Java's F450 RV

[CarterKraft]

Do you think there is evil forces at work with that much lateral force required to center the axle?

 

[bdkw1]

Next time you do the track bar, stick a piece of wood between the spindle and the C. Then use the steering box to crank it over to where it should be. Should be done with the wheels off the ground.

 

[Java230]

Do you think there is evil forces at work with that much lateral force required to center the axle?

Many evil forces.

 

[Java230]

Next time you do the track bar, stick a piece of wood between the spindle and the C. Then use the steering box to crank it over to where it should be. Should be done with the wheels off the ground.

Axle hanging? That's a good idea. But I feel weird hanging it off the bags?

 

[bdkw1]

The bags should net be your limit straps. The shocks should be.

[Archer voice on] Do you want ripped bags? Cause that's how you get ripped bags.{Archer voice off]

You can have the axle on stands, it will just move the truck back and forth.

 

[Java230]

The bags should net be your limit straps. The shocks should be.

[Archer voice on] Do you want ripped bags? Cause that's how you get ripped bags.{Archer voice off]

You can have the axle on stands, it will just move the truck back and forth.

Let's just say it involved a big ratchet strap was was sketch. Hopwfully it's center ish.....

 

[Java230]

Got a block and tackle to try out.... I was thinking its lighter, and easier to lower than the come along I normally used. Fuck that shit. Rope is so thin it hurts like a MFer. Supposed to be rated for 2k. Yeah right.... But spare is down, and old one is back in place for the spare.....

 

[Java230]

Fawk this

 

[Java230]

My roof creates a super low pressure zone right where my front fan is. Its constantly pulling up on the lid. I have left it open a few times which probably didn't help either..... But the lid is cracked, hinges ovaled out, and a weld broken.... Duct tape held almost all the way home....

New maxxfan acquired. But first lets deal with a little issue with them. Here you can see the circuit board that runs everything. I have had one fry due to condensation getting on it in the winter. Maxxfan replaced it for me under warranty, bu this time I will take a little action to try to prevent it. There are 4 screws under the screen, and one in the crank knob. Pop those out and you can access the board. Its held in by three screws. Remove those. Cover the comm ports with a bit of tape and hose the whole thing down with some conformal coating. Should help a little anyway I hope. Reassemble and install.

Much better.

On to the next project. After alignment and shifting the axle over the steering wheel was off center a fair bit. Well go figure that adjuster was nice and rusty..... Lots of PB, a torch, a 2' monkey wrench and 5' cheater bar and it finally started moving..... But that took a long ass time.

Better. Weekend time now.

Centramatic and new tires on the front as well.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Very interested to hear how you like those centermatic wheel balancers. Heard about them a few years ago.

 

[Java230]

Very interested to hear how you like those centermatic wheel balancers. Heard about them a few years ago.

I'm hopeful they help! I have heard a lot of good things. If they help keep front tires round I won't complain at all!

 

[arse_sidewards]

I've run the centramatics. They help a ton.

 

[CarterKraft]

Not to poopoo the centramatics but they are somewhat local to me and my Dad grew up rodeoing with founder.
I bought some and ran them on my Excursion (same one that grenaded tires) and never really noticed better/worse.

People swear by them and I agree the principal is sound but my XD wheels BFG tires must have been so shitty they couldn't help.
I am looking forward to your review because I can tell you aren't swayed just because something cost $$$ it can still suck and you'll say so.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Not to poopoo the centramatics but they are somewhat local to me and my Dad grew up rodeoing with founder.
I bought some and ran them on my Excursion (same one that grenaded tires) and never really noticed better/worse.

People swear by them and I agree the principal is sound but my XD wheels BFG tires must have been so shitty they couldn't help.
I am looking forward to your review because I can tell you aren't swayed just because something cost $$$ it can still suck and you'll say so.

Yeah, the Toyota effect is real. People spend a lot of money on shit and they can't bring themselves to realize they got ripped off for what they got so they double down and say that whatever they bought is the greatest shit ever.

I used them to get some ~33" R4 ag tires that you simply couldn't go fast with up to low highway speed (wanted to be able to drive the trail tires to the trailhead). They definitively didn't get rid of all the vibrations but they made the difference between not tolerable and tolerable and it worked for what I needed.

I have no idea if they would be able to help take smaller vibrations out of an already workable combo.

