option if you're into fabrication is to make your own. Several people on the forum have done so.
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 09:40am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Need Advice - from a Wanabe TC owner
ANYTHING that looks like water damage is something to be VERY weary of.
Absolutely true!!!
What you can see is usually the tip of the iceberg. On most RVs, the strength is in the frame underneath. A camper doesn't have a frame, so water damage is a big issue.
Power reqirements are essentially a non-issue for TCs today. With the easy availabilty of the small 2k watt quiet generators from Honda and Yamaha there is ALMOST no need for an onboard LP genset. Consider that an LP generator option on a TC could set you back a couple grand and a Honda EU2000i is $900 and weighs about half.
The Honda (or Yamaha) generator also uses half the room. In most campers, the generator option means the loss of a sizable storage compartment. A portable generator would only fill half or less, leaving more storage room.
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 09:29am |
Truck Campers
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RE: AGMs - forget about the alternator?
Absolutely!
Xantrex says this of their regulator:
Compatible with Externally regulated P-type alternators
The $100,000 question-
Is the Ford V-10 one of these?
Nope, it's internally regulated.
But if you're willing to open the back of the alternator up, the regulator can be removed and a ring terminal attached to the positive brush.
FYI, if anyone else is interested, GM is also internally regulated. Dodge is PCM regulated, and if the alternator is disconnected from the computer, the check engine light will come on.
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 12:16am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12 volt generator idea
I don't think you will get 60 amps out of a B&S idling and certainly not 120.
Nope, not even close. But you probably could get 20 or 30 to top off charge without making a lot of racket.
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 12:13am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Question About Gasohol And Marine Engine Durability
Search around for "regular."
I don't know if it's available on the other side of the country, but here you can get regular for non car use. Auto's must be filled with E10 by state law, but off road and boats can have real gas.
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Matthew_B
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07/18/08 12:12am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12 volt generator idea
Most altenators put out between 60 and 120 amps most chargers do not.
Most batteries - even sizable banks - won't accept 120 amps for very long. They will quickly taper down and the charge time won't be all that much better than a converter.
Remember, the faster you charge a battery, the less it will be charged when you reach absorption charge voltage.
I could see the advantage if you could find a engine that idles real quiet. For example, my rototiller with a B&S OHV engine is very quiet at idle, and wouldn't be annoying. (it's sure noisy under load though!)
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 05:45pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: 12 volt generator idea
I would prefer not to camp in the same campground with someone mowing thier battery two hours a day.
I've seen that three times now and it's still funny :B
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 05:42pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Flipped my fridge and still not working
I said not accelerating for 15 minutes steady
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 05:40pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: inverter installation/protection questions
Boatycall:
What about the glow plug and start draw? Do either of those trip the manual breaker? I was considering putting in a disable tied into the glow plug circuit so it wouldn't connect to the camper batteries until after the glow plugs finished.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:33pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: inverter installation/protection questions
If you're worried about popping the charge line breaker, you can get automatic breakers for high amp applications:
http://i37.tinypic.com/30tlvl4.gif
For $19.
Go to Waytek Wire and enter product code 46935. They don't allow direct linking in their catalog.
It will cycle on and off until the current drops below 100A.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:31pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: 7 Pin wiring question
If your truck came with the factory tow package, it's already setup for the charge circuit.
There is a relay right next to the under hood fuse box that turns on the charge whenever they key is in the on position. It will charge the camper, but keep you from running the truck battery down when the truck is off.
The wire is already connected to the 7 pin connector, but isn't on the 4 pin connector, so you want to use the 7 pin. You can either use a Y connector at the back, or if the camper pigtail is up front, you can add a 7 pin in the pickup bed. The wires run down the left frame rail, so an install isn't difficult.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:24pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Tried to drop camper for weekend. Did NOT go well.
Yes, campgrounds don't like rigs dumping their tanks into the campsite hookups all at once. I suspect the problems arise more with large class A rigs than with a TC and its notoriously small tanks.
