UTMC

No fuel? Fuel line not hooked up?

I don't want to talk about it right now.

I once pushed my XJ about 2 miles home, in the summer, wearing my gear only to have my lovely wife ask if I ran out of gas. Riding down a steep hill, it died. I was so mad that it broke down, I didn't even try reserve because I should have had 20 more miles at least.

I had apparently reset my trip meter about 20 miles after filling up and forgot.

Nope, while I eliminated an error on my part, I am still not getting this thing to move under its own power.

Fuck it, this is why I prefer wrenching on bikes.

Just a suggestion, but....

If you add a bit to the house wiring, for a 220 circuit, you can get off cheap on a water heater.

A good RV water heater will cost you, new, about $400.

For half that, or less if you shop, you can get a "point of use" tankless. Energy efficient, and a POU that runs on 220 will provide all the hot water that thing needs.

(The 140 versions don't QUITE have the guts for it.)

Food for thought.

This thing ain't dead, FWIW. We drove it out of storage and to the new house and as luck would have it it fits perfectly below the overhang at the garage. So at least it is out of the rain for probably the first time in who knows how long. But I think a cat has taken up residence in it.

Sonofabitch we are buying another one of these stupid things.

Bigshankhank wrote:Sonofabitch we are buying another one of these stupid things.

--Jaeger

In my defense the other one turned out to be a rusted up hulk even AFTER all the effort we put in to it. This one still needs work but is a much better starting point, and has the same engine/drivetrain/chassis so all the new parts we put on the one can be moved over to this one. So in effect we are saving money by buying this, yeah honey that's right we would be fools to not buy another project RV.

and to think, it will only cost you twice as much as a used RV in good condition! Despite this reality, I too applaud your efforts!

Your dedication to this project is admirable. I too am following along.

Thanks for the support & faith. The home renovation has taken priority so other than resealing the windows and sticking a big Damp-rid inside I haven't done much.

For what it's worth, I feel your pain.

When the automatic transmission in my 2001 Honda Civic inevitably stopped working, I bought a 2002 Civic with a stickshift and a mildly blown head gasket. Same body style, same trim package. Drove it around for a few months, then it puked up a sparkplug. Now I need to pull cylinder head and inspect the cylinder walls and combustion chamber. If they're buggered, I have a whole other spare engine!

I thought I could do the work myself, just pull the head and replace the gasket, water pump, timing belt, etc. Turns out that my lower back has a different opinion regarding me working on a motor that sits around knee level. Luckily, my niece has a friend who is a decent mechanic, and he's been a great help, but he has a busy schedule, so Civic Number Two has languished for a while now...

Also luckily, I have Ol' Frod for a backup vehicle... It's a 1995 F-150 with a 5.0 and an automatic, so it's got a drinking problem to go along with the exhaust leak, non-functioning air conditioner, and the dodgy electric windows.

Mk3 wrote:Vexed? You study flags now? (Vexillology)...

guitargeek wrote:Turns out that my lower back has a different opinion regarding me working on a motor that sits around knee level.

They laughed at me when I was jacking up my car to do the valve cover gasket. This is why.

Well the stuck bolt in the head of the 2nd rig is resisting all efforts at removal. As luck would have I have an entire spare RV with the same engine sitting in the driveway so I may just swap heads and be done with the frustration. removing the head of an engine inside a van is not as much fun as it sounds.

Yeah... I hated doing alignments on vans. *always* a two man job.

0l4fderstout wrote:Yeah... I hated doing alignments on vans. *always* a two man job.

Shit I gotta make the engine go boom first, then I can worry about brakes and suspension.

Work on the rig continues! Extradition of the befouled head is imminent!

Had to leave the header attached and break the exhaust loose where it exits the header as there was no room to get a socket on the bolts. However with a little muscle it came out pretty well. I’ll likely remove the exhaust pipe back to the muffler as that was the only place the head really bound up. Once it was on the bench all it took was a little heat to break loose the header bolts, and now it’s all ready to be dropped off at a machine shop to get the bolt out. I tried putting a vice grip on the end of it but there’s just not enough to grab securely. All things considered, I am mostly happy to have pulled the head as just a learning experience. Getting it back on will be interesting, as well.

Anyone who knows anything about these engines have recommendations on head gaskets? Mahle? Fel-Pro? Also, is it really worth going to studs in lieu of sticking with head bolts?

Dropped off at the machine shop this morning.
Gah, the further I dig in to this thing, the further I want to go. Now I am debating pulling the entire engine from the 1st RV and rebuilding that on a stand, because you know one day I may need a backup engine.

So after a tremendous hiatus during which I have been working feverishly on our house, I have actually had some time yesterday to work on this big beast. With the help of my wife and adult son, we manhandled the head back in to position atop a new gasket. Now to go through the torque sequence and start putting all of the shit back on it. Who knows, maybe I can make it go boom before the end of the week.

For those who might be interested, the machine shop did whatever they needed to to remove the offending broken bolt, while I ran taps down all of the bolt holes in the engine block and cylinder and brass brushed the head mating surface. The shop also hot dipped the head to clean it and checked it for warpage. So yeah, this thing has been sitting on a cart in my garage for what, a year now? Regardless, I am happy to see some reversal of the whole disassembly process. I do have pictures, though if you are following me on the insta you would have already seen them. @tylerdaddoesthings

Looking good! Any progress on the interior?

I've given up on my RV dream but still want a camper trailer.

Nothing on the interior, gotta make sure it runs first.
Now that I am living in a travel trailer, I am kind of digging the tiny house life. Not that I want to full-time it cause I like having room when I poop, but it’s an experience I recommend.

Bigshankhank wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 30, 2020 6:41 am

Nothing on the interior, gotta make sure it runs first.
Now that I am living in a travel trailer, I am kind of digging the tiny house life. Not that I want to full-time it cause I like having room when I poop, but it’s an experience I recommend.

We spent a few days in my buddies 36-ft RV, it was a good time. Couldn't live like that with kids, but I could definitely see it working solo as long as I had a place for a garage.

THIS MOTHERFUCKER RUNS!