Travels With Miranda

Today was the first really nice day we’ve had in a while and it was time to tackle two troubleshoots that have been keeping me up at night.

The first was in regards to my battery bank. I thought it was working fine, but I missed one not-so-minor test when I set up everything and I discovered this during a power outage the other day. We lost shore power and I lost all power. Uh, what?! My first thought was that the battery disconnect was still on, but nope. So I went into the compartment, traced the wiring, and, I-can’t-believe-I-did-that, I had missed a wire! And to add insult to injury, I didn’t have enough space left on the fuse bolt for this wire!

I was going to do like a couple of other folks and run a cable from the fuse to a longer conductive bolt, but something told me to consult my mother. She informed me that you can buy bolt extenders, which are essentially long nuts (imagine 10 or so nuts stacked on top of each other as a solid piece). So I made arrangements to borrow my mother’s car to go buy the the right size extender for the fuse bolt.

The extender screws onto the existing bolt and then you screw a new, longer, bolt into the extender. I got a bolt with a head, so I inserted the new bolt into the lugs for all my positive wires, screwed the extender into the fuse, and then screwed the new bolt into the extender. Mission accomplished!

I wish I had a picture of the set up, but they came out blurry. This should be better than nothing:

The second problem was in regards to my truck, as hinted to by the fact that I had to borrow my mother’s car. Coming home from Saint-Bruno the other day, my truck started to make an odd noise in the engine compartment. When I got in, nothing was smoking, but the compartment felt hotter than it should. I conceded that there was something really wrong with my truck and decided to stop driving it until I can take it in to a mechanic.

A lot of my troubleshooting happens during lucid dreams and I woke up this morning with a DOH. The last time I had trouble with the truck, she was fine after adding oil. I checked the oil level this afternoon and, sure enough, it was super low.  Carquest Auto Parts is right across the street from the home store, so I went there after and picked up oil as well as a headlight lamp for the driver’s side of the truck as those things really do go out in pairs!

The manual for my Ford Ranger says it needs 5W30 oil, so I thought I’d be in and out, but there was a dizzying amount of 5W30s available! I decided to ask for help and the nice older gentleman at the cash told me I was holding the correct oil, but that their ‘house brand’ was cheaper by a couple of bucks. Whenever someone tries to sell me something cheaper than what I’ve picked, I’m led to believe that the salesperson is looking out for my best interests. Don’t burst my bubble! I also remembered to pick up a funnel!

I came home, did the electrical modification, then got the hood of the truck open. I started by replacing the lamp and it was more difficult than doing the passenger side as there were a few things in the way, but I got it done. Then, I added oil, a little at a time, until there was enough. While I was elbow-deep in the engine compartment with my hands filthy, I caught the eye of a little old lady walking her dog and she grinned at me. I guess she doesn’t see that many gals (much less ones in skirts) working on their trucks!

The engine started a little roughly, but that’s not worrisome as the truck has been sitting and, as per Ken, is coming on due for a tune up. I let her run for a bit, then took her around the block. No odd noises!!! I still need to get that tune up done and have the front bearings looked at, but it looks like disaster was averted.

I know I probably sound like an idiot because checking oil levels is so basic, but I’ve never, in my 10 years of vehicle ownership, of which eight were with brand new cars, had to worry about such things. Now, I know, and I’ll add it to my routine. Moya and I are still just starting to get to know each other and once we get the kinks worked out, everything will be just fine. I love driving my truck!

What’s next after doing a little electricity and automotive work? I’m thinking of cooking myself a nice dinner. Guys, I’m a catch and I’m available!

Whew, this weekend was work, and in torrid conditions to boot.

I’ve had a leak in a corner of my passenger side overhang for two and a half years now. The first time, I zapped it with caulking, but it came back with a vengeance that required a major interior overhaul. At that time, I applied Eternabond to the exterior, but the Eternabond didn’t work. I think that the reason for that was that it was just too cold and damp when I applied it and it never had a chance to bond.

This weekend, sick and tired of how terrible my rig looked with the Eternabond, I set to work to settle this damn leak once and for all.

