I was at Summit Racing today inquiring about replacing the motorhome's gas tank, low pressure fuel pump and sending unit. The clerk assured me that they won't be able to do anything about any one of those until I drop the tank that's in it and look. That's the very situation that I've been trying to avoid. I want all the parts before it comes down. Apparently, that's not the way it's going to be.
Right now, the least invasive solution will be to try and find the ground for the low pressure fuel pump. Then use a Y branch connector to redirect it to a new ground and see if that works? My theory is that since the fuel gauge doesn't work either, that it's a combination unit. I think that if the fuel gauge reads correctly, then they'll both be on. And for this, it would be better to have about 15 gallons of gas in the tank. So, it's just a matter organizing what needs to be done, in what sequence and where? I can't lift the motorhome at the storage unit. It's forbidden. Instead, I have a relatives house with a narrow driveway and about 12 hours to have the job done and get it out of there. That's taking my ignorance and the unknown into account (I've never dropped a tank before, nor have I ever seen one done).
But the theory is that the ground on the reverse lights are out. with the Y branch and the multimeter, I'll have to test it's positive to confirm that.
2016/08/30
2016/08/29
Log 2016082901
I was getting ready for trail promotion. And one of those means concerns where to place a flier? I know from experience that post offices, public libraries, government buildings, coffee shops and some other places have community cork boards. In order to devise a route and even consider where they'll be deployed, I started mapping the post office locations in 9 counties in Ohio and West Virginia. Right as I got done, Google Earth crashed and I lost about 5 hours of volunteer work.
Log 2016082601
I've been a member of the Buckeye Trail (BTA) and North Country Trail Associations (NCTA). Today, I joined the American Discovery Trail Society (ADTS).
2016/08/28
Log 2016082801
I'm running a Kill A Watt EZ Power Monitor on The Robot. Even though it's power supply unit is rated for 750W, I'm running the computer now with one optical drive, 4 hard disk drives, USB 2.0, 3.0, 11 - 120mm chassis fans a large heat sink fan, Wi-Fi cards and a few minor peripherals on about 104 watts. The next thing to do will be to insert the expansion graphics controller and see what it does. Then, run the television on it's HDMI output and see what happens? Before the crash and this current operating system, movies would make The Robot crash after about 20 minutes of play on that card.
I finished mapping the ADT in Colorado on-road and anything else that would snap in Google My Maps from Denver to the Utah Line. Once again, the off-road tracks remain in error as I just let Google snap to something around it, but I have waypoints in place to indicate to me where to start and end modifying the track for them later.
I finished mapping the ADT in Colorado on-road and anything else that would snap in Google My Maps from Denver to the Utah Line. Once again, the off-road tracks remain in error as I just let Google snap to something around it, but I have waypoints in place to indicate to me where to start and end modifying the track for them later.
2016/08/26
Log 2016082603
The motorhome has a On-board Diagnostic (OBD) I. It's a Ford Diagnostic Link No. 6 and mine was found with corroded wires and hanging near the front of the battery. It looks like they had slots that slip on and off of a plastic part that was mounted somewhere?
I also found out today that the current tires were manufactured in the 16th week of 2005. The wheels need balanced, but I'm 4 years beyond the recommended limit and I'll have to get them all replaced before I a shop can do that because their at risk for a blow out. While I was in the storage unit, I found out that the bathroom exaust hat's cover blew off in the last rain storm. I was able to pop it back on, but the metal part between the crank and the rail attached to the plastic lid has been missing, so I had to Gorilla Tape it shut until I could get a replacement. Camping World in Akron of Summit County didn't have one with a fan in it.
I also used the same said tape to patch up cracks in the OEM front exhaust hat and air conditioner cover. All of the plastic on the roof is sun bleached and fatigued. When I was crawling around up there these past few months, I used them to try and stabilize my balance and that's usually a mistake. Oh well, these are easily replaceable.
I adjusted the fuel range on my tablet's estimated fuel gauge for the loss of 2 gallons (because of what I thought the tank was).
I also found out today that the current tires were manufactured in the 16th week of 2005. The wheels need balanced, but I'm 4 years beyond the recommended limit and I'll have to get them all replaced before I a shop can do that because their at risk for a blow out. While I was in the storage unit, I found out that the bathroom exaust hat's cover blew off in the last rain storm. I was able to pop it back on, but the metal part between the crank and the rail attached to the plastic lid has been missing, so I had to Gorilla Tape it shut until I could get a replacement. Camping World in Akron of Summit County didn't have one with a fan in it.
I also used the same said tape to patch up cracks in the OEM front exhaust hat and air conditioner cover. All of the plastic on the roof is sun bleached and fatigued. When I was crawling around up there these past few months, I used them to try and stabilize my balance and that's usually a mistake. Oh well, these are easily replaceable.
I adjusted the fuel range on my tablet's estimated fuel gauge for the loss of 2 gallons (because of what I thought the tank was).
Log 2016082603
The motorhome has a On-board Diagnostic (OBD) I. It's a Ford Diagnostic Link No. 6 and mine was found with corroded wires and hanging near the front of the battery. It looks like they had slots that slip on and off of a plastic part that was mounted somewhere?
I also found out today that the current tires were manufactured in the 16th week of 2005. The wheels need balanced, but I'm 4 years beyond the recommended limit and I'll have to get them all replaced before I a shop can do that because their at risk for a blow out. While I was in the storage unit, I found out that the bathroom exaust hat's cover blew off in the last rain storm. I was able to pop it back on, but the metal part between the crank and the rail attached to the plastic lid has been missing, so I had to Gorilla Tape it shut until I could get a replacement. Camping World in Akron of Summit County didn't have one with a fan in it.
