u/Copropositor

Today I learned about automatic car washes and AC.

It was hot, and I had just returned from a very dusty drive. So I swung in to the car wash for a quick rinse. I drove up to the thing, got the wheels in their groove, put it in neutral, and made sure all the windows were shut.

I did not shut off the AC.

I should have shut off the AC.

In other news, replacing the cabin air filter is a piece of cake!

You know how all campers tend to have that smell? It's not exactly bad, it's just distinct and always there. At least for me, who has never owned a brand new camper. I always have old ones.

My current one is a 25' trailer, 2001 model year. No water damage, no major issues at all. But it just has a smell. Some of the storage compartments have kind of a musty mildew smell, but that's not what pervades the camper. It's almost a sweet smell, kind of like citronella but also kind of plasticky, or maybe like foam rubber outgassing.

Anybody know what I'm talking about? How do you reduce it or cover it up?

You know how all campers tend to have that smell? It's not exactly bad, it's just distinct and always there. At least for me, who has never owned a brand new camper. I always have old ones.

My current one is a 25' trailer, 2001 model year. No water damage, no major issues at all. But it just has a smell. Some of the storage compartments have kind of a musty mildew smell, but that's not what pervades the camper. It's almost a sweet smell, kind of like citronella but also kind of plasticky, or maybe like foam rubber outgassing.

Anybody know what I'm talking about? How do you reduce it or cover it up?

My new (used) camper came with 2 30lb tanks, but their date code looks like 2000. I haven't taken them in to get filled, but I'm pretty sure they can't be.

It appears that getting them recertified isn't terribly cheap and has to be done in 5 years again anyway? So I'm inclined to get new ones. But then what do I do with the old ones? Does any place give you credit for them, like a core charge on a battery? Or do I just toss them? What should I do about these 30lb tanks?

edit: Turns out getting them recertified is cheaper than I thought, so I went that route.

I'm sure this has been discussed a lot, but things are also changing frequently so I'm curious what the consensus is, and how it applies to my situation.

I just bought an old camper and am getting it ready. (God I wish there was a good local source for pex fittings, but I digress.) One thing on my mind is the battery situation.

The camper came with a 2-yr old lead acid RV battery (Interstate), but it had been left connected probably all winter, so it was dead dead. I ran it through my charger's "recondition" cycle and it charged up to 13 volts, but just sitting overnight with nothing on it, it has dropped to 12.5, so I feel like it's probably toast. I have another 2-yr old RV battery (Everstart) that has really never been used and has been stored at room temperature that whole time. So I put that one on the camper for now.

But I want enough juice to comfortably last 3 days, and ideally more, so I want to upgrade somehow. I think it would be safe to buy a new RV battery identical to my 2-yr old Everstart and run them in parallel. But I don't really want 100 pounds of lead on my tongue, nor do I want to waste the $130 if 2 years' difference in age is going to have them fighting each other.

I'm learning about how you are only supposed to use half the amp-hours of a deep cycle LA battery, and how lithium removes that limit, but I've never had a lithium battery. And I keep hearing that 2 6-volt golf cart batteries ($109 each at my local Costco) offer greater longevity and more usable amp-hours.

So it seems if I want to add capacity, my choices are:
-Trade the Interstate in on a new Everstart identical to my existing ($130)
-Ditch them both for 2 6-volt batteries ($210)
-Lithium (seems like about $300)

What would you do?

No, not roofies, roofing. I need a roof. Who in Missoula can make a new roof happen without making me wish I was roofied?

You're a good sport man. We're all proud of you.

My baby is sick. Please help.

So the riding season in Montana is here, and it's time to get her on the road. I had put the battery back in and even started her up for a short ride about a month ago on a random nice day, and everything seemed ok. But I went to start her up again last night after topping the battery off, and as soon as I hit the starter, I heard a click from near the battery and all the electrics died. No instruments, no headlight, nothing. Just like a popped fuse.

I have never done much to the electrics, just the ignition really. So I don't really know where to start. I fiddled around with the parts under the left side cover and found a fuse that seems fine, checked to make sure the battery leads were tight, and tried the key again. And all the lights came back on! So I hit the starter and CLICK, it all goes dark again. So it's like whatever failed reset itself, but then failed again.

I feel like the starter is failing and when I gave it power, something overloaded. But whatever clicked was right near the battery, not the starter. So I'm just not sure.

Anybody got a wiring diagram for a 1981 CB650C?