 

[Java230]

I have literally only driven around the block to check the brakes at this point. But the new tires and the balancers were world's better. The old tires were super out of round though. I have 300 miles scheduled for this afternoon, we will see. I'm not sure I'll be able to feel any different over the rough ass suspension..... Lol

 

[CarterKraft]

Winning LOL, enjoy the trip hopes it smooth sailing.

 

[Java230]

Well round tires are nice. That's all. Antenna isn't constantly flapping anymore

 

[Java230]

Bringing over more....
Spare tires are good... Would not fit in the stock location without cutting the exhaust off.




So I whipped up a spare mount for the back door. Not my prettiest fab work, but its solid. Two verticals to spread the load over a few panels of the door, and a "basket" for the wheel to sit in.

Through bolted on the door. I can bounce on it with no movement.

And with the tire in place, I used E-Track mounts and straps.

Added a lifting eye above the door, come along and a snatch block make getting it up there possible, once the rear winch goes in it will be much easier....

Finally spent the $$ on a good set of SAE rated lights I could run on the street. The beam and cutoff is impressive.

I'm cheap, so I did not buy the $$ brackets that bolt right in.... Some scrap alu a vise and a hammer and drill, and I made some. Passenger side had different holes in the bumper.... Odd, but both are in place.

And Ford is nice enough to use the same wiring harness in all their trucks, simple as ordering the headlight switch with the fog light function (at $30 whopping dollars for the OE part!), popping it in the dash, and connecting to the harness that is run to just above the drivers headlight.

Done.

PSA Pre fit your tire chains, these are supposed to fit, my tire size is on the bag, but I ahd to cut 8 links off and remove a cross bar.... Glad In tested them.




Amazing weekend though, We went to find snow, and find it we did! Forecast was way off, ~10" or so at least.




New Rigid's are awesome. Usable light, no one flashed me all weekend, and I can SEE!




The turn off the highway.

Where we stopped for the night. I drove all the way up in 2wd, apparently I forgot to unlock the hubs last weekend, so I jumped out to lock them in when we hit snow and unlocked them.... No wonder the ass end was squirming around.

Not a bad view to see in the morning. Snow firmed up over night and it took a fair bit of spinning to back out of there. Parking brake froze too (well the sensor/cable did, brake released, but chime chimed for miles.....)

Went for a couple of COLD hikes.




Not doing the pass this time of year LOL

Spotted a black bear in a tree....

Then headed to a usual spot for the night. It was clear and COLD.

 

[Java230]

Hmmmm I may have driven over my mud flap (reverse, ditch, yeah, i did remove it, it just flipped up backwards).... And broken a few clips for the flares in the past..... I guess more clearance is needed.

What do you mean they dont fit? I have a grinder and sawzall!

~1.5" of body lip and fender removed. Right where they bolt together (there are two sets of bolts), fender liner pushed back, flare re attached with sheet metal screws. Will need to repeat on other side....

Waking up after what I can say was the strangest night I have had in awhile..... We rolled in just about 10pm, dumping wet snow, there was a group of three trucks there waiting for one more. I figured that would be the last people we would see of the night.... Nope, about 11pm the UTV's and trucks started coming by, going who knows where, and they didn't stop.... All night long until 5:30 am. I can imagine fueled by nothing more than meth and Bud Light. Yeah dont recommend that spot.




New tires smooth out the little bumps, big bumps are still bumpy. I averaged ~15 mph probably on this road.

Made our way back down to the highway and headed up Mt Rainer for a little ski touring! First real long ish tour for us. Did just about 2500 vertical up.

Great ski down!

Tucked into a campground for the night. We were the only people there. It was quiet, thank god.

I used the 252. Reading all day.... Lots of people use it for solar on the roof. Hope it cures, it's cold. BACK END EDIT: DONT USE 252. It WILL NOT bond to the abs corners..... Just like they warned that it doesnt. I may punich my truck mroe than most RV ppl tho. But even with the primer it didnt bond. It did bond just fine to the pieces of aluminum I used in the center.

Panel just set for spacing. Heat packs to keep Temps up! And all packed with blankets, roof vent and fan on with the heat cranked inside.... Hope that helps!

 

[Java230]

Took these this morning, it appears my heating situation is working, although im sure my electricity bill will be lovely

Pulled the blankets and tarp back yesterday, roof/panel/mounts were 45-50 degrees! And the sika is pretty set up.

May have gone a little overkill on the wires, its 8ga....

And a question..... Does it look like I may have a leak in the cab somewhere? That is condensed on the inside..... (remember the heat is on pretty high in there, but it hasn't rained in a week) I see that quite often on the inside, although not usually so much.

