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Forum
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RE: key won't turn in ignition
I know some cars won't let you remove the key when not in park (never tried in neutral, or to turn when in gear).
Jim, "Rehab is for quitters."
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Handbasket
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05/23/12 11:53am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: "CFL versus LED" An Interesting Link
Home depots here accept dead CFL's. There's a special bin with bags right inside the front door at the return desk. Dunno if that's nationwide or not.
Jim, "Be alert. The world needs more lerts."
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Handbasket
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05/23/12 10:52am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ft Fisher
Pretty place to wander around and soak up the history, despite various encroachments over time. Much improved since my previous visit in '83. 2 good museums.
The WWII USS North Carolina is another fine museum for history buffs; one of the 16" turrets is accessible, and one of the enginerooms.
With a 4WD RV, you can drive & camp on the beach in Carolina Beach for $20 a day. But bring an air compressor or lots of quarters to air the tires back up afterwards.
Jim, "We have enough youth; how about a fountain of smart?"
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Handbasket
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05/23/12 10:21am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Driving in Big Cities
Good mirrors that eliminate blind spots alongside.
When I was a bank courier years back, I regularly had to get thru rush hour big-city traffic on a tight schedule. I was usually in F-150's with a windowless shell on the bed. But they had west-coast style mirrors with wide-angle spots on them. I could go thru traffic safer & quicker in the F-150's than in any of the 'faster' sedans that we sometimes drove. One very brief glance at that fisheye mirror would tell me if either lane was clear alongside.
Jim, "I dunno _why_ the chicken crossed the road, but I do wish he'd show the squirrels and possums _how_."
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Handbasket
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05/23/12 08:41am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Alignment specs PW Ford Excel TD
Look here under publications.
You will get the same data PW gets:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/topics/publications.htm
Any well equipped alignment shop should have the data "on file" via their equipment.
Historical posts here show that many Ford PW's handle, track, and drive poorly when aligned to Ford specs. This can lead to dangerous levels of driver fatigue in addition to the more obvious dangers of straying from one's lane, off-edge-of-pavement excursions, etc.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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Handbasket
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05/23/12 08:25am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: VA Blue Ridge Pky, Flowers ?
Assuming reservations can be made (festivals may have filled them) and that the trip is going to be in the next 2-3 wks, I'd suggest starting the trip with a night at Roan Mtn SP (TN), then most of a day at the rhodie gardens on top. Be aware that it's about 15-20 miles of steep up and down on narrow curvy mtn roads; use 2nd and low.
Come down from Roan Mtn on the NC side thru Bakersville & Spruce Pine. Stay the night at Spruce Pine's county CG (never been there, so this is not a recommendation), the Walmart (lots of loud mufflers), or Crabtree Meadows on the BRP (no hookups). Use that as a base to go north on the BRP one day, and south the next. Someone else may be able to suggest a private CG in the Spruce Pine area.
If interested, there's a very nice BRP gem, mineral, and mining museum at NC 226.
Jim, "Help keep North Carolina green; bring money!"
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Handbasket
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05/22/12 08:32am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: I 81 from tn on I 26 to Ashville NC
Yep, a lovely road, fine scenery, and a geological adventure. There's a walkway up to an overlook point at the NC welcome center, where there's a labeled picture identifying the features in the view. A lot of the right-hand part of the horizon is the ridge that the Blue Ridge Parkway runs on, Craggy Gardens, Mt Mitchell, etc.
I've read in Nat'l Geo that there are sandstone formations in Utah that consist of sand that came from the erosion of these mountains. Gives one pause for thought....
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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Handbasket
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05/22/12 07:22am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Adding coach battery,need assistance
Folks here may be able to be of more specific help if you tell us which brand of B on what chassis.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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Handbasket
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05/22/12 06:15am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Helpful vendors or scam artists?
My introduction to this kind of rip-off when I was on leave from the Navy after two years in Wespac. I was driving Dad's '66 IHC Scout on a trip from here to Chicago to see a girl. Stopped in a service station (remember 'full service'?), went to the restroom, and the pump jockey 'checked the oil' while I was away. He short-sticked it, trying to sell me an un-needed quart of oil.
Since I'd checked it that morning, and had been caring for diesels from a few hundred cubic inches to over 2,000 for the past two years, I didn't fall for it. Gave him a large dose of ...errr, 'naval language,' and drove on.
Jim, "I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money."
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Handbasket
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05/21/12 09:42am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: VA Blue Ridge Pky, Flowers ?
I was at Craggy Gardens (17 miles north of Asheville on BRP @ 5600 ft) last night trying to get in a stargaze. It clouded over at dark, but I did notice that the purple (Catawba) rhododendron have a good start on their bloom season already. The laurels are also in bloom.
