RE: Charged a 6v bat with a 12 charger. Damaged?
2-3 hours won't hurt wet cell 6V batteries, all you really did was equalize the cells. Still, check the electrolyte level in each cell, give the battery a quick shake to dislodge any bubbles. Remember, no smoking or sparks near an open battery. As long as the plates are still covered with electrolyte, no harm done.
RE: RV LEDs not impressed
Yeah, the marker lights are one of the best places for LEDs.
They are totally sealed, and you can RTV them to the coach and prevent water leaks. After that, they are maintainance free for the life of the coach.
I use EL wire for nightlights though, it's got a cooler light, green-blue and you can runs strings of it under cabinets or around window frames or where ever you can run a wire. 12V inverters are readily available and some have adjustable brightness. Other colors are available. LEDs are good for point source lighting, EL is good for areas, but not for brightness.
RE: Hydroxy?
Yep, not one of these guys will put a vehicle on a dyno with a fuel flow meter
and an emissions tester and run with their gizmo on and then off, measuring the fuel use for a fixed load, or even a variable, but repeatable load profile, and making sure the vehicle is still passing emissions.
It's real easy to get a few more MPG, disconnect the cats and tweak the timing and mixture, of course it will be spewing NOx and CO like 60's musclecar.
RE: 1991 ford 460 oil /filter change
I use Mobil-1 5W30 for Trucks (got an extra marking on the label)
and a Mobil-1 oil filter. I change the oil after a big trip >4000 Mi
or yearly and I buy a case at a time and add as much as needed and put
the remainder in the locker for top-offs on the road.
When a tank of gas is $125, what's $30 more for an oil change every
$2000 of gas? Wish I had done the same math for my V6 pickup which is
now waiting for a new engine.
Oil Pressure high and Temperature on 1991 460
My Winnebago E350 460 was running hot after a trip, or so I thought.
I ended up replacing the alternator which was squealing, thought it was the waterpump or fan clutch. In the process I ended up replacing the thermostat which was not opening up all the way and the fan clutch which was leaking.
Now I can really hear that fan kick in, never noticed it before and also there's plenty of coolant flow, so the cooling system is running better.
But it's still showing on the dash gauge as hot and now the oil pressure is also nearly to the end of the normal band. Even at idle?
I've run Mobil-1 since I got it and change after every major trip >2K mi
I took a look at the PCV valve, it's clean and pulled the grommet out of the valve cover and took a look, no major sludge deposits. So I think the motor's pretty clean for 95Kmi.
I suspect the sender, it reads open circuit when the motor's off and then it seems to snap to about 20 Ohms at idle and not change with RPM. The Manual says 70 Ohms low, 10 Ohms High. Shorting the lead to ground sends the needle to the same place, just to the end of normal.
So is it the case that the guages are just glorified idiot lights?
I used to get oil pressure in the middle, and water temp in the middle, now both of them are almost to the high end of NORMAL.
I measured the sense lead from the dash, it flips back and forth between 0V and 9.8V in about 1/2 second intervals. The manual does not say what the regulator is supposed to regulate to, I figure it's a mechanical voltage regulator, old school like my old '66 mustang.
RE: Converting a Window A/C to Rooftop RV unit
My systems will also not be using R22 anymore. The valves that I have are intended to be used with R12, so I will use one of the many newer "enviro friendly" azeotropic blends. Most likely R414b. Or R409a
The reason for this is also to have a much lower head pressure. Thus the compressor will draw less power, because it has to pump up to only 160 psi instead of R22's 350+ psi.
And yes I am aware that R414b has a lower latent heat per pound than R22, and I am making provisions to account for this.
Have you looked into using HFC-152a (CAS #75-37-6) ?
I'm using in as a replacement for R12 in my cab AC system, it works just fine there.
RE: Runaway RV - Man Accused Of DUI In Camper Crash
That class c sure got banged up for crashing on a local main street . . . . .
rvndogs
Well, he did take down a power pole, those things are pretty tough,
pretty much like taking down a tree with a 6-8" trunk.
What a mess, I only hope it was his RV, not someone else's.
RE: What did you do to your Class C MH today???
Replace slow in-block thermostat, leaky fan thermal clutch, sqealing alternator, drilled drain holes in alternator support bracket so the rebuilt alternator will not soak in water and corrode up like the last one.
To do - check AC system pressures, top off with R152 if necessary, the compressor clutch is cycling a bit too often. Figure out wiring on switch that connects house and starting batteries, so they both charge on shore power.
RE: 1991 Winne 460 running warm
Put the new fan clutch in and buttoned it all back up.
