Don't get crossed, keep your cool.

 So exciting! The new fan arrived, right on time! I love it when a plan comes together. I unpacked the hardware and was thrilled to see that everything was exactly as it should be. Everything fit as it should and things should be a simple plug and play....

 But as we all know that doen't always happen...

while trying in the bushing I hand tightened the retention bolts, and marred the threads on one of the holes. I didn't realize what I had done until I put a ratchet on it to tighten the fan into place. Two of the three bolts moved like silk on silk, the third bound down almost instantly. I knew it was cross threaded. I backed the bolt out and tried to re-angle the bolt, but the damage was done. Thankfully a repass with a tap cleaned everything up without to much drama.

The new fan blade was finally mounted in position!!

A little site test to make sure things are lined up properly...

And then install the final fan guard, so this totally preventable mishap does NOT happen again!

All the while work continues (all be it slowly) on the bathroom. Getting the drawer fronts mounted where they need to be. Now we are ready for another camping trip....

Trying to keep your cool

This past weekend found me trying to prevent the re-occurrence of the rad fan carnage incident again. So friday I spent some time mapping out what I needed to get the job done. Thank fully I had all the materials I need. Now I just need time.

Saturday and sunday found us hosting friends and team mates of Jeff's for Team Alberta. All three team Alberta U16 teams made it to the semi finals, with Jeff and his partner playing for the gold. It was close and a well fought battle but this time he found himself with silver around his neck and I couldn't be more proud. His competitors and team mates are a force to be reckoned with and the game was hard fought and respectful.

Jeff was obviously disappointed they couldn't go all the way and take home the gold. He is hardest on himself, so we were thankful that Jeff's buddy Grace showed up with someone that could help put things into perspective and let him focus on more than just Volleyball. Nationals are in a week in Toronto, so there will be plenty of time to be super focused in the time ahead.

Monday, being a local holiday, I was able to squeak out a little time and get the fan guard almost complete

I still want to trim, finish, and weld, but right now it's functional. I await the new fan tomorrow, so hopefully I can get it into place before we leave for holidays!

One more little drop...

I figure every inch is sacred. When I built the split galley I tried to capture every single inch I could for storage. Plates, cups, utensils, cleaning supplies...they all have to go somewhere. And having camped in Fillmore a few times now we know that we can use every nook and cranny that we can. So when I had to modify the under counter apron on the sink side I realized there was enough space for another drawer!

Not much to say about it but it will work great for cutlery!

May the odds be ever in your favor

For those who have seen the films(Hunger Games), the blog title brings an ominous air of dread to mind when hearing that statement. I've been to Vegas 3-4 times in my life but never have I sat down at a table and played against the house in an effort to walk away with winnings. So I sit here and ask myself, why did I think I had better odds with the engine room in Fillmore than at a blackjack table in Vegas?

As we packed up and came home from Camping we used the engine room to transport some of our "stuff". As I get more and more comfortable with camping with Fillmore I start getting more reckless or less attentive to detail, and mess up my odds. What happened on the way home from Little Bow Provincial Park was a rag I had used was not properly stowed away. It got loose and sucked up into the fan blades. If you remember a few years ago on the maiden voyage to Manitoba we ran into a heat issue in the engine room in Fillmore. The fan was pulling air in from outside through the radiator and heating up the engine room, which caused issues....electrical issues...
So I decided to alter the pitch of the fan blades to push the air out . Problem soled, but new issue created. By doing so the fan blades are spinning with the thin trailing edge forward and as such are inherently weak. So it didn't take much to break them up.

I usually have all the tools I need for the job at hand but this time I was up the creek without a puller. Thankfully another friend in the cool tool network had exactly what I needed to remove the split lock bushing!

With the damaged pieces removed all I need now are the new parts. A quick email to the manufacturer and some specific measurements and the new blades are on the way!

Now for the second surprise that Fillmore gave me upon arriving home after camping. I went to start it up and it turns over- but no firing occurred. I was thinking a vapor lock in the fuel pump but you rarely hear of that with Diesel, none the less I self primed the pump to see....but to no avail. Further investigation found that my fuel shut of valve wasn't opening on start. If I manually held it open then the solenoid would seem to hold it open and I could start Fillmore and keep him running, but if I shut him down the same problem existed. Putting a voltmeter on the leads to the solenoid found that I had power at the appropriate times, so the relays were fine. That meant the problem was the solenoid itself. They, apparently, are known to burn out every now and again. The down side is, the cost of replacement is upwards of $600.

I removed the solenoid and took it with me into Calgary to get a new one. As I sat in the parking lot at the Kenworth dealer I looked at the ground wire for the solenoid and realized my issue was really nothing more than a bad (corroded ) ground.

So I cancelled my order of the solenoid with Cummins and cleaned and rewired the solenoid back into place. Works like a charm.

While we wait for the fan, progress is at a snails pace with the furnace. The water damaged furnace fan has been replaced. The top video is the noise level of the furnace when we realized the fan was shot.

The bottom video is the sound levels with the new replacement fan. The rate determining step now is the water drain solenoid. It was leaking so I ordered a new piece. From the same company that sent me the fan in 3 days, this part has been 'in transit' for three weeks now, and we are still not even sure where it is....