garykd

Hi jimsreyes, Welcome to the FMCA forum. I think we have the same generator. Mine is the Onan Quiet Diesel 7500. Brett's advice to call the manufacturer is always the best way to get an answer. In addition to the Max/Min marks on the side, there should be, across the top above the two caps a label telling which one is which. Since we do seem to have the same unit, I'll take a try to answer your questions. 1. I do run my generator one hour a month if there is no use during the month (rare). I will put both HVAC units on to let it have some exercise. If the unit has been used that month, there is no need for an additional exercise period. 2. Your description of the coolant and oil filler caps is the same as my unit. 3. If you remove the oil filler cap (yellow) it is connected to the cable that goes into the oil reservoir. It is for checking the level of the oil for the engine. There is a tube the cable passes through. It is in the same area as the coolant tank. With a clean cloth handy, remove the cap and pull out the cable. At the end of the cable is the measurement end. There should be oil on the measurement end between the add and fill marks. 4. When you remove the coolant filler cap (white), it is just that, a cap with rubber grommet(s). There is no tube, the filler leads directly into the coolant tank. 5. You are correct, the min/max indicators are kind of useless. Like you, I can not determine if there is coolant between these marks. I use a metal coat hanger to determine the coolant level. The rod you used should also work fine. The objective is to use something stiff so a measurement can be taken. The difference is that I have a coolant level mark on my coat hanger. It is about 1 inch below the MAX mark. Gut feel says you may be low on coolant. The challenge now is to understand what coolant is in the generator. I do not know if Onan or Fleetwood would be the initial fillers of the generator fluids. Gut feel says it would have been Fleetwood. See if there are any labels or the documentation mentions what coolant is in the unit. If it were me and I could not determine what coolant was in the generator, I'd do a complete maintenance of fluids and filters on the unit. If the coolant turns out to be green in color, you were about do for a coolant change anyway. If you do a maintenance cycle on the unit, you'll now have a record of what is in the unit. Lastly, if you do do a maintenance cycle, consider putting the long life coolant (red) in the generator. The change out cycle goes from 3 to 6 years. Good luck and please post what you find and what your final solution is.

Hi Steve, Try this web site. http://www.firestik.com/ You will need to know if your current antenna/wire is a ground plane or no ground plane installation.

Hi Matt, In addition to what Brett mentioned, consider seeking another recognized professional view of the safety features in your coach and the real risk of traveling with the fridge running on propane. The additional information may provide you the comfort needed to use the feature and sleep at night. good luck,

Hi Matt, Does your fridge have the choice to run on propane?

I have no experience with swamp coolers (evaporative cooler). The concept says it should help your coach's HVAC system in a low humidity climate.

Hi f0229000, The Surge Guard protector is built so that if the unit is passing power, surge protection is working. Simple as that. The surge protection components are in the unit so that if for whatever reason they fail, the unit will not pass power to the coach. It's kind of like a fail safe. I got this directly from Surge Guard tech support. The prices of these units are competitive with each other. Sometimes one is lower due to a sale, etc. Also, different vendors sell the products for different prices. I have seen a lower price on both the Progressive and Surge Guard. It just depends on where and when one shops. These devices are not rocket science to build. The technology is a commodity. Purchasing one vs another now becomes a personal decision that includes price. The user features of a unit may also be a deciding factor. For me, I am not a blinking light push button kind of person. I want an appliance that I can set and forget. My appliance choices are somewhat based on the toaster. Simplicity, over time with nothing or the bare minimum for user involvement.

Hi Steve, I also just finished the summer out where you were. My signature coach has 2 13500 btu A/C units. My coach cooled quite well. I did nothing special to cover the front windshield. One thing I did do was always reserve a site where the coach faced any direction but west. Next is how your coach was made. The roof and wall insulation along with the window tinting/construction can greatly help or hinder the HVAC capability. Also, all of my side windows have awnings. I know that helps quite a bit with A/C. On the other side of the coin, I don't think my coach holds heat (cold weather camping) as well as it should. That being said, I am from south Florida. Where you are from and what you are used to can have an impact on the coach's perceived ability to stay comfortable.

Hi Bessie Mae, South Florida homes with an RV garage/port will be difficult to find. Here are a couple of suggestions for as far south as I know of. 1. The Great Outdoors at http://www.tgoresort.com/ 2. CRF Communities at http://www.crfcommunities.com/home.asp The south Florida RV resorts are almost always concrete pads for the coach and people.

Hi 09latitude, Welcome to the FMCA forum. Last month I was parked to a couple who have had the air tabs for quit some time. The guy claimed better control. He mentioned there was no increase in MPG. My wife (the real decision maker) and I do not like how they look. I am very satisfied with how my coach handles. I will not put them on my coach.

Hi Veronica, Another cause of the "burp" could be the poo pyramid. Over time, with a lack of sufficient water during flushing, the pile builds. Pressure cleaning the inside of the black tank solves the problem. This can be done with the built in tank wand or an after market wand (if you have a straight flush into the tank). Another, more time consuming method is to use chemicals (or a bag of ice cubes) and a lot of water. Drive around to slosh the mixture and dump.

