Thermostat project - Day 2

 8:08 am - Monday - February 28th - Newell House, AZ - 52° F, 24% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the north by northeast....overcast today with a forecast high of 80° F.  On this date in 2016 we were having dinner at Prison Hill Brewing in Yuma, AZ......↴

Day 2 (Sunday) of the thermostat project dawned cold, but clear.  We had all three electric heaters running to bring the coach interior up to a livable temperature.  After taking our 1.25 mile fast walk I changed clothes and returned to the passenger side engine bay to resume work on installing the new thermostat.  First up I decided to clean the four 3/8" bolts, and find 4 new lock washers........

Cleaning the bolts

....and then turned my attention to cleaning up the top of the thermostat housing into which the thermostat is installed....

.....I didn't take any pictures of the process, but I removed the hose, and clamps, and cleaned them both, as well as the two hose fittings, then installed the new thermostat before heading back out to the coach to reinstall everything.  The installation went very smoothly, and within 40 minutes the the top of the thermostat housing was bolted into place, and the two hoses reattached.......

 

....all that remained was to torque down the four bolts.  I was told to torque them to 75 foot pounds, so I started with first torqueing them to 50 foot pounds, then proceeded to move them up the scale to the suggested 75 foot pounds, but that is where things when amiss....I got three of the bolts to 55 foot pounds, and as I was tightening the 4th bolt I heard a loud 'SNAP', and my worst fears were realized.  I had broken off the bolt in the thermostat housing.  Now I had to undo everything I had just done to get to what was left of the broken bolt.  I had visions of it being broken off flush with the lower housing, and having to drill it out, which is always a tricky proposition, especially in the tight confines of the space in which I was working.  I was imagining having to drive into Surprise (an hour round trip to Home Depot) to buy four new bolts, and all of that really put a crimp in the good feelings I had just felt a second before snapping off that bolt.

As I removed the top of the thermostat housing for the second time I was stunned to see that about 1/8" of the broken bolt was protruding above the thermostat housing base, meaning I might not have to drill it out.  I retrieved my Vise Grips, and clamped them on to that small stub, then turned it counter clockwise......much to my relief the stub turned easily.....in fact extremely easily....I removed the Vise Grips, then gripped the stub with my fingers and found I could just unscrew it using my fingers....it was that easy!

The broken bolt

.....with the broken bolt removed I only needed to acquire four new 3/8" bolts, and then reinstall the thermostat housing.  I was still not looking forward to the hour round trip drive into Home Depot, but I got in the VW and headed for town.  As I approached Highway 60 on Center Street I remembered seeing a little hardware store (Delgado's) about two blocks off Center Street, which is Wittmann's main street, so I decided to go there first to see if I could find what I needed.  What a surprise!  They had Grade 8 bolts, and plenty of the 3/8" ones with the length I needed.....$1.29 each!  I was out the door, and back home within 10 minutes with a big smile upon my face.....this was the absolute best outcome to a seemingly disastrous situation.  In the time it took me to reinstall everything I would have only been half way back from Home Depot.....

The new Grade 8 bolts are installed

.....sometimes things happen for a reason.....after reinstalling the thermostat housing I took time to examine the remaining 3 'good' bolts only to find that a couple of them had begun to stretch as I attempted to torque them to 75 foot pounds.  I had no idea until I broke one....at some point in the future one of the stretched bolts might have broken, and who knows where that would have occurred.....on the side of an Interstate somewhere?.....who knows.....

You can see the stretched part right in the middle of the threads

.....in retrospect, breaking the bolt was a blessing in disguise.  The original bolts were not Grade 8 (I knew that), were 40 years old, and there is no way they could (in retrospect) withstand 75 foot pounds of torque, as I found out.  Instead of torqueing the new Grade 8 bolts I tightened them equally to a point with which I am comfortable.  I'll pour the coolant I removed (about 6 gallons) back into the radiator, and if I see any leaks I'll begin torqueing them, but only as far as it takes to stop the leaking.....that is, IF they leak.

