My Jamboree Build
For a long time I have wanted to buy a small Class C motorhome that I could use throughout Colorado for riding events as well as outings with my 2 kids. As time went by, I decided to buy a used veh...
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I took this right after I started the RV up this morning - 80F is the lowest reading - ( I have since replaced the shiny silver screws with flat black button head screws) -
Here is the lighting control panel & the dimmer ON/OFF switch -
I took the Jamboree into the mountains to see how the trans cooling would operate.
I went up I-70 from east - west and saw a high temp of 178F. On the other side of the Eisenhower tunnel (and coasting down hill at 65 mph) it cooled off very quickly to 138F. Here is a shot I took on the descent into Frisco, CO-
In Frisco I turned around and started the LONGGGGGG climb up I-70 towards the Johnson Tunnel. On this climb the max temp reached 192F, and this while in 2nd gear at 55 mph (being pushed pretty hard). On the way up-
It again cooled of rapidly once the load was removed on the east side of the divide.
The temps were a little higher than I anticipated, and I got to thinking about why the previous owner had a misting system to cool the radiators using water/evaporation- maybe he had a bad cooling fan clutch?
I was told by NTORACN that the stock GM fan clutch just didn't have the capability to properly cool these rigs. He installed a "Severe Duty" Hayden fan clutch and his cooling issues disappeared.
I figured it couldn't hurt, the clutch was cheap ($65) and the job looked pretty easy.
So I picked up a clutch at O'Reileys and headed home to install it.
Some of the stuff that had to be removed-
The clutch was a PITA to get free, as there was no way for me to hold the water pump pulley (my strap wrench didn't fit) and the parts store didn't have the right tool.
I needed to hold the pulley by putting something into these holes to stop it from rotating while I unscrewed the clutch from the water pump shaft - (clutch & fan off) -
So I made a tool by welding a couple of bolts to an adjustable plumbing wrench that I had laying around -
I love having a good welder!
I was getting ready to reinstall the serpentine belt but didn't find a routing diagram in the manual, the Haynes manual or in the engine compartment.
So I walked over & looked at the Avalanche's 5.3 Vortec engine and the layout was identical.
I made a small diagram on the top of the grille assy with a silver sharpie so I won't have to wonder next time-
Then I buttoned it all up and called it a day.
Here is the lighting control panel & the dimmer ON/OFF switch -
I took the Jamboree into the mountains to see how the trans cooling would operate.
I went up I-70 from east - west and saw a high temp of 178F. On the other side of the Eisenhower tunnel (and coasting down hill at 65 mph) it cooled off very quickly to 138F. Here is a shot I took on the descent into Frisco, CO-
In Frisco I turned around and started the LONGGGGGG climb up I-70 towards the Johnson Tunnel. On this climb the max temp reached 192F, and this while in 2nd gear at 55 mph (being pushed pretty hard). On the way up-
It again cooled of rapidly once the load was removed on the east side of the divide.
The temps were a little higher than I anticipated, and I got to thinking about why the previous owner had a misting system to cool the radiators using water/evaporation- maybe he had a bad cooling fan clutch?
I was told by NTORACN that the stock GM fan clutch just didn't have the capability to properly cool these rigs. He installed a "Severe Duty" Hayden fan clutch and his cooling issues disappeared.
I figured it couldn't hurt, the clutch was cheap ($65) and the job looked pretty easy.
So I picked up a clutch at O'Reileys and headed home to install it.
Some of the stuff that had to be removed-
The clutch was a PITA to get free, as there was no way for me to hold the water pump pulley (my strap wrench didn't fit) and the parts store didn't have the right tool.
I needed to hold the pulley by putting something into these holes to stop it from rotating while I unscrewed the clutch from the water pump shaft - (clutch & fan off) -
So I made a tool by welding a couple of bolts to an adjustable plumbing wrench that I had laying around -
I love having a good welder!
I was getting ready to reinstall the serpentine belt but didn't find a routing diagram in the manual, the Haynes manual or in the engine compartment.
So I walked over & looked at the Avalanche's 5.3 Vortec engine and the layout was identical.
I made a small diagram on the top of the grille assy with a silver sharpie so I won't have to wonder next time-
Then I buttoned it all up and called it a day.
