dickandlois

Pete, The points and issues that You and Brett both raised are all valid. When I posted, I was doing a little fishing to get some information on what was available regarding circuits that would be already wired into the main panel box. To get a base line for the fee the electrician mentioned. You mention that you are about 12 ft. from the main power panel. Could you and you son run some flexible wire conduit between the main or sub panel that might be in the garage area to where a 30 amp. circuit one 120 volt 30 amp circuit, the neutral and a ground going to a disconnect Switch as one possibility. The second circuit thought being a 240 volt circuit in the garage( used to power an air compressor). The circuit breaker size is often limited to 20 amps, for each side. both L1 and L2 could be used with the proper sized Neutral and Ground wires run through the same type of conduit to the same point = 40 amps 12 ft. of 8 Gauge wire times four, the proper 4 x 4 Box, socket for a 50 or 30 amp circuit, conduit, hardware and circuit brakes should come to around 150 to 175 dollars. A trip to Lowe's with a list of materials might save you some money. Leave the main connections for an electrician Think that the electrician would require 2,max. 3 hrs to make all the connections. Should be less then 450.00 Just some items to consider and see it it falls in to your budget. Rich.

Clay, Good catch! micro switch not a good choice of words. Resetting the current limiter circuit better choice, so I have to go back and do a little editing. In my humble opinion a lot of motors are replaced when just the motor - gear drive assembly needs to be cycled. To rest the the control circuit, and yes the board does sense the current to keep the drive from running when the step strikes an object. The one thing I have never totally understood is why the controller does stop the motor from operating, when all one needs to do is cycle the motor, that is in no way connected to the controller. Other then a load on the current sensor circuit. Happened to me 3 times now and always in the up position and one when my leg was in the way very to the step being fully extended. The current sensor will stop the steps from operating if they do not move free enough to keep the current level with in the correct perimeters. Rich.

Pete, Used that setup for a long time until finally setting up a 30 amp service. Used a 20 amp circuit breaker and kept the extension as short as possible. That allowed us to keep the batteries charged, The Charger / inverter draws approx 8 to 10 amps when first connected, then drops to about 5 amps when the batteries reach the float voltage. Allowing for that, you would have about 15 amps of head room for other items. By using a little math to figure the load you might have at any given time, should get you close to how many items and what items could be on at any give moment. For higher loads you might be able to run the generator for shot periods of time, to cover higher demand. The thing we used the most was the AC and could power one at a time to keep things comfortable. Something to consider, do you have a Electric dryer or use some 220 volt equipment in the garage that would give you a circuit to tap into if needed? Rich.

Regarding this issue, I have been exchanging PM information with the OP and it looks like the problem is a mechanical problem. The step assembly needs to be able to move freely so a switch / current limiter circuit does not impede the complete cycle. The issue has happened to me and the only way that I have found to reset the current limeter is to disconnect the power connection to the motor, using a 12 volt supply(battery charger) power the motor directly and run it out all the way, then reverse the connections. rum the steps all the way in(up position) then reconnect the motor to the control circuit. This process has saved some money and extended to life of the drive system. The problem generally happens when the steps are up, not as common when the steps are down.. Rich.

happybour, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! When you mention blurry picture, do you mean out of focus or did some dirt get on the lens and / or on the weather housing window? Rich.

The little push switches are soldered to the circuit board. They often have a soft pressure pad mounted to the panel to keep dirt and water from getting to the switch. Thinking there is no real mechanical connection between the two. Just the travel of the outside part makes contact with the switch when pressed. It will be interesting to look at a picture of how they are set up. Rich.

Hugh, It should come loose / removed by removing the Phillips hear screws that go through the board next to the fuse. Just loosen them and see if the board moves. Looks like there are some small push switches, on the right side of the board ( last picture) They should come away from the panel; as you tip the board up to remove the fuse. NOTE ! the board could have electrostatic sensitive parts, so you might want to have a grounding strap system. They are available at Radio Shack and other electronic suppliers. Fuse looks like a standard 3/4in. by 1/4in fuse. With the board raised up out of the way, with a piece of cardboard between it and where it might contact other areas of the unit. you should be able pop it out. Pop off a reply if you have any questions or if you think I'm missing something. Rich

Hugh, When you want to attach pictures, open the More reply potion feature. At the bottom left there is a attach feature, open it and attach the pictures from you file(s) of pictures. Note, if you can reduce the picture size (Using paint or some other program to reduce the picture from say 6meg. down to say 500k ) you use less of your allotted amount and the members can still get a look at your item. One over all picture of the item and then picture(s) of the area(s) of interest helps save space and still allows for images to be viewed with better detail. If you need to post additional pictures, we can exchange personal emails to pass info. back and forth. Hope that helps. Rich.

Manholt, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! This is a link to a PDF file. Does the information cover your system? Let me know and then I will be looking at the same information. Then we might be able to narrow down the problem. Do you happen to have a 12 volt battery charger handy? http://support.powergearus.com/techdocs/875.pdf Rich.

Hugh, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! Getting to the Freedom units on some coach's can be and issue itself! They are generally screwed down. Reading your post, do you have the unit already opened up? Then its the issue of enough wire to allow the unit to be located so one can remove the top cover. The boards are held in place by clips or small screws. Some of the boards plug into other boards. Take some pictures before taking items loose. Disconnect all power from the unit before doing anything. Remove the 12 volt Ground and the Positive lead from the batteries. Could you post a few pictures of its location and the board layout, if you have removed the cover? Then the group can see what your internal layout looks like. You might want to call the company for some help also. Rich.

kadesh, Welcome! Sounds like a possible thermal cutout issue. How old are you coach batteries and what is the charge level of the batteries when you disconnect from shore power after about 30 min. ? Rich.

bestbums, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! Thank you for posting the information! Rich.

dkirk32, Think you started a new thread regarding the same issue. Power Gear Jack Extends After Retraction I did ask some questions regarding your issue. So if you can respond to the previous questions the group can try to come up with some thoughts regarding the problem. Rich.

