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Nwcid

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Everything posted by Nwcid

  1. Nwcid

    Tail light upgrades

    My new deck is being built and I am moving to all LED lights and have several questions. My truck is a 2014 VNL 630, with a 265" wheel base. The deck is 8' x 15'. 1. I have read that switching to LED lights can make the ECU think bulbs are "out" due to a different resistance. I did a search for this and can not find where I read that. Does anyone know if this is an issue? 2. Grounding. Chassis vs wired. For the new lights I have to add to the deck, it appears the light pig tails are set up for chassis ground. I am debating if I should just include a ground wire in the run and ground back to a common point. If chassis ground works fine, it will save me $$ in wiring. Is there a "best" way or a reason to choose one over the other? 3. Side marker lights. On the side of the deck, toward the rear I plan on putting an ambler light on each side that will include turn signal. I am debating where to put the other set of marker lights. I do have amber lights that work with the turn signal on the cab behind the door. I am thinking about putting another set of lights roughly 1/2 down the deck which would be just roughly between the fuel tank and front tandem axle. Is this a good place to put this light? Should this light include turn signal? 4. Can I tie directly into the existing non-led lighting to run the new LED lights? Do I need to find a different power source to run the lights? It looks like the new lights draw 0.25 amps/light. I would be going from 1 traditional tail light to 4 LED's on side. I know the Jackalopee has a power out for deck lighting if needed but I would still need to run a line for turn signal function. 5. Is there anything else I should consider before I get to work?
  2. Nwcid

    ECM changes

    Thank you for that info. In my truck I can start in 1st with the manual mode or lock into the current gear. That is what works in my driveway. It is not practical for the "off-road". I keep looking at used shifters but they have migrated up to ~$400, of course then the dealer programing. Under $500 would be much easier to pay than $600-$800. Not sure there is enough value at that price for me.
  3. Nwcid

    ECM changes

    My truck was limited at 70. I do not know what it will do now. I will test it out on the highway on my way home Monday. I have the 12 speed Ishift so I do not know how that will effect anything. Moresmoke did you add the premium shifter or did it come on the truck? I am looking at adding it to mine. I do not think I really need it for most of my driving but we do some "off road", Forest Service/BLM/etc stuff where I think manually shifting would be real nice. How often and how do you use yours?
  4. Nwcid

    ECM changes

    That makes sense. Again I have intentions of doing 80, 90 or even faster. I would like to be able to actually pass though. I don't want to take 10 miles to pass another truck that is going 1-2 MPH slower than I want to go. Or needing/wanting to pass in a passing zone on a 2 lane and running out of top end. Of course they do not get up to speed like my last bike that would do 70 - 140 mph in under 5 seconds.
  5. Nwcid

    ECM changes

    Thank you for the lengthy reply. I talked to the dealer previously and I just dropped off the truck last night. At no time did they say anything about not being able to take the speed limiter off. While they did not outright say it, I got the impression they do it frequently. I guess I will find out tomorrow......
  6. Nwcid

    Onboard air

    Yes, true, but this is for occasional use. Even if I went from flat to full on the truck tires, the time difference in filling is less than 1 minute. On the 12 lbs in the UTV tires we are talking seconds. Also the CFM of the 1/4 air hose is just under the rating on my compressor, the CFM on 3/8 is almost 2x the rating on the compressor.
  7. Nwcid

    Onboard air

    Today I got my parts/adapters and went to work. I put a plug on one side and reduced the 1/2" outlet to 1/4" found on air fittings. With the truck at an idle and air tanks full, ~110lbs I pushed in my "red supply" switch. I had an air nozzle attached to the hose and held down the trigger. Over about 45 seconds the pressure dropped to 100 psi and even holding the nozzle open for another minute or so it did not drop below that. This will be more than adequate for my needs. It is unlikely I will go with a hose reel, I will just buy a 50', light weight 1/4" polyurethane hose. They are light, store easy and will reach all around my rig. I have one I use a home all of the time.
  8. Nwcid

    ECM changes

    Interesting and good point. I will call the dealer tomorrow and see if they offer something like that. I did read some things that said dealers can only pull what is current and if you want performance upgrades that is has to come though Volvo and takes a few days.
  9. Nwcid

