Life with Jane

[Franka548]

Harvey,
Glad that you found that leak and was able to repair it. Hope that the convertor is an easy fix and that you can just repair instead of having to replace.
Frank

[okmunky]

Harvey,

My motor home has a very high parasitic draw and will drain the chassis battery in about 6 days when parked even if we are plugged in. I installed a knife switch on the negative battery post and disconnect it while parked. Mine also has a battery isolator solenoid(BIS) which I understand is part of the system that should allow me to press the magic button and start the engine using the power in the house batteries. Now the BIS doesn't want to work. I've read that they often need to be reset after the batteries have been removed. It sounds like a catch 22 to me, but my knowledge on this subject is very limited.

My point is perhaps you are running into an issue like this with your chassis battery. I do have a converter and solar panels that keep my house batteries charged, but they do not charge the chassis battery. Using the switch to disconnect the chassis battery works for me.

And as a side benefit with no power to the cab in my class C, the horn and the emergency flashers don't work when Sena, my capuchin monkey, decides to play on the steering wheel.

[Wroughtnharv]

Today was an amazing day. It was very taxing on the emotions but at the end of the day it was a good one.

Jane is alive!!!!! She runs! Late this afternoon she lit up and ran, repeatedly. There's a hiccup in the get along, mechanic bud says an intake valve is too tight, but that's something I can take care of tomorrow, tappet adjustments are just work. I can do work.

Okmonky and Frank we tested the converter and it is bad. It's replacement arrives tomorrow. One of the chassis batteries was bad. I have to believe that the bad converter is the reason for one of the two chassis batteries to fail. The converter was only putting out 11.4 volts. After I charged up the coach battery overnight the refrigerator worked like it is supposed to work.

I then put the charger on the chassis batteries and after charging them all day without getting the motor to spin fast enough to start I took them to my local auto parts store, one battery tested bad, the other low. But bud pointed out the batteries were manufactured early 2016 and should be still under warranty at Autozone.

I went to Autozone and they replaced both of them for free because they were under warranty. BTW it helps to find a sympathetic manager and have the previous owner's phone number in my contacts. She looked up his number and there were the two batteries purchased just last April and since I was going to replace both of them as a pair she warranted them out as a pair.

I installed the two new batteries and Jane started trying real hard to start. I bled out the injectors while adopted son worked the starter and we had lift off immediately. After all we've been through over the last months it was a special moment.

We're running about ten days late on our schedule, better late than never when the mantra is living like you're dying.

[mkohler30]

Awesome!!! Light at the end of the tunnel...After the new converter you should be set....Great job...

Mk

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[okmunky]

I feel like Jane's proud aunt. Yeah for you Harv! You brought the old girl back to life -- most likely better than new in the mechanical department. And the best thing about you has her all shiny and bright! I suspect some day you will want to replace Jane's carpet with something easier to keep clean but that can wait.

So where are you headed first? I do hope you will keep posting. I'd like to hear about your travels with Jane.

[guardrail53]

Good to hear, Harvey!! Rail!

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by okmunky

I feel like Jane's proud aunt. Yeah for you Harv! You brought the old girl back to life -- most likely better than new in the mechanical department. And the best thing about you has her all shiny and bright! I suspect some day you will want to replace Jane's carpet with something easier to keep clean but that can wait.

So where are you headed first? I do hope you will keep posting. I'd like to hear about your travels with Jane.

Thereabouts Texas and Immediate Vicinity | Life, Love, and a little bump in the road known as breast cancer Is a blog that I write when we're on the road. My next post there should be Sunday evening. We're headed to Camp Verde Az to pick up my dad and the Casita trailer aka Miss Piggy. Then we're off to Quartzite for a visit and to meet up with old and new friends. We don't have to be back in North Texas until the last week in February for doctor's visits.

But I'm sure there will be a ton of stuff posted on this thread because there is so much that has to be done to Jane. I'll be taking a bunch of stuff with me to do while out west. Best thing about me loves Jane to pieces. So we'll be updating and repairing her probably until the day Jane finds new owners that will be much more interesting.

