Drinking the Koolaide... 😊

[pvfjr]

Goodness, that sounds like a mess. I'm glad you got the mystery solved. Things like that is why I like to just walk around with my DC clamp meter and watch things. I turn stuff on and off, and make sure all the currents are of an expected magnitude and direction, and in the expected places/wires. It's really helped me sort out some weird stuff on vehicles in the past--especially that "aftermarket" stuff.

 

[sailor man]

The good news is that I pick up the reconditioned (2) Litionics 51.2vdc 150aH batteries from Lithionics in Clearwater, FL. The report is that the batteries are fine.
The problem that I was not able to charge the batteries was that their distributor, Van Life, neglected to provide their can bus IonBus cables to activate the BMS, So I was never able to charge the battereis from the alternator or anywhere else.
I am getting two more IonBus cables to complete the system.


I had to take apart the system to have the batteries to have them checked out.

Soon the 51.2vdc system will be back in place and operational. I will be able to activate the 2 YMGI mini split heat pumps for the first time.

 

[RvRev2]

The good news is that I pick up the reconditioned (2) Litionics 51.2vdc 150aH batteries from Lithionics in Clearwater, FL. The report is that the batteries are fine.
The problem that I was not able to charge the batteries was that their distributor, Van Life, neglected to provide their can bus IonBus cables to activate the BMS, So I was never able to charge the battereis from the alternator or anywhere else.
I am getting two more IonBus cables to complete the system.
View attachment 16513
View attachment 16514
I had to take apart the system to have the batteries to have them checked out.
View attachment 16515
Soon the 51.2vdc system will be back in place and operational. I will be able to activate the 2 YMGI mini split heat pumps for the first time.

Good save, Sailorman. Glad you got it figured out. I never could understand that voodoo magical electrical stuff.
Also, did you have a parasitical draw, or was it all just because of the missing cables?

 

[sailor man]

Good save, Sailorman. Glad you got it figured out. I never could understand that voodoo magical electrical stuff.
Also, did you have a parasitical draw, or was it all just because of the missing cables?

It was the missing IonBus (canBus) cables that were supposed to be part of the order from the Lithionics distributer. The batteries could not be charged so They lived with only the initial charge at the factory (not 100%). Without the missing cables, the BMS was not operational.

The batteries could never power anything without the cables.

 

[Tybalt39]

Question...

I'm running a new wire from the house lithium batteries to the 8-position house fuse-block. I see the original wire from the house lead-acid battery was 10ga and the wire from the buzz-box was 6ga. Considering that when the house would run from battery alone (no generator) the fuse-block was fed by just a single 10ga wire from the battery, is there any reason I need to go larger than that from the new lithium bank to the fuse-block? 10ga should handle a 50A load for 5ft (the estimate distance from the new DC source to the fuse-block; 8ga for the full panel load of 85A max). With every light changed to LED, will I ever get to 85A (every circuit running at full capacity at the same time)?

 

[pvfjr]

Question...

I'm running a new wire from the house lithium batteries to the 8-position house fuse-block. I see the original wire from the house lead-acid battery was 10ga and the wire from the buzz-box was 6ga. Considering that when the house would run from battery alone (no generator) the fuse-block was fed by just a single 10ga wire from the battery, is there any reason I need to go larger than that from the new lithium bank to the fuse-block? 10ga should handle a 50A load for 5ft (the estimate distance from the new DC source to the fuse-block; 8ga for the full panel load of 85A max). With every light changed to LED, will I ever get to 85A (every circuit running at full capacity at the same time)?

View attachment 16648

Great question. I think you'd need to make a realistic upper-end estimate of your usage of simultaneous devices. As you noted, switching to LEDs removes a lot of the former load. What other appliance upgrades do you have? Most of my appliances draw nothing or nearly nothing (oven, fridge).
I think the biggest thing would be all the fans. Furnace fan plus three ceiling fans and a range fan could add up a bit.

5 feet of 10ga would give about a 4% voltage drop at 50A--that's a 24W heater with PVC insulation. It'd start heating up decently. But is that a realistic use case? I supposed it's easy enough to turn on everything you can think of, and have a DC clamp meter in place. Or you could meter each circuit individually and add them all up.

Typically, it's safe to assume that the current capacity input to a fuse/breaker panel need not exceed the sum of its outputs. This is almost always true if you add up all the breakers in your house. But, that has a main breaker that protects the input wire, and this fuse panel does not. In that case, erring on the side of caution isn't a bad idea if you can't assure yourself the loads will stay small enough.

