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RE: Chinese Motorhomes ?
"The Japanese are directly responsible for having Detroit to start to build competitive products."
Yes this is true. And there is some interesting history behind what happened along the way. Some decades ago there was marketing expert named Ed Deming. His message was quality is what will build and sustain your company. He presented his seminar to the GM brass who summarily dismissed it. They continued to do what they do best: worship short term profits above all else. Mr Deming also gave his seminar to the Japanese, who whole heartedly embraced it. Thus was born rise of the Japanese auto industry.
But even more interesting is how quality is instilled on the factory floor. The workers totally embrace it. Some even sleep at the factory and management will even sometimes have to force them to take vacations. The Japanese have unions too, but if a worker slacks off the union actually disciplines them. They don't tolerate any dead wood.
The problem with some Japanese car companies now is that they have become fat and happy, and are overcharging for their products. The one who is rapidly eating their lunch is Hyundai. They are now what the Japanese used to be: outstanding quality for less money=value. Their Genesis is now at the top of consumer reports.
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T18skyguy
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12/25/09 02:12pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 1996 F53 460 V8 EFI
96Bounder I know it does not have a converter but how do you tell if a muffler is plugged was my question
Call around to a couple of good auto shops and you'll find one with an exhaust back pressure gauge. They measure the pressure at a point before the muffler by drilling a small hole in the pipe and holding a gage into it. Then they rivet the hole shut. If memory serves me right, I think a proper reading is no more than 1.5 PSI at near full throttle.
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T18skyguy
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12/22/09 08:38pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: SNOW TRAVEL ADVISE NEEDED DESPERATELY ASAP!!
Based on the current weather forecast, I would head west to Cleveland, Ohio and then south on I71 to Louisville, KY. Then depending on weather forecast at that point, I would either head south to Nashville on I65 or west on I64 to St. Louis. Weather permitting, I would take I64 to I70 through Denver then north on I15 to I84 to Oregon. The interstates through Colorado and beyond are well maintained and at worst a passing snow storm will only hold you up for a day or so and just park the motorhome and wait for the snowplows to do their job.
I-80 to I-15 to I-84 would be a MUCH, much better route. The climb is gradual and it is a major truck route so they keep it open. Take I-84 all the way to Portland and then turn south on I-5 to Springfield. Everyone keeps talking about the Rockies, but the Cascades can also be a problem this time of year, though for a shorter time.
Barb
I'm from Springfield, and agree completely. Plus you'll save enough on fuel to more than cover a delay in a campground which is highly unlikely.
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T18skyguy
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12/19/09 09:32am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Chinese Motorhomes ?
China is currently adding 15,000 new cars to their roads per day, which is one of the reasons they wanted to buy Chevron (and their oil fields) so badly. For the Chinese to get into RV'ing would be the next logical step. As far as American manufacturers advising them to build to our standards, that is not coming from the goodness of their heart, but to probably help get around import restrictions from the get go. The chinese can employ 47 workers for the cost of one American, and with that kind of advantage I wouldn't rule out them exporting anything.
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T18skyguy
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12/19/09 09:10am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Yikes, big snowstorm coming my way - need advice!!
Stock up on plenty of food, and a case of bottled water can come in handy if you have a water related failure. Drain the holding tanks so you have plenty of room for reserve and pour a little RV antifreeze in there. Check the oil in your generator and test it to make sure it's going to run. I wouldn't use a shovel on top of the rig but a broom might work good enough and wouldn't do any damage. If you can park close to extra propane that might be good. Charge up the cell phone in case you need to call for help. Good luck
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T18skyguy
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12/18/09 07:58am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 460 head problem.
