Buying 85 IDI ATS turbo motorhome!

[Cubey]

Despite the extra costs, it sounds like it will be worth it to me. I'm planning to use the Red Truck as a run around truck. Between the 2.47:1 gears and the soft (weak?) leaf springs in the rear it won't be much of a tow rig. My main focus is going to be fuel mileage, so I think this will be the way for me to go.

Many IDI C6 TCs are more expensive than the Maximizer too, so it's kind of mid-priced really.

If it didn't cost much more, I'd just have a rebuilt E4OD put in for a full lock-up TC and a 4th gear. GV costs over $3000 by itself .... but does have better resale value, and can be swapped to other vehicles with different adapters.

I sent a FB message to whoever runs the FB page for Precision transmissions, but it was well after 5pm, so maybe I'll get a reply tomorrow. I mentioned the Maximizer TC with a link to it, so we'll see what they say about it.

 

[Cubey]

Maybe I should clarify too: it's shuddering in reverse, not slipping. Like it's disengaging and reengaging.

 

[Reggie f250]

You should ask them if it is possible to get an e4od into your rv. I'm sure they could do it. The big question would be price.

 

[Cubey]

You should ask them if it is possible to get an e4od into your rv. I'm sure they could do it. The big question would be price.

Since E4OD got put in this older generation of van chassis around 89-91, I'm sure they could. There's no shortage of room under there. But yes, price would be what's tough to swallow probably. I'd probably have to have the driveshaft modified or replaced due to the transmission's length difference. But yes, I'll see what that might cost as an alternative option. The Banks E4OD controller is another $300.

Probably better off sticking with C6 though and trying to find a good used GV later.

Oh, I'll probably have them replace the driveshaft carrier bearing too. That's a few hundred bucks alone, mostly labor. My F250 had to have that done in 2017 and it wasn't done when it's C6 was rebuilt around 2016 by the last owner. If they are already pulling the trans, maybe it won't be as much money to have that done too.

 

[Cubey]

Well it's been a week and despite them posting new video links, no reply. I guess they ignore FB messages, which is kind of a bad business choice for a shop that does so much social media exposure stuff.

 

[snicklas]

Well, if you watch their videos, in many of them, they say if you need to contact them, call the shop. They are a 4 person shop. They are running a business, videoing and editing, and I see an occasional post on Facebook. My guess is, all the web stuff, is done by Trent, who does have a full time job in the shop. Richard has made the comment more than once, they are in there on Sunday to do some of the videos, because that is the only time they have.... so I would say, call the shop, talk to Theresa and schedule an appointment... Even some of the guys on here that sell stuff for the IDI's and have a presence on Facebook, are rarely on Facebook.... or even on here... they have a business to run first, and most businesses still run off the phone.....

 

[Cubey]

Well, if you watch their videos, in many of them, they say if you need to contact them, call the shop. They are a 4 person shop. They are running a business, videoing and editing, and I see an occasional post on Facebook. My guess is, all the web stuff, is done by Trent, who does have a full time job in the shop. Richard has made the comment more than once, they are in there on Sunday to do some of the videos, because that is the only time they have.... so I would say, call the shop, talk to Theresa and schedule an appointment... Even some of the guys on here that sell stuff for the IDI's and have a presence on Facebook, are rarely on Facebook.... or even on here... they have a business to run first, and most businesses still run off the phone.....

Well, I have seen them commenting on FB in reply to people commenting on their video links, so I know they do more than just drop links. I think it was on a Monday? Today I tried tagging them in a comment on their latest FB video link post to see if they reply. It's sometimes easier to express things via text online, such as asking what they think about that torque converter since I provided a link to it. I can't give a link over the phone via voice very easily. I suppose I could call and ask them to check the FB message.

I might just wait a bit longer, since I think the reverse thing was just my imagination. Maybe I didn't have the throttle pressed enough or something and the TC wasn't properly engaging enough so it felt weird. I was trying to baby it when backing up with the trailer to get into an RV spot. Maybe it'll last another year or two, especially since I did service it last year and the old fluid looked ok, and it had been serviced once before (had a 4WD filter). It's low miles still (~80k) and I drove it across mountains out west this summer without any problems.

 

[Cubey]

In other news .... over the past month, I have begun upgrading the solar and battery system. I started out with a 100W panel and two ~100AH lead acid batteries with a cheapo pwm controller in the crap trailer i didn't keep long in 2018. I moved them to the truck camper first, then to the motorhome in early 2019 after i got it.

Then I added 3 more 100W panels and a higher capacity cheapo pwm controller. But after 3+ years, the lead acid batteries are getting tired and lack the capacity they once had.

So recently I got a cheap 100A LifePo4 battery with an included 10A charger for $350 (after 10% caah back bonus) to try one out, and i like it.

So then I got a nice Renogy 40A MPPT controller that supports LifePo4 for $150 and it's doing awesome.

So, after much consideration, tonight I ordered a 200AH LifePo4 for $665 (after 5% cash back bonus) to replace the pair of old lead acid batteries.

