quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
other than what do I do with the 2 lbs. of fresh shrimp I toted up here for Bill N Y and Linda...

It's a shame you had the mechanical issue because I was really looking forward to cooking up that shrimp the other night. It doesn't look like we'll be meeting up this weekend. Cook them for your fellow astronomers and have fun. I'll see you in Milford in 3 weeks anyway so I'll get my Rusty fix then.

I've got plans this weekend but with the rain some things might get moved indoors. My son has his first baseball game, but because of the rain it will probably be canceled.

Well, off to Church School in 45 minutes, then to a birthday party, might get an emergency roadcall etc... later.

Here are the pix of the sheared shaft that caused the power steering pump failure:





The fracture shows visible signs of a casting flaw. The pump had been installed about 9 weeks and had about 1,300 miles on it.

The repair shop, kind of a hole-in-the-wall was very good; the owner gave me his cell and home phone numbers, hooked me up with electric, and the shop tech did an excellent job.

I still had occasional spits of P/S fluid out the overflow (about once every three stops), a sign that the system still hadn't relieved all the entrained air.

A quick test, BTW, for Hydroboost systems is to check the P/S level with the engine off and then with it on. The fluid should show very little drop on the dipstick with the engine on (<1/8").

Anyway, after 2 hours and almost a gallon of ATF, the system is bled. One issue probably peculiar to my coach is that the supply from the P/S pump to the Hydroboost had a loop in it, where air would stay parked. I relieved the loop (and fastened it to properly clear), so that should do it.

The P/S system has stopped "spitting", but the unusual warmth in the cooling system persists. Symptoms indicate a stuck 'stat (there are 2), so I break that apart tomorrow. Another possibility is that one 'stat was stuck since I got the new engine, and has now decided to operate normally, as temps aren't overheating, just in line with 180°F 'stats

I replaced the 'stats (5-hour job due to having to remove the alernator and the entire thermostat housing), and the "warmth" situation persists.

A possible consensus on another forum is that the TC clutches are shot. I had the tranny rebuilt 30K miles ago using HD parts (the 3rd in the coach), but the TC was off-the-shelf. It never did lockup robustly.

So StaRV II is off Saturday to Suncoast Converters (as in "Torque Converters") in Ft. Walton Beach for the Deluxe Treatment (which I should have done three years ago)- the drivetrain could handle twice the torque and HP when done.

Posted elsewhere is the epilogue of the Sun Coast Converters excursion StaRV II and I enjoyed, but the bottom line is:

1. Temps are back to normal

2. Engine RPM at cruising speed has decreased 400 RPM (boost down ~1/2 to 1 psi, EGT down ~50-75°). 2200RPM @55 mph, vs. 2600 before.

3. Fuel economy has increased ~10% now the TC is locking up like it should (11.5+ mpg vs. 10.5).

Anyway, today, it got new front shocks and a new A/C compressor...

From the Department of Redundancy Department

I pulled in to the rest stop to rendezvous with the Cagles, and the P/S pump failed again...now here in Conyers at an RV repair shop.

They're now down at FDR State Park with no wi-fi.

I'll assume the one in Georgia. Apparently NY has one too.

At least your torque converter is working correctly. Knock on wood!

GA - got about 50 miles from my place at Deerlick...

Still at JTF RV Center; NAPA located a pump, which is here. It might have gotten installed today, but I was next after this Beach Craft got new exhaust manifolds on its 454 - with the usual several broken studs, the tech took 2.5 hours longer than estimated.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
...and the P/S pump failed again.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
NAPA located a pump, which is here.

Same type of failure as the last?

Yep. Spartan couldn't confirm if the pump was manufactured in the USA or elsewhere, but it seemed to be the same batch as the prior failure.

I'm tiring of sub-standard parts...

This is the 2nd failure like this, and the 3rd failure overall, right?

What was the initial failure of the very first one? Or, did you just replace it because of leaks/age?

I replaced the first one because the system was a mystery to me at the time. The symptom was that the system was aerating, and spitting foam out the reservoir overflow. The PO had replaced it once before. It took time and money to figure out what the issue was.

This is the second failure of pumps suppied by Spartan; both broke the shaft.

quote:

This is the second failure of pumps suppied by Spartan; both broke the shaft.

I've got to believe you've wracked your brain on this, but it seems there must be a more insidious cause of these failures. A bad drive gear, improper backlash, poor lubrication, something. Any thought to that direction?

Oh, and this goes with your post title.....