Spent the last weekend at Mt Baker, snow was great Saturday and turned to rain Sunday morning....

Really bad Avy conditions so we stayed in bounds. Just skinned up Sunday morning.

And a little truck issue..... The awning met its demise..... Friday it was raining when we got there, I put the awning out, it turned to snow.... Tried to crank it in and the gears stripped. It was downhill from there. Tried to manually put it in, so I could strap it closed, arms broke, I ended up on a snow covered roof cutting it loose..... UGH!

Got all the parts home, the arm hinges are what broke.... Appear to be cast aluminum. I may be able to fix/rebuild them. But holy hell the replacement fabric is $$$$$. It was a frustrating night.

Wrap up from a busy last couple of weeks!




Got some great snow, spent 11 days straight in the truck.

Couple nights at Whistler.

Dog and lunch time. Bumper BBQ is awesome.

New tires are working well, rub like hell in the front on the drivers side.... I think Bushwacker cut outs are in order.

Stayed in Bend at Mt Bachelor for a few days. Great snow! Then Blizzard when we tried to leave.

Skinned up the Cone for some fresh turns

Dont leave the storage door cracked open..... (I have a temp sensor in there so I usually just leave it unlatched) Drifted inside it...

Dog Snuggles.

 

[Java230]

Not bad after a WINDY night. Sled drove me nuts flapping around.

Morning to leave.....ICE, a lot of ice on everything and howling winds.... Good thing we weren't skiing that day!

Crap tastic drive over the passes by Mt Hood. Semis jacknifed on the road, up and down hill, guy with a big enclosed snowmobile trailer between them, and the snow was POLISHED. And... the plows had not gone by to sand yet..... Idled down in first gear, but that was a nail biter.




Stopped for lunch on the downhill side.

Made it home just fine after that. But I blew the truck up..... Somehow an exhaust stud in the EGR crossover pipe broke off. Stopped at a rest area, and maybe the heat/cool cycle did it, but either way, massive squealing exhaust leak now.... Its going to the shop, will get up pipes and the big oil leak done too. Hard to drive right now though, cant make boost well, so EGT go up, slow down, more load.... Yeah.


Finally back in the truck. All the up pipes are done, the EGR crossover pipe was blown too. Does not drive much different, EGT's are about 50 degrees cooler or so, but is MUCH quieter in the cab! All the turbo noises come out the back now it seems.




So diesel guys, now that I have my leaks fixed..... Is it wroth going to a 4" side exit? Will I find any realistic efficiency gains? I have a 4" DP and 4" pipe where the DPF was, but then necks down the the 3.5" OE from there back.




Great day. We skied, a lot.

Snowmageddon has happened..... Seattle got 8" of snow and the world has ended.....




So we went skiing.

It was COLD, like -6 cold. But that makes for amazing snow!! 10-12" of the lightest fluff you can imagine.

Tired legs....

Snow was good enough we stayed another day. Wind packed it pretty hard in spots overnight unfortunately. But we ran into some old friends and the kids got to play all night.





Waited till everyone left the ski area, and headed home. Uneventful drive in the snow the whole way. Parked safely back at home.




Today's project, rear tow points. These will bolt directly to the frame rails, giving me great tow points in the rear, something I am missing.




Started with a 3' piece of 1x6 steel.




Cold saw is awesome.

Layout. Pretty simple.

Big hole cutter, just picked this up, needed 1.5" hole and was not confident that a hole saw would work. Run it at the right rpm and this this is awesome! More or less a mini annular cutter that fits a drill press.

Drill the frame side holes, I under sized them so they can be reamed to final size in place, that way there is no slop on the bolts between the frame and the tow points. Trim the corners off.

After a little grinder and file time they are good to go. I wish I had a mill so I could round the edges for soft shackles, but such is life. No I am not grinding all the mill scale off!

 

[Java230]

Old bolts beat into place to line things up, new grade 8's going in. Reamed each hole in place with a 1/2" drill, that sucked. A lot.

Bolted and torqued.

Beefy!

Got out for a day of skiing too. These mornings are so worth it.

Survivable?

Snow was GOOD!

Left the Stevns pass weekend crowd and headed to Mission Ridge. Had never skied there before! A TON of terrain for just a couple lifts.