The ancient RV converter's AC input wires will have to be unhooked so it can't turn on from grid or generator power since it doesn't support LifePo4. I'll also have to disconnect the solenoid that connects the alternator to the house batteries for the same reason.

I might upgrade the RV converter ($225-250) and get a DC to DC converter ($100-150) later.

But in the meantime, I can use the crappy 10A charger that came with the 100AH battery if i need to charge it from grid or generator on cloudy days.

Yep, I have a lot of money invested in this (~$1,850 so far, not counting the old lead acid batteries) but I'm committed to the lifestyle and I like my electronics, so it's worth it. Yeah I could have replaced the two old lead acid batteries for about $220 instead of $665 for a 200AH LifePo4 but I'll have better capacity, less weight, and faster charging from solar. Plus they fit perfectly in the lower cabinet under the sink, no venting needed. I lack the space to carry around half a dozen lead acid batteries and have them vented properly.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

You're right about the costs. $1850 doesn't go very far when you think about it in a rent situation. You are quite a bit of money ahead and can justify the expense. Especially if these more expensive things will out perform the cheaper versions that you replaced.

 

[Booyah45828]

Full time living you can justify that 1850. But part time living and the 1850 won't pan out. I weighed the options on my bus, and the lithium batteries didn't pencil out. Too much wattage with too few days it'd be used.

Lead's a good option to get your feet wet with, and learn the ins and outs of using batteries for home electricity. But lithium is definitely the way to go.

 

[Cubey]

Full time living you can justify that 1850. But part time living and the 1850 won't pan out. I weighed the options on my bus, and the lithium batteries didn't pencil out. Too much wattage with too few days it'd be used.

Lead's a good option to get your feet wet with, and learn the ins and outs of using batteries for home electricity. But lithium is definitely the way to go.

Maybe a single 100AH LifePo4 would be ok for occasional use. I saw some on eBay for $300 but I can't find any info on them and they are very unique looking casing wise. The seller has no negative reviews at all which seems suspicious too, so I spent a bit more for the 200AH on Amazon with 224 reviews, 77% 5/5 and 10% 4/5, so 87% people like it pretty well. (4% 3/5, 4% 2/5, 6% 1/5).

Mind you, I rated the first 100AH battery 3/5 because it came with built in USB ports and a power switch for them and they don't work. I didn't care about those though, and the battery is otherwise fine so far. For me it's not a big deal, but for some buyers, that's an deal breaker.

I used to swear I'd stick with lead acid unless LifePo4 got down to $150-200 per 100AH but I'v changed my tune, since they seem to be almost 1/3 the cost of what they were 2-3 years ago since cheap brands have popped up. I'm tired of buying so much gas for the generators too. Yeah the exta $900 i spend just on the batteries and MPPT (vs sticking with 2x lead acid and replacing) could have kept me in gas for a couple of years but it's also annoying to have to set out the tiny generator and refuel it every 3-4 hours. Big generator takes a crap ton more but it's still useful if I'm at a truck stop and it's raining. It's still my emergency backup power source and a much greater power source than I could ever feasibly have via solar (4KW AC)

And the thing about these LifePo4 batteries is the actual cells inside all come from China, and can be repaired to an extent if the internal BMS goes bad, you just have to very carefully Dremel open the casing, assuming you can't get the seller to honor warranty before doing so.

Oh and I got the 40A MPPT controller so I have the availability to add another 100W panel without needing a second controller.

The Bluetooth feature is pretty cool, I can check it from my phone, though the data shown is quite lagged vs what the screen on the controller shows. But you can see, it's converting the extra voltage to charging amps like it should, so it's like I have another panel vs with a PWM controller.

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[Booyah45828]

I understand completely. Battery AH to battery AH lead is still cheaper. But, what most don't realize is that lifepo4 has nearly 100% of it's capacity as usable, whereas lead acid is closer to 50%, which brings the Wh/$ closer to even. Then add the lifepo4 has better charge/discharge profiles, is lighter weight, and is largely maintenance free, lifepo4 is the better deal.

So theoretically, 100AH of lead is 1/6th of the capacity that your 300AH lithium is. Not so bad of a deal after all.

 

[Cubey]

I had more to say but my dog demanded I get out of bed because it was her morning "bathroom" time, and then breakfast time for me.

Anyhow, I think since I'm gonna be messing with the RV converter (ie: disconnecting the AC power wires until I eventually replace it with a LifePo4 compatible one) I will put the new converter on a light switch, that way I can disable it at will.

The reason for that is I want to be able to plug in the RV into my nice Renogy 700W pure sine inverter for AC power at the AC outlets throughout, that way I don't have to rely on a single power strip like I have been doing, and running extension cords around if I want to watch TV or a DVD. I don't want the converter trying to charge the batteries by using the batteries' own power through the inverter, so it'll need a "kill switch" to disable it when I'm not on grid or running the generator. They do make automatic transfer switches for about $80 but I will hold off on that since that's more of a luxury than I really need, but we'll see. I just have to plug the RV's 30A cord with an adapter into the inverter and I'm good to do.