I also used the same said tape to patch up cracks in the OEM front exhaust hat and air conditioner cover. All of the plastic on the roof is sun bleached and fatigued. When I was crawling around up there these past few months, I used them to try and stabilize my balance and that's usually a mistake. Oh well, these are easily replaceable.
I adjusted the fuel range on my tablet's estimated fuel gauge for the loss of 2 gallons (because of what I thought the tank was).
I also found out today that the current tires were manufactured in the 16th week of 2005. The wheels need balanced, but I'm 4 years beyond the recommended limit and I'll have to get them all replaced before I a shop can do that because their at risk for a blow out. While I was in the storage unit, I found out that the bathroom exaust hat's cover blew off in the last rain storm. I was able to pop it back on, but the metal part between the crank and the rail attached to the plastic lid has been missing, so I had to Gorilla Tape it shut until I could get a replacement. Camping World in Akron of Summit County didn't have one with a fan in it.
I also used the same said tape to patch up cracks in the OEM front exhaust hat and air conditioner cover. All of the plastic on the roof is sun bleached and fatigued. When I was crawling around up there these past few months, I used them to try and stabilize my balance and that's usually a mistake. Oh well, these are easily replaceable.
I adjusted the fuel range on my tablet's estimated fuel gauge for the loss of 2 gallons (because of what I thought the tank was).
Log 2016082602
The motorhome has a On-board Diagnostic (OBD) I. It's a Ford Diagnostic Link No. 6 and mine was found with corroded wires and hanging near the front of the battery. It looks like they had slots that slip on and off of a plastic part that was mounted somewhere?
I also found out today that the current tires were manufactured in the 16th week of 2005. The wheels need balanced, but I'm 4 years beyond the recommended limit and I'll have to get them all replaced before I a shop can do that because their at risk for a blow out. While I was in the storage unit, I found out that the bathroom exaust hat's cover blew off in the last rain storm. I was able to pop it back on, but the metal part between the crank and the rail attached to the plastic lid has been missing, so I had to Gorilla Tape it shut until I could get a replacement. Camping World in Akron of Summit County didn't have one with a fan in it.
I also used the same said tape to patch up cracks in the OEM front exhaust hat and air conditioner cover. All of the plastic on the roof is sun bleached and fatigued. When I was crawling around up there these past few months, I used them to try and stabilize my balance and that's usually a mistake. Oh well, these are easily replaceable.
I adjusted the fuel range on my tablet's estimated fuel gauge for the loss of 2 gallons (because of what I thought the tank was).
I also found out today that the current tires were manufactured in the 16th week of 2005. The wheels need balanced, but I'm 4 years beyond the recommended limit and I'll have to get them all replaced before I a shop can do that because their at risk for a blow out. While I was in the storage unit, I found out that the bathroom exaust hat's cover blew off in the last rain storm. I was able to pop it back on, but the metal part between the crank and the rail attached to the plastic lid has been missing, so I had to Gorilla Tape it shut until I could get a replacement. Camping World in Akron of Summit County didn't have one with a fan in it.
I also used the same said tape to patch up cracks in the OEM front exhaust hat and air conditioner cover. All of the plastic on the roof is sun bleached and fatigued. When I was crawling around up there these past few months, I used them to try and stabilize my balance and that's usually a mistake. Oh well, these are easily replaceable.
I adjusted the fuel range on my tablet's estimated fuel gauge for the loss of 2 gallons (because of what I thought the tank was).
Log 2016082602
It is confirmed that my motorhome has a 38 gallon fuel tank. That's very good because it makes getting the low pressure fuel pump and sending unit for it much easier now. I had to get under the chassis and take the tanks measurements to get it's capasity. It roughly measures 23" x 33" x 12".
Log 2016082501
I have GPS tracks for the American Discovery Trail in Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana both NMR and SMR, except some of the off-road... that's a later step. Right now, if Google Map doesn't track the off-road, I'll have to find GPS tracks from other users, or trace it from a map drawn to scale. Without knowing, it's possible that I won't have both in some places. The worst case scenario in those area will probably be that an adventurist will have to navigate on waypoints. Their like bread crumbs spread further out, or stationary beacons that ping to tell you if your getting closer, or further away. It's not an actual sound, but rather the distance displayed a GPS's computer when the adventurist locks into one.
I refer to somebody traveling on the American Discovery Trail (ADT) as an "adventurist" because it's multi-mode. Meaning that it's routed for hikers, cyclist, horses, jogging strollers and I be missing one. Right now, the ADT does not have either paper maps, nor a GPS track (the line that you follow). Instead, they have waypoints (spots on the map) and a turn-by-turn guide.
What I've been doing is working on the track, starting with the on-road and few off-road portions. Tomorrow, I'm moving on to the western region which should be most of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. Once done, I should have about half of the trail tracked?
Why half? Well, I might try the center, but I have other things to do. I'm the section supervisor of the Whipple Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail. Stabilizing it's ability to operate has been ongoing since I took the post in December of 2014. My duties account for less than half of Trail Promotion. But despite that we might be thin on support for that, it has to be done.