Ran the motor for a bit, the water level rose and fell with the AC compressor
cycling off and on. When I let it drop RPM from a very fast idle to a normal idle, a big gush of not very warm coolant came out of the radiator. (running with the cap off)
I ran for a bit more until the first cycle of the water thermostat, that got a big surge of hot coolant, but also a lot of very fine foam. The level stayed fairly consistent. After about 5 minutes of that, the fan thermostat kicked in and the fan started moving a lot of air, I'd never heard it come on like that before. I think the old clutch had been slipping quite a bit.
I'll have to take it out of a drive and get the motor fully warmed up. See how it does climbing some hills in the TX Hill Country.
RE: 1991 Winne 460 running warm
Update: 9/21/08
Well, finally got the time to work on the Winnie.
Started it up and listened to the motor with the air box off, the screech was coming from the alternator. I just put that in 2 years ago, about 10,000 mi on it.
Grumble about cheap rebuilds and take the original alternator that I never returned for the core $20 to a local shop for a rebuild ($55).
I've got to pull the upper radiator hose to get the alternator out, so might as well put a new thermostat in too. For good measure, I pull the fan thermostatic clutch also, it's got a greasy front end on the bi-metallic spring. That's not a good sign, it seems to be stiff to turn, twisting the spring doesn't seem to change anything.
So I pull the noisy alternator while my other one is being rebuilt, it sits on an aluminum tray that mounts to the engine, there's about 1/2 in of water in that tray that the alternator has been soaking in after I washed the engine the other day. Open up the alternator, and it's all corroded inside. What kind of design is that? They have a tray that can fill up with water and an electrical part sits in the mounting tray? I got a 3/8" drill and drilled a couple of drain holes in the tray. That won't happen again.
I also pull the old thermostat and get the new one and toss them in a pan of hot water on the stove, the old thermostat just starts to open when the water is just coming to a rolling boil, the new one is wide open. I leave them in for 5 minutes and the old thermostat is only about 1/2 open compared to the new one.
Pull them out and the old one closes right up, the new one takes about a minute to fully close. Back in the water the new one opens up fully in about the time the old one takes to start opening.
Verdict: Slow thermostat, doesn't open up enough when the motor is hot, so it never cools down to normal. The fan clutch may also be slipping when hot, so double whammy on long climbs.
Alternator front bearing is OK, but the brushes and back end are all full of corrosion, the noise was probably the brushes chattering when the alternator was trying to charge, once it got the battery charged, it quieted down.
Something else I had found on this model E350 ('91): The Air Conditioner evaporator core condensation drain is placed just above the ECM (computer) harmonica connector at the firewall, just under the passenger side heater/AC core. All the water drains into the computer if the hose comes off the drain.
Check that after running the AC on a humid day, if there is any moisture on the passenger side foot well, you may have a leak into the computer. That drain is a real bear to inspect, you have to pull the battery and battery tray to get to it. You may be able to see it if you pull the air intake tube that runs under the battery to the front grille.
RE: Inverter to run A/C or fridge?
Conventional gasoline generators are very inefficient at light loads.
It takes about 60% of the full throttle fuel to run a 1800RPM gas engine at light load. Compare to a diesel which may only need 15% it's full throttle fuel burn to run at the same load.
The Honda and other inverter generators are different, they run a multiphase alternator and rectify the output and then convert the DC voltage into a full sinewave AC voltage. If there is no load, the motor throttles down and turns at only a few hundred RPM, using only a little gas.
For your load, something like an EMS (energy management system) which is more of a full time inverter with multiple sources of power would be the best. You get a generator that is sized at a bit more than your average power use, and batteries that have enough punch to start an AC unit, the EMS has a big inverter and it can add the battery power to the generator power to get a total power rating higher than both for short periods of time, like when your fridge, microwave and AC are all cycling at the same time. When the power draw drops, the generator power is used to recharge the batteries. The smarter ones can autostart the generator as needed, and can shut it down at night and run off the batteries while the AC is not on.
RE: Gadget - 25% more miles per gallon?
I thought the resistors were added for Radio Frequency noise suppression.
If anything, a resistor on the plug wire is going to decrease the voltage at the spark gap, don't see how that will help increase mileage.
1991 Winne 460 running warm
We took a trip out west over Labor Day, outbound everything was
OK until we hit US50 through Nevada, that's a tough bit of road.
I just put in a Banks Transcommand and the E4OD was shifting well.
But after the first or second mountain pass, the temperature needle moved from it's regular 'o' (in the 'NORMAL' range) to 'm' and
stayed there, even over the flats, it would move back to maybe 'r'
on a downhill coast. After the last pass, late at night, it had moved
into 'a' range steady. The next morning, back to 'o' until the first
climb and then it's in 'm' again for the rest of the day.
