2 bikes 2 brown dogs
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4.3 from the factory.
With the increased diameter the speedometer is low by exactly 25%
With the increased diameter the speedometer is low by exactly 25%
New Build Begins- 2021 CV 515
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StenchRV
Well-known member
THANKS!
That is about what our speedometer was off before the ALPHA OBD correction.
We have 4.89's ordered with the truck for the MPT81. FINALLY got the speedometer correct. MOST IMPORTANTLY the transmission shift points are now correct. . It was a DOG before!
Safe Travels!
CHEERS!!
Darwin
Explorer
The starting issues, and the over temp issue sounds like something the dealer should take care of. Unless you are over the GVW of the truck I would think the truck should handle it in 90 degree temps, which isn't even that hot. Hard starting at only 20 degrees fahrenheit I would think is a major issue with the truck plus running the block heater. I start my 2021 ram in -10-15 without plugging in and it fires right up, it really doesn't even need the intake heater until you get below around 20. Kind of hard to believe this is a brand new truck that won't start when it's barely cold or run when it's above 90 degrees outside. I have 4.88 for reference and with smaller tires than you only 40" and it puts me in the sweet spot. Do you know if they make gears for your truck?
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2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
It's been too long since we've posted any updates on the build but it was a full summer of Adulting. No complaints as that was followed by a full fall of traveling with the truck. Newfoundland in the fall is worth no progress on the build but winter is coming and it would be real nice to pull out of the drive in slightly better shape than last February so here's what we are working on.
The top priority for us was resolving the near constant error code 48 in our Timberline heating system. The error code was a 'heater communication' problem. I pulled apart the factory wiring harness surrounding the relay that heads to the furnace and found a live wire carrying ~7 volts that was just 'abandoned' in the wrap and shorting out. That resolved 80% of the problem but not all of it and so I called it a fail and we made the decision to install a Webasto EVO 40.
I had a spare slot in the distribution box and while installing that new breaker for the EVO I realized the Timberline's wire connection had loosened.....The irony never ceases
I turned that screw about 200 degrees and the the Timberline has been running error free for two weeks.
That was a hard $2,500 lesson but I'm an optimist. The EVO is great and more fuel efficient. The glycol system was programmed so that the furnace, outside, would run if it dropped below ~156F. That meant we were burning a lot of fuel just for the system to be in standby.
That said, we will eventually tie the camper glycol loop into the engines system like a traditional pre-heater so there really nothing lost. Just some gray hairs gained.
I intend to install a calorifier between the camper and engine system. My main goal here is to keep the camper above freezing when we have long driving days in the cold. I can fool the Timberline system into running full time by turning on the electric heat function but I'll cut off 120V to the heating element and cheat heat from the engine instead.
The top priority for us was resolving the near constant error code 48 in our Timberline heating system. The error code was a 'heater communication' problem. I pulled apart the factory wiring harness surrounding the relay that heads to the furnace and found a live wire carrying ~7 volts that was just 'abandoned' in the wrap and shorting out. That resolved 80% of the problem but not all of it and so I called it a fail and we made the decision to install a Webasto EVO 40.
I had a spare slot in the distribution box and while installing that new breaker for the EVO I realized the Timberline's wire connection had loosened.....The irony never ceases
I turned that screw about 200 degrees and the the Timberline has been running error free for two weeks.
That was a hard $2,500 lesson but I'm an optimist. The EVO is great and more fuel efficient. The glycol system was programmed so that the furnace, outside, would run if it dropped below ~156F. That meant we were burning a lot of fuel just for the system to be in standby.
That said, we will eventually tie the camper glycol loop into the engines system like a traditional pre-heater so there really nothing lost. Just some gray hairs gained.
I intend to install a calorifier between the camper and engine system. My main goal here is to keep the camper above freezing when we have long driving days in the cold. I can fool the Timberline system into running full time by turning on the electric heat function but I'll cut off 120V to the heating element and cheat heat from the engine instead.
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
Our cabinet situation has been mainly Tupperware and bungee cords but we made a slight improvement to the pantry by adding these $20 slides. We still hope to build real cabinet drawers at some point but when it comes to Form meets Function it's looking like the function side of things is winning by a landslide. At least the tuna has a home for this ski season
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
There were two other big items on our priority list and we've got solutions to both of them.
First, we wanted to go through a dry run of a tire change. Turns out our lugs were torqued to over 500 ft-#. So first we destroyed two 1/2" drive cheater bars. Next we figured out the published values on our 18V impact wrench didn't apply to real world applications.
