FLU419 SEE HMMH HME Owners group

[Bikers33]

Well we HAVE windshield wipers no delay but that is not needed to drive in the rain, so may not get delay, did not think reattaching four wires to the wiper motor connector (eaten right at the connector) would take so long, well part of the time was finding where else dinner was in the wiper circut, tomorrow "hope" to have turn signals, One of the things that I have found out fighting the wire wars is that I know when I am attacked, a BIG cloud of SMOKE appears from the point of attack. In this war I count every victory as just one small step to total victory, that is till I step back and take in the total battlefield then I am not sure if there EVER will be total victory, never surrender but a truce may be negotiated.

opcorn:

 

[Go Go Gadget FLU 419]

My personal lack-of-progress report for today is simple: Not a thing accomplished.

Right there with ya! I have decided that I probably have a cracked injector though. When I first got the beast, it seemed to have 3 or 4 times too much oil in it. I spent the last month fixing all the other stuff, then I go to start it after several days of not starting it, and it won't. Bleed the rear fuel filter and she is good to go. Saw what looked to be little puffs of exhaust on the rear passenger side of the block. But the exhaust runs out on the left side only IIRC, the side that burns my leg all the time when I don't want to put the engine cover back on. Now I figure the fuel was siphoning from the filter housing into a cylinder, and diluting the oil over time. Should I change my oil again after fixing the injector? Feel like I'm in over my head now, have to research how to swap an injector the right way. Hot dog. Then figure out why my 4wd isn't working. Glad to be out of the wiring department though! Stay strong SEE Warriors!

Ooh, and to whom it may concern, the plug to drain the coolant from the block is located right below the spring that goes to the throttle bar/whatever the weird thing is called on the rear passenger side of the engine. 16mm socket with a decent extension, cut the wheels all the way to the left for ease of access. It makes perfect sense now, but I just couldn't discern that from the cartoon diagram in the TM.

 

[The FLU farm]

Alright, some food for thought instead of for rats, for a change.
I could use some input from people smarter than what I am (which means all of you guys) on this suspension lockout idea.

Don't know yet if this would be in addition to, or instead of, the shocks. But at this point that's largely irrelevant.
Would use double acting hydraulic cylinders of the appropriate size (whatever that may actually be) which could fit physically and have enough stroke.
The purpose of locking the suspension would be to both lower and make the rear suspension immobile. Like on a regular backhoe.
I wouldn't mind being able to lock out the front suspension, too, for certain jobs with the loader.

I'm thinking that putting the rod end up would make them act a bit more like a regular shock, and playing with restrictors and hose sizes could also make them more usable as shocks.

But let's concentrate on the real issue: How to plumb them. My current thinking is to run both hoses into the bottom of a small reservoir, with a valve on the hose in the rod end. That would eliminate any negative pressure on the piston when the suspension is compressed and then locked.
It may be just as good to run a single hose to the reservoir, from a T, in what would basically be a hose connecting both ends of the cylinder. Now with a valve between the T and the rod end.

Not sure if any of the above makes any sense whatsoever to you. I had to put it on paper a few times before arriving at this point, but I'm far from sure that it would work in real life.
Any input would be most welcome, whether you think that it's simply a stupid idea or have suggestions on how to make it work.

Ad Mr. Gadget, thanks for the coolant drain plug tip. I really should throw some fresh long-life coolant into these things before the snow starts falling.

 

[Another Ahab]

My personal lack-of-progress report for today is simple: Not a thing accomplished..

The way I figure it:

- The BAD News is, nothing accomplished.

- The GOOD news is, nothing got screwed up.

Sounds like a winner!

 

[The FLU farm]

- The GOOD news is, nothing got screwed up.

There's a lot to be said for that.
Today I decided to replace an old and brittle (in RV-plastic terms, that's more than six months) vent cover on the travel trailer which broke in a recent hail storm. A simple 4-bolt task.
I HATE climbing ladders, so I decided to use the SEE for a stable and more comforting support for the ladder.
Long story short, after a dozen or so climbs up and down the **** ladder - for more tools, more paper towels (blood loss as well as silicone cleanup) - I'm finally nearly done after about three hours when the wife walks by.
She asks the very logical question "Why don't you use the scissor lift?"