I'm hoping that Whipple's "good behavior" on maintenance will produce a pattern, particularly with this blog. This section almost doesn't belong on the BT. It's off-road is not the kind that many of it's hikers are use to. This was designed and built by the National Forest Service for the North Country Trail to please the likes of those on the Appalachian Trail. It's arguably the most remote and strenuous part of Ohio. When I go into trail maintenance, it might double my load as supervisor?
The long story short is that anymore volunteerism and it might unbalance my life. To all of you out there, sometimes is good to know your limits and just say "no."
I refer to somebody traveling on the American Discovery Trail (ADT) as an "adventurist" because it's multi-mode. Meaning that it's routed for hikers, cyclist, horses, jogging strollers and I be missing one. Right now, the ADT does not have either paper maps, nor a GPS track (the line that you follow). Instead, they have waypoints (spots on the map) and a turn-by-turn guide.
What I've been doing is working on the track, starting with the on-road and few off-road portions. Tomorrow, I'm moving on to the western region which should be most of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. Once done, I should have about half of the trail tracked?
Why half? Well, I might try the center, but I have other things to do. I'm the section supervisor of the Whipple Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail. Stabilizing it's ability to operate has been ongoing since I took the post in December of 2014. My duties account for less than half of Trail Promotion. But despite that we might be thin on support for that, it has to be done.
I'm hoping that Whipple's "good behavior" on maintenance will produce a pattern, particularly with this blog. This section almost doesn't belong on the BT. It's off-road is not the kind that many of it's hikers are use to. This was designed and built by the National Forest Service for the North Country Trail to please the likes of those on the Appalachian Trail. It's arguably the most remote and strenuous part of Ohio. When I go into trail maintenance, it might double my load as supervisor?
The long story short is that anymore volunteerism and it might unbalance my life. To all of you out there, sometimes is good to know your limits and just say "no."
2016/08/24
Log 2016082301
With the motorhome back in storage and it only costing me $88 for a diagnostic, I moved on some purchases today. At Walmart, I purchased a new Bluetooth receiver to replace the stereo in the motorhome. I also got it a two year replacement plan. Then I drove out to Micro Center and purchased a copy of Windows 10 for The Robot, a sliding drawer for it's keyboard and 2 - 7 port USB hubs. One was needed to replace the one that's attached to the underside of the tray on the laptop arm. The other is to be mounted in the motorhome's breakfast nook, either under the table, or under the seats. They feel heavier than hubs that I'm use to. For a computer guy, heavier is usually better because it indicates that the product might be made out of superior materials.
Windows 10 installed in The Robot with issues. Apparently, one of the other hard disks in the chassis is set to boot. So, I just unplugged them except the master disk. I got my copy on a USB disk. The good news is that The Robot is currently a 32-bit system and the USB comes with that and 64-bit for when I upgrade in the future. It cost about $116.
Windows 10 installed in The Robot with issues. Apparently, one of the other hard disks in the chassis is set to boot. So, I just unplugged them except the master disk. I got my copy on a USB disk. The good news is that The Robot is currently a 32-bit system and the USB comes with that and 64-bit for when I upgrade in the future. It cost about $116.
2016/08/18
Log 2016081702
The installation of the manufacturers driver for The Robot's on-boad video is still proceeding. But I did a quick tally for what it's going to cost to upgrade it's hardware. It still has a 32-bit system. And the last time that I checked, Windows operating systems are cheap these days. I could probably buy a 32-bit version for $95, but considering that The Robot has been through many static shocks years ago, I already know that the motherboard is having some problems and it's just a matter of time.
In order to get a system that will do the high amount of mapping that I need it to do, the cost to upgrade the motherboard, memory, power supply unit and get a fast hard drive controller card is coming in at $715. I might be able to bring that down if my existing memory is comparable with the new motherboard. That will give me half as much, but its what I'm operating on as it is. The power supply unit is the most expensive. I have 750 watts now and I want to go up to 1,000. On an electric bill, a customer's rate is in kilowatt hours. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts.
I'll be salvaging the following:
- Both optical drives (I rarely use these)
- expansion graphics processing unit (video card)
- expansion sound card
- data cables for the optical and hard disk drives
- the case, or chassis
- expansion USB 3.0 card
- expansion USB 2.0 card
- expansion Wi-Fi card
And maybe my card reader, but it's SD slot doesn't read the new extra capacity cards that I use in my smartphone, tablet, digital camera and handGPS. The other slots and it's USB 1.1 port are obsolete. When you upgrade a motherboard, you usually have to replace the CPU and memory.
For most you out there... you don't need the kind of power that I do. Your upgrade costs would probably only be half of what mine are. But at that rate, you should just buy another computer. I would do that, except that they come with a metal tampering sticker that voids a warranty if it's removed to access it's interior.
In order to get a system that will do the high amount of mapping that I need it to do, the cost to upgrade the motherboard, memory, power supply unit and get a fast hard drive controller card is coming in at $715. I might be able to bring that down if my existing memory is comparable with the new motherboard. That will give me half as much, but its what I'm operating on as it is. The power supply unit is the most expensive. I have 750 watts now and I want to go up to 1,000. On an electric bill, a customer's rate is in kilowatt hours. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts.
I'll be salvaging the following:
- Both optical drives (I rarely use these)
- expansion graphics processing unit (video card)
- expansion sound card
- data cables for the optical and hard disk drives
- the case, or chassis
- expansion USB 3.0 card
- expansion USB 2.0 card
- expansion Wi-Fi card
And maybe my card reader, but it's SD slot doesn't read the new extra capacity cards that I use in my smartphone, tablet, digital camera and handGPS. The other slots and it's USB 1.1 port are obsolete. When you upgrade a motherboard, you usually have to replace the CPU and memory.
