Jeep Air Suspension Compressor

Harold's Maintenance Corner:

Our TOAD (the vehicle we tow behind our RV) is a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.  The Limited trim level was the lowest that is approved by Jeep for recreational towing with all four wheels on the ground.  We chose it to reduce the PITA factor on travel days. 

The Limited trim level came with a Selec-Trac 4x4 system that offers a "neutral" setting for flat towing, allowing the Jeep to be towed behind an RV, while also providing 4x4 capabilities for various terrains.

Bad compressor in situ. Two nuts were really challenging to remove. ARGH!

 Recently our dashboard displayed the dreaded "SERVICE AIR SUSPENSION IMMEDIATELY" warning.  As I do not own a full function OBD2 compatible diagnostic tool which costs north of $2K, I drove our jeep to the local dealership where they charged me a $179 diagnostic fee to investigate the issue.  They told me that our suspension air compressor was failing and needed to be replaced soon. They wanted $4,261 to complete the replacement, which I thought was a little steep. The local auto parts store wanted $2,171 for the part which was an OK deal, but a quick search at Rockauto.com (no affiliation) would sell me the part for $729 delivered. WOO HOO now for some corrective maintenance.

The new and old air compressor assemblies complete with valve block.

I had the part shipped with the intention of installing it at the Auto Skills Center at the next military base we stayed. However, Elizabeth's cousin Kenneth offered the use of his lift. So, I was off to the races.

Our TOAD up in the air in Kenneth's garage.

The removal/replacement procedure went smoothly, but apparently, I inadvertently drained the nitrogen tank that is used by the system as a booster. The suspension would not air up.

Removing those two difficult nuts.

Kenneth, being a farmer, is quite adept at being self-sufficient and offered his assistance.  He pulled three gas pressure regulators off the shelf that he had purchased at an auction for just a few dollars each and his air conditioning gauge set. He kluged up what we needed to connect to his argon tank and get it down to the 150 PSIG that my tank needed to be pressurized.THANK YOU Kenneth for pulling me out of the jaws of defeat. BTW I left 24 cans of thank you in his shop refrigerator.

Charging the pressure tank which is mounted under the floor behind second row seats.

Interestingly the fill port on the pressure tank has the same quick coupler fitting as the low pressure port on modern automotive air conditioning systems (R-134a). I wonder how they got away with this? This also explains why I needed to use Kenneth's AC manifold.

Now what toy can I buy that costs $3,532 or less?  Maybe a Nathan AirChime K5LA 544 Train Horn Kit for our RV???????? Toot toot.

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Cash, Check or Charge

Harolds Maintenance Corner:

Old part on top, new installed.

On our entry door has a 2-Section Articulated Arm that keeps our door from opening too wide with a built-in hold open mechanism (POS-I-LOC HINGE®).  Due to living in our RV full-time, it sees more use than most RVs and was no longer holding the door open. This presented me with an opportunity to conduct some corrective maintenance.

Worn area on hold open spring

I called Newmar to check on price and availability of the part.  I was quoted $315.00 including shipping. I thought that was a bit pricey. So, I did a little internet searching and found out that our rig has a 3000 series door manufactured by PTL Engineering. A quick look on their website showed a price of what they call a Door Check of only $119.76 delivered. A $195.24 difference!!!! SOLD!

A small army of screws waiting their turn.

The part showed up just a few days later.  I borrowed a ladder and Binford screw gun from my father-in-law and got it replaced in short order.

Removing the 16 screws with Binford power, they were installed manually to avoid stripping the threads.

Now what toy that I can buy costs $195.24 or less?  Maybe an official Red Ryder, carbine-action; two hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time!

Wishful Thinking

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Local Shopping Favorites

 March 3 - 31, 2025    

Whenever we're in the Harrisonburg area, I always try to work in some shopping at my local favorites.  It can be a bit tricky as none of them are open seven days a week and absolutely none on Sundays. I tend to get a bit grumpy if I can't work in enough time for shopping. Just ask Harold!

The Dayton Market is a collection of small boutique-like stores under one roof. Several are run by and staffed by local Mennonites. Bulk foods, baked goods, coffee shop, butcher shop, chocolate shop, gift stores, kitchenware store, toy store, deli, and jerky shop, are all under one roof. I can easily spend an hour or more, just browsing around.

For those of you who sew and quilt, you'll want to check out Patchwork Plus, just up the hill.

Similar to Dayton Market is Shenandoah  Heritage. Located closer to I-81, it too boasts a variety of shops under one roof. I love the kitchenware store, the canning goods store with lots of jelly flavors and pie fillings, and the bulk foods pantry with plenty of sampling opportunities. There's a western store, a quilt store, a toy store, and an antique flea market area too. There's a produce store out front as well as a shed builder with lots of outdoor poly furniture. 

