Phantomphixxer

Tom, this tape is amazing. It does not hold form and can be used on irregular surfaces. I used it around vents and where I went up on the side of the vent housing and then continued on in a straight line it did not deform the seam and after several days no sign of releasing. We are expecting several days of warm weather so the Kool Seall will be applied after another inspection of the adhesion of the tape. I was surprised at the performance of the Eternabond, it is everything it is advertised to be.

I bought a resse hitch that was not made for my Toy. I cut the ends off of the hitch and welded plates that extend back into the channel of the frame about 24". This distributes the weight over a wider area and not all the weight is at the very end of the frame rails. I pull a 6'X8' trailer and two Honda Metropolitan Scooters and really cant tell they are even there. When going to a primitive site I use a drawbar and mount the box to the square tubing drawbar. With the fan running off the 12 volt charge circuit and the vents I run 8 degrees cooler in the box than sitting outside the box with the Generator under the same load. My wife uses a laser thermometer in her jewelry casting and I took reading directly from the cylender head. I did have to move the muffler outside the box. I used a stainless steel flex line comming off a stainless rigid hookup and ran it out the bottom of the box. The muffler attaches to what I called the saddle while on the move. Once we get to a campsite with neighbors the 4" stainless flex hose allows me to place the muffler in a direction away from the neighbors. The generator is a 6.5HP Honda 3600 made by Porter Cable. I installed a thermostat cutoff in case the fan was to quit in the middle of the night. Now that warmer weather is here. My kids are going to paint the stripes on the box to match the MH and I will install the retractable handles I mentioned in the write up. Don't scrimp on the exhaust fan and you don't have to worry about adding an external intake. We used our generator for 3 days straight on the US127 450 mile Yard Sale and never threw a breaker. I had roof air, microwave and coffee pot on in the mornings and did just fine. I hardwired a hookup so I can use it while cruising but hardly ever do so. The inverter runs the DVD and TV for the kids. If we go out west or down south in hot weather, I will use the roof air while traveling. Two bolts hold the generator in the box. If we are going to a full hookup site. We remove the generator and drop in a solid rubber mat to keep the water from comming through the airvents in the bottom. The added space is a blessing.

Check the vent fopr the refrigerator. Make sure nothing has became dislodged or fell blocking the vent. Pull the cover off the roof and remove the screen look carefully down the vent duct. You can also pull the trim panel from the inside on some models. If you operate the fridge on propane when you get the smell, the blocked vent is a possibility. Do you get the propane smell when the fridge is on electricty?

Garmin C340, WalMart.com saved me a few bucks in diffence than in store purchase. Set for best or shortest. Setting it for shortest can be very scenic as in East St. Louis. I usually set best route and no toll roads. Great unit for the money, easy to use and updatable if you want current traffic info. Current traffic is a fee feature. Heck if I was in a hurry I would have bought a Vette instead of an Itasca.

Here is a link to the entire thread. http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=8771.30

