themalwave blues

[bill luke]

hello,thought i'd post here and see if any one can help me.my thermalwave with nisson engine keep s quitting,and quitting.tech support has helped me,but to no avail.have moved fuel pump to outside of truck,have replaced the fuel pump,have dissconnected wires,jumped wires,checked spark;it will run great in morning,then all of a sudden quit.maybe 3 ,4 x's.than run for a couple of hrs,or not.driving me crazy.acts like vapor lock or fuel problem .changed in line filter,kicked it,swore like a mother,didn't give a shit.nothing works.including my computer so my cell number is 864-710-3956 if any one can give me any words of wisdom thanks bill luke

by the way,great board mikey

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Not sure if yours is fuel injected or not, either way get a fuel pressure gauge. It greatly simplifies troubleshooting.

Less than $20 at AutoZone.

I hate HATE HATE any circuit that shuts my machine down unless it signals why.

I check my oil and fluids every morning...and they can put a freeking steam whistle on it if it gets too hot.

 

[woodsey]

Bill , Had the same problem with my thermalwave. It could be one of many things or a combination of them. Mine was fixed by Less at Judson. I got tired of the random shutdown problem and had it gutted of all the heat crap on it. Now it runs PERFECT and has for over a year and a half. The signal lite on the front of the machine did not indicate what the problem was and the folks at blueline did not help much . We found out that the folks at blueline routed the wiring harness very close to the exhaust manifold and the wires in the bundle had melted togeather . We did not know that untill the machine was taken apart. I saw the harness and it was FRIED as in brittle and exposed wires. Less ordered a new longer wiring harness to reroute it away from the manifold and to relocate the computer module away from the heat of the motor. We were told we may need a new computer BIG BUCKS . We found out the old computer can be rebooted by a simple reset. The reboot is not in the manual and I cant remember the exact proceedure and dont want to tell you the wrong thing to do. I do remember it was very simple and if you call zeems they should help you out.If the machine was not taken apart the wiring problem would have been very hard to find and I believe that was what was shutting it down along with a overheated computer module. Call if you want more info on what all was done to the machine. Jethro 1 765 652 0042

 

[GeneMiller]

i noticed the same problem with mine as Jeff described except that i moved mine while it was new. i would take the black wire guard off and check the wires underneath. it seems that the guard can take heat better then wires can. i moved my computer completely off the machine because i remember when cars had a problem. now they place the computers under the seat. i can't think of one machine that i have owned that i didn't slightly alter when it was new. i'll hit 10000 hrs in a few months and it has run almost flawlessly except for a few minor hiccups. it has been by far the most trouble free machine.

if you want to know how to reset the computer i have the directions. i also have the link that diagnosis problems. you need it to do the reset.

gene

 

[Goldenboy]

This is why this place rocks. Dont worry Bill. These guys will lead you the right way and you will be back up and running. I wish I had this place when I owned my Hydramaster Spitfire. My distributor loved taking my checks. Once I found the boards. I rarely needed my distributor.


Golden Boy

 

[Giorgio]

Your thermalwave will display the blink code of why it shut down.

My thermalwave use to do the same thing and the blink code couldn't tell me why.

After about a week of troubleshooting with blueline it turned out to be heat creep caused a loose connection on the back of the main control panel.

I re-seated all those little electrical quick connects and pushed all reset buttons the fuses and problem resolved.

Also, one other problem I had when the machine was new was that the fuel pump was located under the bonnet causing vapor lock. It was an easy fix. Relocated fuel pump under van on the frame.

If no blink code it might just be a loose connection

 

[Doug Cox]

I have dealt with shutdown issues on my Powerclean with a nissan engine. I moved the computer out of the engine area and that took care of most of the shutdowns. I waited a few more years and decided to replace computer this spring and the machine hasn't shut down since.

 

[rwcarpet]

Any shutdown problem I've ever had has been a loose wire that loses connection after heating up. Mine was a coil wire from the ignition/battery. Loose, but not loose enough when cold....loosened up when hot.


Oh....mine was a Prochem Performer 405. Didn't the same folks from PC design the Bluelines?

 

[firstday]

This is why this place rocks. Dont worry Bill. These guys will lead you the right way and you will be back up and running. I wish I had this place when I owned my Hydramaster Spitfire. My distributor loved taking my checks. Once I found the boards. I rarely needed my distributor.


Golden Boy

Good one . . .

