Pipeline......

8:20 am - Mountain Time - Sunday - 47º F, humidity 98%, wind 5 mph out of SSW.....heavy cloud cover.

I was awakened by my phone 'dinging' indicating a PM from my friend Tom asking if I wanted to go to the Wittmann Flea Market with him......uhhhh......just got up, sorry......wow, another 9 hours of slumber!  Since I was awake I went ahead and got out of bed and began my morning routine.  I am usually the first one up......90% of the time.....I first close my window, then turn on the bedroom heater so when 'she who must be obeyed' arises the bedroom is warm.  Next I turn on the light in the bathroom, and turn on the bathroom heater, then turn on the lights in the kitchen and salon followed by the opening of the mini blinds to see what kind of day awaits, and then the salon heater is cranked up to high.  Finally I turn on the sink faucet to HOT, then fill our coffee cups and the coffee carafe with hot water to preheat them.....the coffee stays hotter, longer, right?  If it is Saturday, or Sunday I turn on the English Premier League Soccer (Fox Sports)......we love watching the Premier League!

Once I have taken care of my morning ablutions I sit down with a fresh cup of hot coffee (touch of 1/2 & 1/2) and begin to compose my daily blog post, which is where I find myself right now.......

Rain was forecast for Saturday afternoon so I needed to be sure all of the engine bay stuff I had left sitting outside on the ground by the trailer needed to be put away before it got wet.....when I was removing all the engine bay stuff I noticed some diesel soot all over the driver's side engine bay, which indicates the 'flex' exhaust pipe (see picture below) has a breach in it......I replaced this section of exhaust piping about 7 years ago for the same reason, but I used galvanized, and it appears to be leaking once again........

You can see the serious rust on the flex pipe

......the galvanized flex pipe did not stand up to corrosion very well, as you can see above (rusted section to right of stainless steel heat shield), so last Wednesday I ordered a 5" x 4' section of stainless steel flex pipe from Ryder Fleet Products (cost about $48 plus shipping) which arrived Friday.....

 New stainless steel flex pipe

 ......I will only need about 2.5' of this pipe to replace the seriously rusted section.....hoping to get that new piece cut to size, and replace the severely rusted section on Sunday.........

I spent the afternoon and evening watching NFL playoffs.....the first game was at 2:15 pm between the Seahawks and Falcons in Atlanta......the Falcons won easily, as predicted.  Next up was the game between the Texans and Patriots, which was close for the first half, but became a blowout in the second half due to numerous turnovers by the Texans.....again the gain went as predicted.  Hoping the games on Sunday will be more competitive

Captured this interesting sunset Saturday evening.......once again, I love the long, big views here in the desert!

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Our home is 'home'.....

8:48 am - Mountain time - Saturday - 59º F, 58% humidity, wind 10 mph out the ENE.....very cloudy and rain is forecast for later today.  Just woke up a few minutes ago......wonderful night of sleep with occasional wind and rain.

Saturday morning....beautiful!

My friend Tom spoke with our mechanic, Leo, at 'All Aboard America' about 7 am Friday to see if he had been able to discover the issue with my 'Jake' brake.......he had not had time to get to it at that time.  I was not up until after 8 am, so this was my news to start the day.  I worked on my blog post for the day, and then called Leo again at 9 am, but still no progress.  I decided to busy myself with something else and stop worrying about it, and bugging Leo until the afternoon.  I was anxious to get good news as we wanted to get the coach back Friday afternoon, or else it would be there until Monday.

Just about 1 pm I called Leo again, and happened to catch him just as he was putting things back together.......he had fixed the 'Jake'.  As it turned out the solenoids were, indeed, both working, but the 'Jake' was not being activated so he pulled off both valve covers to find that the oil tubing which connects both 'Jakes' had a leak in it so there was no oil pressure to the 'Jakes'.  Once he fixed the leak by tightening up the connections the oil pressure returned and the the 'Jakes' were working once again.  

So, here's the deal......it takes about 75 minutes to drive across town to Mesa, AZ from Wittmann, which meant if we left by 1:30 pm we would get there around 2:40 pm, or later depending on traffic, which means we would be ultimately be driving the coach back to Wittmann in rush hour traffic.....rush hour in the Phoenix area is from about 3 pm to 7 pm......uggggh!

