adondo
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Re: Shurflo Smart Sensor 5.7 repairs
Got the transducer today. Here it is in the pump head. Inside the head, the nut holds it in place. There's an O ring on the transducer itself for sealing. Side view of the new one. I haven't put the O ring on it yet. The old one taken apart. The threaded part is just a mechanical piece, the other is the transducer itself. The little rubber square is the remains of the membrane. That's what croaked and made it leak from the vent hole that leads to the air side of it. I've tested the reassembled pump by blocking one side with a finger and sucking on the inlet to see if it holds the vacuum with my tongue. (Valid scientific testing :B ) It does, so it's going back in tonight. And, it runs now. (Bench test) It must have "thought" the pressure was high and never turned on the pump, that's why it never ran either.619Views0likes0CommentsRe: Card Lock Stations
sh410 wrote: At the local card lock station, you don't get a receipt nor does the pump show how much the purchase was on the number of gallons you pumped. You get a PDF file sent by email detailing every purchase. Location, time, date, type of fuel, grade of fuel, and other things I can't remember at the moment. And, besides, while I'm on vacation, I'd rather be sitting at home in the comfort of my own easy chair post-trip when I look at the final bill. It's better to get taken by ambulance to the local hospital and see doctors you're familiar with when you get that eminent heart attack, rather than right there at the pump 1,500 miles from home. :B :B :B dave_smith wrote: ...RV'ing is clearly not a cheap activity so I just don't worry about saving a few cents per gallon - it's just not worth the hassle to drive around looking to save the equivalent of a bean burrito from Taco Bell on a tank of fuel... Amen to THAT! I'm so spoiled now, that even when NOT in the motorhome, I get annoyed when I actually have to deal with a normal gas station with the other "John Q Public" and it's prepay silliness, etc. The price-difference-shoppers remind me of people who go to five different grocery stores to use various coupons and attend sales. The amount they save on canned foods is eaten up (pardon the pun) by fuel costs traipsing around town and the hassle of parking to "save" piddling amounts of money. Even if I take on 100 gallons of diesel and pay an extra $10 (not that likely anyway) it's worth it to not have to cram in three credit cards, prepay, sit in line waiting for someone's abandoned car blocking the pump to get moved as they leisurely shop in the mart, or sit in line waiting behind six other RV's on a busy holiday weekend.417Views0likes0CommentsRe: Card Lock Stations
nevadanick wrote: A bathroom shouldn't be an issue as you brought one with you. True. :B Then again, someone might have a TT like what I used to have - one with a slide that blocked the bathroom door. There was no getting in there unless the slide was partway run out. Having "the runs" with that rig was something you wouldn't want to deal with. As for bathrooms, if I'm traveling somewhere in just the Jeep, then it's nice to have one. I get fuel at card locks in the Jeep or car for the same reasons I listed.355Views0likes0CommentsRe: Card Lock Stations
Another Pacific Pride user here. The cost difference isn't all that much per tank, and the convenience factor is priceless when you consider that... A) no silly $50 or $70 credit card limits, you need 150 gallons, you get 150 gallons. The pump runs until you're full. B) No prepay stupidity. There's nothing quite like standing in line TWICE while people buy lotto tickets, Twinkies and beer. Once to get the pump going, then AGAIN, after filling. And, when you're filling it, who knows what it's going to take, so you have to over-figure what to hand them in cash so it doesn't cut off too soon. (Car's little tank, no problem, but sometimes upper two or three digits in gallons for a MH?) C) In Oregon, no waiting for the "fuel jockey" to come out and fill it, or having a screaming madman come running out if you forget about it after crossing the state border. (No kidding, you'd think you just broke a federal law or something, and the guy must be an off duty SWAT member) D) Just about always very UN-busy. Ontario Oregon is a perfect example. Every time I'm heading East, I stop there because I can go on into Salt Lake City for the next fuel stop. The public truck stop (Pilot I think) across the road's a complete jam-pack every time I've seen it, but the Pacific Pride site 50 yards away is abandoned. I can fuel up, let the dog out, and move on in less than 10 minutes. Trucks, MH's, whatever haven't moved yet, but I'm already done and heading out. E) They're commercial fueling sites, designed for trucks, so lots of room. Generally speaking anyway, some are card lock pumps behind public gas stations, but most have large parking areas. They're not a bad place to overnight either. (If your rig is quiet, trucks come and go all night) As for bathrooms? I've seen plenty with portables, but some have regular facilities. You use the card and enter a certain pump number to open the door, so they're not too bad. (No card for access? No going potty, vandalizing, homeless camping out) It's easy to apply, and despite what their website might say, you don't need to buy hundreds of gallons a month. Pacific Pride I have my account set up as a ACH, and that adds a discount. It comes out of the bank account twice a month.355Views0likes0CommentsRe: Shurflo Smart Sensor 5.7 repairs
SCVJeff wrote: I gave up after two.. Good luck! You mean you've gone down this road? I've read about these pumps dying like flies on a No Pest strip. Of course, all that reading was AFTER buying this pump. And, then I get one that's a pawn-off of a dusty warehouse antique. I guess I'm lucky, I went about 4 years until it croaked. I figured a $30 experiment beats a new pump, but next time, I'm thinking replace the whole thing.626Views0likes0CommentsShurflo Smart Sensor 5.7 repairs