With that I now have installed one of the two new thermostats.  I'm going to pour back in the coolant, then take the coach out for a test drive to see if I have improved coolant temps.  I'm inclined to install the second thermostat now, which is good practice, but if the temp comes down with just replacing the one thermostat I may defer the installation of the second one until a later date when my shoulders have recovered from the effort.  Now that I know what I'm doing it should take less than the two days it took me with the first one.

By the time I put everything away it was 5 pm, and I was filthy.  I needed a long, hot shower, and a nap.....lol.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

The thermostat project.....

7:53 am - Sunday - February 27th - Newell House, AZ - 38° F, 38% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the north by northwest......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies again today with a forecast high of 72° F.  On this date in 2013 we were in St. Augustine, FL dry camping at a local campground......↴

Saturday revolved around removing the 40 year old thermostat on the passenger side of the big Detroit Diesel 6v92, but we did other things.  Before I began to remove the first thermostat TLE and I drove over to pick up 2 more dozen pasture fed chicken eggs from our friend Robert.....

.....upon return I began the task of removing the thermostat housing for the passenger side thermostat, which included removing the large rubber air duct from our large air filter on one end, and from the turbo charger on the other end.....

.....and the coolant hose from the top of the thermostat assembly.....that was as far as I got before we headed into Peoria to keep a 1:30 pm lunch date with Charles and Phyllis (TLE's sister).....

.....we met at The Haymaker Restaurant (4 stars on 903 reviews - Yelp), which serves breakfast all day......

....I was the only one who had breakfast, while TLE, Charles, and Phyllis had lunch type entrees (Fish 'N Chips for Charles and Phyllis, and for TLE BBQ'd chicken).  I had 2 eggs over easy on hash browns, with a biscuit.  Now that Charles and Phyllis are 'seeing' each other again we have taken to calling him the ex 'EX'.....lol.  If it is possible they seem even happier than the last time we met for lunch.  We did not leave the restaurant until after 3 pm.....I think we sat talking for at least 45 minutes after we finished eating.  This will be the last time we see Charles and Phyllis for a while, but we hope to see them sometime this summer at our summer job location.

We were back home around 3:30 pm where I immediately changed clothes, and got back to work on the thermostat project.  It wasn't long until I had removed the top of the thermostat housing, and began to prep it for the insertion of the new thermostat.....

I covered the thermostat housing base with a cloth to keep out dust, and dirt

The 40 year old thermostat

The new thermostat installed

.....I used a wire wheel attached to my Porter Cable angle grinder to polish the mating surface of the thermostat housing top, and will do the same to the base.  

Tom and I decided to dunk the old thermostat in a pot of hot water on the stove in his home to see if it was opening all the way.  At 190° it had barely begun to open.....it should be fully open at 180° F.  We then dunked one of the new thermostats in the now boiling water and it opened fully within seconds.  What is my conclusion?  It appears the old thermostat was not opening at 180° F as it should, but well north of 190° F, and then was not fully opening until 212° F (boiling point for water), which the engine never reaches, or should not reach if you don't want to destroy your 2 stroke engine.  I'm about 90% sure that has been our problem, so I am very encouraged.  This is the inexpensive fix at $77 for the new thermostat kit.  If it is the radiator that is a very expensive fix.....north of $4,000.  Time will tell, but I'm pretty optimistic at this point that we have pin pointed the problem.  By the time we finished the thermostat test it was close to 5 pm, so I put away my tools, and will reinstall the new thermostat Sunday morning.....God willing, and the river don't rise....lol.

TLE and I did take a 1.25 mile walk in the morning, but with the ongoing thermostat project dominating the rest of the day, never got out to walk again.  On a very happy note I can now report that I dropped below 200 lbs. for the first time in 3 years......my Saturday weigh in showed me down to 199 lbs. even.....YAY for me!  I have now lost 13.4 pounds in the last four weeks, and am well on my way to my interim 20 lb. weight loss goal.

Finally, a correction to yesterday's blog.....I said I was using a 3/8" nut driver and open end wrench to remove the hose clamp, but they were both actually 7/16" in size.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

USPS comes through......