So, I bought a 42" 3/4" drive torque wrench rated to 650 ft-#. She does just fine. We wont win any pit crew speed trophies but it gets the job done just fine. It did cost twice as much as the cordless impact wrench that is now collecting dust in the garage but it's all in the name of progress.
Maybe I can use the impact wrench next time I do some work on my glycol system.
First, we wanted to go through a dry run of a tire change. Turns out our lugs were torqued to over 500 ft-#. So first we destroyed two 1/2" drive cheater bars. Next we figured out the published values on our 18V impact wrench didn't apply to real world applications.
So, I bought a 42" 3/4" drive torque wrench rated to 650 ft-#. She does just fine. We wont win any pit crew speed trophies but it gets the job done just fine. It did cost twice as much as the cordless impact wrench that is now collecting dust in the garage but it's all in the name of progress.
Maybe I can use the impact wrench next time I do some work on my glycol system.
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
The last big item on the to-do list before we leave for the mountains was to find a very accessible way to carry our ski's. We do have a huge Packasport on the roof but that's 13' off the ground and getting the ski's out of there between mountains was shaping up to be the most dangerous part of the adventures. I couldnt find any hitch mounted ski racks that were anywhere close to appropriate so here's where we ended up:
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
Saris started making a rack they refer to as MHS. The concept is that you can clamp different modular components onto the center bar depending on what your sport is. The biggest version can carry 4 bikes or two bikes and a cargo basket.
Here's a close up of the clamp from the underside:
Here's a close up of the clamp from the underside:
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
My solution was to add some cross members to their cargo basket and use those to mount the Thule box. At first I was going to just buy two of their proprietary clamps and fab up my own mounts but I imagined that we would inevitably stuff wet tarps and crap under the Thule so I went the path of least resistance. Here's the pipe clamp I used to connect the cross members. I did have to cut off about 1/2" of the bolt the wing nut is on just to make sure the bottom of the cargo box didnt get poked.
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
Our old bike had was similar in that when the rack is empty the rack can be folds up to reduce length. The pivot point of both the old and the new have a lot of play so even though all the other components have wobble reducers the hinge is just something that will bounce around.....until it doesn't I guess
We got ten plus years out of our old rack so I'll cross my fingers. For what it's worth I bought the Saris rack from etrailer and was optimistic about it being a long term solution as it was "RV rated". The fine print in Saris' manual says the opposite.
The upside is that 'all in' my bikes, ski gear and the Frankenstined cargo box are way lighter than the MHS capacity. Thanks E-Bikers!!!
We got ten plus years out of our old rack so I'll cross my fingers. For what it's worth I bought the Saris rack from etrailer and was optimistic about it being a long term solution as it was "RV rated". The fine print in Saris' manual says the opposite.
The upside is that 'all in' my bikes, ski gear and the Frankenstined cargo box are way lighter than the MHS capacity. Thanks E-Bikers!!!
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
On a non work related note, here is one of our camp spots just north of Gros Morne Park in Newfoundland.
It's not exactly a pot of gold but considering the fun we had that week it's pretty darn close.
It's not exactly a pot of gold but considering the fun we had that week it's pretty darn close.
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
It's been sometime since I've put some time into any build updates and I need a good excuse to dodge the heat so here goes.
The purpose of this build page was really supposed to be more about sharing mistakes more than anything so I'll get back to basics and start telling on myself.
Shy of a stop home to play santa we were in the rig from mid August to the end of May so there we some ample opportunities to uncover some 'imperfections'.
From a planning perspective:
Our potable and grey water tanks are too big. We have a ~175 gallon potable and ~70 gallon grey.
We take on 100 gallons of potable pretty regularly and used every bit but in hind sight 125g capacity would have been a better plan.
Greu water, we could probably down size to about 55g.
We usually dump grey up a dirt road somewhere. Our only way to dump is pulling a manual sliced valve open and hope your boots dont get too much splash on them. I'll be adding a powered valve to make that process a little easier and a little more discreet. That's high on the priority list.
The purpose of this build page was really supposed to be more about sharing mistakes more than anything so I'll get back to basics and start telling on myself.
Shy of a stop home to play santa we were in the rig from mid August to the end of May so there we some ample opportunities to uncover some 'imperfections'.
From a planning perspective:
Our potable and grey water tanks are too big. We have a ~175 gallon potable and ~70 gallon grey.
