Brrrr!!!

[white-eagle]

craig,

thanks for sending all your weather here.  NOT!!!  it is and has been freaking brrrr all week.

an update for you.  that plate is still leaking, but the bus is in the garage for another 2 months until the temp gets up to 50 at least.  in the heated garage, maybe i can get some work done, like replacing the gasket on the block heater, both of them.

i ended up losing about a pint of fluid per day on the way back.  prior, i don't think i lost that much for the last 1000 miles.

[gumpy]

an update for you.  that plate is still leaking, but the bus is in the garage for another 2 months until the temp gets up to 50 at least.  in the heated garage, maybe i can get some work done, like replacing the gasket on the block heater, both of them.

i ended up losing about a pint of fluid per day on the way back.  prior, i don't think i lost that much for the last 1000 miles.

Hey Tom, 

Glad you could use some of this cold. We certainly have plenty.

Shoot, a pint a day is nothing. I lose that from cold leaks just sitting in the driveway 

You should be able to buy new gaskets for it. I think those were old and dried out. Get some good gasket adhesive, and do a very liberal application to both the block and gasket before installation. Check the torque specs on those bolts, too. Maybe we got them too tight and warped the plate. I don't think so, but it's possible.

BTW, remind Fran to keep an eye on here laundry basket 

craig

[John Z]

Just an update on getting the coach into the shop for the work to be done before i leave on Fri. The overnight low Monday night was -24. I had plugged in the block heater Monday night at 9:30. At 6:45 am it was -18. I went out and turned on the furnace,,, my gawd what an awful sound the poor frozen fan motor on my Atwood made for the first 20 seconds it was running. The digital thermometer on the dash of the bus was too cold to display anything. Back to the house to drink coffee for almost an hour. When i tried to start it at 7:45 it had not really warmed up any. It turned over good enough, but would not fire. I did not make a big deal out of it, as i still had coffee in the house. Another hour goes by and it is about -11. Went out and sprayed just a wisp of starting fluid into one of the intake grills.Did the crank 3 rest 5, and on the 3rd time it started!!! Unreal, quite a testimony to those old Detroits! Slow to pump up air, but brakes released almost right away (on second try). Very little power the first few blocks but it took off pretty well. So if the shop gets all the mechanical work done on time, we will be south bound Fri night, looking for some warm weather to do some bicycling in.

[gumpy]

Maybe you can convince the shop to leave it inside overnight tonight and have a nice warm coach to start out in tomorrow.

You might want to put some conditioner in the fuel tank today, also, since you may not have had a chance to put #1 in there. Or, swing by and get some Arctic blend in the tank after you pick it up from the shop.

[John Z]

Craig, i am out this morning to have my battery cable made up. I am going to bite the bullet and get it made of 4/0 thanks to your advice. Do it once and do it right. It doesn't look like i will have time to get anything done with the disconnest or fuse before i hit the road, but i should be able to keep the house batteries up and functioning. I had added Power Service to the tank back in Jan while it was still warm (jeez i miss those temps) so the fuel should be good to go. I called Luke yesterday, and he is overnighting me a front end part i needed. (Luke comes through again!) It will arrive today, so maybe, just maybe, along with the rest of the work i had asked my local shop to take a look at, it will have to spend the night in the shop. That would be perfect if i could pick it up, swing by home and throw in the huge heap of stuff that is ready to do,, and the bicycles, and head out. Thanks for all your help.