New Greyhawk 29MV!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gprapim

What make brake are you using for your Jeep? I use a Blue Ox Patriot, and it seems to work well.

Blue Ox Patriot II.

As it turns out, mine works awesome too! When I have it in place!!

It just surprised me because when I've driven with the brake in place, the interface in the cab doesn't seem to indicate much activity normally. Almost like it's really not working very hard. But when it's NOT there, you know darn well it was working when it WAS there!!

Like I said, it was a short drive from storage to home, so I didn't worry about it. I still made it home safely, but I certainly missed the brake for those couple miles.

[gprapim]

What number do you use on yours for the braking sensitivity? I can’t remember what Jeep you tow. I don’t notice much difference with mine in use or not. It registers that it is working and I have played with the settings. I have never had to panic stop it, but I really can’t tell if it is there or not, under normal use. I pull a 4 door Rubicon.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gprapim

What number do you use on yours for the braking sensitivity? I can’t remember what Jeep you tow. I don’t notice much difference with mine in use or not. It registers that it is working and I have played with the settings. I have never had to panic stop it, but I really can’t tell if it is there or not, under normal use. I pull a 4 door Rubicon.

This is in my 2015 Grand Cherokee Limited.

Never towed it without the brake until this weekend. And only then because I forgot to pick it up on my way out the door. I currently keep it stored in the garage at home.

I have mine set at 4. Originally installed on my first test drive I left it at the default of 5. Came to the first turn on my test loop, and the Jeep dragged the whole rig to a stop. It felt like I had dislodged the emergency break away somehow. I got out, checked everything, got back in the rig and turned it to 4, and that's where it's been ever since.

I've been trying to figure out why it stopped me so violently that day. Best theory I can come up with is that the brake booster still had some pressure in it. I'm not saying that right, but what I mean is like after you turn off the vehicle, then pump the brakes a couple times and the pedal gets firm. It's like that first stop, the pedal wasn't "firm" yet. So the Patriot "slammed" on the brakes. Even though the "test" cycle should have accounted for that. It could have been that I started the vehicle after I had the brake installed.

It was my first time, so it was a little "bumpy"; I didn't have a process down at that time. It's much smoother for me now, and I've not had any problems since that first test run...

But now having driven it with and without, I can say without a doubt, it's working!

[gwbillett]

Just saw this thread.... we just bought a 2019 Greyhawk 30X and I wanted to know how to modify the plug above the cab so the kids can watch the TV while driving other than running an extension cord....

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gwbillett

Just saw this thread.... we just bought a 2019 Greyhawk 30X and I wanted to know how to modify the plug above the cab so the kids can watch the TV while driving other than running an extension cord....

Post #54 in this very thread. First picture is the cabinet where my TV wires and outlet are with the panel pulled back to expose the wiring behind the outlet.

Mine was the purple wire. Clip it, cap it and enjoy.

Keep in mind it is impossible for the driver to see the TV in my rig, so the "safety" issue is of no concern for me.

[gwbillett]

Thank you, I have to admit I didn’t read every post....sorry. Yeah that is what my wife said also, driver can’t even see the TV passenger is a stretch. Thank you for the info. New item to add to the list

[gwbillett]

I’m also loving your power cord mod is also getting added to the list. I have been leaving the door open b/c I didn’t feel like feeding it through every time

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gwbillett

I’m also loving your power cord mod is also getting added to the list. I have been leaving the door open b/c I didn’t feel like feeding it through every time

I just wanted to tell you, that's something I'm going to change.

The "pigtail" I installed was not long enough. I find myself fighting that plug with only one hand, and I'm always afraid I didn't get a good, strong connection. If it's a weak connection, it can cause significant damage to the plug ends, as well as various other electrical gremlins I don't want to deal with.

So I'm going to modify my mod by installing a longer pigtail so that the piece that's hard wired into the coach is a bit longer so I can use both hands to plug in the shore power cable without having to cram both hands back into the little compartment.

The problem I'm having with this is that I can only seem to find those pigtails in like 18" or 48". So I'll probably end up purchasing the 48" one and trimming some off before I wire it in.

It's a 10 minute job tops, but I'm just annoyed at having to purchase another pigtail, and then even more annoyed that I'll end up hacking half the wire off...

[gwbillett]

Where are buying the pigtails from if you don’t mind me asking

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gwbillett

Where are buying the pigtails from if you don’t mind me asking

The first one I made out of parts I picked up on the clearance table at a CW. I dunno, I may have bought a pigtail too...

Anyway, I source nearly everything from Amazon. Perhaps that's part of the problem. Maybe I should look elsewhere. There are LOTS of parts suppliers online. Amazon is just easy because it's all set up and I don't need to put all my info into yet another site.

