Dad's Toy

[bobmiller1]

Just for the hell of it, you might want to check the line voltage to make absolutely sure that it is in fact the transfer switch, just curious ??? does the transfer switch kick out when on shore power or generator power ?

[dadstoy]

Yup it's the transfer switch. I reconnected it to test again. It works ok under minimal load. With the A/C on it cuts out after 5-10 minutes. I can bang on it and the relay kicks back in.

For about $10 the problem is solved.


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[martin300662]

Originally Posted by dadstoy

I'm even going lower tech with just a 30amp receptacle.

Works for me....30amp inlet and either plug in the shore or the generator as available, or don't bother and run on the battery/inverter/solar.

[dadstoy]

Break downs of any type are not fun. Last week on my way to the ranch, I had a tire blowout on my truck out on the highway at 70 mph. My truck and I came out of the experience safe and sound...except for the frustration over the situation, a frustration that I just know would have been doubled if I had the blowout on the motor home during a trip.

I've had flat tires before, but never at 70 mph. The truck handled well at high speed and a flat front tire! Driving up and down Highway 5 in California, I'm used to experiencing strong cross winds and as I found myself holding the steering wheel off center about 25 degrees, I was saying to myself that the wind must be blowing really strong out there. I looked out into the fields of corn, rice, sun flowers, orchards, you name it to see if the vegetation was blowing in the wind. Nope! Then it was the quick escalating thump, thump, thump of the tire where I knew it was a blown tire.

I was thinking, don't slam on the brakes, but I sort of did anyway and pulled over to the shoulder. I was a couple hundred yards from an exit so I slowly drove up to the exit. I'm sure that added to the damage to the tire's sidewall, but I didn't want to be changing a tire on the side of the highway.

As with any tire change, it was a pain to get the spare out and a pain to use the tools supplied by the manufacturer but it all worked out. It was only 95 degrees out that day, down from 112 degrees two weeks earlier on the same drive and the smoke from all the fires up north had waned a bit as well.

I had some expensive Michelin tires on the truck, more expensive then the tires I put on the motor home, with a year to a year and a half of life left on them. My spare was a different size and make and it was probably 8 to 10 years old. So know what? I can make it to the ranch, but I can't drive back home on that spare. I knew I would have to change at least two tires if not all four. Where should I get new tires? It was Saturday afternoon and the shop that I use in Redding was closed until Monday.

It's a 100 mile round trip from the ranch property to the shop and I headed out early on Monday morning. The shop didn't have the tires in stock but they would have them the following morning. So another trip into town on Tuesday. With a mix up in getting all black walls verses the raised white letter sidewalls that I wanted, it was a third 100 mile round trip into town again on Wednesday.

Because of the age of the tires, I decided to replace all four of them. What the hell, that is what credit cards are for right? The shop made it up to me and this is why I have used them over the last few years for the motor home and the truck!

It sure would have worked out better if the tire blew out down the street from my home. It sure got me to thinking about breaking down with the motor home hundreds of miles away from home. If this was the case with the motor home, I would have been sitting on the side of the highway for hours and hours. I'm sure I would have ended up with a tire that I would not be happy with at all and probably at a "highway robbery" price!

This is why I go out of my way to do my best to ensure the motor home is mechanically sound before heading out on any trip. This makes for an interesting situation at times for example in the past when the shop says that two of the four wheel bearings need replacing and I have to insist that they replace all four. If two are bad, the other two are probably not far behind in failure as well and I can't afford to be broken down on the highway with something that I could have taken care of before.

We aren't going to Burning Man this year (which starts today), but we are heading to Yosemite in October, so let's see, what do I need to service or replace before we go?

[mayco]

I had trouble with my transfer sw as we were leaving our campsite this weekend, at least I'm assuming it was the transfer switch. Wanted to run the rooftop AC on the way home, started the genny and let it warm up for a good five minutes, went to turn on the AC and nada, checked outlets and nada. No power in the coach. Checked all the usual suspects, breakers on the panel, breakers on the genny, etc..
Turned off the genny, let it sit for a few moments, restarted and bingo everything inside was powered up. So Im assuming the transfer sw didnt engage on the first attempt.

So let me make sure I understand what you did there. Right side box is your feed from the genny with 30amp recepticle. Left side box has feed out the top going to your 120v electrical panel and your shore power cord coming out the bottom. Thats pretty much it correct? Then when you want to power up using the genny you just plug your shore power cord into that new 30amp recepticle?

Mike

[PeterH-350LE]

I always have one of these in an outlet. Tells me when the genny is kicking in and also the voltage of the landline I am using.

[mayco]

Thats more convenient than having to get my multimeter out of the tool box every time.

[dadstoy]

Hey Mike,

Yes, the right side box is only the feed from the GenSet and connects only to the 30amp receptacle. The GenSet feed had previously entered the left side box so it just needed to move a few inches to enter the right side box. The "extra" romex above the right side box is an "old" cable no longer used...disconnected at both ends, wire nutted and labeled as such.

The left side box is just a junction box to feed the shore power line up inside the coach to the rear closet in the bath. It also fed the GenSet feed to the inside...which is now capped off.

If I need to run off the GenSet, I plug the shore power cord into the new 30amp receptacle (box the right side). I really love the automatic transfer switch and of course it is a bit more elegant, but at this point, I'm not spending another $100 on something that is not actually necessary. I have yet to have to get up at 3am in the morning and switch on the GenSet, so having to manually switch the power cord from a shore power pedestal to the GenSet receptacle doesn't bother me when needed.