Well, we did leave shortly after 1:30 pm (TLE and I) in the VW to make the drive over to 'All Aboard America'.  Traffic was heavy through downtown Phoenix on I-10 as we expected, and we arrived around 2:45 pm.  We quickly paid the bill ($895) and were on our way back to Wittmann just before 3 pm.....traffic was already heavy the way we had come so we took the long way back.......the long way is about 11 miles longer, but the traffic was significantly better that way.  As it turned out we got home in about an hour and forty minutes.....not too bad.  I noticed the 'Jake' was working way better than it ever had in the past, and I now surmise that one of the 'Jakes' had not been working for some time due to the oil leak, which must have worsened to the point this summer where both stopped working all together.  The loose wire Leo found was just one more issue.  Now when I back off the accelerator it slows down much more quickly.

Some may wonder about the cost to do the service and repair the 'Jake' so here is the breakdown:

$ 30 for filters (two fuel filters and one oil filter)
$ 85 for coolant replacement
$ 10 for shop supplies
$ 10 sales tax
$760 for labor (8 hours @ $95/hour)
$895 Total

As is often the case, labor is the major cost component.  About four of those hours was for two mechanics (Leo and his helper) doing the service (lube, oil, coolant, filters) which took about 2 hours, and the other 4 hours was for the time Leo spent by himself troubleshooting the 'Jake' brake.  Obviously I had my own oil, which I had purchased at a big discount almost two years ago, otherwise we would have been over $1,000 easily.  Anytime my bill is under $1,000 I am grateful!

We arrived back home with our 'home' just before 5 pm, and quickly got the coach backed into its spot, hooked up the utilities, and then began moving our clothing from the house, and food from the garage refrigerator back into the Newell.....by the time this was complete it was after 6 pm and I was tired!  We had dinner with Tom and Darlene and then retired to the coach for the evening......so nice to be back in our own space!

So, now we have gotten the Newell serviced, the 'Jake' fixed (very important to have to extend brake life) and we are ready for some traveling.  We'll be departing Wittmann within the next 7 days for Quartzite, and then we'll probably head into Death Valley for a couple of weeks, or more.....stay tuned!

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It's 'Jake' with me.....

8:32 am - Mountain Time - Friday - 52º F, 64% humidity, wind 7 mph from east southeast.......partly cloudy.....forecast high is 64º F.  

We were up by 7 am Thursday getting the Newell ready for its 63 mile one way jaunt over to Mesa, AZ and 'All Aboard America' for its much anticipated servicing and repair of its Jake Brake (click on link for explanation of what this is)......simply put, it is an 'exhaust inhibitor', or 'exhaust brake'.  Our plan was to be ready to roll by 9 am and we were......TLE stayed behind and Tom 'followed' me (I used 'followed' advisedly), but somehow arrived at 'All Aboard America' about 15 minutes before I did.....😏.....it took me about one hour and 20 minutes to make the drive through Phoenix mid morning traffic.....not too bad.   My mechanic, Leo, was ready for me and ushered me into the bay immediately upon my arrival.....within minutes the Newell was 6 feet off the ground........

.......in all I had a complete service......they lubed the drive train, checked the brakes (rear brakes have about 40% left, and front brakes about 80% left...the front one must have been relined sometime before I bought the coach in 2008), added a couple of quarts of gear oil to the differential, replaced 23 gallons of coolant, drained out 24 quarts of 40 wt oil, then replaced it with 24 quarts of Chevron Delo 100, replaced the fuel filters and oil filter, checked the condition of the 8 air bags and U-joints, and did a visual inspection of the steering gear.....by this time the engine had cooled enough to begin troubleshooting the Jake Brake situation.  Within a few minutes Leo found that one of the wires had become disconnected, and that appeared to be the cause.  I say 'appeared', because Leo had me start up the coach and rev it with the 'Jake Brake' switch in the 'on' position to see if he could hear it kick in as the engine de-accelerated.  After revving the engine several time he didn't believe he could hear the ubiquitous 'Jake Brake' sound.....shoot!

Tom and I decided to leave for a couple of hours to get lunch and run some errands, and by the time we returned Leo had most of the muffler disconnected from the turbo so he could get at the 'Jake Brake' wiring more easily, and was now testing the circuits for each 'Jake'......we could hear each of the solenoids 'clicking' inside the valve covers as he applied power, so they seem to be working properly, nevertheless, he was still not convinced they were actually engaging the 'Jake Brake'.  

