Fun / Projects / with my 1997 America Dream

Well I have bitten the bullet.

My generator has been leaking oil for some time.

It has been removed from the Motor Home twice at great expense by Caledonia RV, and returned three other times because the leaks have not been fixed.



Caledonia RV says it is not a leak, just oil sitting in the pan, but that has been going on for months.



Looks like a leak to me, just another example of the mind set of RV repair centers.

I have taken them to small claims court to try and force them to fix it, with still no joy.

That court decision is still up in the air.

I have charged Cummins in Buffalo to remove the generator once again and fix the leak. They have stated there are so many leaks they cannot tell where it is coming from without removing it. They have check the drain plug and filter.


I kills me, as I have to rely on another service center for a repair, but I'm 64 years old and do not want to be trying to lift this monster out. I thought about it, but have passed on this project.

The main reason I have taken this step is we want it fixed for the trip to Florida.

What do you think, think it is leaking?

$116.00! They certainly are proud of their pipe aren't they!

GlennLever wrote:
It seems that I am having problems completing projects due to lack of materials. (Dometic cannot seem to get me the right thermocouple for the refrigerator (old one does still work, but the end is burnt off), no one has parts for the plumbing of the central vacuum, I need a new two to one tail light module for LEDs (there is a difference)).

No one stocks stuff any more, everything has to be ordered.

We are leaving next week for the finial NDRL race of the season and I do not want the exhaust blowing back on the rear valance. A temporary repair was needed so this is what I did.

This is what the tip coming out of the rear valance used to look like.



It was a four inch tip, and I'm thinking that when I do the finial repair it may get enlarged to a five inch tip.

On the way back from our last race the tip fell off, and it became apparent that the muffler extension pipe needed to be replaced.



If the tip is to be enlarged to a five inch tip the hole in the rear valance will also have to be enlarged. We will look into what needs to be done to do this and then make a decision as to if we will enlarge it of keep the original size. Your input on this topic is welcome.

So...the first thing that needs to happen is to get the old extension pipe out of the muffler without hurting the muffler.

The clamp is soaked with PB Blaster



The clamp came right off and I was able to reuse it for the temporary fix.



I cut the extension pipe off leaving about an inch sticking out of the muffler and with a air chisel started to knock the pipe inward on the inside of the outlet of the muffler.



I was able to get the cut off piece out of the outlet of the muffler without damage to the muffler!



So I have a model to make a new tail pipe extension from.



I went shopping and was not able to get the pieces necessary to fabricate a new tail pipe extension.

Cook Brothers has ordered all the pieces I will need (two four inch 90 degree bends, one five to four inch reduction, and one chrome tip).

The parts will not be here for a week and a half, and I have no obligation to buy them. The larger tip extension may still happen, and Gillig is still trying to fine the correct part from a vender.

As stated earlier, I have a trip next week so a temporary fix is needed. To that end one five inch 90 degree bend was purchased.



The temporary fix looks like this (I was able to save the new clamp for the finial fix and reuse the old clamp for this temporary fix).



Boy the Motor Home is dirty, I will stop at a Blue Bacon on the way to the race next week.



There is a HUGE difference in the sound, if you are standing by the exhaust the ground feels like it is vibrating. You can hear the difference in the Motor Home, but it is not bad. I do want it quite like it was. You would not think that just that rear pipe would make a difference, but it does.

REJOICE !!!!!!!!!!!

My contact at Gillig has found the correct tail pipe extension!!!!!

"I looked into your chassis build, I found 55-32512-000 PIPE, EXH TAIL $116.00ea in stock and

53-02322-001 CLAMP,TUBE 5.00 OD superseded to 01-52826-002 $18.34ea in stock $18.34ea

If you like, I can ship these out ground freight and I will pick up the freight charges. "

So it looks like I am back to one of my most favorite past times, working on plumbing.

I noticed that the gray water blade valve was dripping a little bit on our last outing, time to address that.

Before I started this project, I filled and flushed both the gray and black water tanks three times.

The blade valves (and the gray and black water tanks) are located behind the panels in this storage bay.



First step is to remove the panel with the faucet and sprayer on it (if you are following these projects you will remember that I just did this to fix the leak in the faucet.





Next the handle has to come off the diverter valve.



Now the first large panel can be removed.



And now the second one, which reviles the black and gray water tanks and the blade valves and dump connection.



The valves were removed (there are four bolts, one in each corner of the valves and once removed the whole vale comes out, a little bit of a struggle as they fit tightly together, but not bad. When I pulled the valves and seals out I laid them out as they came out so I would know how to reinstall them.



I then cleaned up the surfaces of the ends of the pipes that will remain. Remember what pipes you are dealing with here, wear rubber gloves, and clean your hands if you walk away from this project.





