1984 Airstream 345 owner (Newbie) need advice!

[HiHoAgRV]

I bet I can make that stuff rust just by opening this thread from down here in Mississippi.

[rmkrum]

Or anywhere in Alabama or Georgia.

Florida coast would cause a rust explosion...

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

I bet I can make that stuff rust just by opening this thread from down here in Mississippi.

[chriscraw]

Hi guys...sorry to barge in but can't find a thread that deals with this issue.
on my 350LE these adjustable "cab-lights" are not working. I suspect the bulbs are blown but can see no way to access them. No apparent blown fuse also the reverse camera and visor lights are working so am sure there is power.
Any thoughts?
chris

[Keyair]

Not familiar with that overhead unit.
My guess would be the bulbs are accessed by levering out the light unit ring, or even dropping the whole unit....

[Keyair]

Well, the time ticks on...
I have been busy in fits and starts on the aluminum wrap project and need to post my progress on version #2.

In the meanwhile, we have been busy bees...
I planned and executed a "Perfect"(Robyn's words!), 10th Anniversary European trip.
7 days in England(Her first time), and 7 days in Italy.
Driving on the "wrong" side of the road had her completely freaked out!
Pub food, local beer(Pic below), and the sheer history, and beauty of Oxford, the Cotswold's, and England in general had her reeling.
Sorry to Boomsounds, as I just didnt have the time for a pint, as we split our time between Oxford(Parents and Siblings were demanding), and Chester(Daughter).
Then, we flew out to Pisa, for a local, kinda gastronomic tour of an area of Tuscany I lived in 20 years ago.
It was a blast, to see my girl see a side of me, she didnt really know(I speak pretty much fluent Italian), had her jaw dangling.
We did Volterra, Lucca, San Giminiagno, and a bunch of other spots I know well.
Watching her face as she sampled local faire like "Prosciutto e Melone" and "Crostini Del Toscana", was too much fun! Oh, and there may have been some wine involved too!
Our Anniversary dinner in Sienna, in Palazzo Del Campo, was the icing on the cake...
I took this pic from our dinner table as the evening wrapped up.
Like she said... Perfect...
We have one more event coming this month, and then the rest of the year is open for me to get some progress on the Airstream achieved...

[Keyair]

I need a T shirt!
Should read “I escaped the Hawaii Volcano Eruption in 2018!”.
Just got back from Big Island. Very nice trip....
Now, sweetheart, can I get back to the Airstream?
And, Yes, the Mimosa girl drink was mine, before anyone asks....

[Keyair]

I realized in my retrimming project that I was not gonna have enough “Black Pepper” dark brown leather to do what I planned.
I sat back and furrowed my brow for a bit.
Last week I added some more leather skins to my collection of shades with the plan to add some lighter panels to the mix, and release the brown to go further, and be the continuity theme, even tho the detail panel may vary a touch.
11 boxes arrived, with 9 different skins or different shades so I can decide.

[bobmiller1]

You’ve got it made my friend ! Regards, Bob

[Keyair]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

You’ve got it made my friend ! Regards, Bob

Think you said that wrong Bob....
I think you meant, "You got to make that".

Its been a rough few months...
Scooting around the world...
Now I gotta put my Money/Mouth/Tools where my Airstream is...

[Keyair]

As posted in the generator section...

Bought the HF Predator 2000 Inverter Generator today.
$449 with Fathers Day Coupon.
We missed the $429 coupon last week... shame, but no biggy.

Brought it home, unpacked and read the instructions.

First Impressions were great.
Very compact, and a nice looking unit.
Nice handle, and at 50lb or so, easy to pick up for me.

Came with a tool kit(Plug wrench, wrench, and screwdriver).
Surprised to note, that the required oil is not supplied.
Evidence the the engine is test run, then drained for shipping, as oil is visible on the dipstick
I used 10-30 Valvoline Synthetic, which, I actually had on hand, and it didn't seem to take much.
I checked, and it quotes 13 FL Ounces.
Put some fresh 87 gas in(with Stabil 360).

Pulled it 5 times or so, to prime oil into the motor, and gas into the carb.

Switched it to run, pulled the handle and I bet it fired up before I was 1/3 into the stroke!

Super impressed with how smooth and quiet it is.
I have a DB Meter so I will run a test and report back.

Bought it for Tent camping, portable power, and home emergency use.
It definitely quieter than the 7000w Kohler in the Motorhome, when it was running!

It will be useful to take with me and power the MH until I figure out what is wrong with the Kohler!

Not sure if its enough to run one AC...
Anyone know what that takes?

[Magnet18]

I've heard mixed reports of running AC on a 2KW genny
Most say you can't, every now and then someone says they do, depends on your starting capacitor and compressor

[Keyair]

Yup, my research yesterday agrees.
People have started and run 13.5 AC units, if they do a certain sequence.

If it will run one AC, great, but the master plan is to just have some 110v on hand at the storage to do some work!