There are a number or things that can be done. A good weldor with a mig can weld the corner back on.( Oh-just noticed you lost the corner) Be aware that if you need to do any drilling or tapping, the water jacket is just 1/4 inch under what you can see so don't go too deep. For exhaust leaks, the best stuff is Tabor's hot exhaust cement. It goes on as a liquid then turns to a glass like substance. Many folks who have used it leave it permanently its that good, but it needs to be ordered direct from the company. I'm not sure with your rig if you can get the head off, but a handy way to take the engine out through the front is the Steck engine out. A plate attaches to the front of the engine and then you attach your hoist to that. With your rig that may not be an option but works great for class C's. Many folks feel an exhaust leak is harmless, but it can frequently lead to what you are experiencing. Thorley or Banks headers is a good choice if your going to keep the rig.
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T18skyguy
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12/17/09 08:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Ford 460 head replacement.
An experienced welder with a MIG can weld a broken boss on a cast iron head. One of our members had it done and it turned out great but the welder needs to be good. The problem with the right rear corner of the head is it only accepts about 3/8 of threads before it hollows to an area near the water jacket. Thats what makes that corner very weak and will sometimes break off. Go back and read all the threads on this issue and you'll find that long story short, you'll be money and hassle ahead if you just go and do the headers, either Thorley or Banks. Someone stated that Banks headers flange is 3/8, it is not, it is nearly 5/8. Never accept any header with a flange less than 3/8 cause they warp. Also forget Fords "new" manifolds. There are plenty of tails of regret here from those that bought them. Myself I did the Banks, as this is a job you never want to do twice
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T18skyguy
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12/12/09 10:33pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Your most comfortable car
1984 CDV? Is that still a RWD car?
Yes it was near the last of the rear drive Caddy's. When I drive it all kind of folks go crazy for it. Parts are getting rare and expensive. It's a real land yacht. Amazing gas mileage of 26 mpg with aluminum 4.2. Was the first car to have digital fuel injection and digital engine diagnostics. The trunk is so large you bust out laughing when you open it; it's like a pickup truck in there. Still has original cassette radio. Everything works. It's one of the last of ole American "Big Iron"
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T18skyguy
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12/10/09 09:05pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Your most comfortable car
Thanks to all of you who kindly replied, and thank you Johnny for letting the thread run. My back already feels better just thinking of the possibilities you folks suggest. Don
You already have a Coupe Deville, you should know which is the best riding car already. A lot of the cars mentioned are sports cars and they ride like one (rough)and a some even mentioned cars that are classic old cars, not necessarily a soft ride. Some mentioned are four wheel drive cars that are not known for their ride. That is why I mentioned that the thread had gotten out of hand and should be closed. I believe you were sincere on your question that you wanted something that would help your back. But some here take it to the extreme.
Hi Ray, My 84 Coupe DeVille has seen better days, and at 169,000 miles can't be trusted anymore for long trips. But yes, in it's younger years the seats we're great. Now you can hardly squeeze it into the more narrow parking slots they expect you to fit it in.
I test drove a Hyundai Genesis today-wow-now thats a nice car. I sat in the a couple of the Lincoln's, also very nice, but the one with the best seats was the MKX SUV, but don't really want a SUV. I have a daughter with Thyroid cancer, and I need to shuttle her back and forth from Eugene, OR to Portland and back many times very soon. My back needs to be up to it and that was the purpose of my post. I ask guys that I respect and that is guys like you and the other class A guys. Don
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T18skyguy
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12/08/09 10:54pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Your most comfortable car
Thanks to all of you who kindly replied, and thank you Johnny for letting the thread run. My back already feels better just thinking of the possibilities you folks suggest. Don
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T18skyguy
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12/08/09 11:34am |
Around the Campfire
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Your most comfortable car
This topic has been moved to another forum.
You can read it here: 23454081
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T18skyguy
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12/05/09 10:43am |
Class A Motorhomes
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Your most comfortable car
I hope you folks will pardon me, as this question is not RV related, but I respect the opinions of you folks, and I think you may know a thing or two about comfort. I am in the market for a new sedan. It needs to have big comfortable seats with lumbar support and a nice quiet ride. Price and economy are secondary as both my wife and I have bad backs, and our small cars get us around town OK, but for trips their just killing us. I don't want seats that cut us off in the middle of the legs. What do you folks drive that after 2 hours on the road you still feel good when you get out off it. Thanks in advance.
