Nam
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Posts posted by Nam
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Hi Linda...I like the bubble idea...let me ask my kid for a bottle of that to try out. This is the one I use
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Everything is in tack as far as I know. I think the fan clutch may not activate at idle as it gets quote warm. I took 4 mile city street on the way to Sacramento to see how it reacts at 107 deg. While moving...no problem even slow moving in a 2 mile traffic by Placerville. When stopping for fuel...it gets warmer as shown on the pic. I got to my parents' house in Sacramento and let it idle for about 30min and the gauge shows the same...I guess the problem is not as bad. I will check the radiator as it's original.
Thanks for all the input so far.
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Thanks Linda. Nathan at exessive amperage quoted me $365 shipped for a 170A bolt on alternator. I ordered it.
Totem: I plan on using #2/0 wire from the alternator to cab battery and from cab battery to coach battery. Then I may run bundle 2C/#4AWG from coach battery to the 2000W sunforce pure wave inverter that I already have it setup.
If I can free up the hitch, I can carry bike and more toys for the kids. Right now those go in the shower area.
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This antique propane tank leaks where the clear window (pressure gauge transducer is) as indicated by my leak detector. It empties the tank in about a month. Any idea as how to mitigate this issue? I am not even sure to how remove the tank either since it's under the closet inside (lift up from inside?) This is on 1990 Itasca Spirit.
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The 8000 BTU unit above the fridge has been working
well for me for almost three years. I had to cut the exterior (below the awning) too.
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I am puzzled with this issue...any help is greatly appreciated.
Purchased this Toy home in 2011 at 55k miles. Brought it in Concord Toyota for head gasket recall in 2014. The dealer replaced the timing belt and water pump at the same time. It put in a wrong AC belt and left a tube of black silicone by the radiator (another story).
In 2015 on a trip from Yosemite while encountered some heavy traffic on I580, I noticed the engine temp climbed up to about 3/4 of the way. Otherwise it remained cool (fluctuated between 1/3 and 1/2 way on the gauge). From my experience the 1st thing I did was replacing the fan clutch (after market) and while at it, I replaced the 180 deg. Thermostat and most hoses. Thinking that this solved the problem since then we didn't take the Toy home far away...just some short trips around the cooler Bay Area destinations (typically less than 100 miles round trip)
This weekend we took it to Lake Tahoe area and I noticed after refueling while waiting to get back on ramp, the engine temperature climbed again to the 3/4 mark in about 100 degree heat; otherwise it runs cool (fluctuate's between 1/3 and 1/2 mark).
The fan roars well when hot eventhough I have no way to tell if the new fan clutch is working well or not. The thermostat is new. The radiator and condenser area is clean of debris. Turning AC off doesn't seem to make a difference. I notice that climbing a 30deg slop on the 1st gear at 25mph is still OK (temp. Gauge at 1/2 mark or slightly above) but not all the way to 3/4. Normal fwy driving at 70mph is fine.
Are there any other tests I can try before either replacing the fan clutch again or the radiator? I will try to idle for about 30 min when getting home to see if it over heats
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On 8/10/2007 at 5:44 PM, Redwood said:
wonder if anybody has thought of, or Done this... ?
I talked to someone selling a toyota rv.. his dad used a 'portable' A/C unit, with a generator.. I guess, one that you put into a window... ? I didn't SEE it, just thought that was an interesting solution...
Oh no no window unit hanging out of a window. Some of us (myself included) installed an 8000 BTU unit above the fridge which takes advantage of the air draft behind the propane fridge to mount the window AC unit. Mine works really well. I had to cut the siding to install louver but you can't even tell. Roof top unit is a no no for me besides the weight it drags and it increases vertical clearances as well
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The Ford Transit platform would be my choice for small RV at the moment. If you're on a budget, Dolphin is a good start but these are overloaded, close to antique, noisy, and under-powered trucks. It's low cost to own, retains value well, simple to fix, reliable, and abundant of support resources.
Sprinter vans can be costly to own...if you do your own conversation...that would be even costlier in term of time and $. The Ford transit costs less, better in gas, cheaper service, and ride quality is slightly better in my honest opinion.