Or 5er toy haulers that have a 100 gallon galley gray AND a 100 gallon shower gray tank :E
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:13pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Flipped my fridge and still not working
One more note on RV fridge reliability:
When they go from old age (rather than burning up out of level), they usually fail from corrosion in the boiler (by the burner), corrosion in the evaporator (the cool coils behind the interior, or metal fatigue at a joint from vibration.
Corrosion is worse when the fridges are cycled on and off - that's when condensation will sit for a while. If you're going to be using the camper again in a few weeks and can leave it on, the fridge will last longer than if it's allowed to sit off for that time.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:11pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Flipped my fridge and still not working
The RV fridge isn't that sensitive to level.
Most spec 3° out front to back and 6° side to side.
That's 10" out of level side to side on a 8' truck and 12" out of level front to back on a 20' truck. Basically, if you're comfortable inside, the fridge is OK. It's not OK to leave the fridge running parked on a hill.
The fridge has to be out of level for at least 15 minutes to be a problem. That's why driving isn't an issue, because how often can you go up or down hill without braking or accelerating for 15 minutes steady?
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:06pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Battery draw down question
Side question, when you guys say remove the fuse and use a multi meter to check amp draw, just how do you do that. I have a multi but no manual to tell how to use it.
I think you poke the tip of the multi into the slot that you just took the fuse out of. Make sure you are touching metal
There must be more to it than that, I guess I am asking what setting to use on the dial.
Whatever the high amp setting is - usually the 10A setting.
Most meters require you to use different jacks on the meter for measuring amps.
If the draw is more than 10A, you'll blow the fuse in the meter.
MAKE SURE YOU MOVE THE METER PROBES BACK TO THE VOLTS/OHM JACK WHEN DONE!
There is a very low resistance between the high current meter jacks. If you go measuring a voltage source with the leads into the current measuring jacks, you'll be lucky if all you do is blow the fuse inside the meter. More likely you'll burn a probe tip and possibly burn out the meter. If you go sticking it into a wall socket or campground pedestal on the current jacks, you can burn yourself or worse.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 03:02pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: inverter installation/protection questions
What do you mean by 'overload the alternator'? Won't it just put out max current, and no more? Alternators have to be rated for continuous duty -- don't they?
That depends on the specific alternator.
For example, the Ford 2G series used in the early 90's will fail at full load. The 3G and newer Ford alternators will run near full load without trouble.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 12:26pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Battery draw down question
As I recall from my working days an inductive amp meter only works on AC.
You're correct Chuck. But on the other hand, hall effect based meters can measure DC. The only downside with the hall effect ones is the zero drift that must be nulled out each time you use it.
The biggest upside of one of the clamp on meters is the lack of concern about blowing the fuse if the draw is too much.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 12:24pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Flipped my fridge and still not working
Your lowest cost option is to go to RV Mobile and get a rebuilt cooling unit.
It's not possible to do a part charge like a freon system since the system contains water, ammonia, hydrogen and sodium chromate that must be in the right balance. Since they are solids in solution, liquids and gases, they don't leak out at equal rates, they must be completely purged and recharged. This means that the system must be removed and flushed clean. Once you go to this trouble, you might as well get it rebuilt.
Crazyfritz, I feel soo bad for you taking advise from one of my fellow collegues (I work for the USPS as a Building Equipment Mechanic- HVAC/R), especially when it sounds like he doesn't know his a** from his elbow. NEVER FLIP A REFRIGERATION SYSYEM UPSIDE DOWN. This allows the liquid refrigerant which is considered a solid (hard) to block up the gas (soft) side of the system and block it up worse than the constipated guy on the ExLax commercial.
Matt
That's true advice for a compressor system, but irrelevant for an absorption system. If the unit has a plug of burned chromate solution from operating out of level, this may dislodge it and put the unit back in operation for a while, possibly years.
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Matthew_B
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07/17/08 11:21am |
Truck Campers
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