Any Ford RV/ Motorhome experts on here?

[Gary Lewis]

The blocks look good.  

Sorry for the hijack, but this reminded me of a funny experience with my father.  I'd gotten a pair of railroad ties and wanted to make ramps out of them.  So we got his chain saw, figured out where to cut, and went to town.  We got done cutting both ties and realized we'd made two sets of ramps.  We looked at each other and rolled on the grass laughing!  Not a word was said, and we didn't tell anyone - until now.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

7 1/2"?

No landing gear on your RV?

[Rembrant]

Nothing Special wrote

This is what I did for leveling my motorhome.  I think they are 2x10s, about 18" long.  You can't tell so well from the picture, but there are also 9" long pieces screwed to the bottom of one end of some of them so they sort of interlock.  It's worked out pretty well, and it is very stable.

That's exactly what I was planning to do in order to get more working room underneath. 18" with a 9" block on the bottom is a great idea. Mine is a little low in the front as it is. On the level concrete floor at work last weekend, I put a 2x8 under each front wheel, and it was then perfectly level. However, the whole thing is pretty low to the ground overall.

[Rembrant]

Nothing Special wrote

Only 50 feet?  That's nothin'!  My pickup pulling my parents camper is 54 feet!  (Somehow I think of Monty Python's "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch here:  "Well we 'ad it tough...")

But seriously, maneuvering in parking lots as well as lane changes with a 20' truck pulling a 35' trailer is a bit of a challenge.  And the maneuvering would be even worse if it was a 35' truck pulling a 20' trailer!

That is long!

I have a picture of this thing saved from the previous owner, and with the RV being 31ft, the trailer and accessories on it must be another 20ft at least (There's a dirtbike on a hitch on the back of the SUV). It would have been a PIG to drive like that...lol.



It got me thinking though...I could road trip and bring my Bullnose on a dolly, or even better yet bring home more junk while I was away somewhere...ha. The wife would be so impressed.

[Rembrant]

grumpin wrote

Interesting comment! My Bronco feels “lazy”, you have to give it a bit of pedal to get it to come out of lockup or to downshift. My 92 F250 didn’t feel that way, but it had 4.10 gearing, the Bronco has 3.55.

If I’m in open spaces, no traffic etc., I drive more aggressively sometimes and don’t notice it as much, it’s fun too!

This thing has 4.10 gears, but I don't really know what it weighs. They asked me at the DMV last week how much it weighed, and I had no idea. I know the GVWR is 11,500 lbs, so I guessed at 4500KG which would be close to 10,000 lbs. It was just a guess, but 4500KG was the tipping point...if I picked a pound above that, my registration was going to be another $100. I might run it over the scale this week just to find out.

But I'm getting used to the E4OD. This thing cruises along nicely, no problem there. It has lots of power. It just seems sometimes like it gets into OD to soon, and I have to kick it down hard to get some more power.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

As for the E4OD, I'd for sure change the fluid, which might fix the leak.  My experience is that the seal swell additive in ATF fails after a while, and new fluid revives that.

Gary,

While looking at E4OD filter and gasket kits, I came across these two selections...one for a shallow pan, and one for a deep pan. Do you know which vehicles got which?

Most of the brands show a picture of the shallow depth filter as standard, but AC Delco for some reason shows both.

[Gary Lewis]

Cory - It looks like the difference is in 2wd vs 4wd, which is consistent with what I've seen on the C6.

[grumpin]

Rembrant wrote

This thing has 4.10 gears, but I don't really know what it weighs. They asked me at the DMV last week how much it weighed, and I had no idea. I know the GVWR is 11,500 lbs, so I guessed at 4500KG which would be close to 10,000 lbs. It was just a guess, but 4500KG was the tipping point...if I picked a pound above that, my registration was going to be another $100. I might run it over the scale this week just to find out.

But I'm getting used to the E4OD. This thing cruises along nicely, no problem there. It has lots of power. It just seems sometimes like it gets into OD to soon, and I have to kick it down hard to get some more power.

The way my 94 drove different may be one of the reasons why that tranny was so problematic. This E4OD in my Bronco has been great.

