lappir

So, if any of you have been following the "When to stop fixing" post I made over a year ago, Thanks. Recently I may have hinted that I had found the time for me, with a post NOW! Yesterday I visited a friend in Missouri and we exchanged the usual's and I am the new owner of a 2000/2010 Volvo 770 with the Big Cummins and the 18 speed Autoshift. I drove it a few weeks ago and immediately wanted it, but had to wait for one more person to either not show up or turn down their spot. They didn't show up. Took a few photos yesterday but have yet to upload them to the PC and have too much to do today. It will look a bit different any way, but I'll at least post the seats. WOW what a difference. Not sure what I will do with the 2001. Most likely part it out. I'd not want another to have the same lack of confidence in it as I do now. Not to rehash, but I took it into a shop for a specific request and the shop decided all I needed was a new set of batteries. Didn't bother to call me before installing and I warned them if it didn't work I'd be bringing the batteries back for a full refund and wanted my old batteries. (Of course they were picked up already, but in the end it won't really matter). The rest is a long story and I shouldn't take the time right now. So start thinking of what you might want and I'll see if it will worth it for me to remove things (the small stuff only) before having someone remove the big parts. Will have to decide how to get it back. It certainly has a mind of it's own on when it will allow a road trip. (again long story). Well, off to get some things done. Rod

That was a bit ago eh? Rod

Have you spoke with any aftermarket installers? I think that's what I would do. You could make sure the vehicle had the necessary space, pathways and alternator for the system, but I don't think I'd spend a lot of money on a system put in by the builder without extensive knowledge of every part of the system they propose. With aftermarket you know you will be able to work on it if needed and where the wiring will be going. With a system built into your vehicle there could be multiple things that would have to be removed to have access. Rod

Great to see this. Rod

Good information I had not thought of. Thanks for the education. Rod

Well, I have the answer. NOW Long story but for now the facts. A friend had a 2000 Volvo with a recently replaced 600 HP Cummins with an 18 Speed Auto shift. This winter he bought a Class A motor home. When he called and told me my first question was what are you going to do with your truck. He hadn't made a decision yet, but said he'd let me know before he did anything. Well last week he said he was selling. The person who owned it before was first on the list to potentially purchase it, another person who expressed interest through the owner son was second and I would have the third option. I drove down last Sunday and took it for a drive. Told the owner I wanted it, but had to wait till today for the second person to finally lose out because he didn't call Monday or Tuesday as planned and the owner sent a message he had till "Friday" or the truck was gone. I got a text at 1003 this morning saying the truck was mine if I wanted it. I wavered back and forth all the way home from the drive. Actually all week, but when I talked to him today I decided I was done with the other truck. It has been a good truck for me, but it didn't like sitting I think. Maybe the next owner will put it on the road a bit more than I was able to . The new to me truck is not singled and had that big motor and transmission. I'm hoping the "Farmers" in the area will allow me to put it to work hauling some grain for them as a "Farm Hand" and therefore not requiring a CDL. I'll ask for enough money for Fuel and upkeep and hopefully use their trailer. Wish me luck. No photos right now, but they will come soon. Most likely in a new Post. As I mentioned, my 2001 Volvo 770 runs and drives very well. The transmission issue may be fixed with the install of new batteries, but next Friday will be the test. I will 'NEED' to take it to a place for the removal of the drom box and other things. If it can't find Neutral it will be at the shop that did the work I didn't authorize or want, and they will hear about it. I'm hoping what they did was right and all goes well. If it does the single axle 2001 Volvo 770 will be available. I'll post all the important stuff and photos in a "For sale" post in the appropriate area. Rod

Happy Birthday Carl. I only attend one of the ECR's but it was well managed and very enjoyable. I'm closest to the National Rally , but some day I want to complete the trifecta by attending a WCR too. Will have to be on my game to sneak in while there are spots still open. Rod

So the latest update. Found a person on YouTube with a similar problem with finding Neutral, he was an OTR driver and stuck in Chicago. Someone in Des Moines, IA. suggested a fix and it worked. I contacted the shop and had planned to take the truck to Des Monies (90 some miles NW of where I'm currently parked), but had an accident April first. Fast forward, decided to bite the bullet and keep it local, despite prior displeasure with said company. Gave them specific instructions on what I wanted done, but low and behold they disappointed me yet again. Their solution was to hook up the "Computer" determine it was just a simple case of "Low Voltage", so they without my permission changed out the batteries for the tune of $750.00 (for two batteries, not 4). I'm sure the next time I NEED my truck to move, it will not start. If I'm within 100 miles of them I will ensure they come, pick up my truck and fix it the way I wanted in the first place for another $750.00. Well under what it would have been if they had done what I asked or at least called me with an estimate before doing the work. (as I requested). They are pretty good customers of my brothers "Tire Shop". Not great ones and they will not be high on my list to please in the future. They have worked on the Shop 'Service Truck' a few times but it usually takes a couple trips to get the fix done. I haven't seen those bills, but I'm sure they were not cheap. Just a venting session today before going to pick up the truck next week. Rod