For most you out there... you don't need the kind of power that I do. Your upgrade costs would probably only be half of what mine are. But at that rate, you should just buy another computer. I would do that, except that they come with a metal tampering sticker that voids a warranty if it's removed to access it's interior.
2016/08/17
Log 2016081701
Once again, The Robot isn't going so well. I might have to purchase a new operating system. Right now, I've been using the video port on that soldered on my motherboard to save on power. But Google Earth is giving me the "Blue Screen of Death" every time I try to run that application. I do have an expansion graphics processing unit. Right now, I've downloaded the driver for the graphics equipment on the motherboard directly from it's manufacturer. I want to try that first before I insert the video card.
2016/08/16
Log 2015081601
I found out what The Robot's real problem was. The 3rd hard disk failed. It would power up, but not transmit data. Lucky me, I had one spare here that I was going to create a Network Access Storage device with. A day or two ago, I started trying to change the location of the administrators user folder in the registry. In the process of doing that, I inadvertently changed the location of some necessary files and things like partitioning a new hard disk (getting it ready to use) and getting Windows Updates were coming back with errors. So, I performed a System Restore. Upon restart, it flashed me a "Blue Screen of Death (BSD)." Luckily, it started up as the restored version of the operating system from 3 days ago.
2016/08/14
Log 2016081402
My operating system is still checking for updates, so the boredom drags on. While I was at it, I checked Weatherbug. It's been raining with chances of lightning for the past week. Looks like an opportunity might open up later this week for a transit hike from Burton 04 - Bedford 28 on both current maps. It's 17 miles long that comes around the Buckeye Trail's Northern Terminus at Headland's Beach State Park in Mentor of Lake County. The Buckeye Trail is a 1,440 mile circle within the four corners of Ohio. The historic Northern Terminus is where the BT's north meets the east. Its just that the westbound along the north has to drop 65 miles SE before it actually heads west.
This is what I call the "Horn of the North" in the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource (OTHR). This route goes from Mentor Avenue/ US-20 to Mentor Avenue. The two sections are only about 4 miles apart and the local transit agency, LAKETRAN [coded on OTHR as T LTA (LT)], their best line: Route 01 runs said avenue.
I don't usually repeat hikes in areas that I've been to before, but I've never done this in the counter clockwise direction. Anyways, I need to see what shape I'm in before I attempt hiking routes in South Central Ohio.
This is what I call the "Horn of the North" in the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource (OTHR). This route goes from Mentor Avenue/ US-20 to Mentor Avenue. The two sections are only about 4 miles apart and the local transit agency, LAKETRAN [coded on OTHR as T LTA (LT)], their best line: Route 01 runs said avenue.
I don't usually repeat hikes in areas that I've been to before, but I've never done this in the counter clockwise direction. Anyways, I need to see what shape I'm in before I attempt hiking routes in South Central Ohio.
Log 2016081401
A minor set back, but the installation of Google Earth on The Robot returned some error codes. So, I set Windows Update to run a check. Turns out it hasn't been run and that's probably the problem. The bad news is that this could take hours.
With the motorhome still in the shop, I've issued myself a "spending moratorium." Keep in mind that I haven't subscribed to cable television in 8 years and I'm not use to being bored. Well, I need something to do. One thing is that I could write the Whipple (Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail) Stability Plan. It would detail all of the trail promotion necessary to pick up another 4 trail maintainers. It might also include the possibility of establishing a chapter for The Wilderness Loop, or an association that covers both that and some of the American Discovery Trail in SE Ohio and NW West Virginia. In my opinion, we should promote all three at once since they share Washington County.
But the other thing is why I decided to give re-programming The Robot a try is for it's power. This machine is necessary to work with the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource and display large portions of it at once. Such graphic work on my laptop will crash Google Earth on it. And it takes everything it has to display the GIS data from the North Country Trail Association. Well, there's need on the American Discovery Trail. And if I track that distance trail from the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware to the Indiana/ Illinois Lines on both Midwest routes, that load should come quite close to the OTHR.
As for the other 3/4ths of it, I'd really need help from another amateur cartographer. This is because I don't know even if I can commit to it? The problem is that there really aren't many people who can do what I do. If I really want to help the situation, what I should is organize an online GPS mapping class with webcams so that the students could ask questions. Because somethings would be trail specific, I'd probably have to tailor it to to the Buckeye, North Country and American Discovery Trails.
With the motorhome still in the shop, I've issued myself a "spending moratorium." Keep in mind that I haven't subscribed to cable television in 8 years and I'm not use to being bored. Well, I need something to do. One thing is that I could write the Whipple (Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail) Stability Plan. It would detail all of the trail promotion necessary to pick up another 4 trail maintainers. It might also include the possibility of establishing a chapter for The Wilderness Loop, or an association that covers both that and some of the American Discovery Trail in SE Ohio and NW West Virginia. In my opinion, we should promote all three at once since they share Washington County.
But the other thing is why I decided to give re-programming The Robot a try is for it's power. This machine is necessary to work with the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource and display large portions of it at once. Such graphic work on my laptop will crash Google Earth on it. And it takes everything it has to display the GIS data from the North Country Trail Association. Well, there's need on the American Discovery Trail. And if I track that distance trail from the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware to the Indiana/ Illinois Lines on both Midwest routes, that load should come quite close to the OTHR.
