Fixing the Generator

Mid morning, I called up to Cummins Central Power and inquired about my order for the cooling fluid recovery reservoir for the generator in the coach.  It took a while but the fellow finally found the order.  It has been 12 days since I was up there to place the order.

He finally decided that the part was in the building somewhere and he would find it by the time I came up there.  I worried that it might not be there and the trip would be for nothing since I am so many miles away.  He reassured me that it was there.

So Biscuit and I left the house.  She was driving Loyce nuts following her while she was cleaning and I was instructed to take her with me!  We drove the 30 miles mostly on the interstate system, so we made good time.

Once in the building, the fellow had the box right on the counter with all the other will call orders.  We opened the box and I looked at the tank.  Boy it didn't look right.  The fill and the pass thru where the oil dipstick goes thru the center seemed on the wrong side.  The man assured me that the tank was the part number specified and that once I got the old one out it would be OK.  I still wasn't for sure but paid the $133 for it and a new cap and left.

Traffic seemed to be getting heavier as I came back home, but perhaps I was just antsy about the tank being wrong.  I left Biscuit with her mommy and I took the truck over and traded it for the motorhome.

Of course none of the hoses would come off of the tank when I tried to get the tank out, and I ended up cutting the smaller one just to break it free.  Luckily it was plenty long.  And to make the story shorter, when the two tanks were on the bench side by side, they were the same!!!

I was disorienting the tank because the bolt holes were on the top, and I was certain they were on the left side.  So by rolling the tank the quarter turn but keeping the fill holes on the left, turned the whole thing around.  Then it all lined up just right!!

Naturally I had broken the factory hose clamps when I was trying to get them off.  They were the use once style where a robot crimps them into place. Uncrimping is the same as bend heck out of them, so it was off to the auto parts store for clamps and some antifreeze.

The book recommends that the coolant be changed every two years, and it has been since 2008 so I drained all of it.  It only holds a gallon.  After replacing the plug, I set about re filling the system.  The new fluid went everywhere except in the filler cap.  It took the coolant oh so slowly, gurgle gurgle as the air bubbled to the surface.  It took 30 minutes to get it in.

After starting the genny several times once I got about half of it in it seemed to take the rest.  Eventually no more could be poured in.  I put most of the rest in the recovery tank and buttoned up the case again.

This is when I discovered that the pressure cap that I thought I had purchased to replace the old one was really a replacement cap for the recovery tank.  The fellow has sold me the wrong one.  I'm not sure why he would think I wanted to replace the no pressure cap on the recovery tank and not the 13 PSI radiator cap.

Maybe he was so intent on selling me the tank he didn't think about the cap.  But anyway I get to make the entire trip again tomorrow to get the right cap.  I'll call first to see if it is in stock........

Diesel fuel over in Missouri where it is usually much cheaper was $4.07 today while gas was exactly a dollar cheaper at $3.07.  I don't think I have ever seen a dollar spread on diesel over gas.   This was at the Flying J where trucks were in a line for blocks to get into the pumps.

I was driving the car and filled up with the gas as it is $3.19 back over here in Kansas.  That paid for half of my Wendy's bill when I got back home.  LOL

Retired Rod