dickandlois

Dalesrig, Welcome to FMCA ! I must admit that I do not have a Country Coach. Is the replacement remote from Country Coach ? You mentioned that you crushed the original one, by chance do you still have it ? The control codes would still be in the memory chip or chips inside the controller. Sounds like you understand programing software, so do you play around with logic circuits? or by chance do you have a contact that does and could that person retrieve the data ? Just kind of thinking out loud. Love to find workarounds !!! Rich.

J79Engine, sent you a PM. Rich.

fzeuner, I do not know of a permanent fix, you can use terminal spray paint or DC-4. one could make some hold down clips out of lexan, but you still have the hold down bolts. So I clean them, paint them and coat them with grease. Not perfect, but they do last longer. The other thing I do is pressure wash the battery's and the compartment after washing the area with a baking soda and water mix, to neutralize the acid every 6 months. Park the coach in an area where the rust and acid will not stain a surface like concrete. Rich.

Bob, interesting ! I'm wondering if the previous owner changed things around. the owners of some of the coaches get creative. There no reason that I know of that would prevent both AC units from running even with the coach engine running. Many owners run the generator and AC units while driving to keep cool in the warmer weather. When the engine is running there is a transfer switch that switches the charging of the batteries from the charger / inverter to the alternator circuit on many coaches, but that should not cause one ac unit to shut down. Just wounder if the same ac unit shuts down every time you start the engine, that would be a clue to might lead somewhere ! Rich.

BK5057, Talked to a person that attended the Rally in Gillette who has one and in a general conversation he mentioned that his unit has worked well for them. The unit he has did have a switch fail while using it that week, but over all and I think he said 3 years that was the first time it had let them down. Rich.

Hi Mable, Welcome to FMCA ! Like they say its the little things the will be the most challenging. Regarding the starting problem, the fuel line the shop said is dry rotted and when that happens small cracks allow air to get into the line. The fuel pump pulls / or lifts the fuel up out of the tank and air is lighter the gas, so when the tank level is down just a little air leaking into the line reduces the lift of the pump. No fuel flow. Replacing the line should fix that issue, but I have the feeling they forgot to tighten a clamp or maybe just replaced just a portion of the fuel line. The other possibility for the fuel leaking when the tank was filled, they missed connecting the vent line at the tank. It is a very tight spot to work when replacing any of the lines connected to the gas tank, just because they are all made at the top. Now, your coach is wired with a 30 amp service for shore power and the generator will put out around 50 amps. So the coach builders wire the 110 volt system so you have 50 amps or more when on generator power and 30 amps shore power. That ends up allowing you to run 2 air conditioners from the generator and only one from shore power. It basically comes down to a cost thing! 50 amp shore power circuits require heavier wires and that increases the cost of the coach, so they go for saving some money to keep the price in the range they think will sell more of them. Better profit line. Rich.

Shell925, This is the link to a PDF copy of your owners manual. Kind of handy to have on you computer. It is a much quicker reference then digging through the hard copy. Only drawback is one can not make notes along the margins ! I see there is some real good information on the fuse and relay panels, but really nothing regarding the Generator. I will look for some information regarding the generator. http://thormotorcoach.com/media/documents/2005-Mandalay-Owners-Manual.pdf Rich.

Hi Ted, Welcome to FMCA ! The only item I would question is the age of the fluids. Over time condensation can build up in the engine oil and transmission fluid. That would happen in your case because things do not get hot enough, few and very short runs. Have you had the engine oil changed? Most of the coolants will last for 5 to 7 years. Rich.

Dave, the models with serial numbers higher then 832170 use a different control board design that can be reset, below that the design of the control board is not resettable from the information I have found. Rich.

fad847, Welcome to FMCA ! This is a thread the covers the problem with the gauges on most Freightliner Chassis. You can read through the different posts on this thread, but it is most often caused by cold solder joints in the air module. The cost can vary, but you are looking at around $1000 when repaired at the service centers. So shop around!!! http://community.fmca.com/topic/3904-air-brakes-warning-system-pressure-guage-erratic-reading/ Rich.

Shell925, With the information you supplied, I would check the start switch inside the coach. The external and internal ones are in parallel and there is very little else in the circuit. I will look and see if by chance I have the wiring information on your coach. There are differences in the wiring, but in this case most generator starting circuits are wired the same. Now, how they route the wires, that is a totally different story !! One question, Can you stop the generator from inside the coach? Rich.

Dave, Sounds like it is now working. With the number flashing 6 and 7, are you reading the temperature setting numbers? the fault codes generally show up in the very right hand display and read out low or high AC line voltage(s) out of operating parameters plus others. Like LP issues. Rich.

Hi Ken, Welcome to FMCA! The first thing to check are the circuit brakes on the generator. Turn them off and back on. Restart the generator and see if things work. should the generator quit or trip the breakers, check all the connections and grounds between the generator and the J box connections where the generator connects to the coach 110 volt circuit(s). If you are not familiar working with AC power circuits ask for help. Always disconnect from shore power, stop the generator and turn off the inverter if you coach is equipped with one. Could you post the make and model of your inverter / charger and of the Generator for the forum. Rich.

