16:55 Good info video.... Just a note, *be very careful handlying any capacitor!* They not only can hold a full charge but they can even build a static charge. Which can be very painful or even deadly. Always use a wooden handled wire brush, making contact with the terminals tol discharge the unit. Depending on the amount of volts, you may see a spark and a pop.
Good job Gal. Just what the Dr ordered. Am putting the LG unit into an 03C190V. As for for plugging in the extension cord to the AC cord in the rear cavity, I would recommend using watertight crimp butt-splices instead. Very simple and the "goo" in them seals water out. Any future changes, just chop off the splices. Cheap, easy, dry.
Hello Average Alice, Thanks very much for this video as it really helped me get the AC job going. It turned out I did not have to remove the rear grill as I was able to get the AC unit out using the rachet straps. Also using the ladder to slide unit from the top of the Roadtrek was another solid idea. I did leave the AC cord in place and I took out the extra capacitor. The job took less than I thought, but it was because of you. Finding the right size replacement unit is now the next challenge!
I just went down the road of removing the air from my wife's 2014 Road Trek Ranger. It had burned the starter cap cut out and could not be accessed any other way. Her Road Trek AC bay is the same size as yours but the cover is different and there were only four screws in the back securing the ac in the bay. The rest of the stability was from sealant and a plastic box at the front of the bay. I replaced the part, reinstalled the ac and restored the sealant. Now it works.
35:05 I think your replacement job is great. But as you ponted out the electric connection, I wanted to note an easier fix for others, next time. Instead of going through the process of removing the GFC, it would have been easier to remove the cable at the A/C connectors. Buy the same cord but only a couple of feet longer. Then do as you did but this time take the new wire and feed it through the hole you drilled and run it over then in the A/C reconnecting it to the A/C. The other cheaper way, is to do as you did! But when you got the plug to the back of the A/C *YOU CUT IT!* Leaving about a foot of cord with the GFC plug. Then drill your hole, buy a couple of feet of the same electric cord. Use heat shrink tubing to connect each wire, to the GFC plug side then a larger 'same color' tubing can slide over it all. Then you thread the wire through the hole and connect it to the other end the same way, and the shrink wrap is water tight. Still very nice job, just trying to be helpful to others.
Oh, just one other remark... If and when you have a plug like you do, take the wire connect on the side of the A/C and turn the wire over connecting it closer to the plug. This will raise the pplug higher, so if water runs down the wires, it will drip where the wire turns upward to the plugs. But to be honest you really shouldn't have any water dripping down there and if there is a little, you did a great job sealing those plugs up! Again, just info... 👍👍 For your job!
Great job girl. Thank you for the detailed info so if I had to do one your video will make it a little easier to do. I'm going to order some of those tools.... just in case.
One quick question as I'm too lazy to watch through the entire video again. Does the water from the ac just drain out the back or is there some kind of a hole with a hose? I'm assuming one of the biggest issues with the vent being exposed to the elements is dust and dirt build-up and then the AC does not drain properly. I know a 05 210 I'm looking to purchase has water stains, more than likely from the air conditioner pan overflowing. I've been doing a lot of research the past couple of days before I lay down any cash. I can definitely see where these rvs are money pits. Once again, you certainly did a great job and were very thorough in your replacement.
Yes ours has been a "money pit" - but still after all the work and time invested we like it. You have to carefully weigh all the alternatives and their costs. Even new vans have issues but not as many as we've had. We've never had water draining inside the RV from the AC pan after doing our own install, AND always parking it level or sloping it toward the rear. (Maybe the previous owner of the one you're considering forgot that). Our AC just drains out under the grill on the back. Once a year we take off the roof panel and hose off the AC, and additionally I made a magnetic dust cover that goes over the rear grille while driving on dusty roads (for us, 60% of all driving). Water damage: our RT had tons of water damage originating from the rear window and we had to completely replace the bed platform which was rotted-out; also, all our windows are no longer being made so any window issues can be a major problem, ...the operator cranks are failing. Look carefully for water damage in these RV's but lots of times it can be fixed or the seals improved.
