A project that might yield an MH someday from the ghost of an '86 Conquest

[neubie]

By our october standards, we had a flood. Two tenth of an inch to be precise. But the shower did no visible damage. Who knows what inches will do, but for normal circumstances and weather, I can get over the fear of everything going to mush and get on with finishing the inside. Yep.

[neubie]

Been a few days. Weather has been unpredictable, cold/hot/cold/whatever. Not much got done except powering the coach with its battery and all the doodads bought above. 12V works now. Recessed lights, kitchen strips, overcab, porch whatever. There were five circuits total before. I am splitting them into quite a few more with separate fuses, new marine fusebox with car type fuses.  Also, the convertor charger sings, as usual, but works fine. And the coach battery holds enough energy to last a while. And I can recharge it in the car now.  Tested one GFCI 120V circuit just to power the convertor/charger. Still need a few wire joins and AC cable/circuit/ground testing but all of it must wait until the carpentry is complete.

Waiting on the 5120A to arrive so I can figure out cable routing in the kitchen island. Flooring needs to be done before that. Roof and kitchen painting even ahead of this. You get the gist.

At least everything is sort of started now, except for the fridge and the air conditioner. I will put in an americana after capentry. Then wait for some deal to materialize on the air conditioner.

The cables and pipes coming from underneath were all stuck through these little white plastic tubes screwed to the floor. Are those still in fashion? What are they called/where does one look for them? Anyone know?

Also, do the oem charger/convertors know when to stop topping off the battery if left plugged in? My peak current draw is a measly 1.5A (everything is LED,  this is just all lights turned on together) so leaving it plugged in isnt really needed. Asking before reading the manual.

Edited October 29, 2017 by neubie

[WME]

Google plastic bulkhead fittings.

The OEM converter.charger does not know when to quit. Thats why they get replaced. They only charge a couple of amps but over time they will boil a battery dry. So if you use one just keep a close eye on your battery water level

[neubie]

3 hours ago, WME said:

Google plastic bulkhead fittings.

The OEM converter.charger does not know when to quit. Thats why they get replaced. They only charge a couple of amps but over time they will boil a battery dry. So if you use one just keep a close eye on your battery water level

Thank you WME, that was very helpful. Now just need the 1/2inch ones all over and be done with it, I hope. The bigger holes are getting sealed with plumbing caps. My battery is outside in the generator space. There is no hood. Theoretically I can insulate things pretty good with no uncontrolled drafts. Of course, this means double CO vigilence, but thats needed anyway.

 

[neubie]

Anyone know where to find a propane regulator cover for the square regulators of the period. Its the cuboid piece of plastic that screws on to tank housing and not the newer roundish one that seems to just snap on the regulator. thanks.

[neubie]

I seem to have cobbled together a roof. With all the fasteners and glue and foam it feels much firmer than the rotten mess there was in its place. There is one coat of elastomeric paint on top. Not enough but its holding for now.

There is the threat of rain again. Of course it keeps receding/decreasing. But it always makes me stop and go apply goop to the nooks and crannies again.

Otherwise, its patch, primer and paint. Then there will be a roof and walls again. Every other part now just sits waiting for me to find it a purpose. At this point I would rather see an inch of water come down and expose my shortcomings than this exercise in frustration.

Also, in the part that cant be further strengthened because there were already two aluminium beams 14 inches apart at the vent that takes the AC there is a small inexplicable dip that creates a small puddle. Strongest and best part of the roof. Go figure.

Temperatures are going ever so closer to freezing. There isn't much time to paint any more. Hopefully global warming will bring a couple odd weeks.

Because of the water threat, its crammed full of parts again. But I should take a few pictures the next time there is a sunny opening.

[neubie]

On 10/29/2017 at 1:29 PM, neubie said:

Thank you WME, that was very helpful. Now just need the 1/2 inch ones all over and be done with it, I hope. The bigger holes are getting sealed with plumbing caps. My battery is outside in the generator space. There is no hood. Theoretically I can insulate things pretty good with no uncontrolled drafts. Of course, this means double CO vigilance, but that's needed anyway.

 

Got some little plastic thingmies. They dont look like the old ones, hopefully the will work just the same.

[neubie]

Enough rain to wash a car and no leaks apparent. I guess I can get moving on painting the roof on the inside now.

Major remaining inside projects are a. truck carpet, b. coach floor. c. inside paint, roof included, d. all cabinetry, ....

But this is still progress. Walls, roof and wiring were a long long painful project.

[neubie]

Started finishing the roof inside, a good scrub and a first kilz coat and it doesnt look depressing. Not pretty enough to show off, but more of a roof than plywood screwed together. Thought of doing vinyl wallpaper again, but there is a gallon of kilz and paint handy. Its getting painted.

