SternWake
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2013
- Messages
- 3,874
- Reaction score
- 2
Sometimes the feeling of accomplishment of something minor, or perhaps a stage accomplished toward something major, can really help improve mood and outlook.
I put this in the Conversion and Modifications Forum, hoping that people don't decide to tell us they drove their ride somewhere, and that that is worthy of having "done" something to it. If you've already got a thread going about your conversion, this thread can serve as a heads up to go check out the more detailed progress over there ,or just provide the short version of the progress.
I think there is less interest in having work performed on your vehicle by someone else, much more interesting if you have done it yourself, learned something, accomplished something, and want to share that.
These types of threads can go off topic easily and sometimes new threads should be started on a certain Specific topic, but some leeway should be allowed to address issues, ask questions, or find an amusing tangent within this thread, if the interest is there, and if it proves to be a long lasting thread. All it takes is one person to re align the thread to its purpose, so thread Highjackings should be accommodated to a degree but lets not make the moderators work harder than they have to.
Pics always appreciated by me, but I know some have limited data plans, so keep them in mind, and please keep quoting to a minimum. If addressing a person's post, address that person, do not quote the person's whole post, and add a smiley face or a "x2"or some other infuriating nonsense popular on other forums. The quoting being the infuriating part, not the smiley face.
........
So here is what I accomplished today, I replaced 2 of 3 of my fan belts. The alternator belt had stretched so much I could no longer adjust it tighter to get it to the proper tension, and stop the squealing when it was required to provide more than 65 amps. I used a Made in the USA Goodyear Gatorback belt as a replacement. The stretched belt was made in Mexico, and was showing some age and stress and wear. My alternator is asked to work hard so I don't blame the belt, yet, I need to see how this new belt fares in the same stresses.
My van actually has provisions for 2 V belts for the alternator and AC compressor. My AC compressor is just a dead pulley, and the pulleys are not aligned very well, so with 2 matched belts installed, one would always be looser than the other and vibrate and cause weird harmonics, so I run just one belt, and when the battery(s) are thirsty, it stresses this single belt to the limit where it slips and squeals, and apparently stretches. I've tried to address the slight pulley misalignment in the past, but it is simply too much work to achieve perfection.
The third belt is for my Airpump. Emissions. I used to remove the belt after passing CA smog tests, because the airpump is kind of noisy and is a literal drag on the motor, but then the air pump would seize and it and the check valves would need to be replaced too before the next smog test. Easier and cheaper to just leave the belt on and turn up the stereo.
I also replaced the powersteering / waterpump belt as it had to come off anyway to reach the alternator belt.
I addressed some Stereo wiring and found out why my aftermarket mechanical oil pressure Gauge's light no longer functioned. The T10 base incandescent 194 bulb had been knocked from the back of the gauge from the haphazard 3.5mm stereo mini plug wiring, and USB charge wiring to charge my Phone, which passes through the same general area.
I replaced the incandescent 194 with a Red LED bulb I had handy. Much nicer, but it does not dim as much as the incandescent 194, but does not need to. I made it so the wires could not pull the bulb holder from the gauge again. I have several long stereo mini plug cables from different sources/ locations through out my Van to make it easy to run my TV, Phone or laptop through the stereo speakers.
My Flatscreen LED backlit 13.3 inch 12vDC TV is on a 4 foot long double elbow swing arm which allows me to place the TV where easiest to look at, whether facing my third chair or right over my head when in bed and any point/angle in between. At the end of the swing arm is a little device to allow tilting the screen up or down or hold it flat and out of the way when driving. It has a thumbscrew to tighten to hold it in a certain position.
The plastic teeth eventually stripped, and could not hold the TV at the angle desired. I had superglued 220 grit sandpaper where the stripped teeth were, which worked awesome, for 3 weeks before the sandpaper was smooth as a baby's bottom. Tonight I put some rubber O rings on top of the sandpaper. All is now well, but do not know for how long.
When tinkering with this, I had the TV on, and I lost reception on all channels. The RG-6 cable had been flexed so much, so often over the years, that the outer part of the cabling, the quad shielded ground, lost continuity. I expected the center copper conductor to have failed but it was the outer shielding which did.
I had some quality new RG-6, ready to install and finally did so. When I ran an Autoscan, I saw channels I have not seen in months, and I only have my small "traveltenna" attached, not the larger anti stealth homemade Alien antenna that I can clamp to my spare tire carrier, put 12 feet into the air, and can pick up pretty much everything available if aimed correctly..
I am not sure if i want to cross more projects off my list this holiday weekend, or go grab a beachside parking spot in the early morning and hold it till sundown and accomplish nothing more than saltwater therapy, but If I get there late, no parking spots, traffic nimrods everywhere, and I return back to my Spot with an entire new and unhealthy contempt for humanity.