Had to be home mid day Sunday, so we had to leave when they got a bunch of fresh snow

and the no start condition came back.... Lot dudes were super friendly and tried to jump to no avail. Starter clicks but no turn. I climbed under to to the classic whack starter..... Nothing. Checked all the cable and I think I may have found the issue, the main power lug wiggles ever so slightly on the back of the starter, where you can see or barely reach..... So on cold mornings I think its just not getting enough amps to the starter. Pulling on the cable that runs to the starter worked, probably made a bit more connection. Truck started and drove home just fine. I'll disconnect all the power and see if I can get in there and clean and tighten that up.


Played Ski Chalet again this weekend. Love this truck. Drove up late Friday, and drove home late Sunday. Easy to drive and so awesome! I'm happy.

Question for you guys......

Titan Fuel tank, worth it? I don't mind stopping for gas really, but avoiding Canada gas prices would be nice.... I have heard the 51 gallon is about the same depth as factory and the 57 and 61 both hang lower. Any experience? Anyone have a used one?

Picked up a new awning on the way home thru BC, hope to have that on soon.

 

[Java230]

Time for the new awning, this one is a Thule, found on my favorite buying place, CL. Its 1.5' longer, and extends out 2' more than the old one. Makes a huge difference!










Old one off. Its light without all the guts in it....

Of course the mounts are in different locations..... So patch up the old holes with some stainless hardware and some sealant. Don't mind the scratches.... Was not real careful when cutting the vinyl off.

New one on. Its maximizing the space, hangs over the window frame in the front and its just inside the rear wall.

Lots more shade!

Awning is great, but fabric is ripping in a couple spots. It did see some REALLY high winds at one point.






Next up, rock lights, parking in the dark in rocky camp spots is interesting.... I have bottomed out and scraped the fuel tank a couple times, lights should be handy as its starting to be roll into unknown camps late at night season!

 

[Java230]

Rock lights! Super handy for trying to find parking spot among boulders, especially with a long wheel base. I really liked the "puddle" lights I had under the box by the steps, so I figured I would add more! But the marker lights I used before would not work well there (under the running boards) so I got some more little waterproof cheap LED's and went to town. Sooooo much tedious wiring on your back!




I wanted these switched on from the cab, so I used the smallest upfitter switch, and wired them into that circuit. However I wanted to use the previously installed "puddle" lights also, but not have everything turn on when those where on, so I backfed that circuit with a diode between them. Perfect, cab switch turns everything on, the switch in the back only turns on the ones by the steps.




Cheap LED's

Unceremoniously glued in place.

And wala, UFO status. The other side looks the same, minus the one behind the rear wheel.... Ran out of wire! There is miles of it under there.

Next up was trim install. A little glue, some micropin nails, boom. Wish I could get the screen mold in S3S1E, but whatever, its done. Could not get it in the oak easily. Covers the caulk joint and clean up the bottom edge nicely.

And since I was feeling ambitious..... The lip on this shelf has been a scrap of 3/4 ply for ever.... Now its a proper nice piece of maple.

Climbing time this weekend! A wee bit muddy, needed 4x4 to get up there..... But it feels like spring!

fun to be out on real rocks again.

Another great weekend!

Half way up!

Vertigo?

Headed back down

And the solar is GREAT! Battery was back to 100% before 11 or so.

 

[JNHEscher]

Get you thread all caught up? Glad to see one of the few I followed made to here. Your progress still motivates me.

 

[Java230]

Get you thread all caught up? Glad to see one of the few I followed made to here. Your progress still motivates me.

Got another 20 ish pages to go.... Glad to see yours here too 😊

 

[Java230]

The wheels have rubbed on the back of the fender wells at certain turn angles. Bushwacker cut out flares remove about 2.5" of fender right there. After install I am not super sold on them, I may try to wrap them back to the grey color, but we will see. May just need to get dirty

Remove fender liner and OE over fenders and mark out cut.

Ruin perfectly good fender.

Beat back into fender ish shape (it all gets covered, dont worry!)

Hose liberally with black spray paint in your choice of brand flavor.

Test fit flare, find it needs massaging, massage, then drill a bunch more holes in an already ruined fender.



Now reinstall the fender liner per the Bushwacker instructions, "reinstall" They fail to mention that it wont fit since we just moved the back of the arch back 3", so bolt the front bits in place, since they fit then get out the leather gloves and plubming torch. Melt fender liner until you can convince it to get longer and kinda fit again.....



Now install the flare.

Much wider.

Now like I said, not sure I am sold, maybe its the black, or the size, but it makes the wheels look smaller (larger opening?) and the wheels are pretty tucked inside the fender now. (I like flush....) But being wider they may keep my mirrors cleaner which could be nice.

Black is totally fine....

