New window operators

This past week we spent time in Bend, OR.  It was cold and windy and we found out that some of the windows do not close as good as they should.  We could feel some cold air blowing in.  I contacted who I thought made the windows and they said they would send out the new window operators (the gear box) that opens the bottom parts of the larger windows.  So thinking free was good I said send me 9 of them.  But today when they arrived they were not even close to working.
 My local RV parts place had what I needed.  Then it was hard to find new rivets the size I needed.  I tried Lowes and Ace hardware and even the fastenal co. but they didn't exist.  So plan B was to use screws and remove the inside window trim.  That sure didn't look good and then plan C came up with using roll pins to hold the operator in place and that was what I did.

The new one in place.

This is an old one before replacing it.

This is the bearing block on the opposite end of the operator.
I used a self drilling screw and one roll pin in the bottom left hole.

New one sent to me on the left.  If you need 9 of these let me know.

Only 2 roll pins hold this in place.

Roof AC filters

With all the things on this newer RV I have to keep finding things to work on.  Like the roof AC filters.  I read several articles on RV forums and then came up with my own fix.  The filters on one of my AC's were in good shape, other than being really dirty.  And the other one had filters that were falling apart before I even got them out.  One AC has been replaced and I think the other one is original.
So here is what I came up with.

I found these at Home Depoe.

One of mine only had 2 of the wires to hold the filters in.
I used a couple of  paper clips to hold them up.

This one has the three wire clips.  Just trim the ends of the filters and clip them in place.

The exhaust manifold update

I changed all the bolts and studs on the right side exhaust manifold and took it for a drive.  Sounds like no more ticking when cold and accelerating.  After looking all around the auto parts stores for the two studs I bought new bolts and studs at the local Ace hardware store. It cost me $11.36 for all the parts.  I did reuse a couple of  flat washers.  All the bolts and washers are grade 8.   The area around the bolt holes was pretty large so I used larger hardened flat washers except for two places.  After doing the manifolds on Wilbur (the '73 Winnebago) I was very careful and took this job slowly.
So here are the pictures.

Here the two studs that hold the heat shield on are removed.
You can see the holes in the manifold are over size.

This is the only broken part.

New bolts and the studs with nuts are from the Ace hardware store.

This is the only small hole in the manifold.  It is the 4th from the rear on the right side.
I was told it was there to locate the manifold then install the rest of the bolts.

Copper anti seize was used on everything.

I don't know if you can see it or not but a couple of the flat washers are old ones.
The area for flat washers didn't have room for the larger washers.

I drove around and then rechecked the bolts.  A couple of them needed turning and then I put the heat shield back on.  Lets hope this is the last time I replace anything here.  I do that the paperwork from the heads being replaced around 36,000 miles.  It was done under a warranty at a real shop so I hope they did a good job.

This is the left side (drivers side)

This is the left side (drivers side)

The exhaust leak

You would think that for what I paid for Smokey I wouldn't have anything to work on,  but no.  I have heard a ticking when taking off but thought it was a lifter or something else.  Then after going over the Cascade Mountain Range this past week I think it got a little louder.  So yesterday I thought I would check the exhaust manifold bolts.  And after all the broken bolts when I changed the exhaust manifolds on Wilbur I was very careful.  So far I only broke part of one bolt/stud.

And here is how the manifolds look on the passenger side.

The broken bolt just held one of the two holes for the tin cover.  It provides warm air for the engine intake.  Nothing to important but I want to keep it all there.
And the only hole that I needed to run a tap in to clean up the threads in was the one that I broke.  Now all I have to do is find a new bolt.  Since it has the stud part on top I might have to get it from the dealer.  Or I just use a stud with two nuts on it.

100,000 miles on the Superchief (Smokey)

On the last outing the odometer turned over 100,000 miles.  I took a video.

Now that we have put a few miles on this RV I think we are starting to enjoy the extra room.

We had some rain last night

It's dry here in Bend

So this is the view out my front window this morning.  It is windy and cold but not wet.

The Lava lands

Thursday was finally a nice day to be outside.  We headed South of Bend to the Lava Lands visitor center where we drove up to a fire lookout.  I tried some panorama pictures.

And then we walked around in the lava.

Toad brakes....Do I need them

Have you ever read about towing a car behind a vehicle and heard you needed brakes on the towed car.
Read this and decide  http://home.roadrunner.com/~morodat/toad-brakes-by-state.html

Burned biscuits

I was sent this story and while I am setting here in Bend,OR at the Macy's store waiting for my bride I was thinking of the damage to the people in Oklahoma. And the wind is blowing here but I shouldn't even complain about the weather. 

When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now & then , & I remember one night in particular when she had

made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember  waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said:

"Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,

"Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides... A burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things... And imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults and choosing to celebrate each others differences, is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

So...please pass me a biscuit. And yes, the burned one will do just fine!

And please pass this along to someone who has enriched your life...I just did!

Life is too short to wake up with regrets... Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't.

ENJOY LIFE NOW - IT HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE ! .