Just ordered a tube of self-leveling Dicor, a tube of non-sag Dicor, a tube of OSI Quad Max, some weather stripping, and a couple LEDs for under the microwave off Amazon. Click, click, done; it'll all be here Friday in time for me to use it on the rig this weekend.

I'm going to get on the roof and add some more self-leveling to the cap seams front and rear (factory didn't put enough on). After that cures, I'm going to replace the sewer vent and Eternabond all the seams on the roof later this Fall.

The non-sag is so I can re-seal after I put on my gutter extensions. The OSI is to re-seal the areas around the slide wall trim as well as the clearance markers on the front cap.

The weather seal is for the door to help eliminate some wind noise. I'll put a piece of black Gorilla tape on the metal kick panel on the screen door too because it rattles and is driving me nuts.

Probably do a writeup with pics on Monday...

[Camper_bob]

So I've been SUPER busy working on my rig.

First, I went to storage to pick it up, exercised the generator, filled propane and fuel. Got it home, plugged in to shore power and got nothing. "Great, transfer switch is on the fritz!" or so I thought.

I found the transfer switch (under the bed), tested here and there, was on my way to test the cables starting at the coach working back to the wall. Reached down in the shore power compartment to unplug the wire to test it, and heard arcing. I knew instantly I had a connection problem inside that box.

So I went and shut everything down, opened the box and found that I had lost a wire nut, and melted some wire. No Bueno!

So I cut a "pigtail" off another 30A cable I had (my spare, I have another end to put on it, so it can still be my spare) and proceeded to wire in the cable properly. I was able to pull enough Romex into the compartment to completely avoid the damaged wire.

THIS time, I wrapped the wire ends with electrical tape, then twisted the stripped ends together, snugged the wire nuts on and taped them on as well. I would have sought a better fix, but it was WAY too hot to be doing what I was doing, and I will probably be in that box again.

FWIW, I found it easier to actually dismount the junction box from the back of the compartment so I could pull the whole works out and use both hands instead of fighting with the back of the compartment. Incidentally, I was able to use a much longer pigtail since I had to "make" one on the spot! So I won't be purchasing one.

Okay, now that that's done...

I updated the Garmin units (both the remote and the dock). Downloading of the updates was the most frustrating thing; it took FOREVER. After that, it was pretty easy just following the instructions from Garmin's website.

The metal kick panel on the bottom of the screen door was rattling something fierce. So I carefully taped the top and bottom of that panel with black gorilla tape to the screen door frame. That should keep it quiet.

I got up on the roof with a tube of Dicor and a tube of OSI Quad Max and did some sealing. First were the front marker lights with the OSI. Took a pointer from someone on here and used soapy water to help work the sealant. I have a 4YO, so I have bubbles all over the place; turns out that worked perfectly.

Then I took the self-leveling Dicor and went after the seam seal between the front cap and the roof. Some of the screwheads were becoming visible. They're not moving best I can tell, just the sealant is settling. So I used an entire tube on that seam. I already knew this, but that stuff doesn't go a long way when you're "Gobbing" it on...

Then I opened up the AC unit to ensure my fan was firmly attached. It was, so I scratched my head a minute, put the shroud back on and climbed down. It's not "broken", it's just not working as well as I think it should. I was hoping that fan had slipped the shaft. No luck...

Back on the ground, I installed my front gutter extensions. The hardest part of this was getting through all the sealant the factory had used. I only did the front two because the rear looks like it's going to be a PITA because of the corner covers. Plus I want to install slide toppers, and those gutter extensions will be in the way. Anyway, driver side went on fine, broke the screw on the passenger side, so I had to put a new one in. Sealed it all up with OSI Quad, and it looks pretty good.

On the passenger side, I thought I was going to have a problem because I began seeing rust colored streaks coming out of the gutter. I thought surely I had a leak. Turns out factory just left a screw in the gutter. Somehow it stayed up there at least a year and a half and was rusted pretty good, and that rust was dripping down the side of my rig.

I picked up some D-channel weather seal on the recommendation of someone on here to help seal the entry door. I think I got the wrong size. I rubbed down the area with alcohol, ran the new seal, went to shut the door, and it ALMOST wouldn't close. I monkeyed with it, removed some here and there and tried again. Still no good. I had plenty of weather seal, so I took it all off and applied some to a completely different part of the door seal; still no good, WAY too hard to shut the door. I thought about adjusting the strike plate, but this didn't feel right, so I just removed it all and threw it away. My running theory is that the stuff I got was too big. I'll try again with the smaller one and see what happens.

