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Old 08-23-2012, 06:41 PM   #1
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Fixing Stuff - never simple

MOTORHOME: A large collection of parts requiring cleaning, repairing or replacing.

We are going camping this weekend, with the Chesapeake Winnies of MD. Thought I would grease the fan bearing, lube the PAC brake, and re-install the sort-of repaired fog lights. Simple. Routine. All went well. Sorta.

Seems that pesky PAC brake is frozen open. I didn't think it was working as it should, but I have only this coach for experience with DPs. A quick trip to the internet for help. A few tips, some experiences shared. And the biggest pair of channel locks I own, about 18". Did get it to move a bit, but more effort will be required. Monday. Our large collection of parts is going camping.
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Old 08-23-2012, 09:53 PM   #2
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I moved my propane tanks forward so I could slide the WDH brackets forward 1/4" more.
I put away 25 tools when I was done.
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Old 08-24-2012, 10:57 AM   #3
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BlevTr,
Welcome to the world of RVs. Some are more trouble prone and need more attention and some don't. Most all of them need something every now and then. Learning to do stuff for yourself has merrit in all kinds of directions. One, you know, basically, it's done correctly. Two, you SAVE A TON OF MONEY! Three, you learn how things work and four, you may or may not find other stuff that needs attention while fixing or maintenancing the item you're working on at the time.

Some guys have the mechanical skills built in from birth, others have to work to accquire them and others, don't even want to attempt learning them and just call the dealer. If you've taken on repairing stuff on your rig, whatever you can handle, that's way cool. I always look at it as, I repair what I can, and that way I save the money for the times when I can't and or, to use on trips.

I'm on a generator repair right now that was supposed to be about a 20 minute job. It's now turned into a few day job. I'm going to have to disassemble half the generator to do some simple repairs but, based on what I've been told that folks have paid for the same repairs at a service center, is about 4 times as much as I'm going to spend. I have the time, the place, the tools, and basically the "know-how" to do the work. It gets frustrating much of the time because things don't go right but, one has to deal with that in the mechanical world.

Good luck on your repairs and enjoy that thing, they cost too much to let them sit.
Scott
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Old 08-24-2012, 03:03 PM   #4
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My two helpers are always standing by: Trial and Error. They have immense knowledge. Do it once to determine how it should have been done. Do it the second time and it works perfectly! Maintain a sense of humor and things will go easier.
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Old 08-24-2012, 03:19 PM   #5
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"My two helpers are always standing by: Trial and Error."
Nice!
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Old 08-24-2012, 03:27 PM   #6
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The exhaust brakes often need to be disassembled and cleaned of carbon on the shaft and butterfly then relubricated with synthetic lube on the shaft to operate properly.
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Old 08-24-2012, 03:42 PM   #7
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Smile

Remember the 18 inch rule. When you are finished with the first fix, there will be something else to fix within 18 inchs of the first fix.
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Old 08-25-2012, 08:58 AM   #8
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J.M. I like that, And it's so true too.

Fixed a problem with my dash audio (Bad conneciton on the relay board for the speakers as it turned out) and 18" from the radio is the touch panel for the semi-automatic leveling jacks.... Yup, I'll be building a whole new control system for those soon (Full manual) Thankfully some idiot installed bubble levels in cockpit.. Wait, those are going to be real handy once I put in a full manual controller.. That dude was no idiot, he'd planned AHEAD!!! (He was me of course).
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Old 08-25-2012, 09:25 AM   #9
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And then there is the problem you have because you broke what you were fixing. Often bigger than the original.

Usually accompanied by the phrase "now how did that happen (explitive deleted)" and occurs a few moments after you grab the channel locks or a hammer?
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Old 08-25-2012, 09:55 AM   #10
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I had a relatively simple job of replacing the stripped gear on the electric steps (Lippert 3 step) of my MH. No big deal, I went on the internet and found the replacement gear for $83.00, placed my order and waited for a shipping confirmation. Well some 6 days later I received an email that they were out of stock and could no longer get the part ! They then refunded my money! (why did you take my order in the 1st place?)
So back to the internet I go and I find 12 other sites that carry the gear with prices ranging from $93.00 - $183.00. I called each and every supplier and found out that none of them had the gear in stock ( even though their website shows as the part being in stock!!) It turns out that the design of the gear in my 2006 Lippert electric 3 step was changed to an all new design in 2007! (because the previous design was prone to stripping!!) And therefore the gear in my 2006 was obsolete and unobtainable !! It is no longer produced!