Thank you for the reply. There is a tiny bit of water damage up front which is stemming either from the skylights or the roof markers. From what I understand, the roof markers cracking is pretty common. 20 year old plastic dries out and then you've got heat from the lamp on the inside combined with cold on the outside then no doubt that stress can make the lens crack and then you've got water intrusion. I think skylight seals can be another problem. Unfortunately, I'm several thousand miles away from this van and just had a mechanic check it out. I found to get the best deal you really need to buy out of season when nobody else wants to buy RV's. And the end of the year is usually pretty good as the dealers know or the individuals know that the vehicle's going to depreciate another $4000 after the first of the year and they want to move it. Still, even an 05 is $30,000, and that's a cheap one. I've certainly seen them upwards of 40K. And buying an 08 or even a 2012 over an 05 doesn't seem to make that much of a difference . It's more about how well the person maintained it . I saw a 2012 out of Texas that had horrible clear coat peeling, the generator would not start, etc. This particular 05 I'm looking at has a very nice looking finish, And the generator does work as well as the cool cat, fridge, mcrowave and water pump all work. I think it has forty one hours on the generator. Overall pretty clean but it's got some water damage and it appears the furnace is not working. Cabinets are showing age, etc. but again, If something is really immaculate you can bet the persons asking 50K for it. Doing my best right now to read everything I can on potential problems and then how to fix them so I can decide if it's something I want to get into or not. I'm 63, so no spring chicken. There's still plenty of things I can do, but plenty of things I don't want to do ;) I'm sure you know what I mean.
Very helpful - I'm about to swap out the unit in our 210P. The only comment I've got is that I'm not surprised vendors are reluctant to get an opened unit back. For every Alice there's 10 people trying to sneak return something they messed up. Its not that hard to check the opening then figure out what range of size unit will work.
Thanks. I wanted a tight fit to get the most BTUs. I wasn’t sure if the posted dimensions included the removable bracket on the top that’s used to secure it in a house window opening. Anyway Home Depot asked no questions on our return. I tried out two units to get the quietest one.
Alice, Also I highly recommend that the AC unit be set to NOT pull in exterior air. This will suck in exhaust fumes and highway smog. (You mentioned separating the Hot output from the cooler intake when extending the fins on the back of the unit.). There should be a control lever/knob on the face of the AC that lets you select to recirculate inside air (known as "Max Cool mode) versus sucking in outside air. Recirculate interior air, do not suck in exterior air. Could be deadly Monoxide situation.
Excellent point. We have noticed exhaust a couple of times while running the generator and the AC and trying to nap in the bed. Taking the wind direction into account did improve the situation, but I hope to make a generator tail pipe extension someday. Our rear window also doesn’t seal tightly!
@@averagealice8877 Looking at the Manual for your newer FFRA081ZAE, it implies that "Hi Cool" is the setting that directs the airflow to be internal air vs external air flow.. The airflow control appears to be incorporated into the "Mode" control knob. With AC not running, you might be able to hear the exterior air baffle close as you rotate the knob towards "Hi Cool". That would shunt the air path from external to internal only. That's what you want. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. "...Cool Mode: The desired cool setting is selected by rotating the MODE knob to the appropriate location. “hi cool” has maximum cooling effect and airflow. “med cool” between “hi cool” and “lo cool” has the intermediate cooling effect and airflow. “lo cool” has minimum cooling effect and airflow. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The LG we used as our Roadtrek replacment has a little push/pull lever accessable thru the front air grill for this air source control. Be Safe lol....
@@cliffodell8593 Hello. You saw you used the Lg. I wonder if you used a dual invertor or not. There is a 800 btu 24.5 x 19.6 x12.50 Inches (L x W x H) But really i guess i shouldn’t be interested in sawing energy in this application.