I'm not the type who wants to run the microwave, air conditioner, toaster, and household coffee pots on inverter power, so that's also why I bought the cheaper 100A BMS batteries. I didn't feel the need to spend $100 more to have 200A BMS. I can run the big generator if I want to run the microwave for a few minutes, which is what I already do now.

The inverter came with this remote power switch I will be installing to make it much easier to turn on and off:

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This is how I will be doing the setup. It makes it so I can open the cabinets if it gets very cold so heat can get to the batteries to avoid freezing, since these cheapo LifePo4 only have overheat protection, no freeze protection. Plus it keeps all the wires as short as possible.

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The LifePo4 batteries will fit perfectly under the shelf shown below, and it's deep enough on that left side for that 200AH battery to slide right in with the 100AH next to it to the right. I won't lose much under cabinet storage, and the stock battery compartment accessible from outside will become a place to store stuff once I get rid of the FLA battery in there, so it's a small tradeoff. The other FLA is up by the water tank because that was the only place I could put a vented battery box.

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I will be upgrading 12V the wiring from the MMPT controller to the batteries too, using 8 AWG. I found that it's cheaper to buy pure copper wire the foot ($1.09/ft) from O'Reilly than to buy questionable quality wire on Amazon. Plus I can buy just enough for what I need without waste/leftover scrap. I only need about 8ft of red and black to get from the MPPT controller to the batteries with some lack to route it so it won't be in the way of accessing stuff in the cabinet.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/standard-ignition/standard-ignition-red-8-gauge-copper-primary-wire/std0/c8er

And also installing this fuse panel for extra 12V stuff like the compressor fridge so I can shorten the power cable (has a 12V plug on a very long cord, twice as long as needed really) and extra 12V outlets etc. The cheap crap fuses it comes with will go in the trash though because that's one thing I don't skimp on. I only use Bussman fuses. I've seen cheap fuses fail and not blow when they should have. That's a good way to get an electrical fire, boys and girls! A $3-5 pack of fuses is worth it to help avoid burning down my house. I won't be putting much amperage through this fuse panel though. The fridge only pulls 2.5-3A @ 13V in eco mode according to the DC load info on the MPPT controller, so yeah.

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It's actually going to be wired to the DC load output on the MPPT controller directly (20A max according to the manual), because if I put a load on that, then it makes better use of the solar panels, since it begins allowing more power in, because it detects the load better than if I'm pulling straight from the batteries. At least, that's how it acts with FLA batteries. Basically it allows the DC load out to pull from solar while not pulling on the batteries at all, assuming there is enough direct sunlight to allow for that. It tends to max out around 220W from the panels if I don't do that, but I gets up around 280-300W If I do.

Yeah, I have 400W of panels, but 3 are always flat mounted, while one can be tilted (and is at the moment) so they'll almost never deliver full 400W unless they are all 4 flat and have perfectly direct sunlight overhead. That's why I got the 40A MPPT controller, so it can squeeze an extra 25% power from the existing 4 panels, and has the capacity for me to add a 5th panel if I want to later.

Edit: Oh and I also bought these for making my own 8AWG cables. I only needed the 5/16 lugs but there was a deal for free 3/8 ones when you buy the 5/16 ones, so sure I'll take 'em. The crimping tool was only about ~$18 and they seem to do a good job based on youtube videos. I already have a small sledgehammer so it should do fine.

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[Cubey]

I finally got around to RTVing the axle flange. It may have just needed the bolts retorqued though, 2 or 3 seemed a bit loose vs the rest. They weren't crazy loose but noticeably loose. But now it should be good and sealed with the RTV.

I have noticed other motorhomes with only front wheel simulators. I guess being able to access and watch those bolts is important without having to jack it up and take off the lug nuts. I could leave the "bowl" on so it would look a bit better, but I'll probably just leave them off entirely.

I made sure how to line up the shaft splines/bolt holes of the flange with the hub since I don't have it jacked up, so the wheel/hub can't be moved. I let it drain into a pan (not much came out, I'm pretty level) then let it drip onto a shop paper towel overnight to help avoid oil getting on the Ultra Black RTV since it says to wait 24 hours before putting in contact.

I applied it to the hub first, stuck on the painted metal gasket, then applied it to the gasket, before putting in the shaft. Came out perfectly, I think. It's currently sitting finger tight for 1 hour before torqueing to spec, per the instructions. I'm not driving any until tomorrow, so it'll get about 24 hours of curing time it asks for.

Taking off the simulator made the leaking oil spread out a lot more since the hub cover wasn't containing it, so it looks really nasty now. I'll see about cleaning the rim later on.

The other side probably needs the same thing done to it, but oh well. It'll have to wait since I don't have the simulator off right now because I'm being lazy about it. I'll probably do it in a few weeks when I have a level and paved place to park for a few nights. I'll put some blocks under the wheels to make it off-level to help move the oil away though, so I don't have to wait overnight again like I did this time.

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[YJMike92]

All my simulators end up for sale on craigslist. I'm kind of a no bling guy.