    ECM changes

    I found this old thread, but could not find anything more current or in the resource guide. I have a 2014 VNL 630 that is going to a dealer at the end of the week. While there I want them to do at least remove the speed limiter from the truck. No I do not plan on speeding, but I also find it a safety issue not bing able to have "full speed". My truck does not have an idle limit on it. Are there other things I should consider changing while they are in there? I have also seen some ads for tuners or ECM programs. Are those worth it for our application?
  10. I pulled the entire hose system (for trailer connection) off. No need to have them and they just took up space.
  11. I underhand how the system works. Maybe I am wrong about the CFM the truck puts out, which I keep seeing as 18.7 CFM. That should be more than enough volume to fill up the occasional tire, blow out an air filter, fill up a water "floaty", etc with out dropping out the pressure. If really am doing something that takes more pressure than that I really am not using the right tool. I am not trying to run air tools or anything that takes massive pressure or volume. Most of what I am trying to is is accomplished with the $50 harbor freight compressor I bought for the RV.
  12. I am not understanding why I need to plumb to the tank. I have an air outlet right on the back of the cab that is easy to access. Since I will not be using air for brakes, I will use the trailer brake "knob" to turn the air supply on and off. After doing some research I have been unable to find fittings that are the same as the air hose. Apparently there is an adapter that is 1/2 NPT to the air hose fitting. The adapters are in very tightly with what appears to be some kind of thread lock and I did not want to break the block they are mounted too. It looks like this will be my best option. In my case this will just be for airing tires and cleaning things like the RZR also.
  13. I looked up Festoon lights and all I saw was hanging "party" lights. I am looking for what LED bulb I will need to fit in the existing lights. I am not sure what you mean by dash lights. I have a fluorescent fixture over the bed. I have dual lights over each front seat and there are red lights on the lower door panels. The wiring harness is labeled. In this case it say AUX1 but does not say where it terminates on the other end. They did a very good job of labeling all of the connections, even for features not on my truck.
  14. What you are looking for does not exist yet. You can get plans that have 50GB or even 100GB of un-throttled data and price will depend on the carrier. You can get get a variety of devices that "unlimited" plans but most have some sort of possible throttling. Many people use a variety of devices depending on how reliable they need their service. For example use on plan as primary and if it throttles switch to the other plan that still has available un-throttled data. Other use 2 or more carrier both for the above reason but also there are areas where one carrier may work an another does not. Last but not least, getting a device that can use sim card and offers the ability to plug in MIMO external antennas will help. You can look into devices like WiFi Ranger and Pep Wave. Providing reliable cellular internet with high data limits takes a modular with a cost that increases quickly based on how reliable and how much data.
  15. Good source for LED's, now I just need to figure out which ones I need. Chasing wires is going to be super hard. There are close to 100 wires that are all the same color and run into bundles. For the air hose the simple solution is often the most over looked........
  16. 2014 Volvo VNL 630 with air interlock. Interior lighting. Is there a kit or a list of the different bulbs to make the cab lights all LED? Or at least increase the brightness, especially in the bunk area? Last but not least, is there a off/on/door type switch that has one or more lights come on when you open the door? I had the dashboard apart yesterday and did some wire chasing. My truck has the Aux 1 switch and it is plugged into the Aux 1 wiring, but I can not find where that wire runs. Is there anyway to find out what Aux 1 goes to? Behind the dash was plugs for Aux 2 and 3, any idea where those lines might terminate? Both of my dash 12v outlets are making poor contact with devices and they are loose in their sockets. Should I try and replace them with OEM outlets or just go aftermarket? I have no concerns adding aftermarket ones. Overhead wiring (front of cab). At some point I will be adding accessories in the overhead area. I know there is already power for a CB up there but I may add a switch or two. Is there a conduit for passing new wire or will I have to take apart the whole A post and overhead to do this? I have disconnected my air lines at the back of the truck. One line will be getting capped, the other one will be getting adapted to a standard QD air hose fitting. Of course an open fitting right there is exposed to the elements. Is there a cap, protector or some kind of enclosure to protect the fitting? I did a search and did not find anything. Exterior lighting. When I get my deck built I would like to add some appropriate sized and spaced tail lights. I am thinking about the sequential lights that move the direction of the turn. I have seen all in one set up and multi light set ups. Are there advantages or disadvantages to doing this?
  17. Today I got all of my wiring done. I did run into one oddity. I did not wire 100% by the Jackalopee book. I did buy a 7 round pin connector to plug into the truck, but I did not buy any "semi" wire so I used RV wire. From the 7 round plug I ran the RV wire, but instead of following colors directly I went by wire gauge. Before powering everything up I did a continuity check. Everything checked out correct except for one thing. If I check from the ground on the semi plug to the ground on the RV receptacle I get continuity. I also get continuity on the left and right turn signal pins. Is this normal? I did energize the system and checked from the RV receptacle ground to all other pins while signaling, braking, lights etc and they all showed proper voltage with no problem. I have not connected a trailer yet.
  18. As posted above, not all "adapters" are designed the same. I am also a Reece Goosebox user and love it. I looked at traditional 5th wheel, goose ball mount 5th wheel and the Anderson also. I already had a gooseball on my truck. For me it came down to bed use. With the Goosebox as soon as I unhitch the trailer I can use my truck box. I know some of the system are not hard to take out, but I never have to mess with it. Another plus for the Goosebox is the air ride built in.
  19. I read what you wrote several times and did some googling. I understand what you are saying, but I am not sure how it is an issue. Isn't that how it works on all vehicles? It has been so long since I had a to wire in a truck controller I do not recall........ On any vehicle the red wire is hooked up to the "cold" side of the switch. The only time it receives power is if the brakes are applied (no matter where you tap in). So unless the controller has a way to back feed a vehicle system it would not engage the brake lights on any tow vehicle. I feel like I might be missing something.
  20. For good, bad or otherwise I ended up going to the Prodigy P3 controller. I am getting ready to do my install over the next couple days. For the electric brake controller the red wire needs to be engaged from brake activation. I know a source for this can typically be found under the dash. Since I have to run the blue wire to the Jackalopee is there a reason I should not also run the red wire to the Jackalopee? I would then tie the red brake controller wire to the green brake light wire from the truck.
  21. My 2014 VNL has temperature sensors on each of the differentials. The probe is in the lower 1/3 of the housing facing rearward. Then there is basically a smallish wire that runs up to the frame wire harness. While we do not plan on doing any heavy 4x4 style driving, we do boondock and that takes us off the pavement. I can easily see picking up a stick with a tire and having it tear out the wiring. Is this something I need to worry about? Does anyone make some kind of guard or plate to protect it?
  22. You are welcome. That is the cliff notes version also. The #1 thing you really need too do is the energy audit. How much do you want to run and for how long? Next is how will you maintain or replenish your needs. Here are some concepts that may help put it more in perspective: Amp draw = MPG. Just like your pick up gets better mileage empty than it does towing, you draw will vary. AH rating on batteries = Fuel tank size. Tank size/MPG = how long you can last without refilling. Fill up is not as easy since really you only have 2 options and only if you are using diesel. In an RV, you have solar, generator, alternator, inverter/charger, external charger, etc. Knowing what the amp output you need/want will determine the best options.
  23. Nwcid

