twobirds

We've got an 87 Phin in Phoenix, and are ramping up for a trip north for a month. We just met a guy working a garage sale around here, who sold us a cover for our AC unit. He said to be careful in really dry, hot, sunny climates like this, because the plastic on the AC unit will dry up and break off. He mentioned that he sees the tops of them lining the highways from when they fly off. We mentioned that we were looking into the Honda eu2000i generator and he wasn't sure that it would give off enough juice to start and then run the ac unit on the roof. Has anyone used this 2000w generator to run roof AC? We like the Honda, because it meets national park standards for noise level, and seems to be the only one that does. We'll have our dog with us, and we're not sure about hanging out in the heat without cold air. Thanks, any thoughts?

Curious which upgrade you'd suggest for the 6300 model converter? I saw someone mention this 7300 RU in a forum. I've never worked with a deep cycle battery before, and don't want to be messing with problems while out on the road this summer. Will the upgrade take care of the battery boiling? Thanks.

We definitely need to lay down new putty tape and replace our screw covers. We looked on All-Rite and found the right stuff. However, when we measure our current screw covers, it's barely 3/4" wide, but All-Rite only carries 1" in our cover. Do you think our covers have shrunk that much? (I broke a piece off and am measuring from underneath, from edge to edge.)

#4- fresh water input if your are camping at a spot with water. This will pressurize your water system so you don't need to turn on your water pump. I think you are supposed to screw in a pressure reducer and then the water hose to the pressure reducer. #7- fresh water tank filler-upper. Carefully wiggle open the plug. It slides open like a drawer about 2 -3". Turn your hose on to a medium flow and put the end of the hose in the opening. When the tank is full, water will overflow. Be careful with the old plastic- it will be brittle." I'm curious why there are two freshwater inputs. I understand the need for a pressure reducer. , but not sure why he has fresh water inputs in two places. Also, when using a pressure reducer, do I need to have any of the faucets open? I would think that like anything else, there should be some need to relieve pressure so the system can fill up fully. Does this pressure reducer stop flow once the system is fully pressurized? Thanks!

Time for an update on the electrical issue. Now that the house lights are working, and we've replaced the dirty old carpet with vinyl wood tiles, I've had some time to get back to the cab stereo that is still not working. I got a multimeter (view style) and took the dash apart. After my Haynes Manual showed up from Amazon, I took a look at the wiring diagram, and it seemed to make sense with the bundle of wires behind the stereo. You can see main power coming into the stereo, splitting to go to the cigarette lighter, and continuing onto the stereo. Here's a picture of the wires as they enter the stereo area. You can see the red power cord (which measured 9 volts at the cigarette lighter) split off to head for the stereo as a Orange/white cord. From the split, the power cord goes through a couple odd fuses and into the wiring harness connector. The stereo ground has been attached to the mounting bracket, which I used as a ground when receiving voltage for the cig lighter. Now, just to review, I HAVE seen the power come on the clock radio. When this was happening, the clock would turn off as soon as I tried to power on the stereo. From what I understand, the green wire is for clock power when the engine is off, or key is in the off position. To summarize: 1. Am I using the right tools? 2. Since there is power to the cigarette lighter (although it's not working), have I found the problem, and what should my next step be? 3. Should I just take this to a stereo place? If I can provide more clues, please let me know. Thanks, ThePhin.

Can you elaborate as to why you think you ruined the fridge? I've read posts saying that the vehicle should be level so exhaust can easily escape, but how steep could your driveway be? Just curious...

We just replaced our carpet with vinyl wood tiles (1 1/2 boxes, $42 each at Home Depot). It was really easy. The carpet came out fast, and lucky us, the floor underneath is in good shape. Took about 2 evenings to install, 4 evenings to completely finish because we decided to add trim, and cuz we were watching the Olympics… Check it here > looks sick!

1987 Dolphin, nicknamed The Phin Phoenix, AZ We're going to take our month-long honeymoon in it this summer, along with our tripawd dog Dixie. Heading up to the Boundary Waters, MN and back. We're going to try to work from it as well—we're graphic designers. We have no idea what we're doing, but learning new stuff every day. Just replaced the carpet with vinyl wood tiles. Looks sick! Any of you get knocks on your door asking if you're interested in selling your MH? We do and it even has a busted up fender!

Thanks for the throrough response. Well, this is only slightly embarrassing, but I was able to fix the cabin light. It was a simple issue with a burnt fuse in the cabin. Once I replaced the 15 watt fuse, all lights inside the cabin came to life (except one bulb) AND the porch light has power now too. I am headed out to check the ground wire in the the cab radio. As for the airbags, I took a look at them (they look dry and cracked) and have done some reading on suggested psi combos for tires and airbags. I've also found some good info on Firestone's Ride Rite bags which seem like they will be the way to go. I will probably have a mechanic help me get the coach in the air, replacing tires at the same time I install new airbags, running the airlines to the original valve stems on the outside of the coach. If I can get a couple photos taken during the process, I will post them later.

Hey Toy Box Fam, I've had an odd issue with electronics since my fiance and I bought our 87 National RV Dolphin a few months ago. The overhead lights in the coach only work on one side. We have also had strange issues with the front cab electronics. I don't have a lot of experience working with electrical wiring, and I'd like to know how to diagnose these issues. Every now and then, we'll get in, start her up, and the clock on the cab radio is on. We move as slowly as possible to turn the main power on, and as soon as we touch the volume knob, the power to the receiver goes out. I've read another post that potentialy, the dash lights are connected to the same fuse as the brake lights. I'm not sure that this is my issue, and I don't want to poke around too much in fear of making it worse. Can anyone help out? I'd greatly appreciate any help! New Phin Parents

Dan, I'm terribly sorry to hear about your wreck. Though you're hurt, and the Spirit is no more, very glad that you're alive. Here's wishing you a speedy, smooth recovery. Please provide updates, Adam

This is great. I just bought an 87 Dolphin. We don't know anything about the coach, and are learning the hard way. We were able to get the blower to come one. We had messed with the thermostat a bunch before learning that if you turn it on, the furnace would kick on after a couple of seconds. We ended up taking the thermostat apart, and the previous owner had messed with the internal coil on the thermostat so that it wouldn't turn on unintentionally. Once I adjusted the thermostat so that the two terminals were connected, the blower kicked right on after a few seconds. I felt the air for quite a while, and nothing ever got warm. We're not sure if there's something we need to light? We've been trying to get the hot water heater going, too but don't know how to engage the main pilot light. We have a LP/Electric fridge which is running fine on gas, and the stove/oven work fine also. Any idea what I might be missing when trying to get the furnace to kick on and the water heater working? Thanks, The Phin