I'd forgotten all about the rented, halfway large, scissor lift still sitting by the barn.
Sometimes it really is better to not to even try to accomplish anything. Oh well, at least I got to drive the SEE some 60 feet.

 

[73m819]

Today we now have working head lights, the lowers and uppers , do not know about high/low yet, also no right rear anything, also have turn signals , again the right rear and the right front, have emg. flashers , brake light now functions , in the process of digging at the restaurant, I found the wires that go to the buzzer. The almost worthless tm-20-1 states that if 24v is not present at the connection to the wiper switch for the right rear brake/turn signal, that the switch is bad, I do NOT believe it, there is no reason for it to go bad with such little use and also I do not have power to the running light either, again this issue has to be due to dinner. Tomorrow I "HOPE" to have the right rear light issue delt with, then the amp gauge, then ?

The BO lights got dumped, not worth the time to get them working being that if the owner NEEDS BO lights while on/in the SEE, he IS in the wrong truck/place.

 

[73m819]

There's a lot to be said for that.
Today I decided to replace an old and brittle (in RV-plastic terms, that's more than six months) vent cover on the travel trailer which broke in a recent hail storm. A simple 4-bolt task.
I HATE climbing ladders, so I decided to use the SEE for a stable and more comforting support for the ladder.
Long story short, after a dozen or so climbs up and down the **** ladder - for more tools, more paper towels (blood loss as well as silicone cleanup) - I'm finally nearly done after about three hours when the wife walks by.
She asks the very logical question "Why don't you use the scissor lift?"

I'd forgotten all about the rented, halfway large, scissor lift still sitting by the barn.
Sometimes it really is better toView attachment 642060 not to even try to accomplish anything. View attachment 642060Oh well, at least I got to drive the SEE some 60 feet.

The REAL bad part about this is the WIFE had to step in, this is something SHE will never forget, even after your dead.

 

[The FLU farm]

The BO lights got dumped, not worth the time to get them working being that if the owner NEEDS BO lights while on/in the SEE, he IS in the wrong truck/place.

Congratulations on your accomplishments!
And I completely agree with your assessment of the blackout lights. The one on the loader arm was especially irritating, blocking some of the little forward view there is.

 

[The FLU farm]

The REAL bad part about this is the WIFE had to step in, this is something SHE will never forget, even after your dead.

Yeah, that hurt. And probably will be brought up again.
Especially since I mentioned using it for this very task a few days ago.

 

[General Hood]

Today we now have working head lights, the lowers and uppers , do not know about high/low yet, also no right rear anything, also have turn signals , again the right rear and the right front, have emg. flashers , brake light now functions , in the process of digging at the restaurant, I found the wires that go to the buzzer. The almost worthless tm-20-1 states that if 24v is not present at the connection to the wiper switch for the right rear brake/turn signal, that the switch is bad, I do NOT believe it, there is no reason for it to go bad with such little use and also I do not have power to the running light either, again this issue has to be due to dinner. Tomorrow I "HOPE" to have the right rear light issue delt with, then the amp gauge, then ?

The BO lights got dumped, not worth the time to get them working being that if the owner NEEDS BO lights while on/in the SEE, he IS in the wrong truck/place.

Kudos to you Ron, I know first hand how frustrating the wiring repairs are on this machine, and you are overcoming the challenge leaps and bounds.

 

[General Hood]

Instead of working on the SEE that needs wiring repairs (hopefully before Jack Frost sets up shop for the winter) I took the fully functional SEE up the mountain to cut a circle drive around the cabin. Quite a few folks stopped by on their ATVs to see the military machine in action. It was "man, where can I get one of those?"
It was a welcome change from working on the SEE here at the house

 

[Another Ahab]

Instead of working on the SEE that needs wiring repairs (hopefully before Jack Frost sets up shop for the winter) I took the fully functional SEE up the mountain to cut a circle drive around the cabin. Quite a few folks stopped by on their ATVs to see the military machine in action. It was "man, where can I get one of those?"
It was a welcome change from working on the SEE here at the house

Don't tell them ANYTHING about all the wiring issues.