Last but not least, I replaced the last incandescent bulb in my rig (that I know of) with an LED. It was the one under the microwave, and MAN that thing could put out some HEAT. You could almost use the stove top cover as a warming table. No more, the LED creates the perfect light, but virtually no heat! YAY!

So I fired up the fridge and started making ice. Time to start packing!!

[NVPear]

Hi Bob, was reading your saga on the greyhawk 29mv. We have a 2017 29mv model. I noticed the female plug on the end of your shore power cord. I have been searching for something similiar so I can make my PI surge unit easy to replace if necessary. Sorry for replying to an old post. Can you remember where you got this particular receptacle? Thanks!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by NVPear

Hi Bob, was reading your saga on the greyhawk 29mv. We have a 2017 29mv model. I noticed the female plug on the end of your shore power cord. I have been searching for something similiar so I can make my PI surge unit easy to replace if necessary. Sorry for replying to an old post. Can you remember where you got this particular receptacle? Thanks!

I believe I picked that one up from the clearance table at CW when I was there.

You can get them just about anywhere. I like that style because it's "low profile" so it slips through the hole in the bottom of the compartment easier. I have since replaced that end with a different one that I cut off my "spare cord" and it is much bigger, so doesn't fit through the hole quite as well. And THEN I've replaced my primary shore cord with a bigger, longer one...

Anyway, a link to one that is very similar if not the same as the one I installed on that first installation:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K20F6BA...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[Camper_bob]

So, we've been having some trouble with the AC unit over the main living area. It worked, but not great. My theory was that it was just too much load for the unit; lots of windows and doors to contend with. We could keep it comfortable in some pretty harsh conditions, but it was never great.

So, we decided to trade it out for a bigger unit. Our other option was to try to warranty it for an equal unit. Based on the temp deltas I was shooting, I don't think it would have qualified for warranty. And I figured I didn't want to put the same size unit back in because even at its best, it would've had a tough time keeping up.

Anyway, I caught a 13.5 BTU high efficiency unit on sale and went ahead with it (OEM was 11K BTU). The amp draw is just about 1A more than the unit that was in there, so I should be fine on power requirements and distribution. I finally got to install the unit yesterday.

It was a pretty straightforward installation/changeout. The hardest part was getting the new unit up and the old unit down. Those are pretty heavy, and they're very awkward. I got it in place, bolted it up there and re-taped the air handler area, and taped up the divider. While I was taping, I had the unit running, and it was blowing REALLY nice. I put all the hardware back up, and it runs pretty good.

Of course, it wasn't exactly an "acid test" though because it was only in the low 70s outside, and around 75 inside. So, sure, it got the rig down to 70 pretty easily in those conditions. We'll see how she does when we put her to a REAL test; ambient 105* and 80% humidity ought to do it!

[Camper_bob]

I figured I would drop this update here just to keep most of my experiences in one place.

On our way to South Dakota back in late August, we got a check engine light. We were about 3 hours into a 3-day drive one way. We stopped at a dealership that had extended service department hours. He came out and pulled the code. Asked a couple questions, reset the light and sent us on our way. His theory was that the EVAP system was tripped because I fueled it while it was running. Light came back on a few hours later.

Fast-forward a couple months. I picked up a code reader and did some basic diagnostics. No glory. So I relented and dropped it off at my Ford dealership today (they don't have the best reputation, so I was hesitant to do this). Turns out it has something to do with the wiring harness the chassis modifier (most likely MORryde) installed for the emissions circuit when the frame was extended.

So it's not Ford warranty, and they're contacting Jayco Motorized to see about warranty replacement.

We'll see what happens...

[Bullitt6283]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

....So it's not Ford warranty, and they're contacting Jayco Motorized to see about warranty replacement.

We'll see what happens...

Is it just a wiring repair issue, or does something need replaced?

Good Luck with this!
.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Bullitt6283

Is it just a wiring repair issue, or does something need replaced?

Good Luck with this!
.

Don't know yet. It was the service manager that called, and he didn't give any details about what was wrong with the harness. He just said it wasn't a Ford warranty issue, so he was contacting Jayco motorized to see about warranty coverage, and that his tech was trying to find a part number to order a replacement. Really, the main reason he was calling was to say it was going to take a couple days. I told him just to keep it locked on his lot and not to forget to set the parking brake so the leveler doesn't chirp all day and night.

He mentioned that the add-on harness was for the purge valve, and it was about 4ft long, so that makes sense I guess... We'll see.

Seems this is the week of CELs; my Grand Cherokee (my toad and DD) threw a light Friday on my way to work that I haven't had a chance to check on yet. I thought it may have been the capless fuel filler neck, but it doesn't look like that's the case; I'll put my OBD reader on it tonight just to see if I can figure it out. But when that one goes in, it needs a recall fixed as well as a new seat belt retractor on the passenger side. I've threatened my wife that I'm going to be looking at a Gladiator to trade for! But I really don't want a divorce, so that's not going to happen!

