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RE: Changing Fuel Pump on Onan Generator
Good move at $85 per hour. Most RV shops will nick you for anywhere between $115 to $135 per hour. Also a good price for the pump.
I have gone to a local Chevy dealer for running gear work at $85 per hour but their rates have gone up to $92 currently. So you are getting away with a good rate.
Glad you took a look and you saw what I was talking about.
BTW: A good move is to use a fuel stabilizer if your MH sits for any length of time. My rule is if I am not going anywhere for a month or so I dump in enough stabilizer (Stabile) for 80 gallons. One large bottle will be the right amount. Do this before pumping gas to mix it up and then run the engine and genset to make sure it has ended up in the genset carburetor and engine injectors and pumps.
Cheap preventative way of keeping it going....
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texasrvr
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09/26/08 11:39am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Changing Fuel Pump on Onan Generator
Have a Marquis 7500 and had same short run & surging problem. Tested fuel pump by disconnecting fuel line and attaching a short length of tubing and putting it into a fuel container (gas). If you move the fuel source higher then the carb and the engine starts & runs without surging or quitting and then move it below the engine (on the ground) and it begins to surge after a while that's a sign you have a fuel pump that can't pull fuel from the tank. Replace it.
Don't try to bypass it and use a automotive pump. Cheap way out. Auto pumps put out 5 to 8 psi and will screw up your carburetor. The pump used by Onan is made by Cummins and puts out approx. 3 lbs. psi and is designed to be a low pressure pump. This pump will run you approx. $350 and then it has to be installed. Charge varies depending on who does it. Get estimates from Camping world as a benchmark and go from there. They use a flat rate manual for labor charges.
If you are very handy it is a couple of hours spent in and under the coach and I can assure you it ain't fun. The pump is mounted by three bolts to a subframe on the genset and once you get these undone the pump drops down out of a access hole. Of course you have to disconnect wiring and tubing. Also make sure the batteries are disconnected to prevent any chance of a spark ocurring. The other half is getting the new one in and bolted down. Removal and replacement is not a job for the average owner. Space is very cramped and manipulating the pump around in the mounting area is pretty frustrating.
I did it and it all worked out but it was not fun.
A shop like Camping World will drop the genset out the bottom of the coach with specialized tools like a tranmission jack or something like that and work on it out of the coach which opens everything up.
I don't recommend this job unless you are really handy and have the time.
Take the MH to a Onan service center and as Larry the cable guy sez.. "Git er Done"
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texasrvr
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09/25/08 09:29pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Help!!! Generator acting up.
Had problems with my Onan. Would run for a short time and begin to surge. Discovered that the electric fuel pump was failing to draw fuel from the tank. Not enough suction. Replaced pump ($330) and filter for good measure. Problems gone. Buy a big bottle of Stabile (fuel stabilizer) and dump it into a full tank. My tank holds 80 gallons so one bottle is right quantity. Drive around a bit to mix it up. Run your genset a couple of times a month to keep batteries up and put a load on it to get it hot. This the best way to prevent fuel problems if your unit sits through the winter or your hunkered down waiting for fuel prices to fall. Lots of luck...
I also use it on my tractor, chainsaws, and weedeaters. Never a clogged carb or messed up fuel injection. Cheap preventation....
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texasrvr
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09/20/08 09:48pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: lost the toad
Many years ago (too many) I used to work on aircraft engines and we wired everything possible with safety wire to prevent nuts from vibrating loose. I guess Loctite is a lot easier to work with but safety wire, cotterpins, and things like that are difficult and tedious to install, but are still a lot better then LOctite. Just my opinion......
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texasrvr
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09/20/08 09:28pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Generator shuts down while driving
Marquis 7500 Onan....
I had a problem with my genset which would run fine with no load on it. Once I turned on the a/c and put a load on it it would run for about 5 mins and quit and would not restart w/o a load on it. Problem was with the low pressure fuel pump. This mfg specific pump only puts out approx 2 lb. of pressure and is made by Cummins. The cost was $382 for the pump not including installation.
I discovered the pump could not pick up gas from a can and a clear line I had attached to the input side of the pump.
Installing it is tough and if you are not too handy bite the bullet and have a professional do it. It took me 2.5 hrs to maneuver the old one out and get the new one in. A shop will drop the genset to get at it but I did not have the option.
Note: some people have tried to tie in another type of electric pump but that may damage the carb because the carb float is designed to work with low pressure and a aftermarket pump (auto) may have 6 to 8 psi which will overpower the float and needle valve. The good genset pump will only put out 2 lb psi...
Another thing --- Always use fuel stabilizer in your fuel to prevent problems if your unit will be stored for more then 30 days... Gensets are particularly sensitive to gumming up so to save yourself some problems buy some stabilizer and spend a few bucks to save some grief later..........