We took I80 back and I stayed in 'or' for most of the trip, even over Emigrant pass. In Utah , though it got back into 'm' and 'a' range.
On the last leg, though Texas, it was back to normal in 'o' even in the hills on western I-10. Could altitude affect this?
There is also a squeal when it starts up cold, lasts about 5 minutes until the engine warms up and then suddenly quiets and stays quiet until I come to a stop, and idle a bit. It will squeal for a few seconds and then quit. I tried hitting the idler pulley with some silicon lube and the fan shaft into the fan clutch.
I dont think it's the alternator or AC, changing loads on them does not affect the noise. My theory is the fan clutch or possibly the waterpump. But there are no leaks, the overflow tank stays about 1/2 full. I added it after noticing about 1/2 cup of coolant venting after every stop.
I tried running the dash heat and the remote heatercore during one run, it did not seem to lower the indicated temperature, but both heaters were putting out hot air.
Any Ideas?
RE: Re-Jetting lp appliance's
I adjusted the pressure down at the main tank, lowered it by turning a screw.
There is a pressure gauge up by the fridge.
RE: Re-Jetting lp appliance's
I got the 4000-8000 ft jet for my EU1000, it's run at that altitude before, but
it runs rich of course and with extended running (1 week) it does tend to foul the plug and clog up the spark arrestor with carbon with the sealevel jet.
It's not a big job th change out the jet, open cover, drain bowl, remove single nut holding on bowl. The jet is in the tube that the bolt came out of. A stubby jeweler's screwdriver gets it right out. Save it in a ziploc taped to the inside of the engine cover.
The RV heat and fridge do well, I reduce the propane pressure until the fridge flame is blue again. The water heater has an adjustable air bleed around the jet, I open it up a little until the flame is blueish. Too much and it pops and goes out and then relights.
RE: used Honda Eu1000 or New Yamaha 1000 ($400)
I just took apart a Honda EU1000, it had been run pretty hard.
Several times on alkali hardpan and several beach trips.
The beach sand was everywhere inside the outer case, about 3/8inch of
oily sand in the bottom, but the motor is encased in a sealed metal shroud.
Only a little sand had gotten up into there. The air intake is like a maze.
I didnt see any sand past the first turn and none past the air filter.
The wires were all well wrapped and the connectors were sealed and up high,
so the contacts were all clean. The metal shroud had foam seals at all the joints and even though it was a bit corroded from the sand/salt and alkali dust,
the motor was clean.
So I pulled the carb and cleaned it, flushed the gas tank and lines and cleaned the plug and spark arrester. Washed out all the oil and sand with engine degreaser and put in fresh oil. It starts on the first pull and idles smoothly, theres a little hesitation going from eco to normal, but at full 900VA load, it runs smoothly.
Tough little generator, I did buy a few missing screws and new rubber feet for it. All were reasonably priced from Plano Power.
http://www.planopower.com/store/honda/eu1000i.shtml
RE: Batteries Gurgle???
Gas bubbles may 'stick' down in the plates and separators, pouring in water disturbs the normally stagnant cell and dislodges the bubbles which rise to the surface. Give the battery a good shake before adding water if it concerns you.
There is some risk that with an over charged battery, or one that someone has been adding acid instead of water, you can get a high enough concentration of acid to cause a reaction, boiling the acid out of the cell. Sounds like a good reason to buy one of those battery watering cans, that way you are not looking straight down into the battery as you add water.
A battery at full charge has acid concentration of 33%, about 5 Molar, it's recommended not to add water to acid stronger than 35% (6 Molar)
RE: 2 x 6v T-105 Trojan - Charge Time
The Honda EU1000 is very quiet with a light load, but it gets pretty loud when you put a full load on it.
I use an EU1000 to charge the batteries in my 36V golf cart. The Deltran charger is a perfect match for the Honda. It's rated at 36V@15A, just under 600W of charge power. To get that bulk charge rate, it draws about 660W from the EU1000, but the real power draw is 900VA because the Deltran's Power Factor is a poor 0.72
At that rate, it took about 5 hours to bulk charge, and 24oz of gas, once on the
final charge stages, the power dropped to about 100W, and finally to 12W.
RE: T.V. picture fades/brightens while watching DVD?
Yeah, it's MacroVision.
You can defeat it with a full frame Time Base Corrector (TBC) or
some Chinese DVD players allow for Macrovision Disable.
A lot of people just 'rip' the DVD on their PC and reburn a copy without all the
commercials and warnings and other junk you are forced to watch.
VCR combo TV's usually don't have inputs that bypass the VCR, your video has to
go through the VCR video processing section to be displayed on the screen.
