What did You, do to your Freedom Machine today?

[Optimistic Paranoid]

. . . No issues with heater core clogging either, but this is certainly a consideration.

Heater cores have to be scrupulously clean before you use a stop leak.  IIRC from my days of selling auto parts 20 years ago, any good stop leak will plug any hole smaller than .035.  The tubes in heater cores used to only be .040 when new - at least back in the old days, I couldn't say if that changed when they went to these new aluminum radiators you were mentioning.  Anyway, it's scale build up in the heater core that causes it to plug when you add stop leak.

If it does happen, you want to get the hoses off the core and MacGyver a garden hose to flow through it in reverse.  That will blow the plug out and restore heater functionality.

It's easy, btw, to tell which way is reverse.  Normal flow is always from the water pump, to the heater core, and from the heater core back to the engine.

Regards
John

 

[karl]

Thanks for the thought on using the snap switches- had tunnel vision there, and was only thinking of an immersion sensor......bonus is- I have a handful of snap switches on hand from some tiny wood fired heaters I was experimenting with.
When I initially installed the elec fan, I bought a Hayden fan switch which never worked, so wired through a toggle switch/relay on the accessory side of the ignition...will change that to a snap switch /relay on the hot side of my auxiliary fuse panel so it can do it's thing after shutdown.

I hear the exhaust restriction theory, especially on Dodges(had a '76 360 that kept clogging the intake pass over until we installed dual exhaust)- this van is old enough and has a gvw rating high enough to have come from the factory with 2 1/2" dual exhaust and no cats. I installed turbo mufflers, and tossed the tailpipes in favor of dumps out the sides, but tired of the rumble after a few 8 hr drives, so added two more. I doubt the four are as restrictive as the stock mufflers/tailpipes, but have no proof.

Took a good look at the radiator yesterday, looking for external clogging and damage- the fins are beginning to resemble me...a bit road worn and bent up. Started searching radiators online- the prices are all over the place ($100-$700) for "fits "87 P-30" without a lot of detail. Thinking I'm going to ignore most of ebay, etc and go through one of my trusted auto parts stores. There are a couple with "old timers" who still turn a wrench themselves.
One in particular will often suggest a different distribution center or brand for price or quality.

I'm not completely convinced that the issue is the radiator since it cools down quickly once the load is reduced on the highway, but do like the idea of more air passing through the radiator and engine compartment. I especially like the idea of NOT cooking my engine!
Thinking I may take the time to drain it (again) and backflush as John suggests while searching radiators.

This may take some time- I'm working a construction project that is time sensitive and complex, so Thirsty will have to be happy with new coolant , a rewired fan and mostly sitting idle on site for now.

 

[karl]

Ok, so Thirsty now has a new aluminum radiator, dual electric fans wired through a toggle and an "on at 200*/off at 160* sensor in addition to the stock fan. I also cut in a 4'' x 8'' louvered vent on each side to allow hot air out of the engine compartment.

The "direct fit" radiator was 3" shorter and used different mounting points(insert rolling eyes) Thankful for my fabricating skills once again.

End result is better cooling(rarely over 190*,even towing), with a noticeable bit after cutting in the vents. Hot air pours out the vents when parked, when the temp used to spike upwards of 220* on shutdown, it now doesn't exceed 200..

Added a second Renogy 100w panel to the rear hatch- a bit disappointed to find that renogy has changed the dimensions (3/8" shorter and a bit wider) as well as the mounting hole location and the panel appearance since I bought the first one. The mounting hole location resulted in my voiding the warrantee (for whatever that may be worth) by drilling new holes so that I could mount it in the same way I had the original. Now both panels can be removed and placed in the sun while Thirsty sits in the shade.

Next on the list is another 100ah battery and a fridge.

 

[66788]

One consideration when installing an aluminum radiator on an older vehicle that originally had a brass and copper radiator is electrolysis. You can measure the voltage with a good multimeter by grounding the negative on the battery terminal and stick the positive lead of the meter in the coolant (best done cold) not touching any part of the radiator.

Separate grounding of the radiator to the negative terminal of the battery is required, and depending on the results of your test, separate grounding of other electrical devices may be required. (usually aftermarket devices, including your solar system)

On a final note, use only distilled water when mixing your anti-freeze as tap water contains minerals that can promote electrolysis.

There is a wealth of information on this subject on the internet, just search for it.

 

[wagoneer]

View attachment 4517View attachment 4518View attachment 4519View attachment 4520Funny you should ask, been thinking about solar water heating for quite some time now and finially put this together, basically 8 feet of 4" ID black PVC. with a spigot over the side door
open the doors plastic sheet and a small shower stall is created, the only bug in the ointment is a way to fill it thinking of just drilling a hole and using a cork.