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texasrvr
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07/31/08 08:34pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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Wireless Rear View Camera & Monitor Systems
This week my 16 yr old Panasonic monitor has gone south. I can try to get it refurbed (not likely due to age) or bite the bullet and buy a new system.
There are 2 types - wired and wireless. I don't relish the idea of stringing new camera cable from the front to the back of my 34 ft class A because the current stuff is buried in the walls. On the other hand wireless just requires a 12v power source to the camera.
The wireless units transmit at 2.4 or 2.8 mhz and supposedly are subject to interference so thats a minus.
Heres where it gets interesting. I tow a VW using Roadmaster equipment for the towbar and the Evenbrake system for supplemental braking. The Evenbrake has a wireless transmitter that sends status data to a console on the MH's dashboard. On the last two trips there has been no problems with transmissions such as interference.
Roadmaster does not publish any frequency data for this rig so I am wondering if any one knows if these use a 2.4 or 2.8 mhz transmission.
My concern is if I do the wireless backup system will there be a conflict between the two different wireless transmitters. Camera and the ICX transmitter on the toad.
Does anyone have any ideas about this possible problem.
Thanks
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texasrvr
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06/02/08 08:27pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Direct Tv Receiver Refresh
When I travel I use a direct tv box. It does not lose it's settings when powered down. IE: no 110 ac. One thing I do when I set up in a new location is I pick up either the zip code or lat/long from my Garmin. The setup menu allows for a lat/long entry which will return the azimuth/elevation. Once I have that I can orient the roof dish. Direct TV shows a signal meter in the setup screens so you can tweak the dish to get the highest signal strength.
So far this has never failed me.
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texasrvr
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05/21/08 09:00pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Sell your RV because fuel costs too much
I had thought about buying a DP and selling my old 93 Allegro gasser but when I saw the insane rise of diesel I just said I'll keep the gasser.
Last October we took 16 day trip of approx. 3000 miles and only spent $1980 for everything. Try to do a car trip for two people from Dallas to Flagstaff, to Indio and back? Can't be done due to high hotel rates and having to eat meals out. Worse if you have a bunch of kids.....
Gas was approx $980 and that included the toad (VW Turbo Beetle).
Also having the comfort factor of sleeping in our own bed and eating what we prepared.
It may be old but it's paid for and everything works and parts don't fall off as we go down the road so I guess I'm happy with that.
Last week we went down to the Hill Country and I think this year we will stay in Texas until the oil prices crash. The bubble can't be sustained. I saw this happen here in Texas in 1984 when the oil patch got hammered.
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texasrvr
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05/19/08 10:25pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Another project by firedude research lol. a new VOIP!
OK It looks pretty good so far. Currently (at home) I use a Wild Blue satellite link with a wireless router. Works ok but I would like to switch to the Verizon 5g plan with their EVDO antenna attached to a Cradlepoint router so both of us (wife) can access the web wirelessly as we do now. It sounds like the MagicJack is the icing on the cake. The question is having the MagicJack plugged into the computor which is communicating wirelessly to the router ok? Is 54.0mb sufficient bandwidth for voice transmission? Will it work on a WEP encrypted router?
I would like to also use it in my RV when camped as most campgrounds have pretty pitiful or non-existent Wi-Fi...
I also heard the 3gstore.com is a pretty reputable outfit to deal with. Any opinions?
Thanks in advance.....
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texasrvr
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05/19/08 08:55pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Updateing to LED lights
Last year I replaced my rear clearance lights with LEDs. My previous MH was a old metal skinned unit and the clearance lights were in a constant state of flicker & flash. Every trip caused poor grounds or loose bulbs etc. My current one is a two wire system (fiberglass skin)but it had the same old problems of corrosion and just poor connections.
I found a good deal on the JC Whitney site for dual LED clearance lights and purchased them. Ripped out all the old ones, soldered all the connections and sealed them and pop-riveted them all back in. Took a 3000 mile trip in Oct 07 and did not have a problem with any of them. No more climbing on the roof and screwing around with bad wireing and bad bulbs.
If you have a older unit the clearance lights are the 1st item you may want to change out.
As far as replacing parking and tail lights with LEDs you may have problems with the flashers which depend on a specfic resistance to make them work.
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texasrvr
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05/05/08 01:15pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Does the 10 year old rule apply to you?
In October we stayed at Shadow Hills in Indio CA across from Sun City. They had the 10 yr rule but never even mentioned it. We were traveling with our 93 Allegro Bay unit.
Super nice campground staffed by great workcampers who were very nice and personable. Good Sam discounts but prices were on par with most upper tier CGs in California.
Exceptional sites and really good Wifi.
WOuld stay there again in future....
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texasrvr
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04/01/08 10:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Was I charged too much for repairs?