A regular window unit will NOT work in the Roadtrek. A "Through-the-Wall A/C is required. This is why Average Alice has had 2 failures, 3rd coming up soon, no doubt. The cooling vents can Not be on the side of the a/c. in Roadtrek. A "Wall Unit" vents intake/outflow just like roadtrek is designed; to the back, not sides. Sadly, the "Wall" units are double the price of the cheap window units. Wall unit vs. Window unit, which do you want to have? in the desert?
I have a 2003 Chevy 190P with Dometic a/c... I fear it may need replacement... is there a source for finding suitable replacements for the Dometic ?? thank you....
I just replaced my Ac at first I wasn’t aware about the baffles but now that part is done , I had to change my plug also just like you did But now my AC didn’t get cold enough , it’s a new AC it was working just fine in the garage but when we installed it in out Roadtrek now it’s not getting cold , we do get some cold air but not cold enough to cools off the trek any advice ?
A N You could get a stick thermometer to insert in the vent to check the temp. Also it takes mine a good hour to cool my RT depending on time of day I start it up. Best is to start it in the AM before the interior gets above 90 F. Also if your is lower BTUs it might take longer. Or it was damaged somehow during installation. These units are pretty cheap; I’d just get another one if necessary
This probably took me a couple of days initially because of the custom trim and metal flanges and other custom parts. It might be 3 days..I was learning as I went.
I am very impressed how you tackled that. You are a very rare kind of Woman
Great job and appreciate your attention to detail
You are the Martha Stewart of RV AC repair. Great job!. Your voice is very calming .
16:55 Good info video.... Just a note, *be very careful handlying any capacitor!* They not only can hold a full charge but they can even build a static charge. Which can be very painful or even deadly. Always use a wooden handled wire brush, making contact with the terminals tol discharge the unit. Depending on the amount of volts, you may see a spark and a pop.
Nicely done.
Good job Gal. Just what the Dr ordered. Am putting the LG unit into an 03C190V.
As for for plugging in the extension cord to the AC cord in the rear cavity, I would recommend using watertight crimp butt-splices instead. Very simple and the "goo" in them seals water out.
Any future changes, just chop off the splices.
Cheap, easy, dry.
Thanks! That’s the kind of help I need
Amazingly complex replacement, but very satisfying to watch. Thanks for sharing
Hello Average Alice, Thanks very much for this video as it really helped me get the AC job going. It turned out I did not have to remove the rear grill as I was able to get the AC unit out using the rachet straps. Also using the ladder to slide unit from the top of the Roadtrek was another solid idea. I did leave the AC cord in place and I took out the extra capacitor. The job took less than I thought, but it was because of you. Finding the right size replacement unit is now the next challenge!
Greg Hunter Glad it was helpful!
I just went down the road of removing the air from my wife's 2014 Road Trek Ranger. It had burned the starter cap cut out and could not be accessed any other way. Her Road Trek AC bay is the same size as yours but the cover is different and there were only four screws in the back securing the ac in the bay. The rest of the stability was from sealant and a plastic box at the front of the bay. I replaced the part, reinstalled the ac and restored the sealant. Now it works.
35:05 I think your replacement job is great. But as you ponted out the electric connection, I wanted to note an easier fix for others, next time. Instead of going through the process of removing the GFC, it would have been easier to remove the cable at the A/C connectors. Buy the same cord but only a couple of feet longer. Then do as you did but this time take the new wire and feed it through the hole you drilled and run it over then in the A/C reconnecting it to the A/C. The other cheaper way, is to do as you did! But when you got the plug to the back of the A/C *YOU CUT IT!* Leaving about a foot of cord with the GFC plug. Then drill your hole, buy a couple of feet of the same electric cord. Use heat shrink tubing to connect each wire, to the GFC plug side then a larger 'same color' tubing can slide over it all. Then you thread the wire through the hole and connect it to the other end the same way, and the shrink wrap is water tight. Still very nice job, just trying to be helpful to others.