Late spring we plan on heading to the east coast and do a three to four month trip up the coast into Canada. Then we'll go across Canada and back down the west coast to Arizona again. For some time now best thing about me has wanted me to stop working and travel. The breast cancer was a wake up call to do it now.

[Wroughtnharv]

Originally Posted by mkohler30

Awesome!!! Light at the end of the tunnel...After the new converter you should be set....Great job...

Mk

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Mk I don't know how familiar you are with Jane's story but we bought her last July and then went on a trip to Arizona. We had some fun with my dad boondocking in the mountains, us in Jane and he had the father n law apartment in the woods, Miss Piggy, the 94 Casita. It was a mechanical nightmare with some real adventures.

We got back home and best thing about me asked if we could go to Mt Rushmore for a couple of weeks. Against all good advice we hit the road again and day one was one of those nightmares all RV'rs experience some time or another. Then the second day I figured out the formula Jane liked and we had an awesome trip.

When we got home I went under the bed to replace the cracked exhaust manifold and find out where the radiator leaked. New exhaust manifold, new radiator, new hoses and belts, and when we discovered the blown head gasket, we pulled the head, had it machined, and reinstalled it.

Thirty five years ago I did my own wrenching on some cars and motorcycles that went fast for all the wrong reasons. Saw misadventure removed part of the right thumb which meant mechanicing was something others did since about twenty five years ago.

So this fun with Jane has been about going back to where I haven't been in a long time. It has also been a labor of love and even the worst days are better than good days without the mantra of living like we're dying. I'm an emotional old bad word most of the time, like today, crying big tears of appreciation as I was driving down the road. I was so moved by the generosity and compassion expressed by the manager at Autozone. She didn't have to do what she did, she didn't know about me or best thing about me, she just confirmed for me the goodness of people and it was very humbling. Life isn't fair, but it is wonderful if you're watching for the moments.

[mkohler30]

I have been following your thread since you started it just never posted till the other day...I can read these threads alot at work so I read slot of threads without posting....You have done a great job Harv

Mk

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[George Schweikle]

Yes it is, and thanks for reminding us...

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

..... Life...is wonderful if you're watching for the moments.

[ronjhall]

😎👍👍👍👍👍👍👍


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[Davidjeff]

Wonderful posting all I can say is "Keep Going"!!!

[Franka548]

Harvey,
Thanks for reminding us all, and for sharing your journey. As with many in this forum, we have become good friends and look forward to meeting face to face.Some we have already met and look forward to seeing again.
Frank

[Wroughtnharv]

Some days are diamonds, others just hard rocks. Yesterday was a combination of the two. I pulled the valve covers and adjusted the valves. Number two had the pushrod jump out which explained the miss the night before. I pulled the rocker, checked the pushrod for straightness and then reassembled.

There is something about the sound of a happy motor that makes a heart sing. I have a happy motor, few things finer'n a happy motor after what we've been through.

The converter came in early and we got it installed. Happy camper with a happy motor, things are just too good.

The upper radiator hose is a two ribbed hose with connector affair. It had a leak from first installation. I had pulled the assembly and cleaned the metal connector more better. Put it back together, filled the radiator again, and it still leaked. I pulled the assembly one more time and painted the connector to give a little adhesion for the hose this time. Keep in mind, the hose leaked at rest without any pressure from the motor running. This time it leaked at the radiator neck. I loosened it up and shifted the hose and retightened. Leaked. So I pulled the assembly one more time, radiator end from the outside of the coach, motor side from under the bed, too old for all of this up and down stuff.

Bottom line, new radiator hose was a factory defect with a groove that no hose clamp would ever close. The local guys took it back but didn't have a replacement. I suggested they paint it orange and hang it on the wall, start a wall of shame. They let me know that they were sending it back and the manufacturer could eat it. I requested video.

There's a satisfaction/relief when after many battles you find the problem is not of your efforts. I know it sounds a little crazy to be happy for a factory bad hose but the disappointment of failing at water hose replacement is tough on even an old man.