Curtains Cont: Using the directions from the video to put lace on the solar material and then hook the top into the already present curtain hooks was easy. I glued the lace onto the solar stuff, let it dry… took it out to the RV and pushed the lace through the hooks then pushed the hooks back onto the curtain hanger. Simple. Not so for “training” the pleats however…. I got tired of that part after some struggle and bunched the solar stuff instead…. not so elegant. (I’m better at “training’ dogs!) My verdict: Think Hard Before You take this on. If you have a talented aunt (like in the video) or maybe you can sew and make curtains yourself … then go for it! Best would be to use the solar cloth as a middle layer.
Glued to the lace to that solar stuff… Fairfield Solarize Liner Fabric
My mechanic, Bruce of Bruce’s Auto Repair, is trustworthy and does a great job and he’s happy to work on a motorhome, gas, not diesel. I should mention that Bruce’s son Bruce works there too… maybe the place should be called Bruces? Brakes ok, everything tightened, generator serviced, oil and trip check done; front shocks, good, rear shocks fair and he’s fixing the rear window and happy dance, he lowered the shoulder safety belt by adding an extension so it no longer cuts off my carotid.
Re undercarriage insulation; turns out there is foam insulation sprayed on the underside; Bruce and Bruce Jr. could not apply the solar matting on top of that, nothing will stick. So I cut the material and fitted it under the insulation I already have on the inside and laid the carpet back on top. I fitted insulation material as well around the doghouse and will figure out a way to tape it down (carpet tape on its way) stuffed the edges under the carpet
two layers of insulation under the carpet. I left the white paper on the self-stick Thermo-Tec since I repurposed it for the interior.
My hallway with carpet down. I cut this long runner so it lays better. Bought it at Ross. The rug over the doorstep is a Super Absorbent Doggy Mat, and the little rug in the back is a find from Amazon .
Am enjoying my new Michelin’s but true to my RVs irascible nature the steering is wonky again. For now am crossing my fingers that once the tires wear a little it will be better, am having Burce Jr. lower the tire pressure by 5 pounds front and rear, so will be 75 rear and 50 front. Fingers super crossed!
I plan to do a walk-through video of my rig showing the modifications I’ve done in the last 4 years and how it all works out traveling with the dogs.
I gave up on the radio for now, it was too confusing or I just didn’t see one I thought I’d like (kinda like dating in my 60s) The new radios come with itsy-bitsy buttons nearly impossible to punch and long repetitive menus with a display that cannot be read except by Superman with his special vision in daylight…. the current state of more glitz than usefulness….. hummm…. I did call Crutchfield Audio and they told me that a simple display with larger buttons and being able to read it were “premium” items and I’d pay a lot more! Nevermind, the stock radio fits, looks nice, sounds nice and is simple to operate so I purchased a wireless Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker to sync with my Android cell. ($33.99 from Amazon) I like it. Will put it on the dash, it plays everything that my cell can pick up.
Here’s some other items I’ve added or tried to add and maybe send back, in no particular order:
Steering Wheel Desk : I really wanted to like this, I was excited to get it and ripped the box when it arrived. I was looking forward to the extra flat surface for all sorts of uses from lunch, to an easy writing desk, a place to put my little fan … you get the idea, what I didn’t realize is that it will not go on without damaging my steering wheel cover and importantly once installed I could not squeeze myself into the seat. This seems to be made for a regular car where the seat can go back far enough, not for an RV, darn. My housemate loved it since he frequently eats lunch in his car, so it’s now his.
Steering Wheel Desk
Up-Oh…. interruption. My V definitely needs new shocks! Just returned from Bruce’s with the back window fixed and the tire pressure slightly reduced by 5 pounds per tire and my RV is bouncing all over the place and the road is even rougher than before… like a party house for kids. Will call Blistein in the morning to make sure I get the right ones, then see how fast I can get them and who I can get to install them…. always something, wondering if I will meet my first stop deadline.
OK I’ll post more later…. need to research the shocks.
Question for you, I have an ’97 LT, much like yours. Do you notice your coolant running warmer than normal? What temperature does your engine run at and have you installed an additional electric fan for the radiator? I just had an extreme-duty clutch fan installed and it runs between 194 and 220F. Trying to gain some insight on normal or safe operating temperatures for these RV builds. Any help you have is appreciated.
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I have replaced the radiator and the fan and a fan switch and the indicator to the computer temp sensor and of course the thermostat. I will have to look back in my notes to see what else.The engine runs at normal temp. On steep hills the cooling fan switches on… it’s very loud do I installed insulation. I don’t have an exact temp. It does get hot but quickly returns to mid temperature. I had a lot of trouble with running too hot but not any longer. When I have time I’ll see what else I did. It’s all in my blog here somewhere. It’s surprisingly capable but has taken a lot of maintenance.
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Hi there, thanks for the reply. I went for a drive this morning to check the engine temp out. Between Las Vegas & Pahrump, NV there’s a pass that reaches 5500ft elevation.
Where I live, it’s roughly 2700ft elevation. I went up that hill cruise-control set at 50mph, and at the very peak of 5500ft I was at 212F. I don’t know if this is at the high-range for the motor, I have some internet research to do and find out.
We’ll be taking the LT over to California this week. We’ll start at 2700ft and head over the passes on I-15. Eventually we’ll get down to very low elevations where I can gain a sense of ‘normal operating temperature.’
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Again I can’t answer your question about how hot would be too hot. Are you hearing the cooling fan come on? I’ve also replaced the fan clutch as well as the cooling fan and after replacing it had to have it tightened. Also there is the type of thermostat you are using and the water pump. When the cooling fan comes on it’s very loud and the temperature quickly drops towards the normal range no matter how steep the road. It’s also important to down shift so you can stay within your power band. Maybe your rig is not doing that if you have your cruise control set. I wrote about that here: https://jamieandthedogs.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/up-hill/ Hope that helps, enjoy CA, but sure is hot right now!
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Be sure to check all the hoses too.
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All cooling system components have been replaced: thermostat, water pump, hoses, radiator flushed, etc. Ignorance is bliss… when we started using the Torque app (Android) to display ECM data, that’s when I became concerned.
Torque shows RPM, air flow rate, coolant temp, GPS speed, GPS elevation, etc. etc. I can’t hear the fan go on at highway speeds, but at lower speeds in city traffic the air flow is higher (150-161) than highway speeds (143).
OK, thanks for all the insight and for sharing your LT trials and tribulations. I’ll get back to this blog next week and post how it performed at lower elevations. It may help another LT owner out there.
Thanks again.
Ed
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