BillF

Yep - that "11-inch long" battery fit nicely into my slot that's only 10 5/8" deep. All's well that ends well... (Anyone else going to Burning Man?) ;-)

Wow - what a wealth of information. But a half-hour ago, on the way to work, I dropped off the old battery at AutoZone, for the free testing available. It took them a minute to tell me that the battery was shot. Very interesting that the solar kept it working anyway. Even more interesting: the 11" battery that AutoZone sells for $90 is not 11" - it's the exact same size as my dead battery, which came out of a compartment that's only 10 5/8" deep. So I bought it; getting an important to-do off of my list. I may still go over jdemaris' list above, since that's great info. Or I'll shift to the other to-do's for my RV - that's sat for a year. Thanks, Forum members!

A decade ago (?) I replaced my coach battery in my 91 Odyssey with AutoZone's DuraLast 24MS-DL. I added a solar panel somewhere around the same time, and never thought about the battery again. The last time I dry-camped - a year ago - I experienced a 1 or 2-minute power outage each time the water-pump was powering the shower while a light or two was on. I forgot about it until this week. That's because I'm headed off for that same 6-day desert camping trip in a few weeks. I've assumed that it's probably an old battery issue, and that I may as well replace the coach battery. I contacted AutoZone, and learned that the 24MS-DL is no longer made, but they sell something called the 24MS-DL, which is a bit longer. Then I started reading-up on batteries, and learning that a duel-purpose battery is silly, and a battery that brags about its cranking amps is silly, and that a 27 is better than a 24, etc etc. Now all this is irrelevant. That's because, an hour ago I removed the battery from the exterior-hatched compartment, and measured the chamber. It's 7 1/4' wide, 10 3/4" high, and 10 5/8" deep. Houston, We've got a problem! The new DuraLast is 11" long, and a quick google shows that the Walmart EverStart is also 11" long. They will not fit! Anyone have any ideas for an appropriate deep-cycle battery that will fit in a battery compartment that's only 10 5/8" deep? Thanks! Bill in SF

The vehicle is a '91 Odessey, with 50,000 miles. (Yep - it sits a lot!) One air bag is torn, so I don't add air. A mechanic suggested that I should be very leary of carrying weight without good bags. Is this true, false, or are there other factors in the decision to spend money on this? Thanks, Bill

Wow - Now that I just spent $400 fixing the appliances, I guess I should tidy-up the beast. What's the best way to clean the carpet? (I hate to rent a piece of equipment for 70 sq ft of carpet!, and I'm not sure of the foam stuff in cans works, or not. Plus it's Feb, and although NorCal is having great weather, I hate to make the carpet too wet, creating a mold-risk...) Thanks, Bill

OK - I'm back. And the beast is better! Drove out to Sacto last Friday, and camped in Dr George's driveway. Saturday morning got the water heater and furnace worked-on, and strip of trim fixed. Yep - labor is $110 an hour, but I expect that George and Matt are as smart as any service provider west of the Mississippi regarding these vehicles. And he might just round down the minutes. So I'm a happy camper. Bill. NOTE: He's got more parts from old RVs than I've ever seen. So if you need a replacement dodad, give him a call!

Thanks Andrew, That's exactly what I'm looking for - a standup guy that's comfortable with these older vehicles.

No, the gas to the stove seems fine. (The refrigerator is another story. It half-died a decade ago (seems the freezer works, but not the main compartment) and I just switched to a cooler. Furnace and water heater were working a year ago, but not consistently. Went down to the vehicle a month or so ago, and poked around the water heater via the exterior hatch blindly trying to remove any cobwebs, and managed to get it to kick in. Then last week, tried again, but failed. Then tried the furnace, and noticed that although the fan rattled away, there was no flame. My love affair with the Great White Beast is strained by these ongoing ailments (it leaks, too!), and I'm willing to pay to get consistent heat and hot water on my rare excursions out. Any good resources within driving distance?

I just joined this site, hoping for some guidance. Skimming the forum, I realize that this is the place to go, once I decide to try to personally solve all my vehicle's quirks. But frankly, I'm not going to find the time to experiment with removing circuit boards, etc. And I don't want to get financially taken by a repair shop that doesn't know what to do, other than replace entire devices. I've owned my Odessey since '97. I've cleaned cobwebs out of the gas lines, and generally managed to keep the beast running. But both my hot water heater and furnace are getting less reliable, and that takes the fun out of traveling. So I'm looking for that guy or gal within a few hour's drive of San Francisco who's affordable, and competent, and can get these two devices back up to par. Suggestions? Bill in Mill Valley