On this other RV Forum my handle is Hoochonwheels. I posted a how to for external gensets and here is a copy of that post: AW, heck! I'll post the URLs and you can take a look. http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-001F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-002F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-004F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-005F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-003F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-006F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-007F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-008F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/MVC-010F.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/box1.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/box2.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/box4.jpg http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/BBLoA/box5.jpg The lightweight aluminum angle ($10.00) will be placed inside the box and secured with RTV silicone ($8.00) and pop rivets($6.00). The steel 3/4" X 3/4" angle (10.00) will be welded into a rectangle that allows your furnace duct work metal box to sit in with a fairly snug fit. While at the welding shop you will need to have two pieces of angle steel made that will be the saddle for your box ($ Cost will vary mine was around $8.00). They will be attached across the bottom of the steel angle iron frame built for your box. My trailer drawbar (tongue) is the same with as the receiver on my Reese Hitch which made it very simple for me. I wouldn't have to use a spacer for my saddle to fit either the trailer or a 2" X 2" X 36" X 3/16" square tube steel. **Don't scrimp here this drawbar takes a lot of stress holding a 75-100 lbs. generator.** The two pieces of angle that form the saddle will vary depending on your trailer drawbar and the weight of the generator. Also if you want to carry only the generator you may have to add some spacers (washers) would work great if trailer drawbar and Reese Hitch bar insert is different. You will see from the photos how I installed the lightweight angle as corner support and sealer. Use plenty of RTV silicone and after pop riveting these braces in place the excess can be removed rather easily after it cures. Also use the RTV sealant generously in the angle iron frame to prevent water from being trapped between the frame support and the box. ""Notice** Pay attention to your oil dipstick, on/off/choke control and spark plug location. With proper planning you will be able to access these componets without having to lift the generator from the box. The lid with the overlapping lip can be sealed using foam insulation tape around the inside that meets up with the top edge of the box. In the center of the lid you will be cutting a hole to acommodate a house roof vent. I used a PVC type roof vent that allows a large volume of air to flow freely. You will see once again where the lightweight aluminum angle was used to reinforce this area and allow the mounting of the fan. The fan is a low profile automotive radiator fan that will be powered by the 12 volt charge circuit on the generator A pin switch can be used to control the on/off of the fan if you don't want to start your generator with even a very slight load on this circuit. In the bottom of your box you will need a fuel resistant mat. I elected to use a mat from Tractor Supply that is made for horses to stand on while in transport. It is reticulated and allows air to pass through and also absorbs even more vibration from the generator. Cut mat to fit. In the bottom of the metal box you will be cutting vent (intake holes) I used soffet vents like used in the eves of some houses most of these are louvered with a screen on the backside to prevent wasp and other pest to pass through.. You need to be generous with these vents because even though the mat is a lace work it will restrict some aiflow. You want the fan to be free and not pulling any negative pressure inside the box when running. This can be checked by raising the lid with fan off and fan on. You should feel no increase in the force needed to raise the lid. This means you have maximum airflow. The placement of the bottom vents should be placed according to the design of the generator. You want plenty of air flowing across the engine as well as the head unit (armature) generator. The puchase of a dogbone adapter for electrical supply can be installed if desired or a simple notch in the top edge of the box for your RV supply cord/cable can be plugged into the generator. Now for the fun part...... The muffler will have to be outside the box. After trial and error I achieved an 8 degree cooler running temp for the generator in the box than the generator sitting out in the open. This was a temp reading on the cylinder head. The radiator fan and placement of the bottom intake vents circulates the air in specific/critical areas. I ordered a Honda replacement (a new take off from a go cart builder) muffler off Ebay to have the extra manifold and mating flange I cut the muffler away leaving only the flange and stub of tube to attach the stainless steel flex pipe. Then mounting the muffler to the bottom of the box with extra flex tube to move or redirect the muffler noise if need be. Inside the little Itasca the generator can not be heard however if you stand on the floor you can feel only a slight vibration in your feet. If hauling the box on your trailer? Simply disconnect the trailer from the hitch ball and this vibration is gone. If using the drawbar only you could set the box on the ground but I never felt the need to do so. Once you have figured the space inside the box needed to access the routine matainance and keep in mind center of balance you are ready to mount the generator in the box. Center of balance is important and don't forget the ventilation holes in the bottom. Here is what the bottom of the box will look like and can be used to figure your center of balance. ______I_I_______ (Inverted diagram) the two verticals are the mounting legs of your saddle. They will straddle your trailer or the drawbar. I used grade #8, 3/8' shank bolts but with careful matching you could use some type of tractor pins for even quicker change over. By placing the box on a flat hard surface and placing the rubber mat inside and sitting the generator in the box you want it to balance on the two legs created by the saddle. When the box will sit steady on these legs mark and drill though the generator frame and through the top legs of the saddle you made with the angle. My saddle pieces were 6" X 8" which gave me a spread of 16" plus the 2 inch space for the drawbar saddle for a total of 18". I used two high grade #8 bolts and washers which passed through the generator frame, rubber mat, bottom of the ductwork metal box and the upper legs of the saddle. Tighten only to secure do not compress the rubber mat or you will split it and loose the vibration insulation. I used 1/4" shank bolts with self locking nuts and flat washers ($5.00) This box can be used for extra storage if you want to remove the generator, in my Minnie Winnie this can be a great blessing. For those of you that have the Reese Hitch luggage racks you may want to design your generator cover around the already made luggage rack. Very easy if a little planning is used. I painted my box to match the color of my MH, I still need to put the Teal and blue stripes on the box but cold weather has set in and this spring I will finish the cosmetics. I preped the box by lightly sanding the galvanized metal and cleaned with muric acid (brick acid) vinegar or most any mild acid solution would work. I used plenty of high grade primer especially on the joints and seams. I then used an epoxy appliance paint for the color several coats. I plan on making a couple of additions to the box this spring. Two retractable handles to make lifting more easy. They will also be made to act as supports on the outer edge of the bottom so when the box is sitting on the ground the center saddle will support the weight and the handles will prevent the box leaning to one side or the other. I will make them, when not in use they can be pushed back under the box out of sight and no shin bone busters.