Hi ccmsm, For me yes, it is normal. Sometimes worse than other times. It depends on how the load is when the spin cycle starts. If the unit faces forward the vibration will be worse than if the unit faces the side of the coach. It is easier to shake a coach sideways than it is to shake it lenghways. I fastened the front feet of my unit to the floor of the compartment it is housed in. There are brackets you can buy to accomplish this. I also put a 2X4 wedged in across the top of the unit. This makes the unit very solid with regard to the coach. It seems to keep some of the vibration inside the W/D.

Hi All, The signature coach is on a Spartan MM chassis and has an ISC 330 HP engine. The coach has 54K miles and in January will be 5 years old. The gage to tell when to replace the air filter had just begun to move up. It was nowhere near the level that indicates to replace the air filter. I replaced the air filter because we have just finished 2 months of filthy southwest USA travel. The desert, in the sumer is not only hot, it is filthy. Dust and dirt all over. The dirt gets into everything. It's like trying to keep sand out of the coach when we are at the beach. The only way to get the old filter out is to remove the engine cover, in the back bedroom. There is a clamp at each end that holds the intake and clean air outlet hoses. There are also two clamps that hold the air filter to its' mounting brackets. Removal of and installation of the air filter is very straight forward. Once the 4 clamps are loosened, the filter slides forward into the bedroom. The hardest part and what took the longest was getting the engine cover off. I think Newmar over seals this cover. I understand the importance of having it sealed, but what I had go go through was ridiculous. After removing the 9 screws and bolts holding the cover in place, I ended up using a pry bar to break the seal. Once the seal is broken, the cover is a bit tricky to find a place to set it without getting a bunch of crude on the bedroom floor and without scratching the wood work. The cover is heavy and bulky. All that said it took a total of about 2 hours from start to finish. This includes getting set up and all the cleanup after everything is put back together. One does get rather dirty. Everything in the engine compartment is dirty. Then again it could just be me. I tend to attract dirt.

Hi Tom, Welcome to the FMCA forum. I have answered your PM about the Cricket. For everyone else, I have one and really like it. If there are any specific questions, post here or send me a private message.

Hi mandalay07, The road signs will tell you what the rules for each tunnel are. There are also books on this subject. I follow the posted rules and have never had a problem. As to the Baltimore Tunnel, don't do it. It has never been available to vehicles carrying propane. Just choose an alternate route.

Hi Steve, In addition to the retarder, the engine/exhaust brake should not be used on wet/slippery pavement. The purpose of a retarder, engine or exhaust brake is the same: It is to help slow the RV without use of the service brake. They may accomplish this in technically different ways, but the objective is the same.

Hi Doc Mike, Channel 19 is where the truck drivers are. If you get a CB with the weather info, you'll need to scan the weather channels to see which one is broadcasting in the area you are in. Channel 13 has been the RV channel for 30+ years. I do not hear RV'ers on this channel except at Rallies. The radio you choose is you're personal preference. The technology is a commodity and all are about the same. Focus on where you'll mount the radio. Then look for one with the features and size that fits your needs. I have the Cobra all in one radio. I purchased an external speaker and plugged a headset into the speaker. I use the headset when using the CB. The headset covers one ear only. One must still be prepared to hear the wife, whenever she speaks. Like previously posted, it is the antenna and antenna wire that make or break a CB installation. I have been using Firestik antenna systems with great success. Go to http://www.firestik.com/CatalogFrame.htm to see their products. Consider a no-ground plane antenna system. The antenna, mount and wire must be matched. Firestik sells kits. In an RV environment, it expands your choices as to where you can install the antenna. When it comes to CB radio, size matters. Consider a top loaded, no ground plane antenna and as long of an antenna as you are comfortable with. I have a class A coach and use a 4' antenna mounted on the driver's side above the driver's window. A minimum of 2/3 the antenna height should be above the coach roof line. With the setup mentioned here, I am very happy with the range of reception and transmission (several miles for each).

Hi Tom & Diane, I have been with Farm & City Insurance Services for several years. 800-331-1520 or their web site at www.rvadvantage.com They are a broker for many companies. While the company I am insured by has changed, Farm & City always seems to provide a competitive rate.