 

We made it to Bend

I guess the carb adjustments worked good.  The climb over the Cascade Mountain Range does slow down most vehicles but there was a truck slower than me today.  And the cruise control works so good now.  That was worth the time it took to move things around.
 Pete took out the manual when we stopped in Sisters.  I guess the wagon  knows how to go where it is toad to without the manual. 

The throttle cable fixup

The problem with a new MH is fixing or at least checking everything out.  After 9 years with Wilbur I got through most of it but there was always something to check out.  Now with Smokey I still have a big list of things to do.  Today was the throttle cable.  I don't think the big old Holley opened up all the way so today I dug into it.

 This is before I moved things around.

The bolt through the throttle cable was bolted through the large hole in the carb linkage.  It should be in the smaller hole that the chain for the cruise control is stuck in.  And this gives me more opening of the carb, so I will check it out when we go over the mountains.
And once the throttle cable was bolted where it should be I attached the cruise control cable to where I think it will work.  And I moved the springs so I don't have to push so hard on the gas pedal.
Stay tuned for how this works in the mountains.

 If you want to watch the video on carb linkage check this video out.  Click here-->Throttle Linkage – Ford

I took a drive again and the cruise control works perfect.  Tomorrow I plan to drive East over the Cascade range and can really check it out.

And for those following my WW journey I am down 52.8 pounds.  Now this is getting the job done.

Camping in the Columbia Gorge

This next week we would like to go someplace where the weather is warmer and dry.  So I have been looking at the The Dalles.  Now we have stayed in the Dalles before and even though we can stay FREE at the Elks in town we will not stay there again if we have any choice.  There is something about a train going by at a high speed so close to us that is not so peaceful at night.
So here is something I was looking at Free guide to nw camping
Take a look.

I bought a new set of AC gauges

Well not to complain about borrowing a set of gauges for the AC work I have been doing but my brothers set did not have the R134 connections so I bought the cheapo Harbor Freight gauges ($40.00) and so far they work just fine.

My fitting for the can came with a refill kit I had left from another cars conversion.

So for now I think the AC will work for awhile.  Bring on Summer.

Why yes I do have dash AC

You might not believe this but my dash AC is working.  I put in almost 4 cans of r134 and a can of oil.   The pressure is holding for a day now.  Lets just hope this continues but of course the weather is cool and damp so just wait until Summer comes again.  That's when it will quit.
And just like my roof that was not leaking after working on it,  it is leaking in the shower again.  Oh I can fix that as soon as we have a few dry warm days.
My learning of AC systems is getting scary.  I bought a cheap HF vacuum pump and checked for leaks,  and filled the system with oil and R134.  Now if it holds pressure for a few months I would be very happy.

Will the dash air work on Smokey???? I am giving the AC a try to see if it will work or not.  When I bought this RV the dash air was low on the list of things to check out.  Hey it was October and heat was more important than cool.  So fast forward to Spring and we have some warm weather.  So first I turn on the AC and the compressor is not running.  Next I remove the caps from the low and high fittings.  When I push them in there is no pressure.  So I buy the r134 fittings and since I have a couple cans of 134 around I try to put some in.  The pressure on the fill tube goes over 100psi and so nothing really happens.  I hook it up to the high pressure side and I think something goes in.  The compressor starts and the low side is still over 100 psi.  Now after spending some time with this project I have low pressure and freon is going in.  Tomorrow I will try some other things.

Now I am getting somewhere.  The biggest problem I was having was because there are valves in the fittings where the service ports are.  they are kind of hard to see since there is only the stem pointing down and they have a 1/4" square shaft.

Here is my setup of gauges borrowed from my brother and a cheap Harbor Freight vacuum pump.

I was able to pull over 20 HG of vacuum.

The low pressure on the left and the hi pressure below 0 PSI.

The service valve shafts are hidden at the bottom of the ports.

But on a happy note my dad is now riding his new bike.  I only hope that at 92 I want to do some riding.

Another great time on the Oregon Coast.

After a great concert at the Spirit Casino Saturday night we drove to a church camp and spent 4 nights.  It is such a neat place to stay if you like to park down by the ocean where you can have a ocean view from any window.

OH the crowds are bad but we have room for a fire.

The sun is setting and is so warm and sunny.

Don't be mean

  The other day I posted a video to YouTube and someone I have known for years but have never met commented on  it.  They called my wagon garbage and un-American. That hurt my feelings.  Even if my wagon is garbage, I would never tell anyone else their car is garbage. Heck I have real friends with cars that are garbage  and they know it. But let's keep that to ourself. 

And I consider my self a real American.  So if you don't like my garbage car don't post it where I can read it. 

Is it time to move or stay.

Yesterday my wife and I were thinking maybe it's time to go to another place. And I'd be fine moving to another place.  But this morning I woke up and my wife was getting dressed and when I asked her what time it was she said 6 something.  And she said there was no  wind   and that it was nice and clear and it was low tide.  So out she went and hit the beach picking up Sand dollars.  Well being a good husband I started a pot of coffee, turned the heat up.  I even turned  the water heater on.  So for now I think we'll stay here.