 8:25 am - Saturday - February 26th - Newell House, AZ - 44° F, 46% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the north by northeast.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies again today with a forecast high of 68° F.  On this date in 2013 TLE and I were supping at Manatee Bar and Grill in Salerno, FL.....one of my favorite pictures of us.......↴

I know I've been critical of the USPS over the past two years (think Wuhan flu years), but lately they've been doing a better job of getting the mail....at least my mail....from point A to point B.  The second package from the eBay seller from which I bought the two thermostats arrived Friday morning, earlier than promised, containing the correct gaskets.  Now I am set to open up both thermostat housings and install the new thermostats four days earlier than expected!  

To be sure I will be ready to hit the ground running on this last project Saturday morning I spent about 90 minutes Friday afternoon gathering together the tools I will need to remove the 8 bolts which hold the tops of those thermostat housings in place, and I am glad I did.  I determined pretty early on that I would need a 9/16" socket to removed the 8 bolts, but finding the correct 9/16" socket was the hard part.  While the bolt heads look pretty much unscathed considering they are at least 40 years old, both of the 9/16" sockets I had would slip when I attempted to turn the bolts....in fact, the first socket I tried actually developed a crack in the side of the socket.  After numerous trips into Newell House to search through Tom's large collection of SAE and Metric sockets I finally found a 9/16" socket (1/2" drive) that would work....it is what is called a '12 point' socket, and it worked.....

12 point 9/16" socket

......next up I needed to find a nut driver that would fit over the nut on the hose clamp, which I must remove first.  I was able to determine the correct sized nut driver would be 3/8", but because of the proximity of the hose clamp nut to the thermostat housing bolt head there was no room for the nut driver to get to the nut.  Fortunately, a 3/8" open end wrench will fit in there, so I'll begin the loosening process with the open end wrench, and when the nut clears the bolt head I'll finish removing it with the nut driver.....

3/8" nut driver (left) and 3/8" open end wrench (right)

.....once that was done, I unpacked the two packages to be sure I had everything I needed parts wise, and I do.....at least I think I do....lol.....

The two thermostats (left), the two seals (center), and two gaskets (right)

.....as my Dad used to day....."It's all over, but the shouting!"....I'm hoping it will be shouts of joy, not despair by the end of the day Saturday.

TLE and I pounded out another 2.5 miles of fast walking, and I began to stow a few things away in the trailer in anticipation of our departure early next week.  It is hard to believe we have been here 6 weeks already, but that every present 'hitch itch' tells me it must be so.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Something I'd rather not do.....

 8:28 am - Friday - February 25th - Newell House, AZ - 40° F, 52% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the west by northwest.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 63° F.  On this date in 2021 I was able to reinstall the heavy Leece-Neville alternator on the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 in less than 40 minutes ......↴

Thursday dawned quite cold.....33° F at 8:30 am!  We do not sleep with the heaters on as a rule, but when we went to bed Wednesday night we left the front electric heater set on 60° F, and I am glad we did.  The bedroom temp got down to 50° F overnight, and getting out of bed to turn on the other two heaters was not something either of us wised to do, but someone's got to do it, so I did.  I have been sleeping so well at night since we began this intermittent fasting thing, that I awake feeling very refreshed, and seem to remain in deep sleep much longer.

As many of you may have noticed the shelves in the local grocery stores are getting more bare by the day.  When we shopped at Basha's in Wickenburg the other day what we saw began to set off alarm bells, so TLE decided to head into Surprise early Thursday to stock up on a few necessities, such as TP, paper towels, and Kleenex as well as some basic foodstuffs.  While she was gone I did my 1.25 mile walk, and then did some strength training....TLE did the same when she returned from shopping.

The USPS came through Thursday with the new thermostats, and we took delivery on the package mid afternoon. All that remains now is to receive the second package which has the correct gaskets, and on that front we got more good news.  Instead of being delivered on Monday the 28th, the package will arrive on Friday, the 25th, which means I'll be able to begin work on replacing the two thermostats by Saturday, instead of Tuesday.  Our boondocking site in the Anza Borrego Desert is calling, and we are beginning to get 'hitch itch'.....lol.