When it rains, it pours I guess... Not like any of this stuff could have happened during my slow season either...

[Camper_bob]

Update on my Check Engine Light:

Dealership said the wiring harness for the EVAP canister valve was chaffed. This is not a Ford part as this particular harness was installed as part of the extension of the chassis after it left Ford and before it went to Jayco to have the "house" installed.

My dealership actually surprised me somewhat and stuck with it, contacting Jayco to get the parts and getting it all installed. Dealer installed new harness and secured it properly so it won't chafe again. All is well now with no check engine light. I have not gone under the rig to inspect yet. (An aside: this did not address the rattling I have coming from under the hood under load while accelerating. I now think this is related to an idler pulley and will investigate further)

I asked the service manager about the cause, and he seemed to indicate the harness was not properly secured and thus was damaged along the way.

I had to pay the dealership directly and now have a request into Jayco for reimbursement.

I also had to re-submit the paperwork for my jacks (had them repaired at a local RV shop that came highly recommended from a client. LCI stated in writing that this was fine, but I didn't present the rig for repair at the shop until well after that communication). The original Jayco rep I dealt with asked that I mail paper copies, which apparently never got there. So I attached them to an email to the rep today. So we'll see what happens...

[Camper_bob]

Haven't updated here in a while, but I have some things to update on now.

First, I finally got a check in the mail from Jayco covering the repairs I had done (the wiring harness and the leveler jack repairs).

We had a chance last weekend to "test" the new (bigger) main AC unit, and it works fine. It was able to maintain whatever set temp we wanted and cycled throughout the day. So I'm pretty happy with that. We had some pretty rowdy neighbors, so we ended up running the fan continuously to drown out their noise.

I changed the chassis oil before that trip, which is something I've been meaning to do for a while, but COVID-19.

We were finally able to make a trip to the coast over Memorial Day weekend. We were able to "social distance" quite effectively, but most everyone else didn't seem to care all that much. When we landed, we discovered our automatic steps to be inoperable. I disconnected them and just let them hang for the weekend. Went to reconnect on Monday at departure and found they are out of alignment. Almost like a gear got skipped or something?

I went out a couple evenings after we got home to work on the steps, figured I would use the jacks to raise the coach up a couple inches to give me a little more space to work, and the rig wouldn't start. Cranks until the cows come home, but no start. I began the normal trouble-shooting procedures, and it all checked out, but still no start. I think it's the fuel pump as it does not spin up when the ignition is turned. So Saturday I contacted Ford Roadside Assist and they towed it to a shop nearby. Waiting to hear an update today. I probably could have done a bit more, and I'm equipped and able to drop the tank and replace the pump, but the chassis is still under warranty, so I'll let the pros handle it.

My Grand Cherokee had left me stranded with an electrical gremlin 3 times. The last time, completely unprovoked, it began honking (solid honk, not pulsing honk) with the wipers and lights flashing in the driveway. It would not respond to ANY command or input, so I manually unlocked the door with the key, tried to get it to respond with no glory. Finally had to pop the hood and pull the horn fuse just so it would shut up. It had been in the shop for a corroded wiring harness the week before, but it looks like there was still some water intrusion somewhere. So I said "budget be damned, this thing's gone". The next day I had it traded on a new 2020 Wrangler JL Unlimited. I ordered all the parts I need to flat-tow it and began installing them yesterday.

This time around, I'm going with the Cool Tech lighting wiring harness, Blue-Ox base plate, charge line, and I had to order a new break-away switch since I let mine go with the Grand Cherokee. I installed the Cool Tech harness last night, and will continue to chip away at the other stuff this week. Will install the baseplate this weekend.

Just from a "standing there looking at it" perspective, it looks like the tow attachment points on the JL will be a little lower than those on the Grand Cherokee, so the tow-bar may not ride level, it was perfect on the Grand Cherokee. I will measure it once I get everything installed, but I may have a decision to make to get the tow-bar level: Get a drop receiver, or lift the Jeep. The Jeep is probably going to get a small spring spacer lift...

[Camper_bob]

Forgot that I also finally cut down a piece of pool noodle to secure the microwave plate, and moved the microphone for the head unit from down by my right knee to up on the A-pillar by the grab handle.

The mic was SUPER easy since there's plenty of cord all wadded up under the dash. I just undid the twisty that held the wad in place, and ran the wire. I didn't even have to remove any trim (except that lower dash panel). I also tidied up some of the other wiring while I was down there...