I'm going to see what I can find online later today about this year's peak bloom week on Roan Mtn. My guess is next week or the week after. That's my favorite flower viewing spot, and a nice overnight trip.
Jim, "Strong like a bull, smart like a fence post."
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Handbasket
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05/21/12 08:39am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: astro van rooftop air
I have a bit of difficulty connecting '$100 harbor freight' generator with anything 'elegant'.....
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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Handbasket
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05/21/12 05:21am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: I 81 from tn on I 26 to Ashville NC
All finished now, but you'll have about a 4 mile curvy upgrade at 6% or so out of TN to the top of Sams Gap. The downgrade on the NC side is pretty straight, but in two sections with a short climb in between. There's a very nice welcome center on both TN & NC sides; TN is accessible in either direction, NC only for the south/east bound folks. I've overnighted at the NC one. Thru Asheville, it's "Future I-26" since it's not up to i'state standards, and is co-routed with I-240.
Jim, "If you don't talk to your cat about catnip, who will?"
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Handbasket
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05/20/12 04:28pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Helpful vendors or scam artists?
There have been several news stories / stings over the years of such rip-offs, usually involving out-of-staters. I recall one show from maybe a decade or more ago where they rigged an RV's underside with hidden cameras after a thorough mechanical inspection. IIRC, a similar situation, flagged down where this had been reported a lot. Told that a wheel was running funny or something, taken to local garage, diagnosed as a bad rear axle, told they could get a used one in a day. Charged a large sum for work that the video proved was not needed or done. The guy had just gone under it on a creeper and squirted oil and smeared it around with a rag. It may have been 20/20.
Jim, "The villagers are coming with torches and pitchforks. Please hide me!"
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Handbasket
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05/20/12 01:46pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: refrigerator doesn't work need help
I don't know if Norcold does this, but Dometic has both user's manuals & service manuals online, at least for some models. I found this out by entering 'Dometic' and my model number into the Google search box. Quite interesting to skim thru, and no doubt they'd be very useful for anyone having trouble. For instance, there are instructions for improving a weak door gasket's seal with a hair dryer and a little fiberglass insulation.
Jim, "Every dawn's the start of a new error."
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Handbasket
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05/20/12 11:51am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Ford vs Chevy
Be sure you sit in the cab of each before deciding. Generally, a GM or Ford dealer will have full-body vans on their lot, which are similar enough in the cab area to the cutaways to give you a good idea of comfort.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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Handbasket
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05/20/12 06:04am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Need Advice on Generator
To get an idea of weight and capability.... see if your local tool rental places have any of the models on your short list, and rent one for a day or weekend.
Jim, "It hurts to be on the cutting edge."
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Handbasket
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05/19/12 05:48pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Can't find oil filler cap for 1980 ford cutaway motorhome.
Don't know about that era, but some from earlier used the breather cap on one valve cover as the oil-add point. If it's got one, twist it 1/4 - 1/2 turn counter-clockwise and lift.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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Handbasket
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05/19/12 04:33am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: used camper purchase, checklist/how to for water damage?
One place to check is the underside and all edges of the cabover mattress.
Jim, "Eunuchs: The non-gender-specific operating system."
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Handbasket
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05/18/12 03:21pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Pleasureway manual
You might look on their website. Roadtrek has their manuals online for download. AIUI, this includes some of the older models, even. PW usually offers pretty much competitive features with RT, so they may do the same.
Jim, "I don't think, therefore I am not."
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Handbasket
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05/18/12 02:16pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Dometic RM7401 3 way fridge question...
From the service manual above (http://www.dometic.com/36a91f2a-8752-462b-ae68-39dcf2b66b21.fodoc), which seems to cover many newer models:
"8.3 Air Leaks
Check the gasket on the doors to be sure of a positive air seal. A simple method to check gaskets is to close the door on a dollar bill, then pull the dollar bill out. If no resistance is felt, the gasket in that place is not sealing properly. This should be done on all four sides of the door in several places. If a gasket is not sealing properly, lift up inside of door gasket and insert 1/4” ball of fiberglass insulation at all four corners on both doors. This is especially important to the top corners. Next warm the gasket material with a hair dryer. Then close the door and the magnetic strip should pull the gasket to the metal frame. Leave door closed until the material has cooled. Then recheck for a positive seal. If a positive seal cannot be achieved, replace the door gasket.
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Note: Air leaks will cause insufficient cooling as well as rapid formation of frost."
Something you might want to check. I think I'll do it to mine soon. I've got a suspicion that mine may fail the dollar bill test at least on the bottom edge.
Jim, "Talk nerdy to me."
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Handbasket
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05/18/12 07:40am |
Tech Issues
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