As for the other 3/4ths of it, I'd really need help from another amateur cartographer. This is because I don't know even if I can commit to it? The problem is that there really aren't many people who can do what I do. If I really want to help the situation, what I should is organize an online GPS mapping class with webcams so that the students could ask questions. Because somethings would be trail specific, I'd probably have to tailor it to to the Buckeye, North Country and American Discovery Trails.
2016/08/13
Log 2016081302
I found another part of The Robot's problems. It has a bad RAID expansion. While the motherboard is handling the one of the DVD-RW, Main and Primary hard disk drives, the RAID is a special expansion card that fits into a slot and it controls the secondary, tertiary and another DVD RW drive. I need to have it because the motherboard only has 2 IDE (ribbon cable, old style) and 4 SATA ports soldered into it. Only one device uses and IDE in the Robot.
When a hard disk drive is more full, it slows down the performance of a computer. I've got around it by manually distributing the load of applications over all 4 physical disks. And I did it in a way that reduces the likelihood of two applications running at the same time being run from the same hard disk.
What's good to report is that the system is currently stable on three drives that it can run. Google Earth is attached to the Primary disk and it's files are available. This means that I'm now available to assist the American Discovery Trail with an east coast mapping project.
When a hard disk drive is more full, it slows down the performance of a computer. I've got around it by manually distributing the load of applications over all 4 physical disks. And I did it in a way that reduces the likelihood of two applications running at the same time being run from the same hard disk.
What's good to report is that the system is currently stable on three drives that it can run. Google Earth is attached to the Primary disk and it's files are available. This means that I'm now available to assist the American Discovery Trail with an east coast mapping project.
Log 2016081301
I'm pretty sure that The Robot's motherboard is bad. The system froze while trying to get into the BIOS. Nonetheless, my mapping is on that machine and I'm trying to set it back up again. Only this time, if it has a power issue, I've taken out my aftermarket graphics processing unit sound card. They're both redundant (the motherboard has these built in anyways) and all but one hard disk drive. Things are progressing as well as they should.
2016/08/12
Log 2016081201
The off-road trail for the Road Fork Section is probably located in the most remote portion of the Buckeye Trail, maybe even the state itself (that's accessible by the public). I base that off of services in New Martinsville, West Virginia be 35 miles, Marietta of Washington County at 38, Woodsfield of Monroe County at 21, and Caldwell of Noble County, Ohio at 30 miles. No matter where you go in this area, the roads are going to twist and turn. They'll do this all the way to Woodsfield and Caldwell.
2016/08/09
Log 2016080802
Today, I got one of the two (so far) bad lug nuts off of the rear right wheel of my 2008 Chevy HHR. The the problem is that the other one broke the nose off of a 10" - 3/8th drive breaker bar and another 1/2" to 3/8ths" converter, only this time, a pneumatic one. So tomorrow, I'm going to have to get a grinder and a disk in order to cut it off... And possibly lop off the stud, too.
I also took some time to assist a prospective hiker on the Facebook group for the American Discovery Trail. I have all of Ohio and part of West Virginia and Indiana already tracked. But mapping the ADT is probably a daunting task. I'm not sure if I can even start it this winter?
I also took some time to assist a prospective hiker on the Facebook group for the American Discovery Trail. I have all of Ohio and part of West Virginia and Indiana already tracked. But mapping the ADT is probably a daunting task. I'm not sure if I can even start it this winter?
2016/08/08
Log 2016080801
This is day 6 and I still haven't got a call from the shop even telling me even if they work on the motorhome. I was getting prices 55 gallon drums in case I have drop the gas tank myself. It's looking to be about $80 new for something that I can't use again. That's not even including the motor I'll have to buy and it will probably only be used once.
I purchased two new lug nuts today to add to the 3 other's that I already have. Yesterday, I purchased 10ft of 3/4th wide galvanized pipe at Home Depot. I had the clerk cut, thread and oil it in to 2 - 3ft sections and left the remainder. I got a 3/4th coupler so I can screw two of the 3ft sections together to make a pole that will go around one of my breaker bars to give me more leverage.
By them coming apart, there's a better chance that I can store these out of the way somewhere in the motorhome. But more immediately, I need it for my 2008 Chevy HHR. It likes to round off lug nuts these days. My Damaged Nut/ Bolt socket set from Sears comes in 3/8ths drive. Usually, breaker bars are only sold in-person in 1/2" drive. Because I had one to spare, I used a silver 1/2" to 3/8" drive converter. But all that force snapped the head on the converter. And I was pretty sure it was going to do that, but like I said, I had one to spare so I guess I just wanted it to humor me.
I have a pneumatic 1/2" to 3/8" converter, which is a black colored socket. It should stand the test that that torque, but it didn't ship until today and the Chevy's wheel might not wait that long. So, I got a 3/8" braker bar from Sears yesterday, but it's only about 15" long. And that's what necessitated getting the galvanized pipe.
I purchased two new lug nuts today to add to the 3 other's that I already have. Yesterday, I purchased 10ft of 3/4th wide galvanized pipe at Home Depot. I had the clerk cut, thread and oil it in to 2 - 3ft sections and left the remainder. I got a 3/4th coupler so I can screw two of the 3ft sections together to make a pole that will go around one of my breaker bars to give me more leverage.