Oh, just one other remark... If and when you have a plug like you do, take the wire connect on the side of the A/C and turn the wire over connecting it closer to the plug. This will raise the pplug higher, so if water runs down the wires, it will drip where the wire turns upward to the plugs. But to be honest you really shouldn't have any water dripping down there and if there is a little, you did a great job sealing those plugs up! Again, just info... 👍👍 For your job!
Thanks Alice! Nice job. Happy trails. =Cosmo
My RT doesn’t have that one piece outside baffle. So mine will have to come out from inside unfortunately. Nice video
I have watched many RT A/C videos. I just replaced my Cool Cat. It comes out the back.
Great video thanks
magic is in the direction of the wind lol
Great job Alice ya left me at the Aliner , but still like your projects.
Great job girl. Thank you for the detailed info so if I had to do one your video will make it a little easier to do. I'm going to order some of those tools.... just in case.
One quick question as I'm too lazy to watch through the entire video again. Does the water from the ac just drain out the back or is there some kind of a hole with a hose? I'm assuming one of the biggest issues with the vent being exposed to the elements is dust and dirt build-up and then the AC does not drain properly. I know a 05 210 I'm looking to purchase has water stains, more than likely from the air conditioner pan overflowing. I've been doing a lot of research the past couple of days before I lay down any cash. I can definitely see where these rvs are money pits. Once again, you certainly did a great job and were very thorough in your replacement.
Yes ours has been a "money pit" - but still after all the work and time invested we like it. You have to carefully weigh all the alternatives and their costs. Even new vans have issues but not as many as we've had.
We've never had water draining inside the RV from the AC pan after doing our own install, AND always parking it level or sloping it toward the rear. (Maybe the previous owner of the one you're considering forgot that). Our AC just drains out under the grill on the back. Once a year we take off the roof panel and hose off the AC, and additionally I made a magnetic dust cover that goes over the rear grille while driving on dusty roads (for us, 60% of all driving). Water damage: our RT had tons of water damage originating from the rear window and we had to completely replace the bed platform which was rotted-out; also, all our windows are no longer being made so any window issues can be a major problem, ...the operator cranks are failing. Look carefully for water damage in these RV's but lots of times it can be fixed or the seals improved.
Thank you for the reply. There is a tiny bit of water damage up front which is stemming either from the skylights or the roof markers. From what I understand, the roof markers cracking is pretty common. 20 year old plastic dries out and then you've got heat from the lamp on the inside combined with cold on the outside then no doubt that stress can make the lens crack and then you've got water intrusion. I think skylight seals can be another problem. Unfortunately, I'm several thousand miles away from this van and just had a mechanic check it out. I found to get the best deal you really need to buy out of season when nobody else wants to buy RV's. And the end of the year is usually pretty good as the dealers know or the individuals know that the vehicle's going to depreciate another $4000 after the first of the year and they want to move it. Still, even an 05 is $30,000, and that's a cheap one. I've certainly seen them upwards of 40K. And buying an 08 or even a 2012 over an 05 doesn't seem to make that much of a difference . It's more about how well the person maintained it . I saw a 2012 out of Texas that had horrible clear coat peeling, the generator would not start, etc. This particular 05 I'm looking at has a very nice looking finish, And the generator does work as well as the cool cat, fridge, mcrowave and water pump all work. I think it has forty one hours on the generator. Overall pretty clean but it's got some water damage and it appears the furnace is not working. Cabinets are showing age, etc. but again, If something is really immaculate you can bet the persons asking 50K for it. Doing my best right now to read everything I can on potential problems and then how to fix them so I can decide if it's something I want to get into or not. I'm 63, so no spring chicken. There's still plenty of things I can do, but plenty of things I don't want to do ;) I'm sure you know what I mean.
Great Video, Thanks!
Very helpful - I'm about to swap out the unit in our 210P.
The only comment I've got is that I'm not surprised vendors are reluctant to get an opened unit back. For every Alice there's 10 people trying to sneak return something they messed up.
Its not that hard to check the opening then figure out what range of size unit will work.