By this time it was after 2 pm and the Phoenix rush hour begins about 3 pm so we decided to leave the coach with Leo overnight and head for home.  Our plan had been to be out the coach for a couple of nights if not longer anyway, but I was sure hoping we could take the coach home the same day.....it was not to be.

Tom and I were home sometime after 5 pm after a quick stop at a local Harbor Freight we arrived back at the Wittmann homestead sometime after 4 pm.....a very long day for me.  After taking a short nap we had dinner, then watched some TV serials before heading to bed.

In all it was a good day with a lot of preventative maintenance being accomplished on the Newell.....I feel better having been able to see the condition of my brakes, and the entire undercarriage.  The condition of our 35 year old coach is good, and there are no serious issues which require immediate attention.  The rear brakes will need relining within the next 2 years, and the drums may have to be replaced, but the front brakes and drumbs look great.  Once the 'Jake Brake' is fixed it will take a lot of use off our brakes again, and that is the main benefit of the 'Jake Brake'......it reduces brake wear significantly.

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All Aboard!

7:01 am - Mountain Time - Thursday - 44º F, humidity 82%, wind 6 mph out of ENE....forecast high is 63º F......cloudy.  Heading out in a couple of hours to drive our Newell over to 'All Aboard America' to be serviced, have the 'Jake Brake' fixed, and to have the oil and various filters changed....got to get going on this blog!

First of all, TLE is completely well....I mean I see no indication of the cold in her that completely laid me low for over 10 days.  I am still on the mend, and feel pretty good, but am no where near where she is.  With that in mind I began Wednesday to put stuff away.....not completely, mind you but away enough so we can roll the wheels of the Newell on Thursday over to Mesa, AZ.  Fortunately we are not taking the trailer with us, so it needed no arranging, but there was plenty to do besides that, which kept me busy most of the morning.  Once we deliver the Newell to 'All Aboard America' we will return to Wittmann to reside in Tom and Darlene's guest bedroom for a couple of days.....hopefully we'll get our home back by Saturday, or Monday at the latest!

I spent time in the afternoon watching some of the Senate confirmation hearings of some of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominees.....always interesting 'kabuki theater'.  I remember back in the early 70's watching when able, but mostly listening to the 'Watergate Hearings'.....now that was high drama as the oft repeated mantra "What did you know, and when did you know it?" became part of the public dialogue for decades.  Then there were the Senate confirmation hearings for now Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in early 90's when we heard the nominee characterize the hearings as a 'High Tech Lynching', or the Iran-Contra hearings in the late 80's featuring the unapologetic Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North standing toe to toe with the joint congressional committee.  I watch because you never know when you will find congressmen being humiliated by the individual they are attempting to 'hang from the yardarm'.  At any rate, nothing like that happened, but it was interesting nonetheless.

That was the extent of our Wednesday......time to get to work making the Newell ready for a 63 mile trip over to Mesa!

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Wrap it up!

8:12 am - Mountain Time - Wednesday - 46º F, 86% humidity, wind 3 mph from the east.....forecast high 63º F.....high wispy clouds.......just shy of a full moon (see picture below)......

Last summer a member on our Newell users group forum sent me a message that he had engine blankets, or wraps for my Detroit Diesel 6V92 and offered to give them to me for just the shipping cost.  I agreed to acquire them and reimbursed the owner about $85 for the shipping cost.  Upon receipt of the package I determined almost immediately that the 'wraps' were indeed not for a 6V92, but for a 8V71 with a completely different configuration meaning they would not fit my intended application.  Tuesday I took pictures of those wraps and relisted them on the Newell users group forum (www.newellgurus.com)......

.......and within hours had several offers to take them off my hands for the cost of shipping, so now I will need to get them boxed and shipped.  I had thought about just throwing them away, but they do have significant value to someone who needs them so we have been hauling them around for the past few months.....at now we will not be taking them with us when we leave Wittmann!  Before I did finally list the engine wraps I spent some time attempting to get them to fit my application just to be sure that they would, indeed, not fit, and was ultimately satisfied they would not fit.

