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RE: Leaking Differential in our Coachmen Aurora
Glad to hear you got the repair completed. Speaking from my experience with a dodge 9.25"; ideally you want to reapply the same torque as it had before. The torque provides "preload" for the inner and outer pinion bearings. The correct amount of torque is critical on this part of the diff (or so I read, someone correct me if I'm wrong). The other poster was correct about backlash, that is something adjusted via side adjusters or shims, you shouldn't have to mess with that at all. I've read a few different ways of changing out a pinions nut & seal. If you've already completed the repair and replaced the pinion nut then it's too late to figure out what the exact torque setting was before. However, in my internet reading I've found lots of good sources that list torque specs for various differentials, when using original bearings. I say original because there is a different torque value for a new set of pinion bearing than there would be for an old set. Perhaps if you find out the type diff you have then you'll have some good info to Google info for. Hope this helps a little.
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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11/17/08 10:24pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Info on a bus conversion
Thanks for the responses friends.
It has given me something to do during moments of boredom out here (search the internet). I've found some great internet info. I'm sure you know the feeling of being attracted to something "different". Perhaps it's a childhood thing; how many of you actually thought the bus driver was "cool" growing up? I did! I hope I'm not in the minority :(
For the question on where I was looking at this particular model, www.hbindustries.us (custom coaches, scroll to the bottom). I actually visited his property and one of the employees showed me around. Very personable and it was great! I climbed in / out of basic buses, full conversions and they let me take a look at a job in progress. They were swapping motors on a Diesel pusher. Really interesting stuff. I first noticed how nice these conversions were when I transferred to San Diego from Mississippi, in 2000. I stopped in Gila Bend, AZ, and there was a family parked beside me that had a nice conversion.
Responding to the comments thanking me for my service; you're certainly welcome, happy to be of service! :) I will point out that I have one of the easiest and safest jobs out here. Most of us Navy folks (other than Spec Ops, Seals, etc) are out here in a support role of some kind. I am very appreciative of this when ever I say hello to my Marine & Army counterparts, the men and women doing the tough jobs. Great folks; I do all that I can to support them when they need it.
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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11/16/08 11:08pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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Info on a bus conversion
Greetings folks,
I've posted before on the first time buyers thread and here is where I'm at. I'm deployed! :D In Iraq to be precise. Yee-haw! Anyway, sold my 22' Tahoe Lite & TV before I deployed. When I return I'm looking for a Class A to pull my wife's Jeep Liberty behind. Just me, my 4 year old and the wife.
I'm looking at a 1959 Bluebird, front engine, gas, 4 speed. There are lots of Class A's in the mid 90's range for the same price (20-30K) that are nice but I am attracted to the bus conversions (perhaps I'm odd, who knows). I'm a wrench turner, love working on things. My big question here is parts availability. Anyone know (a conversion owner preferably) if there are still parts available for a model that old? My only experience with old RV stuff was a 75' Class B I had and there were lots of body parts, wx stripping, etc, available through JC Whitney. Who is the "JC Whitney" of the Bus world, or is there one at all? An educated guess for engine & transmission is that re-powering an old bus with a newer engine is a fairly easy option (fabricate some mounts, maybe some various linkages, etc). Where I figure I'd run into problems with needing a part is OEM stuff like front axle, rear diff, steering box, tie rods, etc. I don't suppose there is a wide range of bus years that parts fit on, similar to cars/trucks? For example, the 9.25" diff my '07 Ram had in it has been the same design since at least the 80's, or so I read. I appreciate any input you may have, even if it's just to stick with the 90's model Class A's. Either way, as long as I'm RV'ing, life is good!
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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11/16/08 06:26am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: First Time Buyer...Updated 03/06/2006
Great info, I just sold my 22' Tahoe lite today and the TV will be a lease turn-in soon. After my deployment (I'm military) I'm getting a coach to take the wife & son around with. We'll be towing her '08 Jeep liberty, most likely on a dolly. A brake buddy and dolly are almost identical in cost. Anybody have an opinion on which is better? I'm definitely buying pre-owned. My wife is COMPLETELY HUNG on year model, versus a good value for dollar. A very difficult thing given the fact I've seen some nice mid-late 90's coaches that she turned her nose up at simply because of age. My question is mid-late 90's versus 2000-2005 models, around 30'. Do coaches deteriorate as fast as TT's do? Speaking for myself, my '01 Tahoe was as old as I wanted to go. Putty tape gets worn out, roof resealing, a/c shroud it brittled, paint fade, the list goes on. Do coaches on average weather any better, say like a normal vehicle would? If it were a late 90's tow vehicle in good shape I wouldn't hesitate on a good deal. Budget really doesn't bug me too badly. I'll pay the same payment for longer on a newer, or for a shorter period on an older. Standing by for opinions :)
Thanks,
Mike
P.S. I have to admit, it is fun to look at the 100K+ models and dream. I actually COULD own one, but the 20 years of payments is a real turn off :)
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mdruhl7212
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08/15/08 07:22pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 1/2 Tons - Tell us What Your Towing
I searched for a good thread for my info and found this one. Just putting out some info for anybody it might be of use to.