Build your rack to go from roof trim on each side. Using 1" wide flat 3/16 stainless or 1/4 inch aluminum long enough to use at least 4 existing roof edge trim screw holes on each side. Caulk under the flat base to reseal the trim screws. This will require some specialty welding but should offer a solid mount and no "new" holes through the roof. Stainless boat railing with a slight upward bow should support two canoes and the elbows are available at marine supply and on ebay. You could have tie down rings slipped in place before connecting the end of the cross support. Also if the mother in law gets on your nerves it gives her something to hang on to if you put them on the roof and it will look good.

P.S. The canned computer air with non residue solvent. Spray it really well from all angles and then let it air dry for an hour or so before reinstalling. Do not touch the sensor probe metal/ceramic after cleaning. The nuts are in a high heat enviornment so expect corrosion. Spray them down with WD40 or penetrating once a day for several days before you attempt the nut removal. Go ahead and buy two new nuts before you even start. You will need to replace them. The gasket on mine was in good shape so I reused it. You don't even have to unplug it from the system it will hang right there. Try a six point socket or wrench but have Vise Grips handy.

I cleaned my O2 sensor and replaced the nuts holding it in the exhaust system. I used the same stuff I clean my computer with. The dealer said it checked OK but I know I felt a hesitation on take off and this fixed the hesitation and increased milage slightly. If the O2 sensor is bad their diagnostics have no trouble picking it up. If dirty but funtioning, their system reads it as acceptable. BTW. The 70K rcommended valve inspection, don't fall for the dealership line. The valve inspection envolves some knothead listening to your engine with a stehoscope. Do the belts and listen for yourself and save a 100+ dollars. Run a tank full of cheap gas through it and if they don't chatter then fagittaboutit.

Thanks Tom. I removed the A/C and vents yesterday. I used a heatgun and removed the old caulk from around vents. I started removing the caulk from the seam screws and found them with near perfect integrity. I removed the caulk from several more in different positions and found them also in good condition. The reason I went with the Eternabond tape is because irregular surfaces doesn't seam to matter with this 4" wide tape. The roof trim will stay in place and the tape will be applied 1/8" from edge on sides and will be centered over top the front and rear trim. I cleaned and scrubbed yesterday but it was slow to dry in my friends shop. I used an actual roofing shingle scrapper on the old silver Kool Seal to remove most of the previous owners brush marks and build ups. The heat gun worked great around vents and screws. I have decided to replace the Winegard batwing with a crank up dish. We supposed to have 70 degree weather today and hope to get the primer on, at least the two recommended coats, will try for three since I am working inside. I can back out the MH after each coat into the sun hopefully I can get three coats of primer. I purchased 5 gallons of primer and 5 of top coat and intend to use as much as I can without looking like an cake with too much icing. heck, after 23 years of working on F4 Phantoms, this is a piece of cake. LOL

I am getting ready to start a roof coating project. I am going with Koll Seal Primer and Top Coat. Seams Eternabond 4" tape. Dicor self leveling sealant and Almond color RV body/trim caulk. Has anyone her taken on this project themselves? I ordered the Roof Trim caulk just in case the trim had to be removed. Along each side on top is the trim screws and each has a dollop of caulk over them. The front and rear roof trim also have screw with caulk covering. Previous owner believed in the aluminum Kool Seal coating and has applied plenty. I need to know if I should completely clean off all the old silver Kool Seal. I plan on installing a new A/C gasket while performing this project. Should I remove all the old caulk from around vents, pipes etc. and start with the Eternabond tape then the primer and finally the topcoat. Should I then apply the Dicor self leveling caulk or only if it is needed. If anyone has done a roof job before please post their experience. Are the trim screws Stainless Steel and can be reused or should I expect some screw failure and rust? Thanks for any info. Semper Fi