Noob Question

[JMK]

That's interesting. Boy you sure know these vehicles from front to back! Thanks for the tip, took it to Calgary tonight and I had to do the same maneuver to open the lock a few times. Gas guage and rear gate switch seem to be back in the land of the living at least.

I also didn't get all that great gas mileage, about 12l/100km. Being used to a very low car I certainly noticed the extra freeboard of the Deli, the winds really knocked me around on the highway, but they cruise nicely around 110 km/hr.

[mararmeisto]

Talking about getting blown about by the wind, we've noticed it just that much more now that we've remounted our rack on the roof. 'Course, if you're talking about winds in and around the Calgary area, I can just imagine the 'windy' spot you might be referring to - that stretch in the foothills coming down out of Banff, maybe? I've seen trucks with tow-along camper trailers pushed right off the road and tractor/trailer units struggling to stay between the lines. Imagine that: 22 tonnes of big rig in the lane next to you, weaving and bobbing about.

[Green1]

12L/100km is not bad for these vehicles (highway should probably be slightly better, but not by much, I get between 9-12 depending on the fill)

as for wind, yes these catch the wind, but not unreasonably so, my Ford E250 work van is much worse...

[JMK]

Hmm.. thanks for the info, I guess my Chrysler LHS is not so bad after all.

Yup you know the stretch, around the rock cut across from the cement plant at Exshaw is a landform bottleneck that funnels the wind, then again on Scott Lake Hill the cross winds can be bad.

And here's me planning on mounting the rack and Yakima pod later today if the Deli passes inspection, where it is right now.

[JMK]

Sigh, failed the inspection, loose tie rod end. Have already ordered up another and getting it on its way.

[Artacoma]

Finally got some pics to stick
showing handy 110 volt dash outlet (inverter in glovebox)and compass in dash pod

window switch moved and cointray drilled for drink holder, works great

hole drilled in highmount brake light for lock access

[delicat]

Nice mods!
Would be even better if your pictures were a little larger to see the details... but like the idea!

[Artacoma]

bigerrerr and betterrerr!

[mararmeisto]

...handy 110 volt dash outlet (inverter in glovebox)...

What is the ampere rating for the inverter and where did you get it?

For another neat doo-dad, check out the screw-on spigot available from Canadian Tire for jugs and bottles with standard sizes mouths. As delica304 showed us (I think it was him anyway), it fits nicely into the flare holder under the glove box, and it makes filling the washer fluid reservoirs SO much easier.

[Green1]

What is the ampere rating for the inverter and where did you get it?

and further to that, how well does it behave when you turn the ignition off? (I have worked with several inverters, and they all scream at me and turn off when the ignition isn't on)

[mararmeisto]

Most 110V inverters WILL scream at you to turn on the engine again as a precaution against draining your battery. I've thought of putting another DC power outlet (cigarette lighter) in the rear quarter panel (like SUVs of today) for a battery pack from Canadian Tire (like this one: http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/produ ... earch=true). Although solar, it's always good to give it a nice long charge while driving.

[Green1]

I don't want it to scream at me to turn the engine back on, I want the inverter to work when the engine is OFF. I shouldn't have to run the vehicle to use power, especially if I'm using it from an auxiliary battery, it's not my fault that the inverter doesn't know the difference!

[mararmeisto]

Most of them work off the charging voltage of the vehicle, which is generally over 13-14VDC. The inverter doesn't know if you're running it off an auxiliary battery or the main battery, and it doesn't care because the only thing it knows is the input voltage is less than 12VDC - thus it 'screams' at you to turn on the engine again.

[Green1]

the only thing it knows is the input voltage is less than 12VDC - thus it 'screams' at you to turn on the engine again.

which is insane, it shouldn't scream until it gets down to about 10volts... inverters power things that you usually wouldn't use while driving, so why burn fuel just so the thing doesn't scream?

[sahdot]

I had the same inverter problem - screamed when off and even at idle. Asked Glen to check alternator output when it was in for service. His invoice shows a rebuilt alternator installed. Never saw the van intact again ("bummer" thread), so don't know if this solved the inverter problem. The same inverter worked fine at idle and with engine off in my wife's Subaru with no screaming.


-jim