Buying my baby new sneakers.

It's the weekend, and that means the second outing for the rolling party wagon. This time I'm taking it to my mechanic at JAM Automotive in Barrington NH. (Shameless plug.)
It's about an hour drive over many different types of streets. I'll stat off on the interstate, exit onto a state highway and then onto a few town roads.
I have already completed the first leg, from the storage area to my friends house to pick up my brand new tires. The ride was about twenty minutes and the first drive since I timed the engine.
Last weekend, when I moved it from Portsmouth City Maker Space, there was an unpleasant smell of gas that got worse along the way. I didn't find any gas leaks but I did notice the generator was wet. I knew that the engine was still way out of time so I fixed that problem, although I did not have a clue of what the timing should be. So I took my best guess and set it at around eight degrees BDC. It ran well so I let it be until I got my reprint of the factory service manual.
The book arrived during the week and I learned many good things about the van. One of which was the timing for the engine, which is zero, or TDC. So it's still a little off but it's raining and I have to get under way.
So at 7:00am this morning I climbed in and started her up. After a few minutes it was idling nicely and I worked on securing the cabin for travel. All along I did not detect the slightest smell of fuel. Good. Once she was up to temperature I slid back in the drivers seat, put her in gear and I was off.
There was a slight surge from the engine at low speed, around five to ten MPH. I made it to the stop sign, looked both ways and gave it some gas. She gracefully accelerated up to thirty without any complaint. A few minutes later I got to the interstate and brought her up to fifty five. No problems, she sounded good and healthy. The next hurtle was the sixty five MPH mark that didn't go so well last weekend. But to my relief we hit the target and a little more. No popping or coughing from the power plant. Sweet.
About fifteen minutes later I was at my friends house loading tires.
Now I'm blogging because I told my friend I would be there at eight and it's about seven thirty. I can't help it I get very punctual when I'm excited.

Maiden Voyage

Friday night I finished the front end. My plan was to have the RV out of it's current spot and move it to the next staging area. When I was re-assembling the grill all of the hardware either broke, seized or dissolved in my hands. So here is the front end as far as I could get it during last week.

It looks kinda funny without the headlights. I ordered the parts I needed to re-fit the headlights back in place. While I was waiting I figured I would tend to the grill. It is in good structural shape but the old chrome and black paint looked well worn. So I brought it into the shop to give it a face lift.

The grill was mostly silver (chrome) with black accents, I felt it needed to be updated and reversed the paint scheme to mostly black with silver accents. I know, not too imaginative but it turned out so good.

Here is the grill before I painted it. . .

And after!!!

Ok, they look the same, but trust me the new grill looks so much better and honestly, there is more black and the silver paint has metal flake in it. It's done.

 So on to the maiden voyage, it was nothing special just a half hour drive to my friends house but the intention was to shake out the drive train and make sure everything is working.

I still have not timed the engine but it seems to be running good. I asked a friend to follow me in case of any problems and to give me a ride back to my car. I walked around the vehicle to lock down any loose panels I may have overlooked and to make sure there was nothing hanging or any tools left behind. There was this unmistakable smell of gas lingering around the back but I didn't think anything of it. I had smelled it in the past few days but it was probably from the vent. It has been warm.

I made it back to the drivers side and slid behind the wheel, pushed the key in the ignition and cranked her over. She started with roar and I kept the idle up with my foot until the engine warmed up which only took a few minutes. I dropped it into drive, the RV gently nudged forward to let me know it was in gear and I gave it a little gas. Slowly it moved forward, I was on my way.

I had to give it a little more gas to get it up the drive to the road, a little more than I thought should have been necessary but that was the engine being out of tune. The smell of gas was curiously strong but I continued to the upper parking area where my friend was waiting.

I stopped the RV and hopped out, it was idling really well and sounded great. I walked over to the chase vehicle and told him which way I was going. Hopping back into the drivers seat I could still smell the strong odor of gas, now I was getting a little concerned but not enough to check it. 

I set off down the road with my road side assistance behind me. At one light I made a hard right and I saw in the mirror a trail of liquid behind me, but it stopped when I straitened out. Now the smell f gas was overpowering.

My cell phone rang, it was my buddy behind me. He said that some liquid had leaked out the back and that all he could smell was gas. He thought it came out the exhaust. After being asked how my engine was running I replied that it was running fine, albeit a little sluggish. So I told him that I was going to continue.

About a mile down the road the smell of gas was just unbelievable so I called my friend and told him I was going to stop at the truck stop to look at whats going on. 

I pulled into the station and made sure I was away from the pumps, just in case. I left it running and popped the hood thinking I was going to see gas all over the engine. But it was dry as a bleached bone in the desert. I looked under the rig and didn't see any wet spots on the ground or on the undercarriage.