We take on 100 gallons of potable pretty regularly and used every bit but in hind sight 125g capacity would have been a better plan.
Greu water, we could probably down size to about 55g.
We usually dump grey up a dirt road somewhere. Our only way to dump is pulling a manual sliced valve open and hope your boots dont get too much splash on them. I'll be adding a powered valve to make that process a little easier and a little more discreet. That's high on the priority list.
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
Storage boxes:
We carry a lot of recreation gear (skis, boards, bikes, packs, fishing poles, yada yada). I had previously posted about how I rigged a regular roof box on a Saris cooler tray. That concept worked great but the bike rack arms are crap. After a few months one of the swing arms wouldnt stay locked. Those arms aren't something I modified and are only one of two moving parts on the rack. I was less than tickled when Saris says they arent warrantied. My take is the rack just cant take many miles on rough roads so I'm ditching the rack and on to a new solution for ski storage.
I ran across a couple that had the same Thule box I have and they had essentially screwed it vertically to the back of their sprinter van door rack. The van guy said he had been full timing for 6 years like this so I'm optimistic our box wont crack it self in pieces. Here is a pic of his set up. The upside is we will end up being 3' shorter. The down side is this guy was a foot taller than me and his bumper is 30" shorter so I'm going to need a step stool.
Now I'll just switch from being nervous that I'm dragging my bike behind me Chevy Chase style to hoping I'm not leaving a trail of ski gear bread crumbs behind us. Wish me luck!!
We carry a lot of recreation gear (skis, boards, bikes, packs, fishing poles, yada yada). I had previously posted about how I rigged a regular roof box on a Saris cooler tray. That concept worked great but the bike rack arms are crap. After a few months one of the swing arms wouldnt stay locked. Those arms aren't something I modified and are only one of two moving parts on the rack. I was less than tickled when Saris says they arent warrantied. My take is the rack just cant take many miles on rough roads so I'm ditching the rack and on to a new solution for ski storage.
I ran across a couple that had the same Thule box I have and they had essentially screwed it vertically to the back of their sprinter van door rack. The van guy said he had been full timing for 6 years like this so I'm optimistic our box wont crack it self in pieces. Here is a pic of his set up. The upside is we will end up being 3' shorter. The down side is this guy was a foot taller than me and his bumper is 30" shorter so I'm going to need a step stool.
Now I'll just switch from being nervous that I'm dragging my bike behind me Chevy Chase style to hoping I'm not leaving a trail of ski gear bread crumbs behind us. Wish me luck!!
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
Timberline Heater gremlins
Back in December I noted we installed a Webasto EVO 40 air heater. We are SUPER happy with it for a number of reasons. I'll get to than in a minute. During the install I noted I found a loose electrical connection that resolved the Timberline Error 48 code. Well.....it came back. I tore apart one of the wiring harnesses and in doing so noticed some corrosion on one of the relay pins. I replaced the relay and viola...its now run error free for 6 months. That relay was in our subfloor and gets limited air circulation. The relay is warm to the touch when it's running and my suspicion is that it was prone to condensation. The new one is wrapped in so much electrical tapes it's nearly waterproof.
The short story is I think the system is extremely sensitive to even a minor voltage fluctuation and apparently had more than one.
Back in December I noted we installed a Webasto EVO 40 air heater. We are SUPER happy with it for a number of reasons. I'll get to than in a minute. During the install I noted I found a loose electrical connection that resolved the Timberline Error 48 code. Well.....it came back. I tore apart one of the wiring harnesses and in doing so noticed some corrosion on one of the relay pins. I replaced the relay and viola...its now run error free for 6 months. That relay was in our subfloor and gets limited air circulation. The relay is warm to the touch when it's running and my suspicion is that it was prone to condensation. The new one is wrapped in so much electrical tapes it's nearly waterproof.
The short story is I think the system is extremely sensitive to even a minor voltage fluctuation and apparently had more than one.
2 bikes 2 brown dogs
Active member
The main reason I'm so happy with the Webasto for cabin heat is that it's fuel efficient. Even when our habitat is hotter than the thermostat reading the Timberline system wants to keep the glycol in the system at or above 156F (best I can tell). Needless to say the exterior furnace drops below that pretty quickly so the circulation pump is running most of the time. That heat loss means the furnace cycles a bunch just to keep itself turned on waiting for a heating demand even though the habitat was HOT. Like open the door hot. We are well insulated so unless it was in the low teens the system was burning fuel to stay on.