[Gary Lewis]

Push the button and turn the OD off at times?

[grumpin]

Gary Lewis wrote

Push the button and turn the OD off at times?

I do, especially in mountain driving.

[ArdWrknTrk]

You know you can reflash it, right?
Ari's Newmar coach was an absolute pig until we fixed the fueling and shift points.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

You know you can reflash it, right?
Ari's Newmar coach was an absolute pig until we fixed the fueling and shift points.

Can that be done with a 1993 also?

I know Banks sells a piggyback module for the E4OD. I'd love to have it, but in the current economic situation, it's not as necessary as some other things I want and need. Still, I've read good reviews on how it improves the shifting.

[Gary Lewis]

Cory - I think I have a piggyback module on one of my EEC-IV ECU's.  Is there a way to tell what it is?  I don't need it, so it is yours if you want it and if it'll work.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Take some pics, or look for any identifying numbers, Gary.

It would be great if Cory could get that beast shifting with authority.
Much better mileage if the tranny is locked up, and not turning fuel into heat that needs gotten rid of by the cooler.

[Gary Lewis]

I'll do that tomorrow.  May not be that at all.  Or, I may have given it to Brandon.  Will see.

[1986F150Six]

Very generous, Gary!

[Gary Lewis]

Well, I was afraid of that.  I now remember giving it to Brandon/Bruno2.  Sorry!  

[Rembrant]

The old pig RV has been sitting idle for a while. We've been wanting to start using it, but I'm waiting on a new circuit board for the Onan generator just so I can start the darn thing and see if it works.

Finally got around to changing the oil today and installing (RE-installing) the factory air cleaner and intake ducting that I assembled from bits and pieces.

It had a little oil filter on it, but I must say the old 460 oil filter sure is easy to access on this thing. I'd say it needed an oil change badly too.



I also finally removed that old hob gobbled propane open element intake assembly. Amazing how much quieter it is with a full factory correct air cleaner and intake on it. Heck, it even seems like its running smoother, although I'm sure that is just the placebo effect.

Anyway, a couple more things off the to do list...once I get the generator working, we'll be hitting the road on the weekends.




And the old propane junk removed...





Anyway...I can see that working on the engine in this thing is going to be hateful...ugh. I really need to change out the coolant temp sender soon, and I've been procrastinating on that...lol.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Never was good access in an E-Series.
Though the body shop used to have an ancient 3 on the tree Ford van with the entire doghouse inside the cab.

I don't think it's all placebo. All that intake stuff is resonant tuned to optimize the pulses created by valves opening and closing.

Are you making progress with Mrs Rembrandt's decor ideas?
Let's see the inside!!!

What are your weekend travel plans?
Any idea when you'll be able to cross the border?

You can certainly bring a lot of stuff back in that RV! 😉

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Are you making progress with Mrs Rembrandt's decor ideas?
Let's see the inside!!!

What are your weekend travel plans?
Any idea when you'll be able to cross the border?

You can certainly bring a lot of stuff back in that RV! 😉

I'll try to post up some pics of the interior. It is basically finished inside now. I laid all new flooring, and she painted all of the walls. Installed new faucets, and reupholstered the seats/fold down couch. I had to reseal some spots on the roof, and I'm working on the cargo doors one by one...every lock and latch is/was seized.

Good news is that the cab AC works great, although I think I might need a fan speed resistor pack soon.

Just waiting on the generator currently so that we can run the coach AC while on the road. That, and I still need to install a grey water tank. I'll get there.

As for where...current plans are just to travel around NS a little bit, and visit family and friends. We also plan to do a little "Boondocking" and stay on some remote/deserted beaches. I have a good friend in Cape Breton on the Ceilidth Trail that has 40 acres on the ocean, and lots of free space to boondock.

We are also anxiously awaiting the border to reopen...but we currently can't even get TO the border. NB is closed off to non-essential travel, so we'd need a good excuse in order to pass through. My wife loves to get into Maine to do some power shopping...so if we can swing it this summer, we'll likely go at least that far, maybe stay in Freeport for a couple nights and work our way back.