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> Your search for posts made by 'Matt_Colie' found 119 matches.

Subject	Author	Date Posted	Forum
RE: Almost disaster I hate working on cars, tractors and other greasy things. But, I do all the work on any of mine that need anything for just this reason. At times I have hired a tradesman to do things, I always tell them to do the job as if they were doing for themselves, and if this involves extra cost, tell me because I will probably want to buy it. So, then after the job is long done and I have to go and repair it again, I still find out that this guy cheaped on a part and that is why it needs attention - AGAIN!! Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/29/23 08:10am	Class A Motorhomes
RE: House Battery charging K7acz, If you come back with the make-model some one might tell you to keep or pitch it. Nobody can answer your question without knowing the make and model of you current converter. I can tell that the coach is old enough that I may not be a very good one and it maybe be worth your while to change it out for a new multi-stage number. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/28/23 08:40am	Class C Motorhomes
RE: No power to inverter Sumrx4, Thank you for closing this item out. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/27/23 07:25am	Tech Issues
RE: Detroit road conditions The link didn't come through. https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/MiDrive/cameras> Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/26/23 04:58pm	Roads and Routes
RE: Detroit road conditions Will, You don't say where you are entering.... As you propose using I696, I am going to guess that you plan to cross the river at the Blue Water Bridge. I think this is a good choice and the Detroit customs is always a pain even with a cleared pass port. If all you are trying to is pass the squirrely-ness of the I94 to I75 interchange (I understand that) then you can just run I94 to I275 out past Metro Airport. That is less than 10 extra miles. There is some construction at the I94W I275S interchange, but it doesn't look bad tonight. You can check yourself when you want to. Ignore everything that is not Wayne or Monroe county. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/26/23 04:57pm	Roads and Routes
RE: Generac shutdown issues, help! Brisket, I have a newer version of the same generator. I would guess from the pictures that there is a big heat build up in the carburetor area. Put the exhaust heat alone that side of your box. You might think about looking up a Gen-Turi as an exhaust. That won't help with noise much, but it will get the exhaust up over the roof. I can't promise that will help with the shut down. I might be cleaner. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/24/23 08:42am	Tech Issues
RE: New here with 2019 Melbourne Prestige 24LP Ray, Don't be feeling like a Lone Ranger. We have an antique 23'Class A and we have enough room for a weeks food and some socks..... I suggest that you look in and under everything and you may find some nooks that you can take advantage of, we did, and then the challenge is remembering where the spare tuna fish can is tucked. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/19/23 01:59pm	Class C Motorhomes
RE: Are RV sewer hose supports necessary? It may be old (start was really old), I was glad to read this thread. We have a very old and low coach and as it is also small, we don't have room to carry things we don't need. And as we rarely stay in camp ground (except for rallies), this is just not an issue. Thank You All Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/17/23 08:02am	Beginning RVing
RE: Which screw to calibrate the oven temp? Groundhogy, I have had to correct six ovens so far. I have never seen the calibration in the actual control - even in the one electric. But, What I have seen is a control dial that can be adjusted. If you pull the knob off and look at the back side, you will it it if it can be moved. Some don't. So, I used my label maker to make a new set of numbers and carefully placed them on the existing knob. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/11/23 08:39am	Tech Issues
RE: Which Lane to Take at Queenston-Lewiston Bridge? Morrik, Yes, SteetView does not show the signs, but as I have had the same issue, I always use GE to look for the vehicle traffic. In this case the vehicle traffic both ways leads to the trucks to the right lane. There have been times in the right lane when we were flagged to the passcar lane. That was no common, but it does happen. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	05/03/23 06:22pm	Roads and Routes
RE: Tire covers? Scadaman, This is a paraphrase of the answer that I got from Roger Marble some years back while at an FMCA convention. Tire covers can help, but it is not the UV that is the issue, it is the heat. So, have white tire covers and be sure that they are on the sunny side of the RV. New compounds are not very UV sensitive, but heat is the enemy of tires and the sun is real good at providing heat. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	04/22/23 09:05am	Beginning RVing
RE: Tire Pressure? When someone says "tires" near me, I always ask if said person has heard of Roger Marble. Roger is a very interesting guy. I know I captured him for a bunch of answers to some of my "Forever Questions" about tires one afternoon at an FMCA Rally. So, if you want to know what really matters, look up what he has written and take it to the bank. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	04/20/23 08:24am	Class C Motorhomes
RE: 30 vs 50 amp electrical issue help ODG, Please keep this thread up and let us know how it closes out. Too bad you don't have a good friend nearby that is "Juice Smart". Matt_C	Matt_Colie	04/17/23 10:13am	Tech Issues