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Depending on how much hot water you use. Put a timer on my water heater and set it for 30 minutes. In about 10 minutes I hop in the shower and turn on the dishwasher. If I'm using my water pump the low flow shower head causes the pump to cycle very often. Same with the dish washer when filling. If I'm running both the pump runs constantly to fill the dish washer as I'm showering and washing my hair. Have plenty of hot water for both things and even a bit of warm water in the evening when I get home. My propane now lasts a lot longer than when I just left the heater on all the time. It's the only thing that currently uses propane. Rod

I doubt we will be in Good Hands. Rod

You have a two pedal auto shift in a 1999? My 2001 has the 3 pedal Eaton autoshift. I may have had a similar issue, but my truck actually would die and I would have to stop and after a bit it would restart and go 15 min or so. First time it happened spent over 1K at a Volvo dealer before they found the 15 cent wire and repaired it. Second time it happened I was in Kansas and the wire broke off at the battery . Fixed that on the side of the road and then took the truck to my mechanic who refreshed all the wires going to the batteries. Hope that works for a bit. I can't go out to take a photo tonight, but maybe tomorrow if you need one to show the wires that caused the issue. Rod

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So I'm going to guess you might have to eat crow. The thread has not gone "Viral" for sure, but I think "many" have responded and provided good input. That's what keeps the forum active. Posting a thread and the responses. Reading all the post's daily is good, but you have to let someone know you have read it, maybe liked it or disagreed with it. A good public speaker entertains the crowd for 15 to 30 minutes and then spends the next 30 minutes answering questions. A bad public speaker talks for an hour and the audience walks out as quickly as possible after. My opinion anyway. Rod

I didn't post on the Forum for a while when I was on Facebook. Facebook was easier to post photos and yes, use on my Smart Phone. I at one time could log into the forum on my phone, but that was several phones ago. I won't go back to Facebook and will continue to read and post here when I have something to say (good or bad). There are several that have left over the years for various reasons. I miss some and not so much others. I have a daily habit of reading the topics and then marking the forum read until the next time I visit. It takes just a few minutes that way. Might I miss something? Maybe sometimes, but if its a good topic some will post on it and it will be an unread comment again so I get a second chance to look at it further. I do have to sign into more forums vs just signing in once to Facebook and having almost everything there. Don't miss that enough yet to reactivate. Rod

Why would you have to disable the 5G, doesn't the phone do that for you? In my mind they should use the best connection available to them and I thought they already did that. Maybe that was the issue with my T-Mobile device when I left the city. I needed to turn off the 5G search and just let it use the other stuff. Thanks for the info. I will certainly inquire about that once the local Verizon store get's the Galaxy Fold Four in. Rod

I have no answers to your questions, but would like the information too. I was all set to try the Samsung Fold 4 as my Phone/Tablet/GPS/ as the Android Auto in my Jeep won't work and I don't have a similar screen in my other vehicles. I've also heard/read that the Android Auto or Apple Car Play will become monthly subscriptions. I am strongly against subscriptions for this type of items. All items if I'm being honest. Rod

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As a Health Care Professional since 1981 and a RN since 1989 I have worked as a Travel Nurse. I started doing ER, but in the 2000's I went to the OR so my info on pain prescriptions are mostly related to the OR setting and most certainly short term. Not really what you are looking for. Pain medication was at one time one of the "Vital Signs". Does a patient have pain and how are we making it better. Most of the time an Opioid was the answer and as we now know that was the WRONG answer. A prescription Opioid was a legal way to make money for a while and a lot of folks got on that bandwagon. Dr's, Nurses, Pharmacist's, Physical Therapists and of course the CFO, CEO, other administrators in addition to all of the insurance companies. They ruined it all. Now an honest person who has a pain has to jump through multiple hoops to gain relief and often it's still the opioid, but it's a lot harder to get. My suggestion is to have a frank discussion with your primary care provider and find out if you have other options. Have a discussion with your travel partner to determine if you can make it work if you want to travel far and wide you may need to have your partner stay at your desired destination for a couple days while you "Fly Home" to refill your meds. It will be a lot more difficult and more expensive, but much safer than the alternatives. I would not recommend visiting an Emergency Room, Urgent care setting, but If you have just a couple locations you visit like a winter spot and a summer location, adding a Primary Care provider in each area might make it easier. Good luck, Rod

I wonder how soon Pepsi will get tired of the Tesla trucks and the first one's out come to the "Used" market. If it happens soon I may tailor my solar/battery build to be able to get 500 miles from a Tesla truck, still have enough power for a night of HVAC use and if the sun is good enough the next day, do it again. That's my retirement dream. Rod