Ran Air lines for the front bags into the cab, flex sheathing used, and fuel tubing slipped over where it passes thru sheetmetal.

Big ass relay added in the compressor power line. Plan is to use running lights to trigger it, yeah a little ghetto, but I have ZERo desire to run a ignition switched line front to back now. I always drive with lights on, so compressor should have power any time engine is running.
This is a stupid idea.... Just run a freaking wire.

Re did all the plumbing on the compressor, no wonder it leaked down over night, factory fittings were all pretty loose. Removed the regulator, added a T for the outlet to the bag controls.

And all ran out the floor, including a new drain fitting!

Need to run the feed to the cab, and hook the bags to the controls, and get the interior back together.... Tonight....

And the drain fitting failed pretty damn quick. Just got all rusty and shitty and would constantly leak down.


Bags are plumbed..... But one of the switches itself is leaking, thru the body..... Grrrr it appears it's thru the fill side at least, so it should just empty the compressor.... Fingers crossed.

Ghetto fabulous drain valve. But easy to dump compressor often is a good thing!

Also got my new radio installed. Kinda pissed..... GPS wont lock with it under the A pillar. They updated the GPS chipset in the newer model..... I bought cheap and used.... grrrr. Hope I can get it to work.

Radio body tucked away.

Head unit where it cant see the sky apparently.....

 

[Java230]

Upgraded to a much larger solar controller, 50A max charge current now. Will support a second large panel if I want to go that route. And while I was down there, I realized I can keep the old smaller one for my little portable panel. I already have it wired up for a connection in the drivers side tool box. Redundant systems, and can park in the shade and still make a little power if I want.

And the front bags held pressure, which is good, that means the switch is leaking from the feed side only!

Pass side leaks down..... Always has. Its annoying. Still have not replaced the switch.....

Maintenance time! 127k miles now.

Air filter.... Well that looks dirty compared to a new one.... White balance of my camera makes it look worse than it is, but still. Its noticeably heavier.....

Thoughts on snorkel? I have been thinking of DIY'ing one.... Not sure how much it would help, nor am I sure 4" would flow enough (thats what the Aussies are using on the newer Ford snorkels tho)

Along these lines, Donaldson Top, 4" tube, hopefully less bends on mine.

Did the primary fuel filter also, no pics as I was covered in diesel.... But I don't like the Wix filter, its a little different design than OE. Will proably swap
it for an OE one shortly.

I cut it open. I was holding A LOT of dirt!

Look at the bench under where I cut it... Second pic is a pleat opened up on the engine side.

EBP is clean, MAP was dirty, but cleaned and no different. Cleaned MAF.

I May have been wrong about the egr valve being commanded closed. I can't find that setting now. Unless it's built into the software.

VGT actuator moves upon startup. Moves freely.

Well if the egr valve wasn't the issue, it certainly is now....

Pressure tested. No leaks (big ones anyway... My compressor is small)

Pulled the plunger all the way out (closed I assume) and truck runs better! Still a little smoke, but power off the line is noticeably better.

Coolers didn't look bad at all, guessing they were replaced with the engine ~25-30k miles ago.

Could not get the EGR valve out of the intake elbow! But there was a pretty good buildup in the intake tract and elbow. Enough I broke out the shop vac and vacuumed out as much as I could.

New intake elbow and block off plates!

Spent a few minutes with the die grinder cleaning up the crappy casting marks in the elbow. Probably good for .001 HP

Also got a dedicated truck saw. No stink!

 

[Java230]

I hope I dont need a new tune.... The one I have is supposed to command EGR closed. I may have to plug the valve in and zip it it out of the way somewhere.

Its all back together! Just need to fill the coolant, check for leaks and go for a drive....

Took the truck for a longer highway drive. Its back to being great again!

Its been a long time since I did Excel..... But Logs: EBP vs RPM is Grey, EGT (well EGT/100 as it throws the values way huge vs everything else anyway) vs RPM is Orange, and Boost is Blue.

And a snippet of the data if thats more helpful, roll from a stop. Accelerator Position (A), EGT (B), Boost (D), EBP (E) and RPM (F) as well as VGT because its interesting.

I still wonder about EBP.... Seems stupid high.

Well remember those shark fins we talked about?

Still haven't done fins.... The brake shields are fucked. Both sides :D

 

[Java230]

OK guys, how much of a difference does 19.5 vs a 20" (Not LT, the MPT81) make???

285/70r19.5 rated at 6395lbs single at 125psi

275/80r20 rated at 4674 at 77psi.