So, What did You, do to your Freedom Machine today?
I put this in the Conversion and Modifications Forum, hoping that people don't decide to tell us they drove their ride somewhere, and that that is worthy of having "done" something to it. If you've already got a thread going about your conversion, this thread can serve as a heads up to go check out the more detailed progress over there ,or just provide the short version of the progress.
I think there is less interest in having work performed on your vehicle by someone else, much more interesting if you have done it yourself, learned something, accomplished something, and want to share that.
These types of threads can go off topic easily and sometimes new threads should be started on a certain Specific topic, but some leeway should be allowed to address issues, ask questions, or find an amusing tangent within this thread, if the interest is there, and if it proves to be a long lasting thread. All it takes is one person to re align the thread to its purpose, so thread Highjackings should be accommodated to a degree but lets not make the moderators work harder than they have to.
Pics always appreciated by me, but I know some have limited data plans, so keep them in mind, and please keep quoting to a minimum. If addressing a person's post, address that person, do not quote the person's whole post, and add a smiley face or a "x2"or some other infuriating nonsense popular on other forums. The quoting being the infuriating part, not the smiley face.
........
So here is what I accomplished today, I replaced 2 of 3 of my fan belts. The alternator belt had stretched so much I could no longer adjust it tighter to get it to the proper tension, and stop the squealing when it was required to provide more than 65 amps. I used a Made in the USA Goodyear Gatorback belt as a replacement. The stretched belt was made in Mexico, and was showing some age and stress and wear. My alternator is asked to work hard so I don't blame the belt, yet, I need to see how this new belt fares in the same stresses.
My van actually has provisions for 2 V belts for the alternator and AC compressor. My AC compressor is just a dead pulley, and the pulleys are not aligned very well, so with 2 matched belts installed, one would always be looser than the other and vibrate and cause weird harmonics, so I run just one belt, and when the battery(s) are thirsty, it stresses this single belt to the limit where it slips and squeals, and apparently stretches. I've tried to address the slight pulley misalignment in the past, but it is simply too much work to achieve perfection.
The third belt is for my Airpump. Emissions. I used to remove the belt after passing CA smog tests, because the airpump is kind of noisy and is a literal drag on the motor, but then the air pump would seize and it and the check valves would need to be replaced too before the next smog test. Easier and cheaper to just leave the belt on and turn up the stereo.
I also replaced the powersteering / waterpump belt as it had to come off anyway to reach the alternator belt.
I addressed some Stereo wiring and found out why my aftermarket mechanical oil pressure Gauge's light no longer functioned. The T10 base incandescent 194 bulb had been knocked from the back of the gauge from the haphazard 3.5mm stereo mini plug wiring, and USB charge wiring to charge my Phone, which passes through the same general area.
I replaced the incandescent 194 with a Red LED bulb I had handy. Much nicer, but it does not dim as much as the incandescent 194, but does not need to. I made it so the wires could not pull the bulb holder from the gauge again. I have several long stereo mini plug cables from different sources/ locations through out my Van to make it easy to run my TV, Phone or laptop through the stereo speakers.
My Flatscreen LED backlit 13.3 inch 12vDC TV is on a 4 foot long double elbow swing arm which allows me to place the TV where easiest to look at, whether facing my third chair or right over my head when in bed and any point/angle in between. At the end of the swing arm is a little device to allow tilting the screen up or down or hold it flat and out of the way when driving. It has a thumbscrew to tighten to hold it in a certain position.
The plastic teeth eventually stripped, and could not hold the TV at the angle desired. I had superglued 220 grit sandpaper where the stripped teeth were, which worked awesome, for 3 weeks before the sandpaper was smooth as a baby's bottom. Tonight I put some rubber O rings on top of the sandpaper. All is now well, but do not know for how long.
When tinkering with this, I had the TV on, and I lost reception on all channels. The RG-6 cable had been flexed so much, so often over the years, that the outer part of the cabling, the quad shielded ground, lost continuity. I expected the center copper conductor to have failed but it was the outer shielding which did.
I had some quality new RG-6, ready to install and finally did so. When I ran an Autoscan, I saw channels I have not seen in months, and I only have my small "traveltenna" attached, not the larger anti stealth homemade Alien antenna that I can clamp to my spare tire carrier, put 12 feet into the air, and can pick up pretty much everything available if aimed correctly..
I am not sure if i want to cross more projects off my list this holiday weekend, or go grab a beachside parking spot in the early morning and hold it till sundown and accomplish nothing more than saltwater therapy, but If I get there late, no parking spots, traffic nimrods everywhere, and I return back to my Spot with an entire new and unhealthy contempt for humanity.
So, What did You, do to your Freedom Machine today?