 

[Tybalt39]

Great question. I think you'd need to make a realistic upper-end estimate of your usage of simultaneous devices. As you noted, switching to LEDs removes a lot of the former load. What other appliance upgrades do you have? Most of my appliances draw nothing or nearly nothing (oven, fridge).
I think the biggest thing would be all the fans. Furnace fan plus three ceiling fans and a range fan could add up a bit.

5 feet of 10ga would give about a 4% voltage drop at 50A--that's a 24W heater with PVC insulation. It'd start heating up decently. But is that a realistic use case? I supposed it's easy enough to turn on everything you can think of, and have a DC clamp meter in place. Or you could meter each circuit individually and add them all up.

Typically, it's safe to assume that the current capacity input to a fuse/breaker panel need not exceed the sum of its outputs. This is almost always true if you add up all the breakers in your house. But, that has a main breaker that protects the input wire, and this fuse panel does not. In that case, erring on the side of caution isn't a bad idea if you can't assure yourself the loads will stay small enough.

No heater fan; I have a heat-pump with a portable heater for backup as I only use it in the summer (deleting all propane devices). Forgot about the two 14" roof fans.

I currently have no lead-acid house battery connected to the house side of the boost solenoid, so no 10ga wire to the fuse-block. I killed every lead-acid battery in coach, so I just bought one to get it started. I suppose I could jumper around the solenoid to activate the 10ga red wire to the fuse-block for testing. Or, I may just connect a 10ga wire from the house lithium batteries to the fuse-block and test with my clamp meter (all lights first, then add the other items one at a time). That will get me functional for the time being while I separate the house systems from the old batteries and eliminate the "boost" function.



Has anyone removed the blue diode "isolator" box and boost solenoid completely? With Lithium in the "house" those components no longer serve a purpose. It would simplify the front bay wiring and remove a switch from the dash.

My DC-DC charger is supposed to connect directly to the starter battery. If needed, it can be "reversed" to provide a charge from the lithium to the starter battery (not a "jump" or "boost"; slow charge) as needed. The solar panels would keep the lithium battery charged while charging the starter battery (I would have to turn the heat-pump off just in case; not enough solar input to do both).

 

[sailor man]

No heater fan; I have a heat-pump with a portable heater for backup as I only use it in the summer (deleting all propane devices). Forgot about the two 14" roof fans.

I currently have no lead-acid house battery connected to the house side of the boost solenoid, so no 10ga wire to the fuse-block. I killed every lead-acid battery in coach, so I just bought one to get it started. I suppose I could jumper around the solenoid to activate the 10ga red wire to the fuse-block for testing. Or, I may just connect a 10ga wire from the house lithium batteries to the fuse-block and test with my clamp meter (all lights first, then add the other items one at a time). That will get me functional for the time being while I separate the house systems from the old batteries and eliminate the "boost" function.

View attachment 16649

Has anyone removed the blue diode "isolator" box and boost solenoid completely? With Lithium in the "house" those components no longer serve a purpose. It would simplify the front bay wiring and remove a switch from the dash.

My DC-DC charger is supposed to connect directly to the starter battery. If needed, it can be "reversed" to provide a charge from the lithium to the starter battery (not a "jump" or "boost"; slow charge) as needed. The solar panels would keep the lithium battery charged while charging the starter battery (I would have to turn the heat-pump off just in case; not enough solar input to do both).

Since we are talking direct current wiring, I use these charts for wire sizing. I always use the 3% Critical selection because I cannot bear to waste and additional 7% to heat and inefficiency.

For fusing I use this chart.

These charts are from BlueSea.

LiFePO4 batteries are not good to use for starting our engines. I have a DieHard Gold 800 CCA, 10aH sealed lead acid battery for that, powered solely by a Sterling 12v battery to 12v battery charger.

 

[Tybalt39]

Since we are talking direct current wiring, I use these charts for wire sizing. I always use the 3% Critical selection because I cannot bear to waste and additional 7% to heat and inefficiency.
View attachment 16652
For fusing I use this chart.
View attachment 16653
These charts are from BlueSea.

LiFePO4 batteries are not good to use for starting our engines. I have a DieHard Gold 800 CCA, 10aH sealed lead acid battery for that, powered solely by a Sterling 12v battery to 12v battery charger.