TLE and I spent the afternoon removing the salon TV from its perch over the center console between the driver and passenger seats.  Removing the TV is the only I could get into the TV cabinet to remove all the old cables, and wiring which were no longer in use.  That area has been mostly unusable for years, plus I had power cords running from one side to the other connecting to just three available outlets in order to power everything needed for our automatic Winegard HD dish, the DirecTV HD receiver, and our Sony DVD player.  In the first picture below you can see I was able to attach the cabling for the satellite dish, and HD receiver to the ceiling, and get it out of the way of everything else.  Additionally, I installed a 6 outlet power strip in which to plug everything needed to power our audio/visual entertainment center....

Click on pictures to enlarge

.....the next picture reveals a more orderly TV cabinet where every connection is visible, and there is now only one power source......

.....by consolidating everything on the left side of the TV cabinet the other two thirds of the space can now be used for storage.  TLE took immediate advantage of that extra storage space, and it is now occupied by all of the TP and paper towels she acquired in her Surprise shopping foray earlier in the day.  In all it took about 2.5 hours to clear out all the old cables, and wiring, and then reorganize what remained into a less cluttered, more compact and accessible setup.  I have been thinking about this task since we installed the new HD satellite dish back in October of 2019, and even more intensely since we had that power issue with the outlets back in mid January.  Frankly I was not at all looking forward to doing what needed to be done.  In the end it wasn't as difficult as I had imagined....isn't that almost always the case?

And thus ends another day of accomplishment, and I, in fact, did not really include it in the list of things I really wanted to accomplish while we were here, but knew I needed to do it for my own sense of order, and peace of mind. Every time I had to work on anything in that cabinet it was a nightmare, but I still continued to defer action as long as everything was working.  My philosophy was why fix it if its not broken, right?

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

1.8 million......

 8:13 am - Thursday - February 24th - Newell House, AZ - 34° F, 76% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the east by northeast.....crystal clear, blue, SUNNY skies have returned after a day of rain.  Forecast high for today is 56° F.  On this date in 2018 I was walking to work at the Desert View General Store at the Grand Canyon.....it was close to 0° F at this time......↴

The forecast rains finally arrived around 5 am Wednesday morning, and unlike previous prophecies of rain, it really rained, sometimes torrentially for the next 8 hours.  For the first time since our arrival back on January 15th there was standing water between us and the home of our hosts.......

......to think I was just remarking to Tom and Darlene the night before about how great the weather had been the past 5 weeks.  Oh well, change is nice, and I have to confess it was kind of pleasant to sit in the salon of the Newell listening to rain drops pelting our riveted, aircraft aluminum roof for the first time in a couple of months.  

The temperature never surpassed 50° F, and with wind hovering in the high single digits it felt even colder.....frankly, it felt like a winter day.  February is part of wintertime, so I guess it is only appropriate we experience a little winter weather since it has felt like Spring for the past 5 weeks....lol!

Naturally, with the rainfall there was no fast walking Wednesday, but we both were able to get in a little strength training.  Otherwise, Wednesday was just a lazy, laid back kind of day.  Sometimes you just need a day with no goals, or projects.   On a high note USPS tracking shows my thermostats will be delivered Thursday.  Unfortunately, I discovered a few days after they were shipped that the gaskets being provided were the incorrect ones for my application, so I called the seller, and he sent out the correct ones on Wednesday, which means they will not be here until Monday.  I don't want to start any work on the thermostats until everything I need is here, so that project will extend our stay into the middle, or end of next week.  No worries, though, the campground host says that's just fine.

For our group dinner Wednesday night TLE made a delightful Quiche which included maple sausage, eggs, spinach, and some other delicious ingredients.  It was a hit with everyone.