By them coming apart, there's a better chance that I can store these out of the way somewhere in the motorhome. But more immediately, I need it for my 2008 Chevy HHR. It likes to round off lug nuts these days. My Damaged Nut/ Bolt socket set from Sears comes in 3/8ths drive. Usually, breaker bars are only sold in-person in 1/2" drive. Because I had one to spare, I used a silver 1/2" to 3/8" drive converter. But all that force snapped the head on the converter. And I was pretty sure it was going to do that, but like I said, I had one to spare so I guess I just wanted it to humor me.
I have a pneumatic 1/2" to 3/8" converter, which is a black colored socket. It should stand the test that that torque, but it didn't ship until today and the Chevy's wheel might not wait that long. So, I got a 3/8" braker bar from Sears yesterday, but it's only about 15" long. And that's what necessitated getting the galvanized pipe.
2016/08/07
Log 2016080701
A sweep of the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource agencies is complete. Every now and then, this is necessary between editions to check if there's been any changes to transit along the Buckeye, North Country and American Discovery Trails in Ohio. When something is found, I write either a "transit alert" or a "map update" depending on how permanent it is. A new edition (including new maps and guide) is only written when there's enough map updates to warrant it.
2016/08/06
Log 2016080601
My tool kit consists mostly of metric sockets. And that's because prior to the motorhome, my 2008 Chevy HHR and Harbor Freight 4 x 8 Utility Hauling Trailer took mostly metric. In the event I ever needed an SAE tool, I bought them one by one. That's because with the car and trailer, sometimes, there isn't any weight to spare for extra sockets.
My current gear and tool bays are 4' x 3' x 3'. Even one of them won't fit in the HHR's tailgate. So if the motorhome does tow the car on a dolly, I may have to use different containers to redesign the tool and gear storage so that they fit within the unique curvature of it. And if it does tow, then trailer won't be available. Basically, it's still "doable," it's just doing it under different circumstances.
Right now, the car has stripped lug nuts on the right rear wheel. That tire also has a slow leak in it. I have a Damaged Nut/ Bolt Set from Sears with a socket that fits, but they take a 3/8ths driver. So, I got a 3/8ths breaker bar that I intend to get a pipe around and break the bad nuts off.
I ran some of HP's stock diagnostics on the hard disk drive and memory. But I noticed that my HP Pavilion 2000 - BF69WM laptop's performance with a Windows 10 overlay installation improved when I did I ran part of a "Run In" test. I didn't have time to run that test completely because it's very lengthy and I needed the laptop back for some tasks I was going to perform. But, I'm still not doing well running Internet videos over Wi-Fi on good signal.
My current gear and tool bays are 4' x 3' x 3'. Even one of them won't fit in the HHR's tailgate. So if the motorhome does tow the car on a dolly, I may have to use different containers to redesign the tool and gear storage so that they fit within the unique curvature of it. And if it does tow, then trailer won't be available. Basically, it's still "doable," it's just doing it under different circumstances.
Right now, the car has stripped lug nuts on the right rear wheel. That tire also has a slow leak in it. I have a Damaged Nut/ Bolt Set from Sears with a socket that fits, but they take a 3/8ths driver. So, I got a 3/8ths breaker bar that I intend to get a pipe around and break the bad nuts off.
I ran some of HP's stock diagnostics on the hard disk drive and memory. But I noticed that my HP Pavilion 2000 - BF69WM laptop's performance with a Windows 10 overlay installation improved when I did I ran part of a "Run In" test. I didn't have time to run that test completely because it's very lengthy and I needed the laptop back for some tasks I was going to perform. But, I'm still not doing well running Internet videos over Wi-Fi on good signal.
2016/08/04
Log 2016080402
I got a call from the shop today. The owner took it on the freeway and besides the tires being out of balance and said that everything seemed fine. I told him that the problems don't start until 90 minutes into the drive and that's an improvement from 40. With the error code, right now we're looking at replacing the low pressure fuel pump. I don't have an estimate yet because he's got to tally the price of the parts and see what it entails to drop the gas tank and put it back up.
Log 2016080401
I checked on my motorhome today. The mechanic said that I had a bad ground on my check engine light. He said that it was coming back with a Code 95. Which according to
http://www.troublecodes.net/ford/, it pertains to "Fuel pump: open, bad ground or always on – Power / Fuel Pump Circuits."
He was saying something about another fuel pump being inside of the gas tank. With the way that Autoparts for this motorhome sometimes go by different names, it suprise me. Some people on line where saying that for a vehicle this size that it might have an auxiliary fuel pump somewhere?
Otherwise, they seem to be running triage at the shop and I think that my motorhome has low priority?
Today, I sprayed compressed air and vacuumed my laptop. So far, it seems to be running better. Ever since Microsofts the overlay installation of Windows 10 over its original 8 it has run slower. I just maxed out its RAM (memory) about 10 months ago.
My guess is that changing it back to Windows 8, or buying a 10 disk and fresh installing it might be the solution? For now, I'll try updating it's drivers and see what that does?
2016/08/03
Log 2016080301
- With the motorhome's upcoming alignment at the shop, it might be freeway worthy? I'll still probably do 55MPH, but that could cut the trip to the total Marietta area by about 80 miles and shave about an hour off of it.
- I had a look at the drum braking system for my motorhome. The parking brake cables connect to a rocker just like my 2008 Chevy HHR. So, I'm much more confident now that I can use it.
I mentioned this on the Facebook group for the North Country Trail Association. Trail patches don't always sew well, or look good on to lightweight fabrics. But there's t-shirt press on paper that one could get from an office supply store.
