Baby Steps

Or...Moving Forward.

Today, (yesterday for you folk) I worked on the RV water system for several hours. While it doesn't feel like a lot got done, and plenty of mistakes were made, there were a few steps forward. Some minuscule, some massive.



Here are today's updates on the status of the RV repairs.

One of the things I was actually able to work on over the winter months was getting the stereo replaced. The original stereo head worked, but the heads of the cassette player were going bad, and you could hear it plainly. This isn't so much a big deal, as a minor annoyance. I like a bit of music when I'm lounging about at home, or when I'm driving down the road. Well, over the last few days, I've been able to get the old head out, and get a brand spanking new one installed. This involved some creative uses of sharpie markers and a dremel tool, but it was accomplished. I'll let you all know how it works when I replace the fuse I blew when I accidentally touched the power wire to the mounting brackets. Two steps forward, one minor heart attack back.

As I set back to work on this project after so many months of not being able to do anything, I found one colossal problem that I had overlooked before. The dreaded black tank, the holder of the poo, the sewage containment system, had a massive crack in it. (For those of you lacking in imagination, that means poo and pee leaking out onto the ground I am having to crawl around on to make repairs. Bad news.) With the help of my good friend Eric, who's stomach is also quite strong, we investigated and found that we could not remove the tank ourselves, and if I was going to replace it, I would need a professional to do this job. To hell with that. I'm happy to announce that my patch of several layers of silicone caulk, spray on rubber sealant, crossed fingers and swear words, works. Today (yesterday) I was able to test it with several gallons of water (and let's be honest with each other, a little pee), and not a drop was seen! It may not hold forever, but it will hold for now, and that's all I'm asking of it. I do plan on getting the tank replaced eventually, but not until I'm in a more stable position with the project overall.

On a whim, during one of my many cigarette and melancholy breaks, I turned the engine over, just to see what shape my batteries were in. I own a nice battery charger, so this was little more than just idle fidgeting, rather than any kind of work. To my surprise, without a moment's hesitation, the engine fired up, and ran like a dream. While I was at it, sitting at the pilot's chair and staring out the front window, I fiddled with the parking brake, and lo and behold, figured out how that works. I have a functional parking brake! I don't think I've ever owned a vehicle with a functional parking brake. To complete the trifecta, with a little more fiddling, I was able to get BOTH of the built in cigarette lighters functioning! Progress!

The water is still an issue in the RV. After spending three hours just removing one of the tires, an hour cutting a hole in the aluminum wheel well with an angle grinder (many burns were had), and finally locating the leaky pipe (the bastard), I was still unable to make the repair. I tried one thing, and ran out of time to try another before having to pack it in for the day. Tomorrow (this evening, for you), I'll be giving it a second try.

So here's where we stand, as of right now (yesterday evening). The major repair looming above my head is still the water. Without that leak fixed, the water pump can't get enough pressure in the pipes to fill them, which means no running water. There's also the possibility of more leaks, hitherto undiscovered, because the pressure dies so early in the plumbing, but that will come in time. Then there's the engine, which, last time I drove the RV (only across town) ran smooth during slow speeds, but struggled to get me up to 60. I'm hoping and praying that a tune up will handle that issue.

Things are starting to get scary. I'm running out of time to get things done, and I'm only now getting my momentum back. Wish me luck.

-Z

P.S. There will be some pretty major announcements coming very, very soon. I don't want to ruin the surprise though. Tell your friends about this blog. Tell my friends about this blog. The more people read it, the more motivation I seem to have.

P.P.S. I absolutely abhor April Fools Day, so there will be no pranks pulled on this blog thank you very much.