J79Engine, Hey welcome to FMCA, I would take a look at the wheel sensors at the point they are mounted into the hubs. Any rust in that location, will lift the pickup coil(s) just ever so slightly away from the pulse ring in the bearing Assembly and at low wheel RPM's of the wheels that reduces the pulse amplitude enough to activate the system. Now, the other item that can set them off is if the connections get wet or oxidized. Most likely a dealer will want to sell you new parts and in most cases that is not necessary. Got to ask if your ABS pump energizes when you slow down? Keep us in the loop as there is a fix for the problem if indeed it is the wheel rotation sensors. Rich. Note, it is not a good idea to ignore the ABS, it is a real issue to stop a coach if the pulsing pump starts to run because the system thinks the wheels are sliding !!!!!!

Hi Dave, Welcome to FMCA ! You are on the correct thread regarding your issue. The threads get long with questions and answers. I think we over look some of the posts as many of the questions have been covered at some point. Not the best thing to do but it happens. Have you cleaned the Gas burner per the owners manual / have you tried to clean the contacts on the control boards with a CLEAN pencil eraser? Many of the intermittent problems are due to oxidation and dirt in the wrong place. Lets see if we can find your problem area(s). Rich.

Rick, Welcome to FMCA. There should be velocity valves in each of the hydraulic lines, located at the main manifold. They should restrict the flow so the jacks retract slower. Link to a bulletin that might be helpful http://www.hwhcorp.com/ml44725.pdf This is a link to the repair manual http://www.hwhcorp.com/ml13514.pdf Rich.

sdlmrk, Welcome to FMCA,Do you know how hot the cooling system got after the fan foaled ? The temperature required to cause the failure the mechanic mentioned should be much higher then an engine would reach and still funtion. The one item that come to mind is that when the fan failed the cooling temperature was high enough to cause steam to form in the system, leaving behind an air pocket at could be causing a water pump cavitation. When your engine over heats do you get hot air out of the heater? Rich

Bowtorc, Welcome to FMCA ! Could you post the year, model number of you generator and if its Gas or LP. What is the oil level in your generator? To much or to little will cause a shutdown. You did not mention if you unit set any fault codes. Rich.

Huffypuff, They might work on some of the systems to remove the wiper arms, but not all the arms are held in place with a nut and washer. Some of the arms are held on by a spring clip on the bottom side that locks them on and there is no stud protruding through the base of the arm. Rich.

There is a tool just for removing the wiper arms from the shaft that works very well. It come in real handy removing the arms held on with a spring clip. The one I have is made by KD Tools, think # 2039. Just looked it up and that is it. Rich.

Do you still have the OEM antenna ? The Chassis acts as a ground plane, they do not make a good antenna, but if you have the installation manual and a nonconducting tuning stick; you can try to tune the coupling capacitor at the input and see if that helps. Fractions of a turn make a big difference between max and min. capacitance. One turn 360 deg. equals the full range. Work carefully because the cap could be set at the 180 degree point, so you might have only 90 degrees clockwise from the starting point and 90 degrees counterclockwise !!! You might want to try tuning the ORM antenna to the new radio, it makes a big difference in most cases. Keep me posted. May need some additional information on your coach and see if I can come up with a workable option. Rich.

Chris, this is a link to the T handle shifter used on the mechanical shifting linkage of there transmissions. http://www.utxchange.com/pdfs/Felsted/THandle_and_Push_Button_Shifters.pdf This might help get you started in the right direction. Rich. Note! Chris with 1200HP, What is the Torque output? You will need to find the maximum input torque the transmission will take.

Casuall, Welcome to FMCA ! Think you kind of put everything in a nut shell. With all the products on the market, maintenance in my opinion is the primary ingredient regarding performance and longevity. Putting off or trying to extend the maintenance intervals, that change to some degree depending on conditions can wind up costing more long term. I have used some of the products you listed, to squeeze out a little more time / miles out of a vehicle. Knowing that at some point major items will need to be replaced or rebuilt. Rich.

Never got my hands on the controls of a DC3! That would have been fun!! To get through college, I worked building Private Aircraft and over the years and the background I did get to hold the controls of a few. The only thing that I have missed was a chance to get my license. All I had to do was buy the fuel and our test pilots and instructors would have been glad to give me the lessons. Most likely the second best deal in town, but paying for collage trumped that. The wife is a good sport and always wondered why I would just pack up my things and fly off with my father and brother to desolate areas. then the opportunity came for her and my mother to go with dad and I to Labrador. The Loons, Geese, eagles, caribou, wolves and unspoiled nature grabbed her heart. That lead to our first trip to Alaska with the kids in tow. The best summer ever. After the kids where grown my DW said that she would not stand in the way of me learning to fly. Turned down the chance for a second time. She had never traveled before we where married and I just want to take her to places that many just dream of. Hay, one only goes around once. Still paying some college bills and that lowers the fun funds. Would never trade the decision made. Oh! That reminds me of one of those special items that fall in ones lap. On one fishing trip to West Yellowstone. I and some fishing friends where the last passengers on a 737 that would land and stay the night at there airport, when the pilot walked back and asked if we had seen the park from the air, with a resounding No from all passengers aboard: We got a private circle flight around the park and later, dinner together with the flight crew. Rich.

Jdesiderato, Welcome to FMCA ! Also. Could you post the year of your coach for the group. When you notice the heat do you have the AC unit(s) running? Brett mentioned the need to keep the connections clean to reduce resistance. When the wires it the plug are flexed a number of times the strands of wire can be broken over time and with fewer strands to carry the current the remaining strands need to carry more current and that also causes heat. The condition of the cable and all the connections reduces resistance and in turn lowers the heat produced. Rich.