RE: Recommended tools for a newbie Wow, Red Rolling's list is about as good as you can get - but he should have prefaced the list with "if you are comfortable with" and then noted that the exception is the voltmeter. You want to have that even if you don't know which end to hold... If you need help in that area you may be able to engage a native guide. The only things I would actually add to his list would be wraps of combination wrenches (SAE and MM) because you can't always get a socket on what needs to be tightened and a largish adjustable wrench just in case... Other than that, if you are really going to go traveling, try to get all the service documentation for everything that the coach is made of. There have been times that I have helped others that were in minor trouble and he could not find anybody that knew enough to figure out the problem. One of said had a library of documentation, and we were able to diagnose the problem and order parts. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	04/16/23 11:44am	Class A Motorhomes
RE: Tail light woes As a much younger man, I got the name tag that said "Trailer Service Manager" only because I could sleuth out the bad ground problems endemic to trailer lights. Excuse the short clarification here, but are you getting the same results from two different tow vehicles or from two different trailers... It reads as you have the same situation with two different trailers.. Trailers should be wired so that the tail and marker lights all come on with the tow vehicles parking lights. If that is not what you are getting, the use a test light to probe the trailer connection in the tow vehicle. Matt	Matt_Colie	04/11/23 02:33pm	Tech Issues
RE: Printer Monkey, Part of the problem is that you were never clear about what you needed/wanted to do and what you could count on for resources. As a starting point, my now recreational coach started out as my mobile office/meeting room/tool crib and occasional restaurant and motel... I had the color laser at that time and carried a separate scanner. Then came the problem. That printer would eat my inverter for a snack... Plus, it was heavy as hell. The weight damaged the dinette table. I have had that wonderful color laser for near 20 years, but it has developed a "rod knock" and the people tell me that parts are scarce. When I found how impractical it was as a mobile printer, I bought an inkjet with scanner. This will run on the inverter. I think I could run it on flashlight batteries. Yes, it is a little expensive to run, but I always buy OE cartridges. The cartridges are the kind that include the print head. At first I did not like this because of the cost, but the advantage is that when you change out the two cartridges (one color and one black) you have a nearly new printer. That printer is about a year younger than the laser mentioned above and has had a hard life. It is still with me and now it is in the house until I figure out what to do with the 85# laser. I never liked having to fire up the generator to print a quote for a client. This was back when a 1.5KVA inverter was expensive and LiFePo was for NASA. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	04/05/23 02:17pm	Technology Corner
RE: Walmart overnight parking As we are travelers more than campers, we overnight in lots of places that are not thought of as camp grounds. When we have had the opportunity to ask, of the so many times, I think we have been refused about twice. For us, as many of the places are retail we ask as "when we finish our shopping here, can we spent the night in your lot?" We are seldom refused. I also very specifically remember that once we were refused with that request, we also figured out that the new stop should have what we planned to buy there. That sounds fair - doesn't it. Matt	Matt_Colie	04/04/23 04:49pm	Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
RE: How to repair front trim/stripped holes on trailer? Noah, I have done similar repairs (on boat, I worked on boats a lot). I will advise that - if you can - you get that entire trim piece loose. Then you can clean off the old caulk and straighten the piece without damaging the bedding of the remainder. There is probably damage to the side where the screws ripped out and those areas can be tapped back flat before you try to remount the corner trim. The other remarks about plugging the old holes was right in line. Any soft wood will do. What I have often done is fill the holes and when the glue has set, then I would come back and trim the plugs. At least you have a decent neighbor. Matt_C	Matt_Colie	03/29/23 08:13am	Tech Issues
RE: 83 and have hung up the keys Over the years I have seen posts asking, when is it time to hang up the keys, well for this guy it is 82 years and 9 months. I suppose I could buy a "B" or "B +" and we could still do some traveling but it would only work for a year or two. SNIPPED I think the old saying about a boat owners two happiest days are buying and selling but in this case, about 02:00 am, I woke and almost cried, the memories came flooding back from our first camping trip with a borrowed tent and Coleman stove with a 4yo and a 5yo, to our last trip up to OR in Sept. in the Winnie. I'll miss it and miss all of you, at least we did it till we just couldn't do it anymore. No more Pendleton Shirts smelling like a campfire, no more kids and grandkids giving gooey S'more kisses, no more sunrises at "Q" To quote Bob Hope, "Thanks for the Memories". David David, You have uncovered what those of us with sailboats and motorhomes know. That two best days thing is a LIE. A motorhome is more than just a house on a truck. A part of your life, it was home. Like sailing, you didn't just drive, you were in a perpetual participation in the travel. I hope you have a pleasant life without the coach. Matt_C - Sold the sailboat and wondering how soon for the coach	Matt_Colie	03/24/23 10:02am	Class A Motorhomes
RE: Harbor Freight 1720 lb trailer I have the 1195 version. Let me tell you that the folding capability, is not a trivial thing to take advantage of.... During assembly, they what you to bolt the folding section in places that are not all that accessible. I did it a different way. Standing it up is at least a two person job. It can be done. Matt	Matt_Colie	03/23/23 10:27am	Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)