As a reminder:

Now, I’d like to say that the way I handled the repair this weekend is not the way I would recommend going about dealing with a class C motorhome overhang leak. I am only comfortable having taken the steps I took because I demolished and rebuilt a good part of the interior, so I understand how the overhang is constructed and how water travels within it. Ideally, I should have gone ahead with this summer’s plans to have the passenger side pulled and replaced and then had all the seams recaulked. But that was a nearly $3,000 job which I really believe is not structurally necessary.

My class C has an aluminum frame construction. Therefore, water cannot wick through the frame to soak surrounding materials. The leak has always been confined to a very specific area. Moreover, the way the interior floor is constructed, all the weight is on the frame, not the fiberglass. The only evidence of the leak within the rig at this point is that if you tap the passenger side wall from the exterior right at the front lower corner, the sound is echoey, indicating that the fiberglass has pulled away from the insulation and luan. At some point this winter, in a dry location with time on my hands and a helper, I will consider pulling the passenger side window so I can rebuild the wall and caulk the seams from inside.

The first step to dealing with the leak this weekend was to remove the Eternabond. This was way too easy. The tape just pulled off easily, leaving a sticky grey residue not unlike chewing gum. I then applied some acetone (nail polish remover) to remove the stickiness and then used a putty knife the roll the residue into a little ball.

Next, I had to deal with the fiberglass flooring that had pulled away from the subfloor in one corner and was starting to crack from the strain. My mother had the idea to use an existing hole to inject an adhesive and then pry the floor in place until the glue dried.

So off I went to find some Gorilla Glue. While I was out, I also stopped at the very helpful Horizon Lussier RV in Marieville to pick up caulking, putty, and, since I was there, a house door window frame, and a catch for an exterior compartment. I had to take a detour to come home since the 10 Montreal-bound was at a standstill. So I ended up being gone most of the afternoon.

When I finally got in, my mother used a syringe to inject the glue into the hole. I then held a thin 1′x1′ piece of plywood up against the flooring while my mother jammed a 2×4 in tightly. It was then time for a well-earned beer and a seafood dinner!

When I went to check on the result this morning, I found the flooring most satisfactorily stuck to the fiberglass… as was the plywood sheet! Thankfully, the sheet came off without any damage.

Next order of business was to pull back the rubber covering on the mouldings that run across the front and passenger side of the overhang so I could remove part of them and apply new putty. It was very easy to see that the water damage never went beyond what I repaired inside. I removed the rusty screws and old putty, shoved some tooth picks into the screw holes to give the new screws something to bite into, applied new putty, and then rescrewed the mouldings tightly.

(I apologize for the lack of pictures; this was messy work that would have required a separate photographer!)

I then spent the day off and on cleaning the mouldings and fiberglass in preparation for caulking by my mother this evening. The Eternabond had left a dark yellow line where it was applied, so I used a ton of Poli Ox and elbow grease to mitigate the difference as much as possible.

When my mother got home, I went into helper mode while she caulked. We agreed that lots of messy looking caulk was better than a bit of neatly applied caulk. So up close, the job doesn’t look awesome, but it is MUCH better than was the Eternabond!

From a distance, my RV’s bad side is looking a lot less embarrassing!

It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I will be able to test the repair right away. Soon as we get a dry spell again, I will Poliglow the area and then I think it will look even better.

I’m going to go collapse now!

I called Boisvert Ford at 7:45 this morning to put in a request to have the passenger side of the bumper bolted and was told that the paint was drying! WOW, what amazing service yet again!

My mother and I drove out right after lunch to pick her up. The guy who did the work told me, in case I want to touch up other parts of the rig (um, yeah) that the white paint used is standard pure white Ford paint that is available in spray cans at Canadian Tire. Thanks for the tip!

He also said that he had some extra time and noticed that I was in the middle of a destriping project, so he thought I’d appreciate a hand. I am convinced that he saved me about 10 hours of work.

