Rally get together at GNR

[DSouthw524]

I was glad to see the number of participants at the IRV2 gathering. It is very interesting getting to put faces to the screen names.

I hope that we can do it again. Even some people may want to modify the happenings - eh Sparky!

[DSouthw524]

I was glad to see the number of participants at the IRV2 gathering. It is very interesting getting to put faces to the screen names.

I hope that we can do it again. Even some people may want to modify the happenings - eh Sparky!

[DriVer]

I'm a little late picking up on this but it was great seeing all the iRV2.com members at the GNR. There were more but some of them were in service.

If you are reading this and have won a door prize please remember to drop a note to Bill at RV Upgrades.

See ya'll next year I hope BUT with our luck .....

[doc]

Hey Mike, what was the final on the lightning strike? damage, effects etc? (or is that affect? )

[DriVer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by doc:
Hey Mike, what was the final on the lightning strike? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>doc, I best as I can tell the following coach systems were impacted and damaged:

<LI> CB antenna - blown up - not replaced yet (after market antenna)
<LI> The base of the CB antenna not affected seal still in tact.
<LI> Coax cable from the base of the antenna to the CB radio - burned up - replaced
<LI> Cobra Nightwatch CB Radio - exploded electrical contacts on back of unit - caught on fire - jettison unit over board.
<LI> CB radio noise canceling filter - burned out. Needs to be replace to eliminate engine electrical interference.
<LI> Verizon 12V Cell phone charger - blown up.
<LI> TV Winegard AV Switch Box - Antenna amplifier burned out - replace AV switch
<LI> RCA TV remote - fried - LED remained lit - replace remote
<LI> 50 Amp auto transfer switch - generator contacts fried - unable to place gen set on-line. - replace transfer switch.
<LI> 50A Surge Guard - installed in closed - burned out. Replaced unit next day
<LI> Chip in front cap adjacent to CB base appears to be spawled from the lightning strike. Fill, sand and repaint.
<LI> Holes in street side slide topper. Replace fabric.
<LI> Allison - Transmission Command Module (TCM) Brain Dead - Replace. Not easy to find 2003 TCM with the correct calibration.
<LI> HVAC ground wire insulation burned off. Replace wire and contact in modular connector. HVAC OK
<LI> Carpet on firewall above doghouse singed form CB radio fire and or electrical bolt. Cleaned as best as we could.

Everything is working OK at the moment and we're back in commission. Next trip will be up to Association Island in new York State for Labor Day weekend with the grands and then we go to the Hershey PRVCA Show at the Giant Center for a week.

I still need to by all mt CB equipment. At least the down wire from the CB base to the radio is all new and the install should be a Plug, Tune and Play. I need to buy another noise canceling filter for that annoying engine speed buzz. I still like the Nightwatch radio by Cobra. The hook has all that stuff but the last time I did it I had a CB shop outside of Dallas on I-20 install the antenna noise filter and tune the radio.

[Ding-a-ling]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Allison - Transmission Command Module (TCM) Brain Dead </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hey Mike,

I presume you didn't know about this until you drove it over to Service. How did this problem present itself? How driveable was the MH?

Great "after action" report!

[DriVer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ding-a-ling:
How did this problem present itself? How drivable was the MH? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Frank, The signs were that the PRNDL did not display and gear changes.

The vehicle would accelerate normally under light throttle pressure up to 5th gear. This was a good thing!

The problem was that if I were to depress the throttle at any time after I achieved 4th or 5th gear, the transmission would not downshift.

I have a ScanGauge II and I was observing a value called TPS. The TPS has a range from the low 20s to about 96 or so. When the TPS was low (throttle position sensor) under 50 that meant that the engine has enough HP and torque to move the load. Even up to the mid-60s I wasn't overly concerned. Now when it begins approaching the mid-seventies I start looking at the RPM and MPH values. If either one of those start scrubbing the next thing I do is use the OD OFF switch and knock the tranny out of 5th manually. Once the tranny downshifts and the RPM start climbing I shift back up to 5th. On obvious grades the TPS value would go right into the 90s. This definitely requires a downshift to 4th.

Once in 4th the vehicle accelerates while applying throttle pressure and I continued to accelerate up to my cruising speed. Once that speed was achieved - over 55 - the tranny would up shift to 5th.

Scenario #2 - while in 4th gear and observing a high TPS, if it remained high and or observing that either the RPM and MPH were decreasing, a select shift using the shifter to 3rd would call for the engine to make more RPMs. The vehicle would then begin to accelerate. Again once the vehicle accelerates up to 50 or so an up-shift to 4th is normally called for and a subsequent shift to 5th using the switch after the vehicle levels out puts you back in OD.

I was able to depart from FC and make my way back to the mother ship. Once there we got the replacement TCM. The replacement TCM was just as gray and weather beaten and corroded looking as the one that came off my rig but it works! These things work from the inside out so the outside being cosmetically "yuk" didn't matter much to me. From FC to UC it was about 600 miles including one over night stop. All the way, I drove the tranny like it was a manual transmission. My ScanGauge II proved to me to be more than just another gadget on my dash board it was a real instrument and I wouldn't leave home without it.

I have recently purchased the new ScanGauge that reads transmission temperature so what to do with my older ScanGauge which works perfectly well is something I am considering right now. I might consider donating it to my library as an exhibit for posterity.