 

[akrvbob]

How is it attached to the ladder rack?
Bob

 

[wagoneer]

Hey Bob It is not attached and wieghs about 20 pounds (without water) I have yet to glue it together, still pondering over it's viable value and will do a test run unmounted in a total sunlit day, then I may decide to not hard mount. It's all up in the air for now.

 

[Phantom Blooper]

On one end could you not use a 90 then a small piece of pipe just enough to put a cleanout plug on it for filling?

 

[wagoneer]

Yes I have thought to also add some low pressure although gravity should be enough will post after mods are in place.

 

[B and C]

I know Sternwake (btw, your dad doing better?) doesn't like them, but I installed a 12v surface mount outlet in the rear storage compartment of the Roadtrek this last weekend.  This will give me easy access to power for a compressor or???

I have been looking for a hardwired (12v) solution for a USB micro plug charger.  All I could seem to find were 1.2 or 1.5 amp chargers.  I finally broke down and put a 12v power outlet with a 12v plugin charger and two micro USB's plugged into it.  Taped it all together and stuffed it into the overhead in the drivers area.  The two cords hang out of the headliner where I can use them to power my dash-cam and phone/GPS unit attached to the windshield with suction cup mounts.  I used one of those Anker IQ models as the charger.

Brian

 

[SternWake]

My dad is out of the hospital and happy to be home, thanks for asking.


Ciggy receptacles are OK for passing Small wattages such as the 10.2 watts of a 2.1a USB supply,  and when the connector works itself loose, is not going to do something like allow one's food to spoil.

I have a hardwired Blueseas USB:
http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Syst...&qid=1442430506&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+seas+USB

It can maintain 5.08v under a~ 2 amp load, while my other USP ports, that plug into 12v receptacles, cannot.

The BS USB and a short Anker cable charge my phone noticeable faster.

I've seen some nice combination units with USB output, 12v output and a voltmeter too in a panel that could be a nice product for a DIYer

I've no idea the quality but it appears to be cloned from the Blueseas design:

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Voltm...&qid=1442430686&sr=8-2&keywords=12v+usb+panel


It looks as though each is wired separately, and I do not know if the voltmeter can be calibrated.  An inaccurate voltmeter is not desirable

 

[B and C]

I am glad to hear he is out and I am sure he is real happy to not be prodded and probed  

When I was saying hardwired, I was meaning two wires out of a box (the actual charger part) connected to 12v and another micro-USB cable out of the box to run under the headliner to where I need it.  My headliner seems to be built out of a cardboard like substance and would not take well to the repeated pushing and pulling and the wiring would be hanging down.  Something like this.

Brian

 

[SternWake]

He still has to go back to get poked and prodded, but at least he gets to overnight at home.

As far as a microUSB cord to plug my Phone into.... I have a switched 12v receptacle with USB output taped together under my dash, with the cord coming out, and something similar near my Bed. That makes for 3 different USB charging locations in my Van, but the most used one is the Blueseas hard mount for its convenience, and ability to hold 5+ volts under load. If charging time is limited then this one with the short Anker cable is about 20% faster. The other two locations are not time constrained when in use.

Both are switched, but even unused I usually leave them switched on, as I forget and the small parasitic load is not a factor.

 

[B and C]

I put a switch inline with mine too.  Not much of a load, but easy to turn off.  I also piggybacked a fuse to it from the fuse panel on a key switched circuit.  Redundancy has almost always worked for me

Brian

 

[66788]

He still has to go back to get poked and prodded, but at least he gets to overnight at home.

As far as a microUSB cord to plug my Phone into.... I have a switched 12v receptacle with USB output taped together under my dash, with the cord coming out, and something similar near my Bed.  That makes for 3 different USB charging locations in my Van, but the most used one is the Blueseas hard mount for its convenience, and ability to hold 5+ volts under load.  If charging time is limited then this one with the short Anker cable is about 20% faster.  The other two locations are not time constrained when in use.

Both are switched, but even unused I usually leave them switched on, as I forget and the small parasitic load is not a factor.

I like the dual USB 4 amp plus 12VDC cigarette socket combo sold at amazon.com as shown below.  You can charge 2 USB items and run your 12VDC Endless Breeze or Road Pro fan as well.   Flush mounts anywhere.

combo USB + cigarette socket

 

[NeedAnEscape]

Today, I installed this roof vent in the poorly patched hole from a previous owner's similar vent. I haven't hooked the fan up yet but at least I no longer can take a shower by sitting under the hole while it rains. I also changed the fuse for the dash lights after they went out while driving in the rain with water running down the inside of the windshield.