Thanks. I wanted a tight fit to get the most BTUs. I wasn’t sure if the posted dimensions included the removable bracket on the top that’s used to secure it in a house window opening. Anyway Home Depot asked no questions on our return. I tried out two units to get the quietest one.
Nice video content ma'am thank you for sharing this video with us
Alice, Also I highly recommend that the AC unit be set to NOT pull in exterior air.
This will suck in exhaust fumes and highway smog.
(You mentioned separating the Hot output from the cooler intake when extending the fins on the back of the unit.).
There should be a control lever/knob on the face of the AC that lets you select to recirculate inside air (known as "Max Cool mode) versus sucking in outside air.
Recirculate interior air, do not suck in exterior air. Could be deadly Monoxide situation.
Excellent point. We have noticed exhaust a couple of times while running the generator and the AC and trying to nap in the bed. Taking the wind direction into account did improve the situation, but I hope to make a generator tail pipe extension someday. Our rear window also doesn’t seal tightly!
@@averagealice8877 Looking at the Manual for your newer FFRA081ZAE, it implies that "Hi Cool" is the setting that directs the airflow to be internal air vs external air flow..
The airflow control appears to be incorporated into the "Mode" control knob. With AC not running, you might be able to hear the exterior air baffle close as you rotate the knob towards "Hi Cool". That would shunt the air path from external to internal only. That's what you want.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
"...Cool Mode:
The desired cool setting is selected by rotating the MODE knob to the appropriate location.
“hi cool” has maximum cooling effect and airflow.
“med cool” between “hi cool” and “lo cool”
has the intermediate cooling effect and airflow.
“lo cool” has minimum cooling effect and airflow.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The LG we used as our Roadtrek replacment has a little push/pull lever accessable thru the front air grill for this air source control.
Be Safe lol....
@@cliffodell8593 Thanks. But sometimes “high” is just too freezing …
@@cliffodell8593 Hello. You saw you used the Lg. I wonder if you used a dual invertor or not. There is a 800 btu 24.5 x 19.6 x12.50 Inches
(L x W x H)
But really i guess i shouldn’t be interested in sawing energy in this application.
A regular window unit will NOT work in the Roadtrek. A "Through-the-Wall A/C is required. This is why Average Alice has had 2 failures, 3rd coming up soon, no doubt.
The cooling vents can Not be on the side of the a/c. in Roadtrek. A "Wall Unit" vents intake/outflow just like roadtrek is designed; to the back, not sides.
Sadly, the "Wall" units are double the price of the cheap window units. Wall unit vs. Window unit, which do you want to have? in the desert?
I have a 2003 Chevy 190P with Dometic a/c... I fear it may need replacement... is there a source for finding suitable replacements for the Dometic ?? thank you....
Sorry I'm not familiar with those
Her first mistake was buying a Window A/C. You must use a Through-the-Wall A/C for it to operate efficiently and not overheat.
Let me know if you see one that fits that opening, at 8k btu. In the desert, the LG has shut down in extreme heat (>110F) but recovers afterwards.
I just replaced my Ac at first I wasn’t aware about the baffles but now that part is done , I had to change my plug also just like you did
But now my AC didn’t get cold enough , it’s a new AC it was working just fine in the garage but when we installed it in out Roadtrek now it’s not getting cold , we do get some cold air but not cold enough to cools off the trek any advice ?
Hey sorry I missed your comment now 2 months old. Did you fix it?
Average Alice
Hi no it’s still not working can’t get it cold enough .
A N You could get a stick thermometer to insert in the vent to check the temp. Also it takes mine a good hour to cool my RT depending on time of day I start it up. Best is to start it in the AM before the interior gets above 90 F. Also if your is lower BTUs it might take longer. Or it was damaged somehow during installation. These units are pretty cheap; I’d just get another one if necessary
Average Alice
Thankyou
I’ll give that a try I bought another unit and see if that’s the issue also
Just wondering what kind of time do it take
This probably took me a couple of days initially because of the custom trim and metal flanges and other custom parts. It might be 3 days..I was learning as I went.