Then, there is the Green Valley Bookfair. It used to open only a few weeks around major holidays. Now, it's open year-round, five days a week. The inventory has expanded to include a few other things besides books too. This past visit I found children's clothing, home decor items, pickleball paddles, and puzzles. Sometimes the book prices are actually a little less at Ollie's, but oh, is there ever so much more selection here. We're talking two buildings encompassing three floors of books! For teachers, there is a decent selection of aids, bulletin board materials, etc. 

Second building, two floors of books here

Fiction section

The lower level

There's plenty of other local shopping too.  Overlook Produce, located at the same exit as the Bookfair -and the soon-to-be-open Buc-ee's, has lots of yummy things and plenty of plants. 

The Country Village Bakeshop (no website) in Dayton near Dayton Market supplied our pies for Pi Day. Not even a quarter mile away is Sunrise Market and Deli where we've had more than one hearty sandwich. 

So there you go. Those are some of my favorites. Maybe you'll enjoy them too if you're in the area. 

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That Kitchen Sink Drain!!

March 11, 2025

While at the kite building weekend in February, a couple of our blog readers mentioned that they really found Harold's repairs interesting. So this one is for you Mearl.

Back in January, we were stopped at a fuel station when I noticed this puddle of water on the floor by the theater seating. Was it from a slide out? It had been raining the day before our travel. Perhaps there was residual water. 

Harold looked under the kitchen sink. Ah, there was the suspected culprit. A dark line was running down the kitchen drain hose. So no more use of the kitchen sink. When we got stopped for the day, Harold took a closer look. He finally found the tear. Then he found a second tear. He found some black electrical tape to band aid the hose until we could get a replacement ordered. 

Yep, it's a special hose in specific length. The drain hose is in the slideout area. The hose has to be flexible since it moves every time the slideout is moved in or out. You can't have too much length or the hose will get caught in the slideout mechanism. You can't have too little length either. 

The drain hose has two ends that twist the same way. So when you're tightening one end, you're loosening the other. In the factory, the hose is preconnected before integration into the coach. The process is a little more challenging when you're replacing the hose only. 

So, we're done, right? Ha! Little over a month later, headed back to the Harrisonburg area, I washed my hands at the kitchen sink while we were stopped at a truck stop. Once again, a small river comes from under the theater seat toward the front of the coach. Argh!

This time the hard plastic adapter cracked. So the next morning Harold and my dad got to work. Several trips to the hardware store and many adjectives later, we think we have it fixed. We ran the slide in and out a couple of times and all seems to be well. Let's hope!

We now have a tickler in our calendar to replace the flexible drain hose every three years.

Tear just before the first rib next to adapter

My only sink for a bit

Spot for the second repair

Such fun for Harold

Argh...check twice before you glue!

Hopefully, that will do it!

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Edges, Flats, Borders, and Frames

February 28, 2025

Cathy, our hostess for February, and I both like jigsaw puzzles. We kept the puzzle table going all month. I soon noted a vocabulary difference. What I called edge pieces, Cathy called flats. When her son helped out one afternoon, he called them border pieces. When a friend arrived for a couple of days she talked about frame pieces. 

So what do you call those pieces? Are they edges, flats, borders, frames, or something else? 

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Goldilocks and the Noisy Pea

February 19, 2025

When I went to bed, sometimes the bed would make a banging noise, waking up Elizabeth which was unsatisfactory. Now time for troubleshooting. 

The bottom two-thirds of our bed hinges up and is held up by gas struts to allow access to storage for rarely used items.Upon inspection of the bed frame, after moving the sleep number mattress out of the way, I discovered the aluminum hinge on my side of the bed was failing. Could I upgrade this part?

Being full time RVers, I can't have a favorite hardware store, so it was time to consult Google Maps to find the closest hardware store. It turned out to be The Big Orange Retailing Giant (BORG) AKA Home Depot.

They had a two pack of stainless steel hinges. They were a shorter length than the aluminum ones, but they had the same number of screw holes. So my moochdocing host purchased a set for me as he also needed some home improvement supplies.  Quite nice of him to give us a free full-hookup campsite for a month and to buy parts for our rig.  Thanks Mike and Cathy!!!!

Here is the old hinges vs the new hinges. I will probably try to find a longer set of heavier duty hinges if future repairs are needed.

And once again our bed is just right, and I can get rid of the 19 excess mattresses and 20 feather beds. Two tips of my hat to Robert Southey and Hans Christian Andersen.

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Kite Building Retreat

Feb 14 - 17,  2025

One of the reasons we chose to stay with Mike and Cathy in February is the Maryland Kite Society's kite building retreat weekend. Harold used to attend this faithfully when we had a house in Virginia. 

I helped Cathy with the bag raffle. Each year the retreat offers a bag raffle and a loud auction to raise funds for future events. It can be a great time to stock up on kite-related stuff.

No new kites for Harold though. Our Jeep rooftop case is full. Harold enjoyed catching up with people and spent some time repairing sewing machines. 

Something to see out the window

Harold talking about kites with my cousin and her family

Everyone at work

Presentation on kite building

Laying out the design

Auction item assembly

Bag raffle area

Over, under, over, under

End product

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