All they have to do is put their patches on their scanner bed. Scan them into a desktop or laptop computer and print them out on the paper that I just mentioned. Then cut them out and iron them on one by one. Presto! They have t-shirts and long sleeves with patches now.
- I had a look at the drum braking system for my motorhome. The parking brake cables connect to a rocker just like my 2008 Chevy HHR. So, I'm much more confident now that I can use it.
I mentioned this on the Facebook group for the North Country Trail Association. Trail patches don't always sew well, or look good on to lightweight fabrics. But there's t-shirt press on paper that one could get from an office supply store.
All they have to do is put their patches on their scanner bed. Scan them into a desktop or laptop computer and print them out on the paper that I just mentioned. Then cut them out and iron them on one by one. Presto! They have t-shirts and long sleeves with patches now.
2016/08/02
Log 2016080201
I'm 6'6 presently. I grew my last 3/8th of an inch after the Army when I was 25. I got here by being 6'2 in the 6th grade. And my height really wasn't the thing of envy, but more like the brunt of a joke. I get it. To this day, I associate tall = freak. In fact, I believe that all tall people are freaks. I was the tallest kid in school from 3rd to the 10th grades.
I left Madison Avenue School in Painesville Township of Lake County, a school that's was charted in 1928 as probably having been the tallest student to have ever walked out of there in what was then it's 67 year history. Just before then, we had an assembly outside for Arbor Day. And each year, the school planted a new tree. Nobody else was taller that it, except me, so from that day on I was called "Treeman" and it stuck. Sometimes, people still just call me "Tree" for short.
I'm comfortable with it. This is a story about the North Country Trail in Ohio on it's East Independent Arm. For those of you who don't know, the Buckeye Trail is 84 miles from Pennsylvania. I was westbounder on a multi-day hike where I crossed into Ohio and made it into Little Beaver Creek State Park. This part of the trail is administered by the Great Trail Sandy Beaver Chapter of the North Country Trail Association.
It was dusk and unknown to me then, the Big Foot Hunters were having a gathering in the park that day. In fact, they had special t-shirts made. I of course was wearing all 45lbs on my back with a sleeping pad sticking out. And there were some people down trail who were stopped. They were looking at me rather strange. When I approached them, they told me that they thought that I might have been a big foot?
So last year or so, I found this "Big Foot Crossing" aluminum road sign with an mysterious image of Big Foot on it. I tried to use Gorilla Glue and strip magnet to apply it to my refridgerator, but strip magnet easily pulled away from the sign. So this time, I fixed it with some JB Weld SteelStik and 1/2" thick magnets. If it works, I plan on taking with me in my motorhome and displaying it where I camp.
Speaking of the motorhome, I finally put it in the shop to change the spark plugs, wires, rotor, distributor cab and have a diagnostic. One of the mechanics there told me that depending on the age of the spark plugs, there could be a good chance that one of them might snap before it's completely removed. He said that in a 351 Windsor engine, it has a tendency to do that with spark plugs of that age. And it might be possible that if this happens, it could entail taking apart the engine block to get one or more out?
But my experience with this engine so far is suggests that it's been well taken care of. There's no way the distributor cap or lines are 76,000 miles over 28 years old. I would definitely know what that would look like. To be completely honest, I'm optimistic right now.
I left Madison Avenue School in Painesville Township of Lake County, a school that's was charted in 1928 as probably having been the tallest student to have ever walked out of there in what was then it's 67 year history. Just before then, we had an assembly outside for Arbor Day. And each year, the school planted a new tree. Nobody else was taller that it, except me, so from that day on I was called "Treeman" and it stuck. Sometimes, people still just call me "Tree" for short.
I'm comfortable with it. This is a story about the North Country Trail in Ohio on it's East Independent Arm. For those of you who don't know, the Buckeye Trail is 84 miles from Pennsylvania. I was westbounder on a multi-day hike where I crossed into Ohio and made it into Little Beaver Creek State Park. This part of the trail is administered by the Great Trail Sandy Beaver Chapter of the North Country Trail Association.
It was dusk and unknown to me then, the Big Foot Hunters were having a gathering in the park that day. In fact, they had special t-shirts made. I of course was wearing all 45lbs on my back with a sleeping pad sticking out. And there were some people down trail who were stopped. They were looking at me rather strange. When I approached them, they told me that they thought that I might have been a big foot?
So last year or so, I found this "Big Foot Crossing" aluminum road sign with an mysterious image of Big Foot on it. I tried to use Gorilla Glue and strip magnet to apply it to my refridgerator, but strip magnet easily pulled away from the sign. So this time, I fixed it with some JB Weld SteelStik and 1/2" thick magnets. If it works, I plan on taking with me in my motorhome and displaying it where I camp.
Speaking of the motorhome, I finally put it in the shop to change the spark plugs, wires, rotor, distributor cab and have a diagnostic. One of the mechanics there told me that depending on the age of the spark plugs, there could be a good chance that one of them might snap before it's completely removed. He said that in a 351 Windsor engine, it has a tendency to do that with spark plugs of that age. And it might be possible that if this happens, it could entail taking apart the engine block to get one or more out?
But my experience with this engine so far is suggests that it's been well taken care of. There's no way the distributor cap or lines are 76,000 miles over 28 years old. I would definitely know what that would look like. To be completely honest, I'm optimistic right now.