    Deleted

    I never understood why they call things like this "generator", the do not generate anything. They are really nothing more than an inverter. Uses battery packs to produce 120v power.
  24. Solar will never pay for itself in an RV. If you want solar it is because you do not like the sound of running generators. Even the super quiet ones. I could easily buy at least 1500 gallons of fuel for what I paid for my batteries/solar. That is at least 2500 hours of generator run time. Still, to me, it is worth it for the quiet and convenience. Part of the large cost comes in battery type. You can get FLA cheapest. For about 40% more you can get AGM, and for 100-150% more you can get lithium. In my current set up using FLA it would cost $900, AGM (what I have) $1300 and in lithium $3000 for a slightly smaller equivalent bank and $4000 for a slightly larger equivalent bank. Yes, a 100 AH battery would run a microwave. The question is for how long. Say your microwave takes 1000 W of 120 V, that = 8.3 amp (1000/120). Now if you want to run it from battery, though an inverter, not accounting for any loss you have 1000 W of 12 V, that = 83.3 amps (1000/12). So in theory you could run your microwave about 1 hour. Now to the rest of your question, how many amps do the things you want to use draw? In my situation at "idle" when we are away with most items turned off we draw 3-4 amps. When we have TV's on, fans on, computers on, lights on, daily living/working mode I typically draw around 20 amps. In theory a 100 AH battery would last about 5hr before it was dead. Now it needs to be charged to do it again. How are you charging it and at how many amps? A 100 watt solar panel makes about 5 amps at peak performance. This peak may only be a couple of hours a day up to maybe 6-8 in the summer in the south. At 5 amps it would take 20 hours to charge you battery back up. On my current RV in 2 years I have just over 200 hours on the generator. About 36 hours of that came from our last trip where it snowed and froze. Solar does not work under snow and we wanted to use the electric fireplace to supplement the propane heat. I ran it all day for 3 days and shut it down at night. With my new HDT I have an APU on it. This will produce 60 amps of 12 V and uses .15 gal/hr of fuel from the 125 gallon tank. It only calls for service every 1000 hours. So the cost of producing power is very low. I still would not be without the solar system I have.
  25. I think it depends on your goals. If you want to get into HAM it is a great hobby. If you are looking for a way to communicate when you need help, or in an emergency this may be an option for you https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/products-services/spot-x#service-plans I know a few friends that have this type of device (I believe it is this brand) that have use it all over with good success. I know one of them took it to AK on a hunting trip and it would send his wife pre-sent messages that included their GPS location. Now there was a teenager with a new GF on that trip so they upped it to unlimited texting..... Normally they just keep it on the base plan. They do a lot of outdoors stuff.
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