I stuck my finger in the exhaust tailpipe and quickly withdrew it noting that it was running and very hot. But my finger was dry aside from a little black soot and a developing blister. I visually checked the tank connections and found nothing.

Oh well. I decided to continue. I climbed in and exited the truck stop. The chase truck called me and said more liquid exited but it was nowhere as much as before and this time he noted that it was coming out from behind the exhaust, about where the dump valve for the waste storage tank is. Well that mystery was solved, apparently there was still some liquid in the tank and the dump valve is damaged some some exited.

But that didn't explain the smell of gas, which was getting stronger.

I made it to the highway and gently pushed her up to fifty five, where I would hold it and assess the sounds. Everything was going well except for that damn smell of gas which at this point was making me a little ill. The doghouse was not properly latched and it lifted up. I stopped it from flying off with my knee and held it until I got to the next rest area. I pulled into the truck parking area and got out, telling my friend what I was up to.

Off we continued. We were about fifteen minutes into our thirty minute trip, all was well.

I gave her a little more gas to get up to sixty five, a more civilized speed for the highway. Once the speed-o read sixty five the engine popped though the carb a couple of times so I backed her down to sixty where it hummed right along. That was a timing issue, and the smell of gas may be a symptom of the ill timed valve train. But I never smelled that much gas and not have a major leak. Like a wide open garden hose type of leak.

We made it to the exit and turned off the highway, and at the end of the off ramp came to a smooth stop, with the engine idling happily. All the while I was nearly passing out from smell. We made it to the stop and I backed it into the driveway. I half expected the undercarriage to be on fire but there was nothing. I shut her down and the engine came to a stop without a complaint.

For the next couple of hours I cleaned the inside and looked around for the cause of the smell. I made my way to the generator and removed the hatch. It was quite wet with what looked like fuel. The generator is plumbed into the main gas tank. The last time I worked on the generator I closed the fuel shutoff. And it was still closed, but there was a second shut off at the fuel filter which was still open. I had removed the air cleaner so I could work on the carburetor and never replaced it. Maybe this is where the fuel was leaking out? The generator was wet but the smell of gas was not strong or maybe my nose was so overwhelmed that I could not smell it. 

I finished cleaning and set out with my timing light to sync the valve train. I found the timing mark on the harmonic balancer and painted it with my white paint pen. Since I removed the air conditioning compressor I was now able to see the timing mark on the engine well enough to set it.

I started the engine and pulled the trigger on the strobe light, but I didn't see the mark. I loosened the distributor and turned it a few degrees. I still couldn't see the mark. I knew it was there so I was a little more aggressive and turned the distributor, slowly, a lot. The engine was running well so I looked for the timing mark again.

This time I could just see the mark come into view but I was still a few degrees off so I turned the distributor to where I thought it should be and checked it again. Bingo. Maybe. I don't know what the setting is yet so I left it at ten degrees before top dead center. That will be close enough until I get the right number.

It seemed to run very well and I could not smell the gas any more. But I really didn't smell it before until I was moving. So it will have to wait until next weekend.

I decided this was a successful trip.

During this week I will be servicing the generator.

Goodbye friend

Before I start I have to make clear that nobody died.
That said, today I sold my Jeep. The one vehicle I said that I would never part with. I had invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears and shared more than a few adventures in that thing. All said and done I think I made the right decision. It was time to let go.
I will always remember the day I traded my Yamaha 660R Raptor for it. When I drove it off the lot it felt like it was meant to be. I had the Jeep for over ten years and it never let me down or stranded me on the side of the road.
Goodbye old friend I will miss you.

Alright, I'm getting things done.

I got a lot done on the old girl this weekend. I had to strip the front off the van to get the alternator out so while it was open I replaced the water pump, all hoses and anything else that I saw fit to change.

I had to remove the entire front radiator support which was surprisingly easy. There were just a couple of things I had to disconnect and two tanks, the radiator overflow and the windshield washer, that I had to pull.

The white cross member at the bottom is a welded piece and is a very substantial piece of metal. That's the piece that the bumper attaches to. The thing that struck me the most was that all the bolts came out without much of a fight, even the one that was broken off. I just used a pair of channel locks and it came right out. I sat there and wondered why the head was missing. It looked like it was being removed because I had plenty to grab a hold of.

All the hoses and clamps are fresh and I just had to replace the fuel line because it looked horrible given that I had to bend it while everything was in place when I did it. Aside from a coating of rust on everything steel everything was in good shape. I cleaned up the mating surface and installed the new pump with no problems.

Like I said I replaced all the hoses and clamps, the fuel line and belts. Now I'm going to use the fact that I have not worked on a v-belt engine in a long time as an excuse for installing the front belt before the back belt. But the reality is that I was just puttering right along and forgot. No big deal.