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions. I picked up my Jeep on Thursday of last week and found the T-Mobile iPhone 14 worked great in the Jeep. My first experience with "CarPlay". It's similar to the latest "Android Auto" I've been using in the same Jeep. I was preparing for a trip Friday to Concordia, Missouri from Oskaloosa, Iowa. I could have gone all the way West to I 35 and then South To Kansas City before backtracking on I 70 to Concordia, but that's a lot more miles at 55 mph and I've seen all that country many many times before. It was nice to see the farmers in the fields planting and a few mowing the grass, but again I've seen and will see again many times. Hopped in the Jeep and plugged in the iPhone. Put in the address for my destination and turned on the "Streaming Music" I found on Thursday that I could tolerate. (Haven't and won't link my Pandora account to the iPhone). All was good till I got 15 miles and to the first turn. The music started to pause first infrequently but as I got further down the road it was more frequent and longer. I grabbed the android and plugged it in to use my Pandora, OOPS don't do that without unplugging the iPhone. The infotainment screen went blank, then toggled through CarPlay and Android auto before going blank again. Took a full shut down of the Jeep to get everything back working again and I stayed with the Android for the remainder of the trip. The iPhone is going back to T-Mobile Monday. I did see another interesting option and I think I will try it out. Anyone using the Samsung Z fold? https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold4/ With the info of GM being the first to stop putting CarPlay or Android Auto in without having a "Subscription". I am thinking of joining the small group of those just using the Z Fold. I will be able to move it from vehicle to vehicle and use Bluetooth to play the sounds. The Z fold is expensive, but much less than my plan to upgrade the radio's in the truck and Isuzu to have the features. I may have also found a work around with the Verizon issue. I'll get my Granddaughter/s a Verizon account. I'm pretty sure they are using US Cellular now. Rod

Not sure why the above post was here today as if I had not posted. In checking above it was sure there. I've decided to give it till Monday with the T-Mobile. Stopped at the store where I got the phone and they checked everything and had no idea why my old Verizon with the Note 9 was better than the band new 5G T-Mobile. I did reach out and almost added a new "Service" with Verizon till I provided my SS number and they won't allow two accounts on the same SS. I don't have a spousal unit to get a new plan before I give up my 15 year Grandfathered unlimited data plan. From the little I have used the T-Mobile "HotSpot" it will start slowing down at about day 15 to 20 of my typical use and it's already not as fast. Is it still possible to Sell the old unlimited plans? Rod

Well, last Friday I did it. Stopped at T-Mobile and got an iPhone 14. Just the lowest cost model and regretted not getting the big one almost right away. I was planning on doing a lot over the weekend to check it out. That didn't happen. Had Emergency Surgery on Saturday night and spent the day Sunday in the hospital away from home. Monday was getting back home and trying to do some things, yesterday I made it to the shop for the afternoon and think I'm finally starting to feel better. Have a Dr. visit this afternoon. Decided to use the "Hot Spot" today and am less than pleased. Actually worse than my Verizon in the exact same spot. Multiple pauses watching a TV show on a site that rarely ever gave issues on the Samsung and Verizon. My friends who were ecstatic I finally got "Unlimited texting" and an iPhone will be disappointed for a bit when I return the T-Mobile device on Friday. I was willing to take the chance their service would come close to their advertisement, but it has not. The area I'm in is one of the best covered areas according to the map if that's the case I may not have any coverage in some of the other areas I may visit. Fulltime RV life is different. Some of the recent happenings have caused me to think about how I want to continue. Expensive Dr. Bills are on the way for sure. An expensive truck repair and the rise in monthly rates to stay in an RV park. I thought last summer I'd have a better handle on getting Solar and being able to "park anywhere", but there are multiple hassles with that too I'm finding. I also thought I'd have to work till I couldn't anymore, but am finding I might be able to not "Have Too" work, but might have to stay in one spot if I could only find that good spot. That's the update today. Thanks for reading and commenting. Rod

Well, last Friday I did it. Stopped at T-Mobile and got an iPhone 14. Just the lowest cost model and regretted not getting the big one almost right away. I was planning on doing a lot over the weekend to check it out. That didn't happen. Had Emergency Surgery on Saturday night and spent the day Sunday in the hospital away from home. Monday was getting back home and trying to do some things, yesterday I made it to the shop for the afternoon and think I'm finally starting to feel better. Have a Dr. visit this afternoon. Decided to use the "Hot Spot" today and am less than pleased. Actually worse than my Verizon in the exact same spot. Multiple pauses watching a TV show on a site that rarely ever gave issues on the Samsung and Verizon. My friends who were ecstatic I finally got "Unlimited texting" and an iPhone will be disappointed for a bit when I return the T-Mobile device on Friday. I was willing to take the chance their service would come close to their advertisement, but it has not. The area I'm in is one of the best covered areas according to the map if that's the case I may not have any coverage in some of the other areas I may visit. Fulltime RV life is different. Some of the recent happenings have caused me to think about how I want to continue. Expensive Dr. Bills are on the way for sure. An expensive truck repair and the rise in monthly rates to stay in an RV park. I thought last summer I'd have a better handle on getting Solar and being able to "park anywhere", but there are multiple hassles with that too I'm finding. I also thought I'd have to work till I couldn't anymore, but am finding I might be able to not "Have Too" work, but might have to stay in one spot if I could only find that good spot. That's the update today. Thanks for reading and commenting. Rod