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T18skyguy
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12/05/09 10:43am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Ford Cruise Control Recall - Fix Verification
If this fix applies to your vehicle, you should have it done as soon as possible, or disable the cruise control by disconnecting the harness at the master cylinder. The problem is that the cruise control circuit is always hot, even with the key off, and if the cruise control switch shorts(which they have done), you WILL have a fire when the brake fluid contacts the shorted terminals. The cruise control switch, located on the master cylinder, has 2 chambers inside it separated by a thin membrane. On one side of the membrane is brake fluid, on the other side are two hot terminals. When you press on the brake, the membrane bulges and contacts the terminals and deactivates the cruise control. This membrane has been rupturing and then the fire starts. Some Ford vehicles have burst into flames in the garage in the middle of the night and burned the house down. One happened in my town, I said to the service manager, " How can they design a circuit unfused?" He said " You'd be amazed at what they do".
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T18skyguy
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11/25/09 08:48am |
Class C Motorhomes
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Country Coach gets a little more time.
An investor puts up a million to stave off liquidation. Story here.
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T18skyguy
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11/25/09 08:23am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: A question about motorhome For Sale on ebay.
I wonder why there are no interior pictures, but they replaced the carpet at only 26,000 miles? In their favor they have excellent feedback. I would make sure it is not a salvage of any kind.??? What are you talking about. There are 65 interior pictures.
Oops, my bad. Didn't notice that link.
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T18skyguy
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11/22/09 05:19pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: DIY guys, organized compt, what'cha think?
Beautiful job!!!!!!!
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T18skyguy
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11/21/09 08:34pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: A question about motorhome For Sale on ebay.
Playing devils advocate: For starters, this V10 has the 4 thread spark plug holes and more prone to blow a plug out. I wonder why there are no interior pictures, but they replaced the carpet at only 26,000 miles? In their favor they have excellent feedback. I would make sure it is not a salvage of any kind.
I buy and sell all my vehicles on Ebay. Ebay is the largest marketer of vehicles in the world with over 400,000 transactions last year with 70% across state lines. The feedback system helps keep the serious folks in business, so I only buy from those that have many transactions with over 98% positive feedback. Ebay is a below wholesale market, and you can expect several thousand in savings on many vehicles. When I bid, I use an atomic clock synchronized with Ebay's, and bid in the last second. I usually get it. The key is try to get a great deal but don't get too greedy or you lose. Good luck
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T18skyguy
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11/21/09 08:28pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Gear vendors over drive on and OBD I class A
He doesn't use the unit as an overdrive a lot due to the fact the E4OD is already an overdrive trans.
The issue when you install a GearVendors behind an E4OD is you must not have your final RPM's too low. If that happens the torque converter unlocks and generates excess heat which waste gas and can lead to failure of the trans. But this is also dependent on your rear axle ratio. If you call GearVendors and fully describe your setup they can tell you if you can cruise with full overdrive or not. The Gearvendors unit itself is bulletproof and they put identical units in dragsters with thousands of horsepower and no failures. You'll love it. Especially on those mountainous days.
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T18skyguy
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11/05/09 09:22pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Clicking, ticking sound from front wheel
I had the same problem and it turned out to be a loose wheel weight. The clip that held it on was cracked and it was moving back and forth.
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T18skyguy
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11/05/09 09:06pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: RVS FROWNED UPON IF OLD AT SOME PARKS.
The way to drive people like that crazy is to park your old rig, then have your husband join you later and drive up in a Bentley. Which way do you think she would break?? Now that would be fun to watch.
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T18skyguy
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11/03/09 08:51pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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