The radiator was in good shape. There are just a few rotted vanes but nothing major. I was going to replace it but I think I'll roll the dice with this one. I doesn't look that old.

The front is now all buttoned up and ready. I didn't fill the radiator yet, I had just enough time to get everything back together.

On another note, I have not seen or heard and wasps. I think I got all the buggers.

I picked up my new mattress and will put it in soon.

Now that I have the mechanicals all sorted out I will get to installing my bathroom. 

Changing the Alternator

I can't remember how many alternators I have changed in my life and I have seen almost every configuration of attachment. The bottom line here is that they are not difficult to work on although sometimes they are a challenge to get at and you either have to be a contortionist or have a high threshold of pain. The one thing you do need and should never attempt anything without is patience. Vast fields of gently wafting in the warm wind calming patience.
I know that I have, in past entries, expounded on the virtues of the ease of accessibility of the dodge van. And I stand by those statements, mostly. But this one simple task, that I have done over and over again is proving to be my Waterloo. But I will not be defeated easily for I have the knowledge to figure it out and the stubbornness to not let it beat me. I don't care how much of the vehicle I have to pull apart, this alternator is going DOWN!
My problems started early Saturday morning unbeknownst to me. I opened up the RV popped the hood pulled the doghouse and removed the air cleaner. I took a little bit of time to size up the job at hand. There, in front of me, sat the little bugger out in the open with all terminals and bolts easily accessible, and I smiled to myself thinking that this is going to be one of the easiest alternators I have ever changed. The easiest being in an early 2000's Chevy pickup, you just can't get any easier than that.
Well what I didn't realize was that I just jinxed myself.
I disconnected the battery first, I didn't want to burn any wiring. Then I removed the power terminal wire followed by the other two connectors. Next I removed the pivot bolt and adjustment bolt being careful not to drop the spacers. The alternator dropped in place onto the brackets below. Easy. Now to get it out.
I looked at the alternator and sized it up. Then I carefully plotted any possible paths I could use. To my chagrin there were no paths. So I did what every neanderthal would do. I drew it back to me and, clunk, it hit an obstacle, I turned it  and tried again, clunk. Ok, maybe I can get it out from under the hood, after I remove the old air conditioning compressor, after removing the antifreeze reservoir, after removing the radiator. . .
Ok, I can certainly get it out from under the wheel well after I remove the splash guard. That is if it were made of plastic not metal and it were attached with bolts not welded.
So there I was, lying on the ground staring up at the loose alternator sitting on the frame rail, mocking me. It was then I decided that I would have to get it into high gear and take things to the next level.
I have always had full intention of changing the water pump and any other item that may let go at the most inopportune time. So I thought that this was as good a time as any.
I removed the front grill which took me about an hour, on one screw. There were five screws holding it on.
I placed the grill in the RV and closed up for the night.
I may have lost the battle but I will win the war. Next weekend.

I hate bugs

I drove up to the maker space yesterday after visiting my mom. I planned to air it out in the nice weather and start the repairs to my charging system. But when I opened the drivers door I was charged by a rather large wasp, followed by a slightly larger wasp. They flew by my head and off into the world. I carefully peered inside to see if there were any more guests. I spied one on the windshield and one on the dome light.
Now, I did know there was a possibility of having a nest somewhere in the rig, but I was in denial because I had already looked around the cabin and under the vehicle, and the bathroom showed no signs. So I figured the dozen or so insects that were behind the cushions were just from the past season and got trapped inside. Well, obviously I was wrong.
I started to bang on the sides and on the top vents to make them mad and reveal their location. But the night air had already cooled down enough to make them inactive again. I did a more extensive search and I did find two nests in the stove exhaust vent. My latest guess is that they migrated inside last fall because the nests show no activity.
My solution to my dilemma will involve using a bug bomb and removing the more obvious nests. Deep inside I know that there must be another nest I'm not seeing. So I'm hoping that the bug bomb will do the job.
I don't have many more cold days to rid myself of the pests so I will take the a/c cover off the top and check there as well as the refrigerator vent, heater vents and intakes and any other hole I find.

Schedules and being on time

I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to being on time. If I tell someone I'm going to be somewhere I'm there. If the occasion arises when I don't show, then something has gone horribly wrong.
I'm active in a community shop called the port city maker space. They have all sorts of classes and workshops to help everyone from the technically challenged to seasoned pros gain useful knowledge.
They also supply tools and work space to aid people in creating whatever they want.  There was a suggestion that we have a group build, to gather all the member who would like to participate and combine our knowledge to achieve some goal.
We decided that we would build a 3D printer. They are all the rage with the techno suave right now.
Our first official meeting was going to be april tenth but due to some scheduling conflict's they moved it one week later.
Being the type of person who hates to be late I left work and drove the hour up to the shop and I was early, about twenty four hours early.
Now let me tell you how important it is to read the schedule correctly.