Correct; no LiFePo4 will be used to start the engine. It WILL be used to charge the starting battery if needed. The selected DC-DC has this capability.

 

[Tybalt39]

Dropping this here so I don't lose it. AI generated to play with ideas.

• Black roof to hide molded solar panels
• Red belt to add color without more paint/decals
• New artwork to add an SCA touch to the vehicle
• ION 167 polished wheels

Now to figure out how to add Ramco mirrors and the new full-height windows.

 

[LQQKatJon]

Oh no. Mr T is going to be a thing of the past. Darn!

There was a number of dually rims people would use. Moto
Metal, ect.. you will get the “not hub centered” comment. But folks have been running lug centered rims on a gmc with no issues. I seen a post of Carl hitting 100,000 miles of travel on his. I bet he put those lug centered rims on his coach 90,000 miles ago.

But rim choices have changed over the past 15 years I have owned my coach. So i am not sure what current rims available.

 

[Tybalt39]

Final fitting on the new seat bases before last welding and installation. There will be six grade 8 bolts just in the seat-belt anchor material at the edge of the top step (behind the seats). Plus re-using the original mounting holes for the OEM seat bases.

Also installed the steering column drop spacers to get the steering wheel to a more comfortable position. I hope to have the "new" seats finished by the weekend.

I have read complaints that the Gen 5 (2018-2022) Odyssey 2nd row seat arm-rests are too thin/short for proper support. They are! But, the arm-rests from the Gen 4 seats (in the coach when I purchased it) are interchangeable....

While the installation is about an inch lower than my original seating, it lines-up better with the toll window; I can now get my arm out that window.

I'll post pics of the completed base and the installed seats when everything is finished. Kelvin has CAD drawings and parts list, if anyone wants to duplicate the installation. I've suggested he offer an assembled kit with two bases. Just bolt them in and locate seats from a salvage yard. As the seats simply drop/click in place, installation is a snap!

Update
Fully constructed, painted, and mounting holes drilled. Each base weighs 60lbs! But, the base is now going to be securely fixed through the seat-belt anchor material and the metal structure under the floor.

 

[Tybalt39]

After installation


The base is made from 3x3" tubing stacked to 3x6" size (the builder couldn't work with 3x6" tubing...). The rear is mounted to the seatbelt retaining strip and is using the original seatbelt bolt plus 4 grade 8 bolts. There are more grade 8 bolts on each side of the base (4 per side). All bolts are mounted through metal structure. The rear is left open to allow for storage, with a lip to retain those stored items.

The armrests are from an older generation of the same seats as they provide more support than the armrests that were on the seat from the factory (glad they didn't change the mounting system!).

Yes, at some point I will replace the carpet and glue carpet up the sides of the mounts. I may even dye the armrests and headrests to match the seats; the salvage yard lost the original headrests and I couldn't find any in the same color anywhere (a very low priority at this time).

With the shoulder harnesses now on the seats instead of the wall, making wall panels got much easier! I did have to sacrifice the non-DOT swivel mounts, but I can live with that. Keep in mind I have never had the original factory pedestals; I replaced poorly made and non-safe home-brew mounts. The bases are in direct contact with the plywood per the request of the fabricator; hence the flaps of carpet around them.

A side note...

While I now sit only one inch lower than before, I no longer feel "tippy" going around curves. I used to feel like I was going to tip over if I went too fast; no more! Amazing what a change seating ergonomics can make!

 

[Tybalt39]

OK, I REALLY want to get a set of these. Someone talk me out of it?

Install them low, just above the dash. That way they don't obstruct vision. Give them a dedicated battery and keep them on when I park the vehicle in the street over the weekends when it isn't in storage..... (I realize I couldn't leave them showing red while in the street). With my windshields having the "haze" on the perimeter, it could look like cataracts; perfect for my age....

Update:

Too late! I pulled the trigger. Arriving tomorrow (probably later). Pictures once I install.

 

[ScottC]

OK, I REALLY want to get a set of these. Someone talk me out of it?
View attachment 17228
Install them low, just above the dash. That way they don't obstruct vision. Give them a dedicated battery and keep them on when I park the vehicle in the street over the weekends when it isn't in storage..... (I realize I couldn't leave them showing red while in the street). With my windshields having the "haze" on the perimeter, it could look like glaucoma; perfect for my age....

Update:

Too late! I pulled the trigger. Arriving tomorrow (probably later). Pictures once I install.