For those who have been reading my blog for the past couple of years you will recall that in February of 2015 I purchased three 5 gallon cans of Chevron Delo 100 40 weight oil.  I got them at a deep discount from a fellow who used to own a Newell with a Detroit Diesel two stroke engine like mine.  I spent time transferring some of my stockpile of Chevron Delo 100 40 weight oil from a 5 gallon can to individual 1 gallon cans and refilling the oil reservoir for my 6V92 engine.......the reservoir holds between 3 and 4 gallons of oil which allows me to just open a gate valve when I need to add oil to the engine......very handy!

 The oil reservoir

Since I do not have room to haul the three 5 gallon cans around my friend Tom has allowed me to store them at his home here it Wittmann.......I'm taking the remaining oil with me to 'All Aboard America' Wednesday to use in the scheduled oil change...... 

Remaining 10 gallons of  Chevron Delo 100 oil

By the time I finished with all of the preceding it was well into the afternoon and it was time for me to put stuff away and take a shower.  It was a good day with much accomplished.  I spent the rest of the day resting and reading.  More to do on Wednesday before we drive the Newell over to 'All Aboard America' for its service.

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Reversal......

8:31 am - Mountain Time - Tuesday - 44º F, 95% humidity, wind 6 mph out of northeast.....forecast high 64º F....partly cloudy......slept in to 8:03 am today.....WOW!  That's late for me, but didn't get to bed until almost 11:30 pm....

.......one hour earlier, at the end of the NCAA football National Championship game, which was on first Saturday (Monday - 10:20 pm) I told TLE it was one the best days ever.....first Saturday ended with the victory in the National Championship game by Clemson over Alabama......one of the best games of its kind ever.....decided with 1 second to go on the clock.....35-31......

.......6.5 hours earlier we witnessed a spectacular, almost Cedar Key like sunset in the Wittmann outback...........7.5 hours earlier (4 pm) we arrived home from a wonderful day of running errands

.....8.5 hours earlier, around 3 pm.........shopping at the local Sprouts (across the street from Rubio's and Supercuts).....2:30 pm.....finishing up my haircut at Supercuts in Peoria, which is less than 100 feet from the local Rubio's........

.........around 2 pm we finished a wonderful late lunch at Rubio's in Peoria......I love going to lunch with TLE......she had the 'California Bowl' with grilled mahi mahi, and I had the 1 taco plate.....

.......12:30 pm just leaving the Glendale Social Security office where we filed our Medicare Part B applications during the current open enrollment period ending March 31st.....easy peezy.......waited less than 15 minutes for our appointment and were on our way to lunch.

Finally, we are both feeling well enough to head out around 11 am to run a bunch of errands.....I hope, at the time, I am not overextending myself.

So, there you have it......1st Saturday in reverse timeline......thanks for stopping by!

How wonderful is Kleenex anyway?

7:10 am - Mountain Time - Monday - 50º F, humidity 69%, wind 5 mph out of the northeast......50% chance of rain.....forecast high 67º F.  It is just so, so good to wake up feeling good again......feeling like the day has possibilities again......

Good morning Wittmann!

......and there is nothing like a great sunrise to make one optimistic about the future. 

Sunday was anything but a sunny day, although the high did get over 70º F.....I was dedicated to not over doing it on a day when I was feeling pretty good.  I did manage to dump the black tank......this must be done whether, or not you are sick......otherwise I spent the better part of the day watching the second day of NFL 'wild card' playoffs.  As was the case on Saturday neither game Sunday was close at the end.  The first game between the Steelers and Dolphins (played in Pittsburgh) was one sided in favor of the Steelers.....30-6, and the second game between the Giants and Packers (played in Green Bay in 14º F temps) was close for the first 28 minutes, but became a blowout in the second half.....sigh......38-13.  Only one of my teams, the Seahawks, is still in the playoffs.

I spent a lot of time reading and taking a couple of needed naps......my body is worn down from this dreadful cold and seems to need more sleep than normal right now and I am happy to oblige.  I find myself feeling useless and unaccomplished, but it is what it is......there is nothing I can do about it, but just be patient.  TLE is making quick progress towards full health, also.

We watched 'Annie Hall' (1977.....won 4 Oscars at the 1978 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay) Sunday night.....this was the last movie I went to see with my father.....whenever I watch this movie I think of all the lines my father and I would quote back and forth to each other.....there were so many great lines.

Hoping to get outside Monday, maybe even drive into town......need to restock our Kleenex supply.....it has been decimated!

Thanks for stopping by!