2016/08/01
Log 2016080101
About two days ago, I did some work on the Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource (OTHR). The part of the Buckeye/ North Country/ American Discovery Trail in the Hocking Hills has the greatest transit potential given where it is. And in all the years that I've covered it, we've always had the Greyhound Affiliate: GoBus stop in Logan of Hocking County. The area is also served by the local "Logan Public Transit. " on a reservation based service and a specific zone.
Well, Logan caters to the general public, but it's one of the only agencies that doesn't cover an entire county. Instead, they cover the City of Logan, 2 whole townships and a 1/3rd of two others. Previously, they had a 2 mile radius from the city limits. I designed a downloadable map of that based on 2mi distance "as the crow flies."
At that rate, areas between Lake Logan and Hocking Hills State Park weren't in transit range because their spurs exceeded 3.0 miles. But the distance between those areas was about 19 miles, which exceeds the 15mi + reserve. Last year, I found a cabin for rent in the area that might accept hikers for two nights. This year, the Logan Public Transit expanded to all of Falls Township in Hocking County, which potentially brings the Old Man's Cave Section, Pts. 14 - 16 into transit range, cutting the route to the Hocking Hills State Park somewhat in half.
Because it's necessary to complete the BT in one single hiking trip at this rate, OTHR's guide is based off of their abilities. On the Buckeye Trail (BT), records of how long it has taken thru hikers to complete it have been recorded, but perhaps not averaged. It's not a race, but between several hikers and members of the Buckeye Trail Association, most hikers come in at about 90 - 110 days. OTHR comes in at 110, but it's mock hikers utilize a zero day every 5 - 9 days. Some people can go 21 days without one.
Knowing somewhat of an average is what OTHR's thru hike rate is based on. When I write a mock hiker based on this, I use the following parameters:
20mi per day in the west, north and east of Ohio
4.9mi reserve
4.0mi maximum amenity spurs (unmarked, the route between the trail to an amenity)
Total Hiker Output: no more than 24.9mi per day
15mi per day in the south of Ohio
3.0mi reserve
3.0mi maximum amenity spurs (unmarked, the route between the trail to an amenity)
Total Hiker Output: no more than 18mi per day
This is also applied to the North Country and American Discovery Trails when their not concurrent as covered by the OTHR. It's mock hikers use lodging and commercial campsites in addition to the free ones. The "reserve" is in case the amenity is closed, or there's no vacancy at a camping or lodging establishment. In this case, the hiker might have 3.0 or 4.9 miles to figure something else out before "running out of gas," or reaching the end of their stamina. OTHR assumes that at the end of these the hiker will be at their end, so an automatic zero day ensues for any mileages surpassing 15, or 20.
These are written to try and suit most hikers and be realistic documents that can stand some scrutiny by the hiking public. And it's only a thru hiker rate, too. They can stand as a performance measure for these three trails, such that they could plan for the future by identifying it's weaknesses (unveiled by the document used that the mock hiker was used for) and try to make those areas better by something quantifiable. You could kick in the 10 miler data next?
Well, Logan caters to the general public, but it's one of the only agencies that doesn't cover an entire county. Instead, they cover the City of Logan, 2 whole townships and a 1/3rd of two others. Previously, they had a 2 mile radius from the city limits. I designed a downloadable map of that based on 2mi distance "as the crow flies."
At that rate, areas between Lake Logan and Hocking Hills State Park weren't in transit range because their spurs exceeded 3.0 miles. But the distance between those areas was about 19 miles, which exceeds the 15mi + reserve. Last year, I found a cabin for rent in the area that might accept hikers for two nights. This year, the Logan Public Transit expanded to all of Falls Township in Hocking County, which potentially brings the Old Man's Cave Section, Pts. 14 - 16 into transit range, cutting the route to the Hocking Hills State Park somewhat in half.
Because it's necessary to complete the BT in one single hiking trip at this rate, OTHR's guide is based off of their abilities. On the Buckeye Trail (BT), records of how long it has taken thru hikers to complete it have been recorded, but perhaps not averaged. It's not a race, but between several hikers and members of the Buckeye Trail Association, most hikers come in at about 90 - 110 days. OTHR comes in at 110, but it's mock hikers utilize a zero day every 5 - 9 days. Some people can go 21 days without one.
Knowing somewhat of an average is what OTHR's thru hike rate is based on. When I write a mock hiker based on this, I use the following parameters:
20mi per day in the west, north and east of Ohio
4.9mi reserve
4.0mi maximum amenity spurs (unmarked, the route between the trail to an amenity)
Total Hiker Output: no more than 24.9mi per day
15mi per day in the south of Ohio
3.0mi reserve
3.0mi maximum amenity spurs (unmarked, the route between the trail to an amenity)
Total Hiker Output: no more than 18mi per day
This is also applied to the North Country and American Discovery Trails when their not concurrent as covered by the OTHR. It's mock hikers use lodging and commercial campsites in addition to the free ones. The "reserve" is in case the amenity is closed, or there's no vacancy at a camping or lodging establishment. In this case, the hiker might have 3.0 or 4.9 miles to figure something else out before "running out of gas," or reaching the end of their stamina. OTHR assumes that at the end of these the hiker will be at their end, so an automatic zero day ensues for any mileages surpassing 15, or 20.
These are written to try and suit most hikers and be realistic documents that can stand some scrutiny by the hiking public. And it's only a thru hiker rate, too. They can stand as a performance measure for these three trails, such that they could plan for the future by identifying it's weaknesses (unveiled by the document used that the mock hiker was used for) and try to make those areas better by something quantifiable. You could kick in the 10 miler data next?
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