The build has finally progressed to the living quarters, but to stay on par with the rest of the build it is starting with some challenges. The trip from Williams Lake to Prince George is 300 km, which is a great first test for the truck, and honestly she passed with flying colours. We had a little hiccup with something jamming in the brakes, but that should be a very easy fix. The real issue found so far has been with the camper. The previous owner had mounted the camper onto a flat deck trailer, but the platform he build was not the correct dimensions, leaving the whole unit inadequately supported. Unfortunately, this caused some structural damage to the camper, but thankfully the folks at Stinger Welding in Prince George quickly came up with a plan to not only fix it, but actually improve it.
The camper installation is well under way now, and things are looking really good. I am not much help for this portion of the build, so I have filled my time fixing a problem with the truck that has been slowly eating away at the back of my mind; the PCM. The PCM on this truck is a weak point, and I know that from reading in the comments below these videos, and mine was showing the signs of malfunction from the very start of this build. I was hoping it would turn out to be a bad ground or something simple, but this doesn't seem to be the case. In the end, this is not actually a big problem, it is just more work. Diesel engines require far less power than gasoline, because there is no need for spark to ignite the fuel, everything is reliant on compression. Even better, this particular engine does not need power for any of the engine operation. The fuel pump in mechanical, the injection pump is mechanical, the timing is all mechanical. The only part of the engine that needs power is the fuel shut off solenoid, and it has already been replaced with a cable. The grid heater is not essential to operation, but it really helps on cold days, and I do plan to travel predominantly north. The charging system is also not critical to operation, because the truck doesn't need electricity to run, and the camper will be on a separate power supply. But it is a system that is of course necessary for lights and starting, so should be reliable.
These PCM delete jobs are not very difficult, so do not be intimidated by them. There is plenty of diagrams and schematics online, just do your research and you will do fine.
I am so thankful to have so great folks helping support this build, because at this point it would not be possible without. This build has been a huge undertaking, and I am thankful every day for the folks wanting to help me and the channel succeed.
If you would like to help suport the channel, please take a look at the Merch line and or the Patreon page.
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