So some 2 weeks later after trying in vain to locate the gear I gave up and I had to bite the bullet and buy an entire whole new Lippert 3 step electric assembly for the sum of $600.95! Thankfully they (Etrailer.com)had free shipping, I hate to know what he cost of shipping the steps would be! (The steps weigh 80 lbs)

So once gain, something that should of been simple and straight forward turned into a wild goose chase! Anyway, I got the new stair assembly and installed it and it works like a charm.
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Old 08-25-2012, 10:20 AM   #11
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"Fixin it yourself" is very appealing from a $$$ standpoint .....and from a "learning how things work" experience. The latter instills confidence in knowing what to do when a failure occurs on the road and a repair facility is not handy. The more you personally know about how your coach systems work, the safer you feel. But, the axiom "nothing is ever as easy to fix as it appears at first glance" is 99.99% true! But I never let that deter me. However, physical limitations due to my age and my stiffening body are now my greatest limitation. What I need now is a young agile whipper snapper, about 25, at my beckon call that listens well and can follow explicit instructions! Rook
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Old 08-25-2012, 02:40 PM   #12
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If it don't move, get a bigger hammer!
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Old 08-25-2012, 02:53 PM   #13
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Duck tape if it shouldn't move and WD-40 if it should.
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Old 08-25-2012, 05:54 PM   #14
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That 18" rule - while I was putzing with the almost repaired fog lights, I noticed the air filter housing for the generator. So I took a peek, knowing all the while the unit had been serviced by Lazy Days two years ago. Filthy! Well, no problem, I can change that, might as well do a service on the 7.5, oil, antifreeze, etc. Looking at the coolant drain, it is blocked by the framework for the generator mount. Nice chunk of heavy gauge angle. Has the coolant EVER been
drained. Grinder time. All in 18" spaces. Fix it now, or regret it later.
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Old 08-25-2012, 10:07 PM   #15
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Ha......laughing, but with sympathetic kinship. Rook
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Old 08-25-2012, 11:18 PM   #16
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Well Gang,
We've all got the stories. I'm in the middle of one now. Long story short, we were on a trip recently in N. CA in the Bishop area and stopped for the night. We'd planned on moving on in the morning so, we decided to stop at the K-mart in the north end of town. Well, it was about 90 degrees outside and we wanted to cool the coach down so, on came the genny. It's a 7.5 Quiet Diesel. On came the basement air. All was well for about 5-10 minutes. Then, the genny stopped. And, so did the A/C.

Well, longer story short. It spit out a code on the genny switch. The code was/is "33" which, in the book is "over heat" condition.

Advance three weeks. We're back home and I try the genny. It does the same thing, even at home when conditions are cooler. It still shows code 33. So, some research on the net, and in the service manual and, it could be several things.

OK, now to the present. If you look at the pics below, you'll see that I started with the easiest possible fix for the problem. And that was the temp sensor. Should be an easy fix, yeah sure. That little brass guy is IN THERE! I used all the tools I had in the limited amount of space I had, to get it out.

In the end, a twenty minute job, has turned into days work. I had to dismantle 60% of that diesel generator to get the best possible access to that little sensor. When I finally got the space to work, I used two forces of nature working against each other to get it out. I used heat from propane torch to heat the thermostat housing while used some "freeze" in a can to freeze the mangled remains of the sensor.

I put the vice grips on the little brass stub of a sensor and it broke free. So, that's the story of my life. If I can find the hard way to do something, I will. A new sensor is now installed. But, I'm awaiting a new rotor for the generator part. Because while in there inspecting things, I found large pieces of "magnet" stuck to various metal surfaces all around, inside the generator housing. It turns out, one of the rotor feet, disintegrated and shattered all over the place in there like shrapnel from a grenade.

So, I now had to disassemble even more of the gen. So, a 20 minute job, has now turned into SEVERAL days. Oh well, that's life. RV life that is. I guess you could say this belongs to the 18" rule.
Scott




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Old 08-26-2012, 01:58 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dunner View Post
Duck tape if it shouldn't move and WD-40 if it should.
I like that, Dunner...I really do..!
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Old 08-26-2012, 02:04 PM   #18
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Wow Scott...that was interesting. Do you think that the magnetic pieces caused the problem with the heat sensor?
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Old 08-26-2012, 02:29 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by stvscharfe View Post
I like that, Dunner...I really do..!
It's one of those:

"As Seen on irv2" and other forums, type things.
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Old 08-26-2012, 02:49 PM   #20
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Wow Scott...that was interesting. Do you think that the magnetic pieces caused the problem with the heat sensor?
stvcharfe,
Well Sir, I don't see how they could be but, I'm certainly no expert at much of this. I'm you're basic DIY type guy and can only surmise how and why certain things happen. I have three issues with this gen.

1. A code "33 for an over heat condition
2. A cold start/no glow plug warming/early cranking issue
3. A disintegrated magnet on the rotor.

I'm not too sure the "over heat" condition and the cold start condition are related but, it's possible. Especially if the temp sensor is set up to control both situations. If the sensor sends a signal to the engine controller telling it that the engine is real cold prior to starting, the engine controller is to tell the glow plugs to heat up and NOT crank until a certain temp or, time frame of heating the glow plugs is reached. Then, and only then, the engine is allowed to crank and start.

But, mine is cranking right off the bat, no matter how cold it is outside. Now, I have/had this Code 33 which, is a supposed over heat condition that could be caused by a multitude of situations. 99.9% of them I've already eliminated. The replacement of the sensor and the subsequent cleaning of the radiator may remedy it. Although, what's kind of a bummer is, I'm doing both at the same time so, if the situation is remedied, I won't know if it was a bad sensor or, a clogged radiator other than a report from the radiator tech who will perform the work. We'll see.
Scott
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