urbanhermit

I became unpopular on another unnamed RV forum for comments like this: "And how much did you pay for that fancy thing with a stainless steel hood, thermometer, stand, and fold-out tables?" after I recounted, in a long thread about grills in which contributors seemed to be trying to one-up each other on how much they paid, how I grilled my first steaks in 10 to 15 years on the heavy, crude grill provided by the campsite and they were delicious. I have a tendency to trip strutters. More than likely contributes to my user name. That said, what about experiences with grills? We'll probably pick one up soon. I think Weber is overpriced and generally flimsy. I want table-top, the small end of medium grill area range, and just charcoal -- no propane. Like cast iron but not insistent on it. Any recommendation based on happy experience?

For general information , other "out of phase" conditions: straight through the U-joints with no angle; U-joints need a bit of angle (I don't know why); output shaft from transmission and input shaft to the differential must be in perfect parallel; and too much variation between height of frame from rear axle to front as very little vertical displacement is tolerated by design/engineering. This all from the authorized Freightliner service facility which took the howl out of my drive train.

This is exactly what my DP was doing when I bought it. The cause was the drive shaft being "out of phase." I'll bet a dozen donuts your shaft was reinstalled out of phase. The yokes at both ends of the shaft have to be oriented the same way: e.g., both vertical or both horizontal. Betcha they hooked one up 90 degrees rotated relative to the other.

!! Had no idea there were scales. I don't think Sunpass does. Have no experience with EZpass.

I think there are different driving techniques for getting good fuel mileage out of gas and diesel. I'm good at squeezing a lot of mileage out of a gas engine, but, new to diesels, I'm disappointed in the fuel consumption I'm getting and I'm driving moderately.

Sunpass: There is one toll road that bypasses Niceville, FL from north to east which we travel occasionally that has unmanned stations. We don.t have Sunpass, which is what it uses. We blow through, it takes a picture of our license plate, and we get an invoice through the mail a few weeks later with a copy of the photograph and a demand for the toll plus, I think, $1.50 administrative fee. This is normal business, not a violation. I don't know what would happen if our TOWD obscured the plate on the coach, though on ours I don't think it would. We've only been through on a motorcycle (and got "caught" riding the white line in the hopes that would be outside the camera range -- it wasn't.) Question: How does EZpass know the weight of the vehicle?

If I recall, a healthy drop from return to vent in a house is about 17 to 18 degrees. What should it be in a vehicle, assuming air is recirculating and not passing through, or should one be satisfied if the vent temp is down in the 40s? I'm not knowledgeable about performance standards for a dash unit with something above 1000 cubic feet of open space behind it.

If you'll be living in it, what's to prevent you from starting it and letting it idle for five or ten minutes every couple of weeks? I'm new to road diesels, but I do this with my diesel boat. Sorta. Sometimes. But it starts quickly after sitting for months, may run a bit rough for 15 to 30 seconds, then smooth. Don't know why it wouldn't serve for a coach.

A young flexible Loves guy went through the driver's window at the first fuel stop on the way home from purchase. I went through once at the next fuel stop and again at the house during the unloading process after The Executive Department closed the door. Not a lock problem -- a latch one. Something out of adjustment and the outside latch release wouldn't release the latch. Necessity is motivational. Coach mechanic took the door apart from the inside and cured it. Mine's too old for a fob. I have three sets of Coach keys. One I leave on board; the other is in the car usually used to drive to the storage lot. A third is with other household keys in a kitchen pantry.

Has anybody heard of or been a policyholder with Northstar RV? It's backed by a manor company which I'd have to go digging into e-mails to name. I'm about to sign on -- with a $500 credit for full payment, $4200 +/- for four years. Other offers were up to almost $7,000 for two years. Coach is a 2006 Monaco Cayman 36 DP. Northstar's is an inclusion contract but I've read every word of it, have enough mechanical knowledge to understand what's included (everything important to me) and to realize what isn't (all unimportant or possibilities I'm willing to self-insure) . . . still the significantly lower premium leaves me a little uneasy.

Mother Superior, Cayman 36, Cummins 5.9, acquired in the Dallas area April 9, ran toward the high end of the normal range coming 760 miles home, mostly at night. Had a general service done including flushing the cooling system. Was told it took four cycles before exit water came out clean. Afterwards ran near the middle of the normal range at a steady internet 65, rising only a little in urban traffic. While considering radiator flushes, consider an internal cooling system flush.

RV sales UP ? ? ? I'm surprised. I had heard Arizona dealers have raised prices and stiffened negotiating but I haven't noticed an uptic here -- Pensacola -- but I haven't been looking, either. I shall.

Yes, my intent. Familiar with the purpose of weep holes from boat maintenance.

Wow ! So many types! Evidently covering weep holes is a widely-desired thing to do. For whatever reason I think I'm going to get a set.

Good idea. Based on subsequent responses, I'll start with the window weep holes but I may use black electrical tape for cosmetic purposes, even if temporary. It'll take a few interstate runs to get an indication that the noise is being blocked rather than the conditions to make it not being present -- if the whistle doesn't occur. If it does I can move on.

A single drop of water was found on the dash below the left front corner (uh huh . . ) and the seal up there has been ham-fistedly repaired with silicone, but it was only that one drop, and after I'd used a hose and nozzle to wash. Puzzling. A LOT of air was making the noise, wherever it was

Mother is at the coach mechanic's for other matters, but if I remember correctly the four small round headlights are sealed tightly. But I'll look when I see it attain.

Thank you all. Have just skimmed all responses; will dig into them now.

With respect to this: Are the axle weights given as "statistics" by manufacturers generally actual weights or are they limits (GAWR) ? Meaning not placards on the coach but in "features" etc in brochures?

A word about ride height, with apologies if this is covered somewhere in the long thread: In chasing a drive train howl that occurred only in the exact "neutral gravity" moment between powering and coasting, I was told by a major authorized Freightliner dealer's service facility that there is very little tolerance in ride height variation -- "'pitch" in aeronautical terms -- for proper U-joint function. The front being but a couple of degrees higher or lower than the back can damage the drive train. The previous owners of my coach had maxed out the height adjustment in the front for some reason, contributing to the presence of the howl (and a horrible ride). (Out-of-phase U-joints and a deflated air bag were the other two factors.)

May I ask what kind of lift that is? I had a Swivelwheel motorcycle lift tacked on. Heavily engineered and powered by a 3:1 1200-lb winch.

Zackly. That was my immediate thought.

Decades ago, when I was a member of Goldwing Road Riders Association, I got Rescue Plus through that organization and have kept it to the present after leaving GWRRA only a few years after I joined. I would not be without it. Non-member GWRRA rate is $85 a year. It covers any non-commercial vehicle which I own, or in which I am a passenger, with very generous terms -- for instance, 100-mile towing range. Some years ago I was backing a 29-foot Class C with a trailer/motorcycle into a campsite at Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama and accessed only by some interesting roads, when the front seal of the transmission blew out. Rescue Plus sent up a wrecker as big as a locomotive and towed me down into Anniston trailer and motorcycle behind the RV, without any more hesitation than if I'd had a Smartcar. Road Riders Rescue, 800/843-9460. I am not affiliated with them in any way except as a customer, and am assuming non-motorcyclists can still obtain their coverage.

He's dead? I didn't know that.

Aaaah . . . thank you for this !