I saw this in the back window of a SOB Motorhome in a rest stop last month, I never seen these before so I thought it was very cool.

 

[pvfjr]

Too late! I pulled the trigger. Arriving tomorrow (probably later). Pictures once I install.

Well if Mr. T didn't earn you enough notoriety around town, this ought to do the trick!

 

[Tybalt39]

Well if Mr. T didn't earn you enough notoriety around town, this ought to do the trick!

They're still taking pictures of me... I was out driving it last weekend with a friend for a day out. Driving near the campus someone pulled out their phone and snapped a few of the coach.

Not only will they see me coming, my coach will "see" them as well.

 

[Eric S.]

Greetings! I'm probably going to purchase (did purchase!) a 1973 26' from a co-worker (test-drive and visual inspection happening Sunday). If all goes well, it's mine! (It's mine.... ) I've been looking into these vehicles for a few years, but this is the first time I've had one close to me at a reasonable price in usable condition. Granted, even a "usable" GMC Motorhome will need much TLC and work to make it truly reliable and highway-safe, but I've set aside funds for immediate repairs.

If anyone knows the history, it's the blue "Mr. T on a Unicorn under a Rainbow" vehicle. I have another co-worker familiar with the Olds 455 engine (former hot-rodder), so I may have a local support "group" (the previous owner once-removed of this vehicle has two others; his wife told him to lose one...). My co-worker had it for only 6 months, planning to turn it into an Air BnB (never going to drive it). His plans changed.
View attachment 7980
I'm told it's already "dry" (no leaks), so once it is verified to be highway-safe, planned upgrades are:

• Astro/Safari steering column with wiper-delay, washer, and headlight dimmer on the "stalk" (new wiper motor and electronic cruise control)
  • Update: Electric wiper-motor modification was already installed!
  • Update: New "Lumina" wiper arms and nozzles installed, both sold by Dorman, plus new reservoir/pump
• "GMC Supreme II" dashboard replacement
• Dakota Digital instrument cluster w/EVIC
• Vintage Air Gen IV HVAC with Dakota Digital temperature controls
• MicroLevel rear suspension controls/auto-leveling
• Android-based entertainment system in the dash, with heads-up navigation screen, etc.

Down the road, I intend to move to a lithium-based electrical system using a second alternator supplemented by solar panels (I've been using solar and lithium for my camping setup for some years; refrigerator, freezer, ice-maker, microwave oven, ceiling fans... in a tent...).

UPDATE!

• 900W BougeRV Yuma CIGS and 165W flexible mono solar panels installed (1065W total)
• 560AH lithium battery installed
• 4KW Pure Sine Inverter installed
  • Rooftop heat-pump running from batteries!

Once that is accomplished:

• Lose the old "roof-shakers" and install a quiet induction heat-pump
  • UPDATE! Installed; running from batteries!
• Induction "hot plate" (700W is perfectly adequate for "medium" heat)
• Combination air-fryer/convection/microwave oven
  • UPDATE! Installed; running from batteries!

In a perfect world, I'd love to get my hands on bumper covers and the "full" sliding front driver/passenger windows. Basically, this vehicle looks "futuristic" and I want to get the systems to match.

January 2024 UPDATE! Applied is now taking pre-orders for a production-run of the side-windows in 2024. I have placed my order.

I would be interested in hearing personal experience with the quad-bag suspension system (I hear both positive and negative opinions) and thoughts on a rear-disc brake system. Since an instrument upgrade is planned, perhaps fuel-injection as well (tie the computers together)?

Probably re-paint (dove gray top, charcoal bottom) and new art....
View attachment 10286View attachment 10290View attachment 17145
(AI assisted image creation)

This has been a long-winded introduction, but... Hello from the Pacific Northwest!

Suggest you go with white on the top, otherwise, you'll bake in the sun. I did one up with colors reversed to yours, and with "Zorro mask" window surrounds. I think it makes it look a little more streamlined and less top-heavy.

 

[Tybalt39]

Suggest you go with white on the top, otherwise, you'll bake in the sun. I did one up with colors reversed to yours, and with "Zorro mask" window surrounds. I think it makes it look a little more streamlined and less top-heavy.

I agree with the concept of white on top to reflect sunlight. Unfortunately, my roof is already completely black due to solar panels. The only reason to paint the drip rail and above black is to hide the uneven spacing of the panels. 20/20 hindsight....

 

[Tybalt39]

The eyes....