So... I've owned the Safari for 9 years, 9 months and 6 days. About 2 years in, I upgraded the water pump to a Extreme Series Smart Sensor 5.7, a.k.a. model 5900-211. The pump that I bought new from an RV supply, is dated 9-04. The math doesn't work out for having a decade old pump other than the SOB's sold me a 5 year old NOS (new old stock) pump in the first place. You cannot get parts for 5.7 pumps built before 2006. NATURALLY! :M The pump head is different. While getting it ready for the year, I find a leak, and it's from the pump. I pull it, and it's the pressure transducer that's spewing from a vent hole. After calling Shurflo, Honeywell, etc., and boiled my research down to this part: ($29.71) Honeywell transducer part number 24PCFFM6G Digikey is a place my company orders from all the time, and it's trusted. They are here and there for a few dollars less, but I'd rather get one from a good source. Hopefully, this will help someone deciding to spend $300 to replace a spewing pump when the little transducer has gone bad and can't otherwise be fixed. And, by the way, my pump won't run either, so it's bad electrically as well. I'll post photos of the repair and tear down later. Here is what the transducer looks like:5.4KViews0likes6CommentsRe: Transmission question
The Allison "talks" to the engine, and they're similar in operation no matter if it's a Cat or Cummins. My 3000 series has two digits, one for what it's doing, and the other for what it's planning. Newer Allison panels have only the single "what it's planning" digit, which really is kind of stupid because you can't tell what it's really doing other than seat of the pants feel. Greenleaf (monitor systems) adds that missing digit back in their upgraded monitor panel. As soon as the EB switch is flipped, the 2nd digit shows 2. That's what it's headed for when you're slowing down, and on a freeway exit ramp etc., that's what it will do. If you're doing 60 MPH on an 8% grade, it may never get below 5 unless you tap the service brakes to drop the speed, then after 4, it'll start slowing down more. With two digits, you can see what she's doing, (5, 4, 3, 2 as you slow) but with one, all you can see is '2' only. In my coach's case, the EB drops out at 12 MPH and/or while it's in 2nd. It is programmable, but I'd leave it, as it does work well as it is. I have an upgraded PXRB Pac brake, which is about double the slow-down rate from stock. I can drop to that 12 MPH by hitting the EB switch about 1/3 of the way down an exit ramp, and be all but stopped at the end of the ramp.193Views0likes0CommentsRe: SeeLevel tank sensors
I've had my Seelevel system for years as well. (Including a 2nd display/control unit in my "wet bay") Having worked on 2-way radios (police/fire/etc.) for 35 years, I can say that getting ANY electronics wet will cause corrosion and failure. In fact, our policy here is when a radio or device comes in with corrosion damage of any kind, WE DO NOT WORK ON IT. Even if cleaned and the corrosion removed, problems (a.k.a. "gremlins") continue long afterwards and can be a plague forever. You'll notice cell phone suppliers also exempt water damaged phones. Drop one in the washer? Most companies will just sell you a new one rather than repair it. Most cells have a device inside that melts when wet, and as soon as a tech opens it and see that, it's game over. I don't use Formula 409, but I know that Greased Lightning (my favorite degreaser) has a high lye content, which is why it works so well. That and other agents in the cleaner will only accelerate the corrosion process on an electronic device. The Seelevel circuit boards have other circuitry besides the sensing strips (tiny SMD IC's and the like) and that's why they've failed. Even if you can clean the corrosion using DeOx or other product, they will be problematic from here on, so just REPLACE the sensors.287Views0likes0CommentsRe: "backup" light
If it's the round light with 9 LED's like I'm thinking it is, it should be pretty lightweight. If you have any kind of storage door (with screws in the frame) or a window with screws in the frame, drill some small holes in the bracket and use an existing screw(s) to mount the light. LED's use minimal current, just wire it into the backup lights. At any rate, I'd avoid the glue thing. It'll weather and fail sooner or later. You might be able to make a wrap-bracket with thin aluminum to go around the rear bumper. I'd think mounting the light higher up would work better though. I went a little extreme in the back of the coach, I used a set of HID's with a Euro beam pattern. They create daylight for 500 feet behind the rig for the backup camera. Legal? Doubt it. :B278Views0likes0CommentsRe: No power from new batteries
My little trick when changing batteries is to use colored Tyraps. (Tie-wraps, whatever) Sometimes we get into large battery backup systems, so the same idea works. On a motorhome, attach black Tyraps to every negative terminal leaving the batteries. (ignore 6 volt battery jumpers) Use red Tyraps for all chassis positives, and yellow for house positives. The marked black are all frame-ground common, so it matters little how they go back. The red and yellow wires/cables need to just go back to the proper battery set. As for 6 volt batteries, (i.e. golf cart) just count the caps. Each cap (cell) is about 2 volts. A 12 volt battery has six caps, a 6 volt battery has three caps. You need SIX fill caps for ALL motorhome house battery sets. The jumpers are to go from positive to negative on a pair of 6 volt batteries, and that's why I said to mark with Tyraps the cables that leave the set to head to whatever. If you have four golf carts, then you need TWO sets of six cells/caps.426Views0likes0Comments
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