Fun / Projects / with my 1997 America Dream
Borrowed a trailer and getting ready for some fun in the sun (it's cold here now 30's again tonight) I went and bought a 8 inch drop hitch, the 6 inch had the deck at too much of an angle, and ...
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Ok. the grass has been cut and trimmed.
Now to go back and finish the "surprise project", this should put an end to the oil leak project, unless I find yet another surprise.
First step, unplug the coach from the shore power, turn the house and engine batteries off, and make sure the inverter is off.
This power line runs to the shore power compartment, to a outlet mounted there. Why this was done I do not know as there is already an outlet in this compartment installed by Fleetwood.
There are actually three different projects in this compartment, can you see them.
1) This compartment along with all the others needs to be cleaned from last years use.
2) The outlet needs to be removed.
3) The shore power cord hatch needs to be replaced.
We will get all those done today.
First step, remove the outlet cover and pull the outlet, and sure enough the quick and dirty way to connect the outlet was taken. The wire was connected through the push lock connections on the back of the outlet. In this vibration environment, you would think the screw terminals would have been used. I do not even use the push lock terminals in my home.
This added feature to the Motor Home is perplexing, why was it needed, and they used 10 gauge wire to wire it???
Plug has been pulled, now to go to the circuit panel.
The labels are pealing, we will have to do something about this.
This mystery power cord comes into the breaker box in the lower left corner.
Another sloppy short cut! no cable clamp was used, just think about all the miles traveled with this cable vibrating against the edge of the box.
The original breaker that was in this spot was removed and a double breaker was added. I know this because the terminals use a square drive head and all the others were a normal screw driver head. While I was here I snugged up every other terminal in the box.
Ok, both ends are loose and time to pull the cable. OH MY GOSH! THIS WAS A FIRE WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE CABLE WAS RUN TO CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST!
I did plug the hole in the box, forgot to take a picture, and the panel cover is back in place. I reglued the labels with hot glue, not perfect but certainly better.
Right beside the circuit panel is another 12 volt fuse panel, this is the third one I have found.
This is what these fuses are for.
I filled the hole through the dog house with black RTV
I filled the holes in the wall of the shore power compartment with white silicone sealer.
I think we can call one of three tasks complete, and a good thing to.
On to replacing the shore power cord hatch. The hatch needed a little persuasion to remove it, it was really sealed in.
The sealant did it's job, no sign of rot.
This is the new hatch from Fleetwood. Surprisingly it was cheapest through them. I looked online at a couple of different RV vendors and then called Fleetwood. I purchased it through them along with a couple of other parts (to be shown later).
Eight screws later and it is installed.
And sealed up just as the original one was.
Task number two can be scratched off the list.
Now for the finial task. Here are the implements of destruction.
and now all three tasks are complete.
All done, well, you are never all done right.
While I am working in this corner of the Motor Home there has always been something I wanted to address.
The rubber shroud around the radiator hangs down below the body of the Motor Home, lets see if we can clean this eye sore up a little.
The rubber hangs a little low and has pulled free of the screws holding it in place. There is also a piece that is to long on the vertical side.
So I trimmed the long piece off and I added four screws. I'm not going to be able to get it above the bottom body line as the radiator itself is below the bottom body line.
Added a little black paint to hide the shinny new screws and washers.
This hose has also always bothered me, but that is a project for another day a long way off. It will be a pain as it comes off the bottom of the hydraulic oil reservoir.
Last year we came back from Florida on the weekend that Buffalo got that HUGE snow storm. I spent several hours washing the salt of the bottom of the Motor Home. For a 18 year old Motor Home the underside is still pretty clean.
This is the junk pile after this project.
Now to go back and finish the "surprise project", this should put an end to the oil leak project, unless I find yet another surprise.
First step, unplug the coach from the shore power, turn the house and engine batteries off, and make sure the inverter is off.
This power line runs to the shore power compartment, to a outlet mounted there. Why this was done I do not know as there is already an outlet in this compartment installed by Fleetwood.
There are actually three different projects in this compartment, can you see them.
1) This compartment along with all the others needs to be cleaned from last years use.
2) The outlet needs to be removed.
3) The shore power cord hatch needs to be replaced.
We will get all those done today.
First step, remove the outlet cover and pull the outlet, and sure enough the quick and dirty way to connect the outlet was taken. The wire was connected through the push lock connections on the back of the outlet. In this vibration environment, you would think the screw terminals would have been used. I do not even use the push lock terminals in my home.
This added feature to the Motor Home is perplexing, why was it needed, and they used 10 gauge wire to wire it???
Plug has been pulled, now to go to the circuit panel.
The labels are pealing, we will have to do something about this.
This mystery power cord comes into the breaker box in the lower left corner.
Another sloppy short cut! no cable clamp was used, just think about all the miles traveled with this cable vibrating against the edge of the box.
The original breaker that was in this spot was removed and a double breaker was added. I know this because the terminals use a square drive head and all the others were a normal screw driver head. While I was here I snugged up every other terminal in the box.
Ok, both ends are loose and time to pull the cable. OH MY GOSH! THIS WAS A FIRE WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE CABLE WAS RUN TO CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST!
I did plug the hole in the box, forgot to take a picture, and the panel cover is back in place. I reglued the labels with hot glue, not perfect but certainly better.
Right beside the circuit panel is another 12 volt fuse panel, this is the third one I have found.
This is what these fuses are for.
I filled the hole through the dog house with black RTV
I filled the holes in the wall of the shore power compartment with white silicone sealer.
I think we can call one of three tasks complete, and a good thing to.
On to replacing the shore power cord hatch. The hatch needed a little persuasion to remove it, it was really sealed in.
The sealant did it's job, no sign of rot.
This is the new hatch from Fleetwood. Surprisingly it was cheapest through them. I looked online at a couple of different RV vendors and then called Fleetwood. I purchased it through them along with a couple of other parts (to be shown later).
Eight screws later and it is installed.
And sealed up just as the original one was.
Task number two can be scratched off the list.
Now for the finial task. Here are the implements of destruction.
and now all three tasks are complete.
All done, well, you are never all done right.
While I am working in this corner of the Motor Home there has always been something I wanted to address.
The rubber shroud around the radiator hangs down below the body of the Motor Home, lets see if we can clean this eye sore up a little.
The rubber hangs a little low and has pulled free of the screws holding it in place. There is also a piece that is to long on the vertical side.
So I trimmed the long piece off and I added four screws. I'm not going to be able to get it above the bottom body line as the radiator itself is below the bottom body line.
Added a little black paint to hide the shinny new screws and washers.
This hose has also always bothered me, but that is a project for another day a long way off. It will be a pain as it comes off the bottom of the hydraulic oil reservoir.
Last year we came back from Florida on the weekend that Buffalo got that HUGE snow storm. I spent several hours washing the salt of the bottom of the Motor Home. For a 18 year old Motor Home the underside is still pretty clean.
This is the junk pile after this project.