Last year I had some major work done on my Allegro Bay MH at the local Chevy dealer and their rate was $85 per hour. Local RV shop #1 was $135 per hour and shop #2 was $115 per hour.
The first time the dealer screwed up and had to redo the original work (brakes) but they discounted all additional work & parts to make up for the original mess up. Generally I'm satisfied with the results and we completed a 3000 mile trip in October without any problems. Plus all work and parts are covered for a year.
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texasrvr
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03/17/08 10:05pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Medical supplement insurance
My wife and myself are covered by Secure Horizons which is now offered by AARP also. You don't have to be a member to have the insurance. It is now owned by United Healthcare and is nationwide. If traveling and have to go to an emergency room you must call (or have someone call their 800 #) If the hospital is part of their PPO chain (Preferred Provider Org) then there is some co-pay that you have to cover. Doctors visit (your PPO provider) the co-pay is $5. A specialist will cost $25. There are additional dental and vision plans.
All services are covered and pretty well explained with a wide range of drugs covered.
My wife had cancer last year and had to have surgery and chemo. It was a real ordeal but we had a very good surgeon and a wonderful oncologist who took very good care of her. All told we spent approx $5,000 in expenses but the total costs probably were close to $70,000 with all the treatments and hospital time.
Pet scans will have a high co-pay but when you look at the total costs it's not too bad. Fourtunatly we can cover the additional costs but it could be a real hardship if you don't have a fair amount of money.
All PPO & HMO plans will have additional costs beyond the normal co-pays which you must be aware of. All these plans depend upon early detection and wellness care. Catastrophic illness is another matter and you have to understand that most of the cost will be covered by the insurance.
An example --- My wife had to be admitted to the hospital and isolated because her immune system had gone to almost no white blood cells and she was in danger of being infected by any passing infection. Part of chemo treatment. My co-pay was $100 but the total hospital bill for 4 or 5 days and meds was over $17,000.
Needless to say the total costs of all this treatment can ruin your savings and even with Medicare part A & B you will be in trouble if you don't have supplemental insurance.
The AARP plan is a PPO plan where your premiums are deducted from your Social Security payments and currently is $94 a month. This covers all part A & B and the supplemental part. We pay $94 each monthly.
Not a perfect deal but as good as you will get anywhere. All the other PPO plans have a few different wrinkles but generally the are pretty much all the same as required by the government.
She is pretty much back to normal but has to have a PET scan every 6 months.
Hope this covers this subject - but read the fine print.....
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texasrvr
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03/17/08 09:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: towing vw beetle
I have a 2002 Turbo VW with 5 speed and I tow 4 down w/o any problems.
I have the roadmaster kit for the towbar and recommend a professional installation. I had mine done at a Camping World store. Another thing I did was use a pair of magnetic lights which connect directly to my RV so I did not have to monkey around with diodes and VW's oddball lighting scheme. I also use the Evenbrake system from Roadmaster to apply the VW brakes. This installation was pretty easy and you don't have to use the supplied brake relay. All you have to do is get a pin and find the brake light wire that goes hot when you press the brake pedal and use a tap connector to suppy 12v power to the evenbrake transmitter unit so it will have a signal back to the unit on the floor that the pedal is being pushed.
My VW has 2 power ports so you can plug the unit into one and the radio transmitter into the other instead of having to hardwire it into the cars electrical system. I purchased a power plug and used it by attaching it to the transmitters power leads (hot and ground) The only other wire you need to string is the breakaway switch form the front of the car back to the transmitters harness. There is a opening in the firewall that you can use. The only other thing is the brake pedal and I think Roadmaster has changed the design of the pedal adaptor to allow it to grip the the small VW pedal. I made a larger pedal out of a piece of maple and drilled it and countersunk the hole so I could bolt it through the hole in the metal pedal. THis larger pedal worked correctly with the attachment of the unit.
This whole rig can be put in and removed quickly and provides additional braking power which shortens the stoping distance. A lot of states require this setup and if you drive in Canada it is mandatory.
Make sure that your key is set so that the steering wheel is unlocked or else you will have some serious problems.
Be prepared to spend some $$$ on this stuff but it is pretty high quality stuff.
We went on a 3000 mile trip in October and had no serious problems towing the VW. Back in the 80s we used to tow a 1969 VW so having a toad sure makes life better on the road when you want to tour an area.
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texasrvr
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03/06/08 08:53pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Satellite Internet and Voip
Has anyone tried Magic Jack on a Satellite internet link? I use Wildblue at the house and it's not the fastest thing but have had it for 2 years and and generally
it's ok.
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texasrvr
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03/05/08 03:11pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Digging up the dirt on eBay users...