By the way, I just noticed that as of a few days ago the total number of views of my blog since I began publishing it 12 years ago just passed 1.8 million, and it appears that sometime in the next 12 months we'll surpass 2 million.  A big 'THANK YOU!' to all those who take the time to read my daily musings, and ramblings!!!

As always, thank you for stopping by!  

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Getting trim.....

 8:29 am - Wednesday - February 23rd - Newell House, AZ - 46° F, 79% humidity, wind 10 mph out of the southwest.....100% cloud cover with rain through early afternoon.  Began raining around 5 am.....forecast high for today is 50° F!!  Coldest day in a long time!  On this date in 2021 I picked up my rebuilt Leece-Neville shaft driven alternator, and was getting ready to reinstall it......↴

The winds from Monday finally abated overnight, and before we took our first 1.25 mile walk of the say we redeployed the patio awning once again, and then took our walk.  The day was mostly overcast with a few sun showers, and  a little chilly.  A perfect day to finish the 'microwave' cabinet project I began a few weeks ago.  The new heat resistant adhesive I used to affix the Formica panels to the interior walls of the cabinet worked, so it was time to install the wood trim we bought at Home Depot about a week ago.  The first step was to apply the wood stain we bought to the ceiling of the cabinet, and then begin to cut to length the wood trim.  Some of the pieces needed to be 'shaped' to fit around wires, etc. so I utilized a 'Coping Saw' I've been carrying around for years now to do the shaping, and to cut the wood trim to length....at last a project to justify its place in the trailer cabinet.....lol.....

.....it took a number of trips to the 'garage' (trailer) to make a few adjustments, and I had to change the vision I had in my mind of what it would look like in the end, and it is not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well considering my quite limited wood working skills....I have to remember not allow 'perfect' to be the enemy of 'good'......TLE likes it a lot, and that is 'good' enough for me......

.....and now that project can be crossed of the 'To Do' list for good.

We took our second 1.25 mile walk of the day around 3 pm, and then I settled in to catch up on a few of the YouTube channels to which I subscribe.  We 'ate in' Tuesday, and to honor that occasion TLE made Chicken Alfredo.....one of my favorite TLE dishes.

Our time at Newell House is waning, and within a week we will haul anchor and return to the Anza Borrego Desert for a few weeks before heading into the Pomona Valley for our granddaughter's wedding on April 2nd.  We've been able to get pretty much everything done we wanted to accomplish.....all that remains is to install the two new thermostats on the big Detroit Diesel 6v92.  They are supposed to arrive Wednesday courtesy the USPS, and if they do I will begin to remove the old ones Thursday, and, hopefully, install the new ones the same day.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

That's the 'brakes'......

8:23 am - Tuesday - February 22nd - Newell House, AZ -  52° F, 52% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the south by southeast......76% cloud cover today with a forecast high of 62° F.....chance of rain overnight.  On this date in 2013 TLE and I drove down to Vero Beach, FL to the former 'Dodger Town' where the L.A. Dodgers had their Spring Training facilities for decades.  Here I am standing at home plate in Holman Stadium where Dodger greats Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale pitched from that pitchers mound in front of me.......↴

Waiting for the pitch from Sandy Koufax

Monday I was determined to finish the VW brake job by tackling the rear rotors, and pads.  It was a pleasant, partially overcast day, and there was a slight breeze making conditions just about perfect for sitting on cold concrete for a few hours.  My first task was to remove the left rear wheel to see if Amazon had sent me the correct rotors, and pads.  Within minutes I was able to confirm they had, indeed, sent me the correct parts.  That was the good news.  Over the course of an hour I tried to remove the two bolts which affix the caliper to the mounting bracket, but was unable to get them to budge.  Not wanting to damage the bolts I decided to accept defeat, and hand this job over to my mechanic (Joel's Automotive - Upland, CA) back in SoCal when we get back there for my granddaughter's wedding.  I need to have the drive train inspected, and lubed, and an oil change, so that will work out fine.  I already have paid for the brake parts, so all I'll be out is the labor.