 

[The FLU farm]

Quite a few folks stopped by on their ATVs to see the military machine in action. It was "man, where can I get one of those?"

I sure hope you didn't tell them. Not when both of us are trying to buy a cheap parts SEE.

 

[General Hood]

I sure hope you didn't tell them. Not when both of us are trying to buy a cheap parts SEE.

I told them I had one for sale (for the right price)

 

[The FLU farm]

The REAL bad part about this is the WIFE had to step in, this is something SHE will never forget, even after your dead.

And it gets even better. I unwrap my Prius (well, it's an electric John Deere 'Gator, and that's as close as I want to get) so I don't have to cold start something to go up to the barn and get the scissor lift.
Fiddle with it for a while, eventually find all the right switches and buttons and get it started. A painfully slow drive back, helped only by learning to steer the thing somewhat properly.
Then the darn thing won't raise. Spent probably 30 minutes trying to get it to function, even using the override buttons in the electrical compartment. Got a relay to click when pushing "Down", nothing when pushing "Up". Admitted total defeat and drove it back up to the barn.

Now a therapeutic mass killing is on the list for tomorrow - but first I have to make one of the sprayers with Round-Up work.

PS. Another thing I need to figure out is why I get two instead of one photo.

 

[Another Ahab]

And it gets even better.

PS. Another thing I need to figure out is why I get two instead of one photo.

Based on everything you've posted about yourself lately, my guess is:

- You've just got a lucky streak going on.

 

[Bikers33]

The REAL bad part about this is the WIFE had to step in, this is something SHE will never forget, even after your dead.

 

[73m819]

Today I traced every LUNCH wire to get a id, then spliced every paired id number I found, I still have about 15 IDed wires but can not find the mate, now have right rear tail light , amp gauge has 1 wire to it now, one wire (two wire plug) still looking for one of the two, and can not find the ground end for ground (have the gauge end) I do not want to run a new ground because not all the grounds go straight to ground, also some of the missing Ided wire mates are connectors that got munched on right at the connector. Now trying to get the right wires to the indicator lights, the war has slowed down because it is now a one wire battle at a time, but we are on a down hill run, there are a lot more connected wires now then NONconnected, it is nice to look at the battlefield and NOT see a 1,000,000 munched wires that are ready to attack, in fact there really is light from the end of the tunnel.

NOTE --- The crap fuses corrode at the contacts on the fuse strips, they 1--do not carry the current like a bad fuse, 2 -- they will not carry the full load with the contacts getting hot and at times MELTING the fuse wire, so just because you find a bad fuse , it may not mean you have a short, I had to rotate all of them to make good contract, so BE AWARE of this issue, this is ANOTHER reason the the CRAPPY fuse/strips are going and a spade fuse block is being installed, found a 12 fuse block that is NOT common rail hot.

 

[The FLU farm]

NOTE --- The crap fuses corrode at the contacts on the fuse strips, they 1--do not carry the current like a bad fuse, 2 -- they will not carry the full load with the contacts getting hot and at times MELTING the fuse wire, so just because you find a bad fuse , it may not mean you have a short, I had to rotate all of them to make good contract, so BE AWARE of this issue,

Easy for me to say since I haven't had any real electrical issues (yet), but I've removed the fuses one by one, bent the tabs a bit to increase tension/contact, and then douched the fuse holders with JB-80 (aka Twice as Good).
So far everything that needs to work does. They start, and the gauges and charging works.
So do the lights, which I really haven't had a use for yet since I don't have a tunnel.

 

[peakbagger]

I am curious if part of the problem with the fuse panel is that many of the SEEs are missing their hoods. This design is definitely poor as I expect that many folks that have a hood leaves them off. My SEE is also missing the clear plastic covers over the fuse panel which also potentially increases exposure of the fuse block to corrosion. I have considered putting conductive grease on my contacts after I have cleaned them.

Of course in reading Unimog forums these fuse panels seem to be long term issue on regular mogs. Apparently this design was quite popular on many European vehicles, a Volvo mechanic once commented that this style fuse panel was a good money maker for the shop. It got the customer in the door and was an easy fix that usually would give them a chance to upsell other services.