My wife has been selling on Ebay since they 1st started and now she is disengaging due to the latest policy stupidity. The restrictions on the seller (re:feedback) is only one of the issues. Paypal and the new policy of holding the sellers money for some period of time after the sale. Also lowering the listing fees and raising the sales commissions implies that the sellers are stupid.
She has moved all of her paypal funds back to her bank and is only keeping a small amount active. As far as she concerned Ebay does not care about the sellers welfare and feels that there is always a new one coming.
Also the marketplace for really good collectables has become so distorted by Ebay's presence and so many sellers who a getting desperate to unload their stuff.
We go to several auctions and encounter a lot of people who have bought into the Ebay dream of getting rich and end up overpaying or fall into the trap of overbidding and find they can't sell at a profit. They soon fall out but they make it tough for serious dealers.
It is still good as a write-off when we travel and pick up stuff to sell tho...
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texasrvr
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03/05/08 12:03pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Calgon in fresh tank?
Re: The WalMart blue water filters. I use one as I mentioned in a previous entry and found them to be quite good and inexpensive. Camping World also sells the same thing but I don't know which is cheaper but they look to be the same type.
I bought a older MH last year and spent some time on repairs to bring it up to my standards. What I discovered was that the previous owners had never filtered the water and there was a lot of mineral deposits lodged in the pump and in the faucets. I bought some tank cleaner from Camping World and pulled off all the little aerators (screens)and ran this stuff through the system starting with the tank and let it sit for a while to work on the gunk. Later I flushed the whole system out and it was amazing how much mineral deposits were flushed out. After that I sterilized the whole thing with a product designed specifically for RVs which after flushing out leaves no aftertaste or smell. Bleach is cheaper but I hate the smell that lingers on.
Now with the continued use of the filter I have a good clean & dependable water system. I still bleach out the spigots before I hook up.
As far as water softeners I lived on a well at my house for many years and used a water softener to clean up the water. I had the water tested periodically and the testing revealed that there was some residual salt left in the water after the flush cycle. My doctor (flight surgeon) recommended RO water for drinking and only use soft water for washing and bathing. My equipment was Culligan and even the local sales guy concurred with my doctor.
So IMHO don't drink soft water if you can use a good purified water or just use filtered water...... Change filters as they have a finite life.
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texasrvr
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03/05/08 10:24am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Calgon in fresh tank?
I would not recommend putting any kind of chemical in my fresh water tank. I sanitize it in spring but make sure the whole system is flushed clean. I'll take a case of bottled water for coffee and drinking and get more if needed when I shop for grub. As far as water softeners they use salt which most of us older folks need to stay away from. No matter how much you flush out the resin bed there is still a residue of salt in the water.
You can use a good quality filter on your hose when you fill up that will get most of the funny stuff out of the water that you put in your tank. Just make sure you get a new one once in a while. Usually the city water inlet is separate from the tank so when you hook up your hose to this inlet you won't be putting water into the tank but go directly to the water system after your pump. So a hose filter is still the way to go.
My wife is finicky about the soap she uses and uses Dove in the squeeze bottle which works well in most all water conditions.
A lot of the new upper end RVs have canister filters built into their water systems and I have seen doubles hooked in series to clean the water. Might be good but they are another special maintenance item to cope with. Not to mention the filters probably cost $$$...
Another issue is contaminated water spigots. Carry a spray bottle with a bleach solution and spray the threads and inside the spigot and then run some water before hooking up.
A good filter will also filter out junk like listera which can get you pretty ill.
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texasrvr
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03/04/08 02:54pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Powerbooster pump whine at operating temp
So-Cal
Thanks for the info. Sounds like you have been through the drill more then once.
The reservoir is exactly where you said it is located. I don't think I have a autopark system on my rig. There is a large brake drum on the driveshaft but I think it is part of the parking brake actuated by the parking brake pedal. I have only been under it a couple of times but only looking for any leakage and to check the installation of new air lifts in the front springs.
The oil level right now is right in the middle of the operating range markers on the dipstick when hot so I'm pretty sure I have the proper levels. This installation was done at a Chevy dealer who has a large truck and rv section and the whole thing, brakes, ps, pb, radiator, fan clutch, and water pump was done under the supervision of the service manager due to a earlier screw up of brake repairs and it was test driven by him for over 50 miles. He also is a RV owner and knows what is going on.
I will check out if in fact it has a autopark feature installed and look for the actuator where you describe it....
Thanks....
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texasrvr
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02/25/08 09:09pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Powerbooster pump whine at operating temp
sum1
It's a 1993 Allegro but I'm pretty sure the chassis was built in 92. It is a Chevy
P30 with a 454 engine. The pump is belt driven as far as I can see under the doghouse. It was replaced last Sept with a GM rebuilt unit at the local Chevy dealership.
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texasrvr
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02/24/08 10:16pm |
Tech Issues
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