TLE and I continued our twice daily 1.25 mile fast walks, and added about 15 minutes of physical exercises such as sit ups, push ups, knee bends, stretching, etc.  Before we took our first walk of the day the winds freshened so we had to stow the patio awning before doing so became much more difficult.  The winds continued directly out of the south through the day, and into the night, but have abated as I write this morning.  With the winds came the front bearing the rain forecast for tonight.

During the afternoon I finished watching the Joe Montana documentary on the Peacock streaming network.  It was quite a nostalgic trip down memory lane for me, and it was nice to get a lot of the 'back story' on what happened behind the scenes in Joe's storied career during which he won all four Super Bowls in which he played.  At the time he was considered by many, if not most to be the greatest quarterback of all time.  As we all know, there is a new GOAT, Tom Brady, who has won 7 Super Bowls, and I think has been in 10 all together.  Ironically, Tom Brady grew up in the Bay Area, and attended many of Joe Montana's games.  Tom was interviewed extensively for this documentary.  If you are a sports fan you will enjoy this documentary.

My last major project (thermostat removal and replacement) awaits the U.S. Mail.  According to the tracking information provided by the USPS they should arrive Wednesday, so it appears Thursday will be the day I tear into that project.  Once that is done it will be time to haul anchor, and reposition back to the Anza Borrego Desert for a few weeks until it is time for the wedding (April 2nd), at which time we will reposition to the Elks Lodge in Fontana until after the wedding.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Sunday......

 8:03 am - Monday - February 21st - Newell House, AZ - 47° F, 34% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the south.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 65° F.....chance of rain Tuesday night....we'll see.  On this date in 2015 we were boondocking near Sedona, AZ watching hot air balloons take off nearby....they were flying right over our coach......↴

TLE and I have upped our one mile walks each day to 1.25 miles to extend our walking time to 20 minutes each time we walk.  We started this a few days ago, and 20 minutes seems to be just about the right amount of time.  We're both kind of stuck at our current weight, which happens, but the inches are melting away.  My clothes are feeling looser on me, and I can see the difference in my waistline....so can TLE.

After our morning 1.25 mile walk we drove over to the home of our 'egg guy' to buy 2 more dozen eggs, and another large bag of oranges, and tangelos ($11 total).....his citrus trees are almost bare now, and he says they are getting ready to bloom again.  On the way home we stopped at the local Wittmann Flea Market, and I found a couple of metric sockets I needed to work on the VW brakes.  I had to borrow a couple from Tom to do the front brakes, and I want to be sure I have the right ones should I have to work on them again in the future.

After getting back home with our spoils I spent about an hour cleaning, and polishing the new irons I bought at Goodwill......they look even better than I thought when I bought them.  Looking forward to hitting a few balls with them very soon.  That was the extent of my labors Sunday....I spent the afternoon watching the final round of the Genesis Invitational, and then watched a documentary about Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers quarterback in the 80's). 

TLE made Jambalaya for Sunday dinner in our hosts' home.  We ate, laughed, and talked, and then talked some more before we headed back to the Newell around 6:15 pm. I caught these pictures of the sunset afterglow....

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Almost done.....

8:22 am - Sunday - February 20th - Newell House, AZ - 48° F, 28% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the east......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 76° F.  On this date in 2013 we had just overnighted in a Lowe's parking lot in Boca Raton, FL.....↴ 

A while back, you may recall, while we were still ensconced within Newell House I repositioned two of our solar panels at the rear of the coach roof.  The final step of that repositioning was to take some of the slack out of the cables which connect to those panels to the junction box, so there would be more cable available at the rear solar panels enabling them to be tilted without putting strain on those two cables.  Since our near term goal is to return to the Anza Borrego Desert in a couple of weeks I want to be able to tilt them.

After completing our first 1 mile walk of the day I set about getting our telescoping ladder out, and the necessary tools to complete the task.  When these cables were installed at A.M. Solar back in 2015 they were laid down on the roof in kind of a serpentine fashion to allow for future changes, and fastened to the roof using lap sealant.  My task was to remove that sealant affixing those two cables in their current position, straighten them out, and then reattach them to the roof using the Dicor lap sealant I keep on hand for just such things.  I'm happy to report that the operation was a success, and it only took about 90 minutes.  With that accomplished I only have two more projects to complete before we haul anchor.....the rear brakes on the VW, and the installation of two new thermostats on the big Detroit Diesel 6v92.