On a separate note, the truck battery is a 7-16 date code optima yellow top agm 34/78. Probably not well cared for. Doesnt want to charge up. I only have 1-2A trickle chargers including the noco ones wIth a separate agm mode. The voltage is in the high 11s or low 12s but barely energy enough for starting the truck once. Alternator is trying but hasnt gotten it to high 12s after hours let alone 13. Optimas are not easy to kill from what I hear and this isnt that old. Does it just need a high amperage charge cycle or some kind of desulphation magic?

Edited November 6, 2017 by neubie

[WME]

Maybe this will help. You need a bad AGM, a good car battery, 10 amp charger and a set of jumper cables. 90% of bad AGM aren't

 

[linda s]

I had to do this set up not long ago with a regular flooded battery. I didn't know what I was doing but I kept fiddling with it and figured out the charger would work if I connected another battery before the super low charge one. Guess I lucked out and figured out the right way. Battery seems fine now and is holding a charge. It wasn't old. Just ignored for over a year so very low

Linda S

[neubie]

That video is sort of from horses mouth. But they all want a 10A charger. In my case, I wont need a second battery (though coach battery is good, even a starter will do as long as they raise the voltage towards 11) as I get to around 12. Then it goes nowhere. Trickling in AGM mode of a Noco genius 1100 and zilch progress. There is another approach suggested by folks with doctorates in youtube videomaking. They say this alone doesnt do it, or do it right. They say you have to draw 10A a few times in discharge/charge cycles.

I have accumulated three tricklers now. I guess another 10A wont hurt.  Whats a good 10A load? I have no spare headlights lying around.

[WME]

The main question is not what your charging voltage is, but what the resting voltage is. Check the AGM after it has set overnight.

[neubie]

7 hours ago, WME said:

The main question is not what your charging voltage is, but what the resting voltage is. Check the AGM after it has set overnight.

High 11s or low 12. Like right about 12. 

[neubie]

Anybody got a picture of what the airbag fillup lines look like? Where are they typically, on the bag itself or routed somewhere?

[Derek up North]

Depending on who installed them, location varies. On the side near the rear wheel Tucked in the rear wheel well (see photo)? Back bumper? You're looking for a couple of Shrader valves (like a car tire).

[neubie]

In that case it looks like they snuck them into the cab, just behind the driver seat. Need to take pictures to make sure thats the same thing, but it sure looks like it. Thanks!

[Derek up North]

Never heard of them being installed in the cab, but makes a whole lot more sense that in the fender buried in the slush and mud!

[linda s]

I wonder if at some point there was an automatic compressor behind the seat.  Might explain the Shrader valves being there.

Linda S

[neubie]

Here they are poking out at the coach/cab threshold. I couldnt understand what the hell they were until now (if thats what they are), need to take a better picture. The holes are long gone too, the exhaust had done some damage at one point and the previous owner changed the exhaust but kept the hole.

On an unrelated note, my regulator needs this rectangular cover. They dont seem to be easy to find.

[neubie]

I bought a 900W microwave. Turns out they take 1200 Watt to run. So I bought a 700W microwave. Turns out they take 1200 Watt as well. Same time to heat a cup of water to the same temperature. Go figure. There arent any 500 Watt microwaves. I will need to resize my battery/invertor calculations from 1k/1200peak to 1200/1500peak.

[WME]

23 hours ago, neubie said:

High 11s or low 12. Like right about 12. 

Well ..A Your charger isn't big enough so buy a 10 amp charger

B your battery is toast so buy a new battery

Need anymore help??

[Derek up North]

On 11/6/2017 at 5:39 PM, neubie said:

.. the truck battery is a 7-16 date code optima yellow top agm 34/78.

Don't these fancy batteries come with a warranty?

[neubie]

35 minutes ago, Derek up North said:

Don't these fancy batteries come with a warranty?

Allegedly there is a three year warranty. Not sure if that needs paperwork/receipts. Havent gotten that far yet. Trying to get the current todo list under control. Its a bit before three years run out! 

The main thing is finding a place to put the new water heater in. That means roof and walls get painted, floor gets kilz, underlayment, and at least floor in the kitchen island. Want to get this done before the 14 day return time to avoid dealing with warranty issues if it comes out the box dinged up.  Wont have propane wired up for quite a while but am hoping it will be fine as long as superficially it looks undamaged.

Of the list, the roof took on some latex paint today. Hopefully walls and floor tomorrow. It shouldnt take too long to do flooring for the kitchen corner.

In the meantime, the trickler can keep trying for another 48 hours. With a sealed AGM and AGM mode charging it shouldnt hurt anything. A battery place could probably charge/test too, another route yet untried.

Is battery warranty an easy thing to exercise or is it like an insurance claim?

 

[neubie]

A roof with many imperfections and a coat of primer.

