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#vanbuild — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #vanbuild, aggregated by home.social.

  1. #Fediverse
    #FediContent
    #CommunityProjects
    #Vanlife
    #VanBuild
    #VanUpdate

    So I didn't quiet succeed in my goals of getting the forums and the #PixelFed instance up. I just kept getting distracted by shit.

    Got to try to dispose of 4 containers of Prestone DexCool orange coolant. The vans old owner was going to use it to change the radiator fluid out but we made sure there was none in there and used standard Universal Green.

    Now we need to properly dispose of the stuff we got.

    Tail pipe is still pumping put white smoke. Dad thinks it's just condensation from the system. And we do leave it shut down a lot. But I feel it would have reduced by now after being started a few days in a row if that was the case.

    Could be stale gas, the tank hasn't been refilled since we got this thing several months ago. This is the option I prefer. Once I get the Tires changed and maybe the Brakes serviced I can drive around until the tank is empty then run a tank of Premium with Additive through and maybe clean it out. And Oil change will give me more information as well.

    The worst case scenario, and the one I am afraid is the actual problem, is an internal coolant leak. This would mean the engine itself needs repair and could run into the thousands of Dollars. I don't mind it if it gets the van on the road and I need a full diagnostic anyways, but this isn't the sort of thing I want to deal with.

    Once the PixelFed instance in online on Wanderers-Waypoint.com and I have confirmed it's properly federated I will probably move these updates there. But I have to ensure Federation works as that domain used to be a Mastodon instance and I self-destructed it.

  2. #Vanlife
    #VanBuild
    #VanUpdate

    We got reliable starting today. Before we had to use starter fluid, but after two attempts it started up without any problems.

    So that part is sort of OK. Next big thing is to just drive it around and see about using up the old gas in the tank. Then run a tank of Supreme, with one or three bottles of high mileage fuel additive, and see how that goes and how the fuel gage handles.

    While not top of my list of things to do I am looking at ways to restore the van properly. This includes the roof which you can see needs some work.

    Anyone got recommendations that don't require me to go to a body shop?

  3. #Vanlife
    #VanBuild
    #PowerSystem
    #BatteryPower

    Out of Curiosity I looked up the max reported power draw of an Xbox Series X console.

    I need enough Battery power to power an AC unit while still having light and maybe music, movies, or a game.

    The Xbox has a Max Reported Power Draw of about 211 Watts.

    I think I will be using a minimum of 4 24v 100ah batteries, which when configured in a way to maintain 24v ends up being a total of 9600WH.

    If the only thing working is the Xbox at the Max reported draw, it could last on this battery setup for 457 hours and 15 minutes not taking into account the DC to AC loss and powering the inverter.

    That's a lot of time.

  4. #Vanlife
    #VanBuild
    #VanUpdate

    Need to figure out how to remove rhe seatbelts from the van. We are also needing to use starter fluid to get the engine running. On the Engine I think that's because we leave it sitting for days before starting it up. So everything is dried out and you need to get gas flowing in.

    The seatbelts...

    That problem is because of how the interior is designed. Removing the upper strap point would be easy if my hand could fit.

  5. Laying down in my van, pondering how to try and design the interior.

    I can just barely lay down completely and extend all the way between the back windows. That's a good sign.

    We still are probably gonna get rid of the chair lift, but I wonder if that's really a good option. I am kinda thinking that maybe keeping it in and streamlining the interior is a better idea.

    Of course pulling out the entire interior first and laying sound dampening and insulation is an idea I prefer in general.

    #Vanlife
    #VanBuild
    #ProgressReport

  6. Working on work week prep today. Want to get my van up and to a shop for an Oil change and get the coolant switched out.

    Once I do that and get the tags and title and insurance I can start the work in earnest.

    #VanLife
    #VanBuild
    #VanLifer

  7. So, question for #Vanlifers in hotter climates.

    How do you handle AC? My dad says I should just get a cheap window unit, knock out a window, and everytime it breaks just toss it in the dumpster and get a new one.

    This seems wasteful to me.

    I would prefer a mini split unit myself, but thought I would ask the public.

    #VanBuild
    #AirConditioning
    #HotClimateLiving