My Vehicle is a 2007 Dodge Ram Quad Cab, 2WD, long Bed, 4.7L V8, tow package, 545RFE 5-speed automatic trans, standard engine not the Flex, equipped with the 35 gallon tank. It had a 3.55 ring & pinion originally which SUCKED! I changed it out for a 3.92, purchased from 4 wheel parts. Nice website, very shady sales personnel (at least at the El Cajon, CA location).
I tow a 2001 Tahoe Lite 22' travel trailer. About 2900 UVW, with no more than 200 lbs of clothes & gear when I make a trip. I tow with the fresh water, Black and Grey tanks holding only a bare minimum of water, say 3-4 gallons in each. I have a weight distribution hitch but don't use it for this size trailer (I have used it previously with this trailer but it provided no improvement in drivability).
My recent trips to Disneyland (CA) and Las Vegas have yielded about 11mpg, at an average of 65mph. With the 3.55 ring and pinion, the RPM's are maintained farther below the peak torque rpm's which makes it extremely difficult to maintain highway speed and maintain a reasonable speed during hill climbing. The 3.92 has helped me get engine rpm closer to peak torque when at highway speed, and MAINTAIN a reasonable speed for the hills. My transmission has a "Tow/Haul" mode which basically prevents the transmission from shifting into top gear (or OD, pick your terminology). It also has an "O/D off" feature which prevents the use of the TWO top gears. I have found that in Tow/Haul mode, the transmission is constantly shifting between the two top gears and this is not helpful. I use the "O/D off" feature which makes for a better ride and FAR less shifting. I ride along at 65 mph, hovering around 3000rpm. This was my main reason for a post, to share my experience with my 4.7L. It does very well 3000-4000 RPM, anything less than 2800-2900 and the power dies quickly, then its over to the right lane with hazards on for some shifting. The most challenging climbs of my Las Vegas trip were done with a good run uphill, say 70-75mph, then as I slowed through 60mph in the right lane (hazards on), I waited for the trans to shift into 2nd gear, then maintained about 3500rpm for a 50-55mph hill climb (if you're gentle, you can grab a few more RPM by depressing the pedal enough to unlock the torque converter). Again, I considered these grades to be pretty challenging. On the downhill, selection of "O/D off" coupled with the 3.92 ring & pinion provides much better engine braking, saving me wear & tear over my original ring & pinion. In summary, I feel I am about at maximum capacity with the 22' trailer I have. Any more weight I think would slow me down so much I'd worry for my safety on the freeways. I may be repeating what other have posted but figured I'd throw in my two cents anyway.
-Mike
http://members.cox.net/mdruhl7212/CAMPER.JPG
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mdruhl7212
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08/08/08 05:37pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Norcold N621 cooling issue
I like that idea Jon,
I'm going to come up with something like that. I was worried this little issue was going to kill my trip up to Redding, CA, next week.
I'm Active Duty Navy, headed to Iraq in September, trying to have all the camping fun I can before deployment :) If all goes well, when I get back (May 2009) I head to School in Pensacola, from San Diego. My wife isn't much of a travel buff but for those here that have driven cross country (funny comment given this entire board involves traveling :D), it is awesome! I've rarely had a more enjoyable experience than seeing the landscape in Arizona, New Mexico, and those cool fires the oil rigs put off in Texas. The military won't pay for it of course, but I was going to haul wife, son and trailer on my dime with me to Pensacola for my 45 day stint there and camp on base.
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/08/08 02:30pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold refrigerator won't turn off!
Kinda sucks that the reset idea wouldn't yield any help, cheapest idea ya know? I hope it is the optical board, which I have, because it was way cheaper than the main board on the rear of the unit, which is what I had to replace to get my N621 to turn off. Standing by if you need my spare panel. "Optical control", "Eyebrow panel", etc, I'm refering to the panel on the front of the unit, between the freezer and refrigerator doors.
-mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/07/08 12:02am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold N621 cooling issue
You da man Jon! I had not read this link in a while. No restriction, hydrogen causes the pressure drop, etc. Got it now. I did ponder if it's too hot out here but....I notice you're a "senior member". What do you think? I'm in Las Vegas, NV at the moment? Have you camped at any hot places and encountered any issues with refrigerator cooling? The KOA here is all black top and the fridge side of the trailer is in the sun. I am thinking wishful thinking because I have camped in the San Diego area, which is where I'm stationed, and it's been plenty hot on some of those trips without a fridge problem. It would be nice if my unit suddenly started working again after this trip.
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 11:58pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold N621 cooling issue
Sorry for being so wordy but I should add just for clarification that I am not under the false impression that the unit functions exactly like a freon system does. Water, ammonia, sodium hydroxide and an additional corrosion inhibitor is what I read. The similiarity I recognize is the actual "cooling" being the effect of a pressure differenial. Fascinating. :C
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 05:53pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold N621 cooling issue
Thanks for the reply. WITH the thermistor connected and feeding a good signal to the "brain", it faults out with a "n". I believe disconnecting the thermistor puts the unit in "BOS, Backup Operating System", and the unit continues to function in a middle of the road type of mode. As for the idea of a valve of some kind; The heat source heats things which creates a pressure, then there is either a valve, orifice, or restriction of some kind that creates a pressure differential, drop in pressure creates the drop in temperature. What confuses me is if there is but ONE restriction in the system for pressure differential, and the freezer IS functioning, the liquid mixture must be able to make a full cycle, so how in the world is it managing the skip the refrigerator side on the way by? Boggles the mind! :h
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 05:47pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold refrigerator won't turn off!
Cbari,
For me it was the main board on the rear of the fridge that did it. I have two front panels now, both work fine, oh well. If you have a Norcold N621, drop me a line and I we could work out a deal for shipping the front panel. Again, I don't think it's the problem but it wouldn't hurt to have a separate panel to duplicate the problem with, which would eliminate the front panel at the suspect. Let me know, maybe I can ship it with a return label or something like that? michael.druhl@live.com, or PM me on this board.
-Mike
P.S. If I were you, you might try a "reset". It involves removing the black plastic cover from the unit (if it's a N621) and using a piece of wire to ground one of the connecting pins. There is a thread here about it.
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 05:39pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold N621 cooling issue
Bump :)
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 12:27pm |
Tech Issues
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Norcold N621 cooling issue
Suggestions needed: I have a 2001 Tahoe Lite 22cb. I'm camping in Las Vegas and have developed a depressing issue.
Humor first: The Las Vegas PD were kind enough to let me stop in front of the Bellagio last night to see the show..........while they were ticketing me for an improper turn (got stuck in a turn lane, changed lanes illegally) :)
Ok, on to my problem. I got back from the Bellagio and noticed the dreaded "n" on my control panel. Turned off the unit and back on again to clear it the first time. Hours later it faulted again. Grounded pin 15 on the rear control panel to reset the fault. Now I switched to LP this time because I wanted to isolate a possible heat source problem. I also unplugged the thermistor / lamp in the refrigerator to let it run all night at the highest setting. In retrospect I probably created a difficulty in isolating a problem by disconnecting the thermistor. I had read it was a troubleshooting step for a different issue. Either way, it is the morning after, freezer is freezing with frost on the back plate, refrigerator fins are only slightly cool to the touch, fridge is not cool at all, basically the fridge portion isn't cooling. I'm a wrench turner and basically need some second opinions. I believe the cooling unit is the problem, blockage of some kind? Isn't there only one expansion valve on the cooling unit? I.E. how is the pressure differential cooling the freezer and not cooling the other half on the way by? I've checked threads here and I've checked thetford.com, doesn't look like I have a free way out via recall. :(
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 10:48am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Norcold refrigerator won't turn off!
I know this topic is a bit dated but figured I'c chime in with a "me too". My 2001 Tahoe Lite 22CB has a N621 that wouldn't turn off either. I didn't know how to ground pin 15 at the time for a reset. Who knows, might have helped? I ended up buying a new eyebrow panel (front of unit) and the main board (rear of unit). At least I got a good deal on the parts on Ebay, OEM original container/packaging. It has worked great up until today, Las Vegas KOA, will post problem in a separate thread. I hope the the originator of this thread was able to solve the problem cheaply.
-Mike
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mdruhl7212
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08/06/08 10:31am |
Tech Issues
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