With that task behind me I dedicated the balance of the day to watching the Genesis Invitational PGA tournament being played at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA.  My son and I walked 18 holes at Riviera following Jack Nicklaus around the course back in the late 80's.....it was called the L.A. Open back then.  For good measure I also through in another Jacuzzi session late afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Golf, anyone?

 8:25 am - Saturday - February 19th - Newell House, AZ - 51° F, 25% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the east by northeast.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies again today with a forecast high of 76° F. On this date in Abilene, TX where we had overnighted at a Cracker Barrel after driving 585 miles from Benson, AZ the day before......↴

Friday is always 'bacon day' in our household.  Normally, in most circumstances, that would mean 4-5 strips of peppered bacon with breakfast, but since are doing the 'intermittent fasting' thing that means lunch time.  TLE gives me breakfast for lunch whenever I ask, but I haven't had one of her amazing BLAT's in a long time.  In order to fulfill my desires TLE told me if I wanted a BLAT we would have to go to the store to get bread.  "No problem!" I said..."we'll go after we do our 1 mile walk, and I do a test drive to check the front brakes."  

After our walk I got in the VW and headed 1 mile out to pavement where I could get her up to speed (50 mph in this case) so I could hit the brakes, and see if the wobble was gone.  I ran up to speed twice, and hit the brakes hard each time, and what do you know?  The wobble is gone!  I was so intent on replacing those front rotors, and pads that I ignored the obvious, more simple solution.....just have the rotors 'turned'.....in this case a simple $20 solution, as opposed to the $160 for new rotors and pads.

When I was in town Thursday waiting for my rotors to be turned I mentioned I spent about 30 minutes at the local Goodwill 'browsing' before picking up the rotors.  While browsing I found a set of matched golf irons (3-9, plus pitching wedge and sand wedge) for $1.49 each.....that's less than $15 for 9 irons!  I didn't pull the trigger then, but decided, since we were going to Trader Joe's anyway (right next door to Goodwill) that I would go over and buy them whilst TLE shopped....

.....that makes two complete sets of golf irons I own.  I really like the feel of these clubs, the grips, and the weighting.  I'll get a chance this summer to find out which set I like better, and it only cost me $13.42 for this set.  Combined I think I've spent less than $40 for both sets of irons.  This new set are Prima's, which are sold at chain golf stores like Nevada Bob's in Nevada.  They are patterned after Ping golf clubs, which are quite expensive, so how far wrong can I go for under $14?  We parked in the TJ's parking lot, and while TLE headed into the store I walked over to Goodwill to buy those clubs.  I was back from Goodwill before TLE had finished shopping, so I helped her finish, and then we headed back home.  The brakes are so much nicer now that the wobble is gone!

I also made another astute purchase Friday......a TORO leaf blower (brand new, in the box) for $20.  I was about to pull the trigger on a $100 blower when I came across this one in Tom's garage, which he happened to be trying to sell on Facebook Market Place.  We need a blower occasionally to blow leaves, pine needles, or whatever has gotten stuck in our artificial turf out of the turf.  Usually, when we are working, I have access to company owned gas blowers, but that is not always the case, so having our own blower now means we can clean the turf more often......

Once again, TLE and I did two one mile walks around Newell House, and I managed to squeeze in another Jacuzzi session for good measure.  Friday was a good day.....I finally finished the front brakes on the VW, got a new to me set of golf clubs, bought a blower for a killer deal, and took a Jacuzzi.....what else does a man need (other than a wonderful wife, which I already have)?

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Success.....I think....