Inside the bath closet is the now dead transfer switch (the metal box at the bottom). It is now simply a junction box. I may at some point remove it so there are fewer connections. The black box is the power management system (surge protector). It is probably the best addition I have added to the coach. It has probably even saved my life! Earlier this year the 110v line running from the left side of the salon through the roof and over to an outlet on the right side shorted out somewhere in the roof. The power management system cut off the power otherwise I'm sure I would have had a very jolting experience grabbing the door handle.

A great feature of the power management system is the display which shows and current or previous error condition, the hertz, voltage and amp draw.

Originally Posted by mayco

I had trouble with my transfer sw as we were leaving our campsite this weekend, at least I'm assuming it was the transfer switch. Wanted to run the rooftop AC on the way home, started the genny and let it warm up for a good five minutes, went to turn on the AC and nada, checked outlets and nada. No power in the coach. Checked all the usual suspects, breakers on the panel, breakers on the genny, etc..
Turned off the genny, let it sit for a few moments, restarted and bingo everything inside was powered up. So Im assuming the transfer sw didnt engage on the first attempt.

So let me make sure I understand what you did there. Right side box is your feed from the genny with 30amp recepticle. Left side box has feed out the top going to your 120v electrical panel and your shore power cord coming out the bottom. Thats pretty much it correct? Then when you want to power up using the genny you just plug your shore power cord into that new 30amp recepticle?

Mike

[dadstoy]

That's a great idea. My power management system has a display which shows hertz, voltage and amp draw, but its in the bath closet, so I keep one of these plugged into the outlet in the galley...

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

I always have one of these in an outlet. Tells me when the genny is kicking in and also the voltage of the landline I am using.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by dadstoy

...cuts out after 5-10 minutes. I can bang on it and the relay kicks back in.

You'll know it's time to replace the part when banging on it no longer works...

[rmkrum]

Knowing where to hit it, how hard, and how many times is a mark of a true professional computer trouble shooter.....been there, done that, and still have the ball cap

(USS Ranger CVA-61. I was a data systems (computers and displays) technician)


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[dadstoy]

I spent last week at the ranch working on some motor home projects. We didn't make it to Burning Man this year, but we are heading to Yosemite in about a month.

There are always projects and tasks to do anytime we are about to take our 30+ year old coach out on the highway.

See more on my blog...
Getting Ready for the Next Trip | project AIRSTREAM

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by dadstoy

I spent last week at the ranch working on some motor home projects. We didn't make it to Burning Man this year, but we are heading to Yosemite in about a month.

There are always projects and tasks to do anytime we are about to take our 30+ year old coach out on the highway.

See more on my blog...
Getting Ready for the Next Trip | project AIRSTREAM

Yeah, Dean, always some tasks before and then you get send home with a report card after
A.C.S.L.
Just read your blog, did you replace the rear tranny oil seal while you had access?

[dadstoy]

Driveshaft is at the machine shop right now. I will replace parking brake shoes and rear tranny seal before I reinstall the driveshaft.

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

Yeah, Dean, always some tasks before and then you get send home with a report card after
A.C.S.L.
Just read your blog, did you replace the rear tranny oil seal while you had access?

[dadstoy]

After working on the motor home for four years, the To Do Lists never seem to end, but at least they seem to be getting smaller...

[martin300662]

That looks like a significant reduction to me, Dean; the big plus is you are still getting to use and enjoy it whilst crossing stuff off the list.

[dadstoy]

There have been many, many lists between these two! LOL

One of my goals has always been to keep the motor home "usable" during any renovation or repair...maybe not always road worthy, but at least livable while at the ranch!

Originally Posted by martin300662

That looks like a significant reduction to me, Dean; the big plus is you are still getting to use and enjoy it whilst crossing stuff off the list.

[mayco]

Good morning Dean,
Would you be willing to post the part number for the replacement shoes for the parking brake? I am needing to do mine also. Ive adjusted it underneath as far as I can but I can see the shoes and there isnt much left on the pads. Thank you, happy Labor Day

Mike

[dadstoy]

Happy Labor Day Mike,

It will probably be another week before I head north to the ranch and pick up the drive shaft and other parts from the machine shop/parts house. I will definitely let you know the part number for the parking brake shoes.

Dean

Originally Posted by mayco

Good morning Dean,
Would you be willing to post the part number for the replacement shoes for the parking brake? I am needing to do mine also. Ive adjusted it underneath as far as I can but I can see the shoes and there isnt much left on the pads. Thank you, happy Labor Day

Mike

[mayco]

Ok Dean. Ill post here what Ive found for those shoes. Dont have my notes in front of me. It seems though that there may have been two different designs on the trans parking brake. (Nothing to do with the whole "autobrake stuff of later years". Im assuming that since our rigs are the same year that they may be the same though I have the Allison tranny. Mine does not have the hole in the back plate to access a star wheel adjustment. The drum is solid with no access to the internals. All adjustments (other than the thumb turn on the pull handle) are done with a series of of clevis and threaded rod. Im wondering if the internal parts such as the shoes are the same as the ones with the star wheel adjustment. I have found shoes, identified as "propeller shaft park brake". Ill post what Ive found.

Mike