Earlier this month I had Cummins doing a diagnostic check on the ISC (the reason is another story/thread). I was informed that my ISC required Campaign 0925. There was no choice, it would be installed with or without my permission! . If I declined, any Cummins service center would make the installation, without telling me, the next time I took the coach in for service. Campaign 0925 is an emissions campaign. The stock (straight through) muffler is removed. In it's place is a huge "after treatment" device. The new device is about 3 times the diameter and a little longer than the original muffler. For optimum fuel economy, nothing beats the stock muffler. In layman's terms I feel the new device is as close to a catalytic converter as one can get. The bottom line is I have lost 6/10 of a MPG since the new device was installed. This was travel of 2.2K miles over roads I am very familiar with. Outside of the new device all other environmental conditions were nominal. I guess I can take pride in knowing my ISC now complies with 2005 emissions standards. I will be going on the fall trip in a couple of weeks. Upon completion (November) I'll report back what happened to the MPG. Lastly, the exhaust is much more quiet than with the stock muffler. This is a negative for me. My exhaust is at the left rear of the coach. With the stock muffler, drivers' would pass me very quickly. With the after treatment device, now some tend to sit at the left rear corner of the coach instead of just whizzing on by. For all ISC owners, be careful on taking your coach into a Cummins authorized service center. If I had known about this before they got their hands on the coach, my next visit would have been postponed to way, way, way in the future.

Hi ttt1953, I balance all 6 tires. For me, not balancing the rear tires may produce extra wear and tear on the rear suspension components. Balancing is cheap insurance. The idea of one tire canceling out another tire's problem is depending on luck. Since nobody is in the rear of the coach, when moving down the road, I do not think an out of balance condition would be noticed by those sitting in front of the front wheels. I've had the PP system for 4 years. On the coach, my wheels have valve extensions on them. The PP sensors do put some radial pressure on the stems. Several of my PP sensors have gouges worn in them from rubbing against the wheels. On the toad (05 GMC ENVOY XUV) I started by just installing the sensors on the rubber valve stems. The stems didn't last a year. I switched to rubber stems with a metal insert. Same result. So, I bit the bullet and put in all metal stems. This has worked well. There have been no additional problems. If you have PP sensors on rubber stems, monitor them closely. The reason I took the toad in steps was the cost of the all metal stems. Because of the curvature of my GMC wheels there was no after market stems available. I had to purchase everything from a GMC dealer. The all metal stems are for later model vehicles and have the tire PSI sensing unit built into the stem. I can not use this feature, but that is the way the stems are made. They are very expensive.

Hi nmdahl, I'm so sorry to read about your problem. It sounds like the bottom line is you'll need professional advice. Consider gathering all your documents, including all communications between the board and you. Take it to an attorney with the appropriate skills to know the law in your state, county and municipality. Every attorney I read, hear about and have dealt with will provide a free consultation visit. This visit should conclude with them telling you if they can help and what the cost will be. I use these visits to ensure I pay a fixed fee for the service I need. The attorney and I sign a contract as to the service he/she will perform and the amount I will pay. If the attorney us not able to help you, at least you'll know where you stand with regard to the local powers of the board. I have the same situation where my stick house is located. The "must be screened" wording is also in my covenants and local village documents. I determine what "screened" meant and complied with the screening. Only two of my neighbors complained (bitterly). All other neighbors didn't even know the coach was there or thought I did a super job complying with the screening requirements. My coach sits next to my house, properly screened. One should not be bullied by overzealous people who may or may not have right on their side.

Hi Jack, Don't worry about my starting a fire comment. That post was part of my dry humor. SEAJAY understood and responses accordingly. I am a product of the public school and university system. It provided me a good foundation, which lead to a very successful career.

Hi Pat60, Roadyacht gave a good suggestion. Make sure your charger is working correctly. Correctly depends on what kind of charger you have. Some a dumb and some are smart. The bottom line is that it should be reading around 13.5 VDC, when plugged into shore power. That being said, I have a recommendation for you. If/when you decide to replace the batteries, ask about AGM technology batteries. They are sealed. Never add water. Eliminates the corrosion in the battery compartment. The are expensive. For me, I got tired of checking the water. It is a pain in the you know where. So I bit the bullet and got AGM batteries. After 2 years, I made the correct decision. I crossed off my long list of owner maintenance items the checking of battery water. The batteries are as rugged as a tank. They hold their charge and last a long time. I recommend you consider this.

Hi Jim, Welcome to the forum. Your question is a deeply religious one. Hopefully, the responses will be passionate with information to back up the passion. For me, my first class A coach was in 1978. From then until now, I have had only Michelin tires. There are so many things to keep one busy with a coach, if it ain't broke, I don't fix it. This applies to tires. For 31 years I've had only 2 out of round Michelin tires and they were replaced under warranty. I keep them covered when not moving. I also treat them 3 times a year with Weather Proof Tire Dressing. I'm an RVer that will actually wear out the tread. I am also anal about PSI and weighing the coach to ensure the PSI is correct. We spend a lot of time in the coach. I have nothing for or against other tire brands. It's just that Michelin has served me very well.

Hi ghand, Welcome to the forum. Consider calling MC directly and asking about the specific year, model and transmission you are considering. Manufacturers change components, sometimes during the model year. As previously posted, look in the owners manual. This is the only place the manufacturer puts in writing if the car can be towed, what the process is and any restrictions that need to be observed.

Hi John, In addition to what was mentioned in your OP, there is a fuel filter. If your coach is diesel powered there will also be a fuel/water separator. If you have air suspension, there is also an air dryer.