With the heater hose replaced and replumbed, I decided it was time to do a
close check on everything with the new engine and transmission. Everything
looks good, but I noticed a couple of things:
The electronic thermostatically controlled automatic choke is not working
quite as predictably as it once did. It was fiddly to adjust it, and I was
rather surprised it needed adjustment given that I didn't even loosen the
screws on it. I was getting the middle value for high idle when cold, not
the highest value, and it was dropping off the middle value sooner than
usual. I wound it up a bit more.
There was fresh oil on the front of the engine, and a small puddle around
the oil pressure tree. So, I pulled all that apart, cleaned threads,
applied new teflon tape, and reassembled it. My tree has an angled coupling
that threads into the block, a steel tee that threads into that, and the
top of the tee holds a fuel-pump shut-off switch that I may actually wire
up someday. The side of the tee goes to a brass compressing fitting for the
1/16" brass tubing that runs to my mechanical pressure gauge. That was the
last part to be attached, and then I found the problem: The compression
ring is directional, which I didn't realize when I installed it (in
somewhat of a hurry, you'll recall) and the conical part wasn't seated into
the flare fitting as it should have been. I found another compression ring,
thank goodness. No hint of seepage now.
The transmission was one-half pint low, which, given that we "put the right
amount in it" instead of really measuring on the dipstick, is pretty good.
No hint of leaks there. No hint of leaks in the power steering pump,
either, and they may be the first time in the 14 years I've owned the coach
that no part of the power steering system was leaking. I'm sure it won't
last.
No telltale green tracks around all the coolant fittings. No exhaust leaks.
A little dribble out the final drive shaft seal, but that is going to be
replaced soon.
Engine heats up to the thermostat setting and then sits there, as usual.
I checked the battery wiring, and darned if I can find any visible issue
with it or any reason why it should have gone down while the coach was
plugged in. My grounding attachment on the side of the block, which makes
use of an unused threaded hole on the front of the block right below the
right head, was tightened by Colonel Torque, as was the cable nut on the
starter. Everything was tight. But I noticed that the combiners weren't
combining reliably when the converter was running, which shouldn't be. And
without being combined, the house battery was at 12.6 volts--not receiving
charging voltage from the converter. All the hot points by the converter
are at charging voltage, so I don't know what the problem was, but I traced
the main wire to where it buries in foam in the left side waist rail, and
everything looks good. I checked the 80-amp thermal breaker in the front,
that keeps that wire from becoming a welding electrode if it shorts, and I
checked the 40-amp magnetic breaker in the back that provides primary
branch protection. I cycled that breaker. And then everything started
working, but I'm not at all sure at the same time I cycled that breaker. It
may have been just when I fiddled with the wire. I need to check the
terminal on the main wire that goes from the converter to the up-front
house battery. I also moved the main ground strap that grounds the chassis
to the body, which is also strapped to the aforementioned block grounding
point. The connection to the body was poor and I moved it to a different
spot. But that's also not when it all started working. I need to study it
again when that's all I'm thinking about.
It sure is nice to see an engine that is not covered in oily grit when I
open the hatch.
Rick "always a few little things" Denney
--
'73 X-Glacier 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
Offlist email: rick at rickdenney dot com
close check on everything with the new engine and transmission. Everything
looks good, but I noticed a couple of things:
The electronic thermostatically controlled automatic choke is not working
quite as predictably as it once did. It was fiddly to adjust it, and I was
rather surprised it needed adjustment given that I didn't even loosen the
screws on it. I was getting the middle value for high idle when cold, not
the highest value, and it was dropping off the middle value sooner than
usual. I wound it up a bit more.
There was fresh oil on the front of the engine, and a small puddle around
the oil pressure tree. So, I pulled all that apart, cleaned threads,
applied new teflon tape, and reassembled it. My tree has an angled coupling
that threads into the block, a steel tee that threads into that, and the
top of the tee holds a fuel-pump shut-off switch that I may actually wire
up someday. The side of the tee goes to a brass compressing fitting for the
1/16" brass tubing that runs to my mechanical pressure gauge. That was the
last part to be attached, and then I found the problem: The compression
ring is directional, which I didn't realize when I installed it (in
somewhat of a hurry, you'll recall) and the conical part wasn't seated into
the flare fitting as it should have been. I found another compression ring,
thank goodness. No hint of seepage now.
The transmission was one-half pint low, which, given that we "put the right
amount in it" instead of really measuring on the dipstick, is pretty good.
No hint of leaks there. No hint of leaks in the power steering pump,
either, and they may be the first time in the 14 years I've owned the coach
that no part of the power steering system was leaking. I'm sure it won't
last.
No telltale green tracks around all the coolant fittings. No exhaust leaks.
A little dribble out the final drive shaft seal, but that is going to be
replaced soon.
Engine heats up to the thermostat setting and then sits there, as usual.
I checked the battery wiring, and darned if I can find any visible issue
with it or any reason why it should have gone down while the coach was
plugged in. My grounding attachment on the side of the block, which makes
use of an unused threaded hole on the front of the block right below the
right head, was tightened by Colonel Torque, as was the cable nut on the
starter. Everything was tight. But I noticed that the combiners weren't
combining reliably when the converter was running, which shouldn't be. And
without being combined, the house battery was at 12.6 volts--not receiving
charging voltage from the converter. All the hot points by the converter
are at charging voltage, so I don't know what the problem was, but I traced
the main wire to where it buries in foam in the left side waist rail, and
everything looks good. I checked the 80-amp thermal breaker in the front,
that keeps that wire from becoming a welding electrode if it shorts, and I
checked the 40-amp magnetic breaker in the back that provides primary
branch protection. I cycled that breaker. And then everything started
working, but I'm not at all sure at the same time I cycled that breaker. It
may have been just when I fiddled with the wire. I need to check the
terminal on the main wire that goes from the converter to the up-front
house battery. I also moved the main ground strap that grounds the chassis
to the body, which is also strapped to the aforementioned block grounding
point. The connection to the body was poor and I moved it to a different
spot. But that's also not when it all started working. I need to study it
again when that's all I'm thinking about.
It sure is nice to see an engine that is not covered in oily grit when I
open the hatch.
Rick "always a few little things" Denney
--
'73 X-Glacier 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
Offlist email: rick at rickdenney dot com