I had anticipated having to wait on parts (I did not want to order parts until I had it all apart so I would not have to place several orders), but, when I ran over to Brad's Trailer Hitch they not only had the parts on the shelf, but they had the same brand name parts.

Here you see the old parts and the new parts side by side. The new valves came with new nuts and bolts, new seals, and the valves.



I replaced both valves, and the dump fitting so I would not be doing this again next month. They were cheap, do not scrim here buy them all.

Below is one of the seals out of the black water line, it was the only damaged seal I found, but it was the gray water valve that was leaking.



Here is the new and the old one side by side.



All though the instructions said to just put the seals in place I like to coat them with some silicone grease (not petroleum grease as it will attack the rubber). This is the pipe out of the black water tank. The seal slides onto the flange of the pipe.



This is the seal on the flange of the dump fitting.



So now everything is bolted back together. The toughest part of this job is to slide the last valve in place without dislodging the seal on the end of the flange. To insure that I had not done that I connected up the hose to the flush fitting and filled both tanks to their full marks. I let it sit for an hour while I went and eat lunch. When I came back there were no drips. I also took the time to wipe everything down before putting the panels back on.



Another project done.

Well revisited two older projects today.

The first is one of the very first projects done on the motor home.

Install two to one trailer brake light module.

What happened is I installed LED trailer lights and the original module I installed had problems with them. The marker, turn signals, and brake lights all worked fine, but the flashers would only work the left tail light, very strange.

I talked with a couple of people and they said you have to use a module that is designed for LEDs. So....the module installed in the first project needed to be removed.



I over engineer everything so not a simple cut and twist new wires together job.



Apart it comes.



Out with the old module, I will tuck it away in the spare parts bin for a just in case situation, the markers, turn signals, and brake lights work.



Now for the new module that specifically states it is good for LED lights.



The new module is wired in.



I tested it with a tester that uses LEDs, as the trailer is at another location and all seems to works. The only light not lite is the Backup light and I did test that, with my wife watching the tester while I was in the Motor Home, with it running and in reverse.




Second project revisited as the refrigerator running on gas.refrigerator running on gas.

I have been trying to get the correct thermocouple from Dometic. I have supplied product code (921148008)and the part they have been sending for several months now is to long. They have told me in writing "Dometic recommends that all service be preformed by a certified technician".

Below is the original part and the part they have been sending side by side. Do you think I need a "certified technician" to tell me that the parts are not the same?



If I try and install the part being sent as the correct pat it will hit the gas solenoid.





So I did what any "certified technician" would do with a part supplied by the manufacturer would do, I bent it to fit.



I then installed the correct "certified technician" modified brand name correct part.



I purchased and sealed the cover with butyl tape.



and the excess that was squeezed out was cleaned away.



I have to admit that I just gave up and let the "Customer Service Professionals" win this one. I'm pretty discussed with "Service"??????

No wonder people get discussed with them, and they scratch their heads an wonder why customers are so hard to please.

Well I thought the A/C Condenser fan problem had been resolved


Not so much, on the return from Malin Mi the A/C quit working again, well the air was still coming out of the ducts, just not cold.

Went back and check everything again and found that I was getting no voltage out of the supply side of the circuit breaker.



The breaker check out ok. When I wiggled it the fan started working again. So...

The breakers were removed and I could see that there was a problem with the contact in the circuit breaker block.



I removed the block.



and when it was flipped over I found indications that the supply side terminal was getting hot. Note the lower right side.



I took the block apart and found the terminal mounting had melted and the terminal was pushed to one side.



Time for a new circuit breaker block. Now I figured that this would be an impossible part to find. Turns out this is a very common part. I found it on the NAPA online catalog (GRO 822303) called up the local NAPA store and they had it the next morning waiting for me.



Turns out the hard part to find is a resettable circuit breaker with at ATC base. I have had to order that from Gillig (Gillig part# 51-43120-003)

So the new circuit breaker block is in place.



The breakers reinstalled and the fan now works again.

On another note Gillig was able to find the Tail pipe extension (Gillig part # 55-32698-000N) 4-6week lead time, it has been ordered.

Deano56 wrote:
does this has mechanical injectors/pump for this year of coach? I was wondering if fuel mileage is minimal between electronic and mechanical fuel delivery

No computer, full mechanical pump. I have no idea what the mileage is, when half full I stop an fill it.

does this has mechanical injectors/pump for this year of coach? I was wondering if fuel mileage is minimal between electronic and mechanical fuel delivery

Deano56 wrote:
never thought about this, but since the compressor is in the back on a dp, then the evap coil is all the way up front meaning the lines run clear up there too? Lots of freon

I'm not an A/C guy, but I think your logic is correct.

never thought about this, but since the compressor is in the back on a dp, then the evap coil is all the way up front meaning the lines run clear up there too? Lots of freon