[neubie]

4 hours ago, WME said:

Well ..A Your charger isn't big enough so buy a 10 amp charger

B your battery is toast so buy a new battery

Need anymore help??

Well, at least I know my options now. Best to know who the spouse is cheating with than to hold out grudges against every known man!

[neubie]

Hey, you know what -- the convertor charger is sort of a quick charger. Cant leave it on like a quick charger but thats as dumb a quick charger as they come. Lets see what it can do in an hour or two!

[WME]

Most of the OEM converters are a 1 or 2 amp battery charger. My old 50 amp converter had a rated 1.5 amp charge rate.

[neubie]

38 minutes ago, WME said:

Most of the OEM converters are a 1 or 2 amp battery charger. My old 50 amp converter had a rated 1.5 amp charge rate.

Well, there is a Triad Utrad TU-730-2 30A in this thing. Hums a bit but puts out a good voltage reading. Are you saying it will still only put out 1-2A? Why? Seems a useless waste of that huge and heavy transformer.

[neubie]

We had some rain. No issues on the inside. The really bright white paint roof looks plenty done for now. Just a bit of sanding up the 14inch vents. Thats cabover, bathroom, and roof done. Now just the walls beneath window level and flooring to go.

The roof paint rolled on with good coverage or my eyes are poor and another sunlit day will tell a different story. Roof gained three additional cross beams AND 3/4 inch ply total in the ply-rigid-ply sandwich. Need to go see how much pooling water is still an issue.

Am painting the rearview mirrors, internal support beams/brackets (conquest had an elaborate L bracket on the fridge side, and a beam on the bed side, both steel, unpainted and open to rust), spare tire carrier and such in glorious marine white. Two coats, clear on top on the outside stuff.  The entry door was a pale yellow color. A bit of deglosser and some paint on it. Thats a longer term project too.

Really, I can see cupboards going up again soon (thats to say this month -- need the kitchen island finished first).

[neubie]

So the roof works, yes. Then where did the water go? Of course, it went into the footwell. A pool of it on both driver and passanger side. Presume via outside air inlet.

A. How easy is it to cleanup this route?

B. Can you cover up the outside air vent in the truck for now and worry about it later or is it a blow it out now or mold! situation?

Anyone with prior experience? The cab is bare, it got new primer just because I was cleaning up anyway. So there isnt any damage issue on the floor. 

Does changing over to recirculation hold off the devil?

Whats the word on where to go looking to divert the water out instead.

Edited November 10, 2017 by neubie

[linda s]

Mine leaked on the passenger side only when I got it. Turned out it was coming in through the heater cable. Sealed it and hasn't leaked since, like 13 years. Don't know where it can come in through the drivers side but you can clean the drain tubes in the air intake on the hood with pipe cleaners and see if that helps.

Linda S

[neubie]

3 hours ago, linda s said:

Mine leaked on the passenger side only when I got it. Turned out it was coming in through the heater cable. Sealed it and hasn't leaked since, like 13 years. Don't know where it can come in through the drivers side but you can clean the drain tubes in the air intake on the hood with pipe cleaners and see if that helps.

Linda S

Took off cowl, that wasnt hard. There are three phillips head screws but you can only get to them with a wrench type stubby phillips screwdriver. On eitherside at the end there is a plastic rivet sort of thing. Kind of common in german cars, first time I saw in the conquest. Wedge a flathead under to get the plastic rivet out, then the second plastic piece that holds the fastner comes loose. Only lost one of the three screws while putting them back. And forgot to tighten one of the windscreen arm screws which I will do now.

Cant get the windscreen arms off. Dont have a puller. Decided long time ago this particular thing -- pulling wiper arms off the motor is beyond my ability.

But you can cleanup under the cowl with it just being loose. I did, also cleaned the seal/glazing thing. There wasnt much there to indicate water ingress possibility. Am watching to see if I can see the culprit on a sunny day. It was dark and drizzly today.

Where is the heater inlet? About where the ac pipes enter? My ac cabling wants to come in on the passanger side, pictures in previous posts when I was figuring out the compressor connections. Is it in the firewall above where passanger feet would go?

[neubie]

3 hours ago, linda s said:

Mine leaked on the passenger side only when I got it. Turned out it was coming in through the heater cable. Sealed it and hasn't leaked since, like 13 years. Don't know where it can come in through the drivers side but you can clean the drain tubes in the air intake on the hood with pipe cleaners and see if that helps.

Linda S

Drain tubes? Where would one find them? I didnt come across any drain tubes yet. Plastic? Metal? Under the hood or where?

[linda s]

My heater cable comes in on the passenger sidewall a little forward of the computer. I never found my drain tubes either but since I found the leak pretty quick I didn't look long. Dry day, spray the front a little bit at a time, and get inside and see what's wet. That was my method

Linda S