While the fiberglass portion of the rig looked pretty good with the stripes gone, the metal part looked terrible. I don’t think I ever got a picture of it. I got the stripes off the doors and hood, but there was grey glue left after. I haven’t yet found the project to get that stuff off without completely ruining my paint job. Mr. Boisvert Paint Guy did:

A non-cracked windshield is always lovely:

Now, this is what the rear of the passenger side looks like:

Bumper repair on the passenger side:

And this is the shiny rear of the driver’s side:

Now, the bumper. You can go visit the accident page to relive all the gory details of the damage, but here’s a good shot showing how bad the bumper and rear end looked:

The rear end now:

They even cleaned the front dash inside the cab. It has never looked this clean!

Another tech came to give me my keys and I asked him if he could drive the rig around to the front for me. Certainly! So getting out of Boisvert Ford was easy peasy and the traffic coming back to Chambly was almost a non-issue.

I found a dump station right here in Chambly that wasn’t, but is now on the Sanidumps site, at the Shell station. So I dumped the black tank before returning to my mother’s house.

Before parking, I Poliglowed the passenger side and then got into the driveway. My mother will help me level when she gets back from running errands.

I am thrilled with the work Boisvert Ford did on my RV and the level of service. My out of pocket costs were $388 for the windshield plus about $60 (!!!!!!!!!) for an oil change, plus tax, for a total of $512.

As the hour for picking up Miranda approached today, I felt sicker and sicker. It’s the same feeling I’ve gotten before having accidents or other nasty events. I’ve always believed after the fact that the feeling would have dissipated had I changed my plans. Tonight, I decided that if I had an excuse to not retrieve Miranda, however small, I would accept it. Sure enough, something did, and as soon as I made the decision to retrieve her tomorrow, the knot in my stomach loosened. I am convinced that I avoided an accident on the perilous drive from Boucherville to Chambly.

Pictures of the repairs will wait till tomorrow since I did not have my camera, but I will give a major spoiler: she looks AMAZING. Boisvert did, at no extra cost, one job on the exterior that I have been delaying and delaying and delaying, and which makes a major difference. The only disappointment is that the left rear lower panel on the driver’s side looks brand new while the passenger side is, well, not lovely. I am going to ask them for details on the paint they used and see if I can spray the other panel myself before it gets cold out.

The bumper is being held with nuts and bolts and washers on the driver’s side, but there were only two screws used on the passenger side. One of them is loose and one disappeared. The body guy wasn’t there tonight, but the mechanic on duty said that even he can tell that the bumper will need to be bolted from the inside like the driver’s side and that there will be a smidgen of painting involved. He said that he would call the body guy tonight and that I should call first thing in the morning to confirm that the message got through. I am hoping that I can pick the rig up before noon to avoid the Friday afternoon traffic from Boucherville. The Thursday afternoon traffic was scary enough.

If I can get Miranda early tomorrow, I want to rePoliglow the driver’s side before parking (as I’m parked against a hedge), then do the rest of the rig over the weekend, including some work on the damn passenger side overcab corner that keeps leaking and looking like hell.

I doubt I’ll do any work on the electrical project, then, but I did receive the fuse I need and I’m pretty sure that the longest 1AWG cables from Canadian Tire will work with my project, so I am considering that I have found all the necessary parts. The exterior is a more pressing priority right now. Note to self: find a window frame for the house door.

This weekend, my mother and I are finishing up the wonderful new dresser for the dressing room. Today, I learned how to make a Shaker-style door, was initiated to brou de noix (a natural stain made from walnut shells), and I am left in charge of waxing. Tomorrow, we will hang the door and do the little finishing touches so I can do a reveal!

This project is also one of several to use SamaN brand fillers and stains. They are a Quebec-based company, but there is a US site, so the products may be available elsewhere in Canada.

The wood filler is latex-based so it will not shrink or crack, it is sandable, and it is stainable. So it’s great for fixing little problems in woodwork.

The SamaN stains are my favourite of their products.

The stains are water based and do not leave overlap marks. I have a bottle of their ‘oak’ colour and it is almost a perfect match for my woodwork. Every time I notice a chip, discoloration, or other mark, I dip a Q-tip in the stain, apply it, and then wipe it off with a tissue. It even works on the pressboard casings that have worn edges. What an easy way to do maintenance and a great product to keep your RV woodwork looking nice over time!