 

[bill luke]

thanks all for your help;however same old sh%%!

 

[floorguy]

yeah i see the R&D has really helped....

how many of these machines should have never had the computer in a hot area????

they probably ran these machines under "real world" usage in a lab that was kept at 72...

you reading this chavez???

remember our little chat??

 

[Lyman]

How close are you to les at judson truckmounts.

 

[dealtimeman]

thanks all for your help;however same old sh%%!

You should call les over at Judson and schedule a time to get your machine fixed for good.
864-233-6442

 

[bill luke]

i spoke with les last week; he is in fla. at the moment.took off the ground connections and cleaned them up,at his suggestion ran a small fan at the computer,then wrapped it in a thermal blanket good to up to 4000 degrees.yesturday the fuel pump wouldn't engage after it shut down,a few times till it decided to start. still looking

just realized i spelled thermalwave wrong,maybe thats it

 

[joe harper]

Bill,

Is it the nissan engine ???

 

[bill luke]

nisson engine. here is what i have done to date:moved fuel pump to under truck from inside on frame;changed fuel pump;fuel filter;did all blueline tests and bypass their controls;reset computer;checked for loose wires;cleaned grounds;removed air filter covers and machine sides;let a fan blow on computer while working;covered computer with a thermal blanket from advance auto;tried today to mount fuel pump vertically,couldn't find a place to do it,might have to rig something to mount it on;ordered new air filter today;have float charger on battery;checked spark on each plug wire;

usually waits after a couple of jobs,re heat up,to start it's act.sometimes will quit,start up and run hrs,sometimes takes several try's,yesturday the fuel pump wouldn't engage,at first,then did.maddening.loose wire?can't find it scott from blueline has been great,as has everyone moving to idaho thanks

 

[joe harper]

Bill had same problem...Prochem 405..."Drove me crazy"

My Nissan is carburated.

After I tried everything ...It ended up that the COIL was overheating and "KILLING" the spark.

At about 20 minutes...it would DIE...! as soon as the oil in the coil cooled...it would FIRE... no won ton soup for you!
DROVE ME CRAZY....Search "GREMLIN"..lots of good info on your problem... :idea:

 

[woodsey]

Bill, were you able to check the wires in the harness to see if they had been melted? Also if I remember correctly there was a set of resisters in the wiring harness that may be breaking down. You may check the radiator fluid level as well because I think there is a heat shutdown for that to. The problem with the thermalwave and systems like it is that there are so many things to go wrong. Has any of your efforts made any difference in how it runs or how long it takes to shut down? Does it shut down only after heating up? Any difference if you run it on upholstery speed , single wand or dual wand speed? Any difference if the heat setting is on high or low? Is the diverter working as in activating when you change temp settings where it makes the clunking sound when it switches on and off? Check it when its hot not cold. My thoughts are its electrical for sure and its a safety switch shutting it down or a heat breakdown in the electrical system. Its probably not a safety switch as that would have a not random aspect to it . So that means its more likely heat related breakdown. Can you run the machine on idle for a long time with no call for heat without it shutting down? Will it run on idle with call for heat for a long time? I feel your pain bro and hope you find it soon. Jethro

 

[steamclean]

and the fix is; ignition module if there is one.

 

[Doug Cox]

Spend the time and money and move the computer out of the engine area and then replace the computer. I tried the fan and it didn't work. There are other things, coil, like Joe said. Oil pressure switch. Fuel injector. Air temp sensor. Coolant sensor. I'm sure there are other things. Believe me, i have the A15 engine and nothing changed until I MOVED the computer and REPLACED the computer. Total cost to do those 2 things will cost you less than 700 bucks. You haven't done anything that anyone with a nissan engine has suggested. If you have a ZENITH system in your machine, call Mike Farmer at 276-645-8632. He works for Zenith and is a great guy to troubleshoot problems.

 

[GeneMiller]

The solution is definitely to move the computer. It's not that hard to move. If they are still using the same connection you cannot get the male plug anyware including zeems. Make your own and move it. Your problem is the computer or a damaged wire. Cut open the heat shield and remove all the black tape and make a harness. Cut each wire then add a piece in. It took me about 2 hrs total. The computer is not designed to go above 190 deg Once the motor stops the heat spikes Between that and the vibration it can't take it. If moving it and you have checked all the wires doesn't fix it you'll have to replace the computer.

Gene