 8:07 am - Friday - February 18th - Newell House, AZ - 43° F, 27% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the east by northeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 70° F.  On this date in 2010 TLE and I were standing atop Sandia Crest at 10, 678' near Albuquerque, NM.....↴

After posting my latest missive, and fast walking 1 mile with TLE I headed into Wickenburg to visit the local Napa Auto Parts store, and also O'Reilly's to pick up some automotive parts for Tom.  As it turned out the rotors, and brake pads Tom had ordered were identical to the ones Amazon had sent, and I knew they would not work.  It appears my particular model of 2001 VW Beetle (2.0 sport turbo) either came from the factory, or was upgraded at a later date to heavier duty rotors and pads.  All the markings on my calipers show VW/Audi on them, so they appear to be OEM, I guess, but they are definitely different than stock, which is what everyone keeps trying to sell me.  

My stop at O'Reilly's was more fruitful.....the parts Tom ordered were ready, and I was able to 'borrow' a brake caliper tool set for the rear brakes on the VW.  I watched a couple of videos on replacing the rear brakes, and the guy suggested you could borrow this special compression tool needed to compress the caliper cylinder from O'Reilly's.  Sure enough they did have it, and I borrowed it.  Of course borrowing in this sense means you leave a $65 deposit (the value of the tool set), which is refunded when you return the tool.

As I wrote previously, the reason I was replacing the front pads and rotors was because I'm getting a little brake 'chatter', or wobble when I apply the brakes at speed, and that usually means a warped rotor.  It's also been 8 years since I had a complete (front and rear) brake job in at Higher Ground Autoworx in South Lake Tahoe, and I figured why not just replace everything.  The kicker is the front pads are not that worn at all (amazingly), and the rotors really look just fine, except for that wobble thing.  I decided to call a local brake place (Brake Masters in Surprise) to see what it would cost to 'turn' them, or as they say "resurface them".  The cost quoted was $15/rotor.  These rotors have never been 'turned' and there is still plenty of material, so it's worth the $30 to 'turn' them and see if that gets rid of the 'chatter'.

I removed both rotors, and headed into Surprise around 1 pm.  I also needed to drop off the Amazon rotors and brake pads at the local UPS Store, so after dropping off the rotors I headed over to the UPS store, which is about 3 miles away from Brake Masters.  The guys at Brake Masters assured me it would take about an hour to "resurface" the rotors.

As one might imagine, the UPS Store at mid afternoon was quite busy.  There were about 10 people in line in front of me.  Those rotors and brake pads are pretty heavy, so I had to keep finding places to set them down as the line shrank in front of me.  Finally, about 20 minutes later I was at the desk letting the nice lady scan the 3 QR codes for the two rotors (separate packages), and pads.  It took a couple of minutes, and I was on my way.  By this time 40 minutes had elapsed, and one of my least favorite things to do is sit in auto repair lounges, so I stopped off at the local Goodwill, and browsed for about 30 minutes before heading back to Brake Masters.  True to their word, they were pulling the 2nd rotor off their machine, and handing both the "resurfaced' rotors to me.  I asked what the total cost would be and the guy says "If we generate a billing in the system it will be $32, including tax, but if you have $20 cash we'll call it even"....wait, what?  I couldn't get that $20 out of my wallet fast enough.  By the way, Yelp gives this store 4 stars, and they deserve it!

It was closing in on 3 pm by this point, so I put the rotors in the back of the car (I borrowed Tom's Honda CRV), and headed for home arriving there about 20 minutes later.  I hadn't done my afternoon fast walk yet, so I took care of that, then began to reinstall the freshly "resurfaced' rotors.  The acid test will be to take a test drive, and see if the wobble is gone.  

I didn't have time to do the test drive as it was 4:45 pm by the time I finished putting away my tools, and were were going into Wickenburg with Tom, Darlene, and Wade to celebrate Wade's birthday at a local Mexican eatery named Anita's Cocina.  I hadn't had anything to eat all day save a bowl of Cheerios around 12 pm, and I was starved.  I ordered their two taco plate, and a glass of ice tea.....no beer for me while I'm dieting....lol.  We had a very pleasant time eating, talking and laughing.  A nice ending to a successful day.  Now to test drive the VW!

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!