A case for doing it right the first time

CharlieC · #1 (**permalink**) 09-08-2010, 05:51 PM

So, I'm driving to my work site yesterday (50 miles off pavement, 100 miles from a repair shop, and 150 miles from my garage), a fuse pops and my fuel pump shuts off. Oh crap. Quick inspection, can't find a problem, pop in a new fuse, drive for a few miles, and it pops again. Oh crap. It's the fuse on the circuit that feeds the relay for my pumps.

I madly start trying to isolate the problem, can't really do it, and ultimately I wind up rewiring the pump directly to a breaker so that it runs. What a PITA.

Today, when I got home, I start tracing everything down. Turns out, I had a ground wire not protected. The zip tie broke (why did I trust a zip tie anyways), the wire sat on the down pipe, the sheath melted, and bam I blew a bunch of fuses! Several hours of headache to work it all out, and it could have been avoided the whole time.

Moral of the story? Take your time, do it right the first time!

hheynow · #2 (**permalink**) 09-24-2010, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharlieC

Moral of the story? Take your time, do it right the first time!

Or in another words measure twice...cut once.

Just yesterday a friend with a '97 PSD was blowing the #22. Turns out the plastic loam of wires to the fuel bowl sensors had a frayed wire to the fuel bowl heater. It shorted out the entire truck.

Guess who he called.

Aaron Berk · #3 (**permalink**) 09-25-2010, 09:33 AM

I once heard some one say if you had done it right the first time, you wouldn't have had time left to redo it a second time.

Go easy on your self Charlie, u can't foresee every problem.
I use zip ties all over the place. Although I usually put 1 every 6 inches on long runs, and one ever 3 inches on short ones. I got the habit from my aviation days, I run em with a zip-tie gun as well.

Keep trusting the zip-ties, just use more of em.

tubular031 · #4 (**permalink**) 09-27-2010, 11:15 AM

Never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to redo it

I am guilty of this too. I need to rewire mine. everything I put under the hood has huge service loops in it. I left all that there because I was not sure how it would all end up. Now almost 2 years later, its still that way!

ridiculously_necessary · #5 (**permalink**) 09-27-2010, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubular031

Never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to redo it

I am guilty of this too. I need to rewire mine. everything I put under the hood has huge service loops in it. I left all that there because I was not sure how it would all end up. Now almost 2 years later, its still that way!

just goes to show you even when you DO do it right you end up re-visiting.

tubular031 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-27-2010, 11:48 AM

yea sure... heard that one a few too many times! you better be on oil when you head out for thanksgiving! you still coming?

ridiculously_necessary · #7 (**permalink**) 09-27-2010, 11:51 AM

as far as i know. and amen to that! im sooo tired of being ready to pull the trigger and having something come up that steals my $$! latest is oil cooler, but thats no biggie.

CharlieC · #8 (**permalink**) 09-28-2010, 06:36 AM

Well.....I'm giving myself plenty of opportunities to do things a second time these days. I'm quitting my job at the end of the week and gearing up for a year of roaming. Been getting the rig all ready to go.

Recently added a 100 gallon storage tank and transfer tank, bringing my on-board veg capacity to 180 gallons.

Installed a 15 watt solar panel to trickle charge the truck batteries. If I leave the truck parked at a trailhead for a week or two, I'll know that my batteries are topped off when I get back to the truck.

Aux idle controller so that I can run my dumpster pump at full throttle off the truck batteries.

Custom ladder rack. Started with an old ladder rack, added some cross bars to hold 3 mountain bikes plus an expanded metal floor for storing gear and walking around up there.

Been finishing up the trailer, too. Wife and I have been rehabbing a 1960 16' travel trailer. Got it up and running on solar (2 100 watt panels and 250 amp hours of batteries), 40 gallon water tank added, storage box off the back, and we're ready for off the grid living.

Road trip here we come!