Whilst I dont claim to understand it fully, I also like the idea of having the "Inverter" Generator as an option, for boon docking, when we don't need the AC, but just want a quiet, clean, 110v supply.

[Keyair]

Here it is.
54.8 lb full of gas and ready to go.

[Keyair]

So, I try to update as I go along.... good or bad.

After a busy first half of the year, I’ve been in catch up mode. The GF has charged me with a large Honey-Do list. One priority line item is to fix up the Range Rover and sell it... and she added the sweetener that any funds recuperated will be applied to the MH. So I’m working on that, and I’m maybe a week away from getting it advertised!
Part of that was a trip to the Junkyard last week for some parts, which is 5 miles from where the MH is stored, so a combo trip.
It was a hot day with the forecast in the low 90s but off I went loaded with water.
The Junkyard was a success, and I got what I needed.
Off to the Motorhome I went full of hope.
I had recently repaired and restored my old noisy UST 3500w generator, that we kept at the house for emergencies. I took it with me to power the MH, run one AC and charge the batteries.
That went well, plugging it in to the MH cord, and the batteries charging and the front AC blowing cold!
My plan was to work inside on some stuff and if I had some shade to try to figure out what’s wrong with the Kohler onboard unit.
I left the ac running to cool the interior while I stripped the genset panel
Off, disconnected the exhaust and slid the unit out of the compartment on its slides.
Here is what I found, and noted down as I chased wires to find the reason why the fuse blows every time I try to start it.
1/ Electric choke power wire is cut, and both ends are floats free to short to ground.
2/ Fuel shutoff solenoid is MIA, and no sign of where it was or wiring.
3/ Fuel pump wire burned/loose.
4/ Loose wiring everywhere.
5/ AC wire fed thru battery compartment metal sides with no grommets... wire is chaffed through insulation in 2 spots.

[rmkrum]

Sigh. Sounds like time for a refurbish/rebuild in yet another area. (Sympathy)

[Keyair]

So, looking at the whole mess, I made a spot decision... to pull the genset, load it in the Range Rover, and bring the unit home to diagnose/repair.
While it is out I could clean up the decades of oil sludge and disintegrating soundproofing, and add new MLV soundproofing and run the wiring and fuel lines to a better standard.
I shut off the portable generator, isolated the batteries and went inside, disconnecting the genset wiring from the transfer switch and 12v system.

The unit weighs 350lb by the book. But it’s probably more with the tray. Im strong, but I knew I couldn’t lift it, but I had my Motorcycle lift at the MH, from when I removed the gas tank, and it’s good for 500lb.
I slid the unit out, onto the MC lift and wheeled it away from the MH. I brought the Range Rover around and put the Air Suspension in Kneel mode, lowering it to slide the genset in the trunk on blankets and a drip tray.
The gunk I found behind the unit was scary, and a huge fire hazard!

Now this is when I screwed up and things went bad...
The RR was about 28” off the ground, and the MC lift topped out at 15”.
No problem, I thought. I grabbed some blocks, lifted the genset, blocked it, and then put blocks under the lift, to make up the difference.
I was right there... I was at the right height to slide it home, but in my haste to get it done, and get out of the heat, I made a mistake. The grease on the bottom of the unit, the slight slope of the lot, and the blocks allowed the unit to slide. I was right there, I thought I had it, but my hand slipped, and it got away from me
I made the decision that having 350lb fall on my leg or foot, in the middle of nowhere was not worth it, and when my grip went I jumped out of the way. Over it went, onto the front face, and over upside down.
I quickly lowered the MC jack, grabbed the unit, and with two humps, had it back on the lift, wheeled it back to the MH and stuffed it back in the compartment, cleaned up, locked up and left, embarrassed, overheated, exhausted, and heartbroken.
Damage I noted was: ID plate ripped off, front sparkplug shattered, coil snapped off its mountings, and a piece of the chassis casting from somewhere.
I don’t screw up bad too often, but that one was a good one.
We are having a heatwave here, and it’s been 115+ out there, so once it cools I will go back, with the right equipment, remove it, and do a better assessment of how bad it is.

[Magnet18]

Yep, probably best to strip it out, restore the bay, and do a clean reinstall.
How many hours on it?
Gotta weigh the trade of of getting it running, installed, and having doubts about it giving out on the future, vs getting it running, selling it, and putting in a nice new quiet one

Bummer about the generator, coulda been a lot worse!

[Keyair]

I have no idea how many hours on it. The hour meter was disconnected and said 50 I think.
I guess I will have to assess the damage, and cost of fixing it vs maybe buying 2x of the HF Predator 3500 units that can be run in tandem, are clean invertor units, and cost $700 each.

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by Keyair

I have no idea how many hours on it. The hour meter was disconnected and said 50 I think.
I guess I will have to assess the damage, and cost of fixing it vs maybe buying 2x of the HF Predator 3500 units that can be run in tandem, are clean invertor units, and cost $700 each.

You say they run in tandem, meaning they synchronize the outputs? You could wire them together for 7000watts? That's nifty