Gary, Try to use a solution of soap and water to lubricate the gasket. That will allow then to slide on easier. Windex might work, just need something to make things slippery. Let me know how that works for you! The solution will dry out and seal will then stick in place. Making a tool is an option, but I do not know your skill levels and tools you might have to work with. Rich.

fmsonntag, If you do not have the Installation / Owners manual, this is a link for a PDF copy. http://www.jensenheavyduty.com/downloads/dl/file/id/98/vr209tpb_owners_manual.pdf Rich.

Gary, Could you post a picture or two of the area you are working in for the group? The top seal can be tough if your topper is installed, and the pictures might inspire some creativity. Rich.

David, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! Never have used the furnaces intentionally for heat while driving, but the system control board for the furnaces had a failure that activated the rear unit on our coach while driving. It took us a while to realize it was running with the road noise and the temperature being comfortable up front. The furnace worked fine, because the back of the coach was hot. Had to disable the Gas valve connection to turn off the unit so the blower could cool down the heat exchanger. Looked around the furnace from the outside and inside for any damage, thankfully there was none. That would lead me to believe its possible. The thing is, on our coach there are no registers located closer then 10 to 12 feet to the front of the coach. The other option might be to run the generator to power a small to medium sized electric heater, safely located up front. Rich.

Welcome! Glad you both where able to attend the Rally! One never knows what mother nature has in mind when attending a rally or just out on the road traveling. We have been to a number of the National Rallies and all have been a adventure in one way or another, but the time spent meeting old friends, making new ones, the seminars and the technical information is always rewarding. We did not make the Rally; still snowed in this year. Interesting you mentioned the tram routes and color coding them! The common practice has been to color code each tram route. Like your pencil art!! Rich

Ken, Not much information on the web covering your questions. This is a link to some images of your floor plan. https://www.google.com/search?q=2005+Coachmen+Santara+3480DS+Floor+plan&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1I0rU8OpNYryyAHg4oGAAg&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=618 The Black and Gray tanks mount under the bathroom areas in most coaches and access directly to the tanks, often requires removing items if work on them is required. One can find them by looking for the Black and Gray dump valves and fallowing the lines back to the general location of the tanks themselves. Accessed under the coach or behind one of the storage bay doors. The fresh water tank is often mounted under the floor, just behind the driver / copilot sets. listen for the water pump when its running, the fresh water is generally close by. Accessed by opening a storage bay door in most cases. The circuit breakers, fuses, inverters / chargers and monitor panels are generally located mid ship. Yours might be in the area of the Hutch. The slide might need to be out a little to enable a door / cover to be opened to look at them. Your Generator is located near the rear of the coach and I think you need to make a manual connection of the shore cable to a connector at or close to the generator to enable the 120 volt generator power. The main AC circuit breakers should be close and the 12 volt inverter / charger equipment should be close the the Coach batteries. By going to this link you might find some information on one of the newer units that could prove helpful and when out camping, walk around and see if someone has a model like yours and exchange information about you coaches. http://www.coachmenrv.com/downloads.aspx Rich.

Underway, Welcome to the Forum! With the coach being New ! I would tend to leave things stock until the warranty period expires. A 35 ft. coach with a V-10 or 8.1L gas engine will get you around quite well and if you have a Cummings 6.7, one would have plenty of power for a 35ft. unit. Rich.

Well, Tango 64, things do not always work the way one thinks they should. So lets try this. http://www.fmca.com/chapters/chapter-search When the page opens, there will be a block asking for key word, to search. Type in Newmar . then click on search. I'm going to try it, to see if it goes where I hope and leads you to the information on the Chapter. Rich. Well it did what I hoped, so give it a try and let us know if you get the information link your looking for.

vickyr, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! I would venture that most Coach owner do not install supports under the slide outs. Having said that, what kind of Coach do you own, how big are the slides, do you just set up the coach a campgrounds for a week / month at a time or is it set up for months at a time ? Rich.

John, Welcome to the FMCA Forum ! I have used XZE tires and have had good over all performance. Tires on Rv's tend to age out before they ware out. I must admit that I'm not much for driving 70 MPH, as the mileage drops off considerably and we are not in any real hurry when touring around the country. You my want to look over FMCA's tire program, when pricing tires. I also have friends that use Hankook - AH-12 tires and they have been very happy with them. The Key is to watch the clearance between tires on the rear, the weight of the coach loaded relative to the tire weight range and tire pressure. You might take a look at the Tire safety thread and the post by Tireman, a retired tire engineer. Rich.

Tango64, Welcome to the FMCA Forum ! There is a Newmar Chapter in FMCA. It is a International Chapter and they have coach owners from all over the US and Canada primarily, but any Newmar owner can belong to FMCA and to the Chapter. Fallow this link, for contact information, officers and other related information. http://www.fmca.com/index.php?option=com_fmcachaptersearch&view=search&Itemid=98 Rich. Must say that it was nice to see #3 come out of the stable this year !!

Good News Frank! I was looking over some drawings and was going to ask if the ICC Switch, would allow you to flash your marker lights. It looks like the power for that circuit is supplied by the same fuse the powers the Low Beam lights. Rich. Note ! A damaged circuit board at connection could mean it was not tight, corroded or overloaded. Overload due to different / Higher rated lamps being installed ?