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I had the same problem on my 1990 Itasca. Ended up removin the roof top AC unit, place some shims in between and installed a fantastic fan there. For AC, installed a 8000btu window unit above the fridge as the fridge is now dorm type electric. The 2nd approach is great. If I have to have the roof top, I would pursue this idea. Simple and effective. AL angle is the way to go even if we need to go with bigger angled Al
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Antique Toy trucks are among easiest to steal or hot wired...a secret kill switch that kills the starter or fuel pump would be simple enough to do. Be careful when messing around with the fuel pump or EFI circuits as this is critical for safe operations of the vehicle
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Thanks Jim & WME. I am currently looking for a high output alternator....either the GM one or custom made. Found 120A ebay one that can bolted on but I don't trust that spec. So far what I found...
http://www.excessiveamperage.com/
The 6 groove pulley should work with stock 4 grove belt even though I am not sure if it has enough 'grip' I can deal with cables.
I actually want to measure how many amp does the AC draw thru the inverter before I order the right alternator. I also plan on installing 2 amp meters (one before the battery and one after) to monitor load
One other motivation for me to pursue this project is the stock alternator seems to hang on its last leg as the battery warning light slightly light up with head lights are on at idle...which indicating low voltage...
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Dave, many many hats are off for you. You had conquered it...made the impossible a reality. The gauges alone spoke for your electrical skills and the rest speaks for your persistence, courage, patient, ability to learn and accepted fault coupled with 'never give up' kind's of attitude.
I rented a Ford Transit van for a family trip and really liked how it rode...been dreaming of a new motorhome on the Ford Transit chassis for $60k until I strike this post...knowing it's extremely hard to do but not impossible for me. One of these days I may embark on this similar project especially if the 3.slow show any sign of dying as I like everything else about the truck. It now has $56k miles.
Thanks for everything you had done. The time and effort to write it up for us to learn. Enjoy the new power house...take a break for awhile if possible.
Nam
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Yeah I hear you Jim. The only reason for me to pursue this is my young kids (2 and 5) otherwise my wife and I are perfectly comfortable with CAB AC. I had done everything else but Alternator upgrade and is associated wiring...will see but glad you did yours.
Could you please share your setup for my reference?
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I am circling back to running my 8000btu window Frigidaire unit on the 2000W Sunforce pure sine wave inverter again. At this time if I can successfully upgrade the alternator to around 130A to 180A, I think I can run it without the generator running in the back bumper...will keep you posted in the progress. The window unit draws 7A at 120V or 840W. If the inverter has 80% efficiency that makes it 840x1.2=1000W. At 14V or 1000W/14V=72A. Stock alternator pumps out 85A I believe so double this capacity will do it...at least in theory. The battery can fill in the gap when the truck is not generating enough DC current i.e. at idle...did I miss something? This is used while running the truck only otherwise 100Ah battery can keep the AC on for about 10min or so only. I am considering adding a 2nd coach battery if needed.
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If you don't run some selected rooftop AC then Honda 2000i will work or even the 1000i. It's a little quieter than similar models. I carry and run the 2000i in the hitch and happy with it
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Around $10 K around California this time of the year based on described condition. Those units are easy to work on. I paid $7.5k 5 yrs. Ago and put in lots of $ and labor for repairs and improvements...at 55k miles....among those are tires, timing belt, AC, ventilation fans, fridge, inverter, generator, shocks....roof sealing, TV electronics....
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I had a certified welder to weld HF tow hitch with some steel reinforcements to carry a Honda EU2000I generator. Will snap some pics when I get home.
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Light blue and grayish/silver is slick looking graphics on these. My kids may want to customize to their likings too
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This looks fantastic...did the shop provide the materials or you ordered materials yourself?
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May be the old Winnebago with a more slanted front would get better MPG; my 1990 Itasca 321RB gets 14.5MPG at its best; otherwise 12-13MPG avg. I tend to keep up with speed limit here (65-70mph) Gas is cheap for now $2.44/Gal Reg. Unleaded here in Northern Calif. The only problem is where to find time to travel hehehe.
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Next is a leak down test. Good luck. That 3VZ engine is hard to work on...not much room
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The AC unit alone, 48VDC, 500W typical cooling, very high SEER (18.61) alone is $1800 ea.
This needs 4 12V batteries. May be worth it if you use it a lot but for my RV application, I only really need AC couple times a year. This is hardly worth it.
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Yes the Eu2000i Honda will start the 11000 BTU Power Saver Coleman Unit Mach I for sure and some others with soft start capacitors. Not all roof top AC units so do you research carefully.
1990 Itasca Spirit Running Hot only in Traffic
in Engines - Transmissions - Drive Train - Suspension - Chassis - Steering - Exhaust - Tires - Etc.
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Got home ok...no overheating. I will continue to monitor this on future trips...I wouldn't do anything for time being. There are more fun projects to do at this time