dickandlois

Rick, We have the same issue. LOL DW loves to sew and being creative - she has a good number if items. Then through in my items, it is almost to much to comprehend. Kind of like birds of a feather. I have been well schooled in redundancy and back up and she has some back up equipment and a good stock of fabrics. I do a lot of my own maintenance and giving up the sticks and brick location and the tools is kind of terrifying in a way. Rich.

bdersham, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! There are a few options, but first could you post the Make, Year and model of your RV. Not all are constructed the same and the information will help the forum members to offer the most relevant information. Rich.

How long does the voltage stay at 12.02 volts? Does it continue to drop? I have run into a case where 1 of the cells of a relatively new battery had just water in it. No lie. And if memory is correct, that battery would read real close to the readings you are getting. A battery hydrometer is the only way to test the cells for this type of problem. One bad cell on a 6 volt battery would drop the voltage by about 2.08 volts. A 12 volt battery with one cell with a water reading would drop by 2.08 Volts. You have a o.72 voltage drop. That kind of reading would indicate to me that the water to acid mix in one of the cells could be off by around 50 %. I do not know the acid to water mix percentage, but I will see what I can find regarding that number ! Rich. Back to the chemistry book(s) Battery acid is sulfuric acid that has been diluted with water to attain a 37% concentration level.

Five, I installed a new sine wave inverter and the only way to stop all the power draw is to install a disconnect switch at the battery, but that resets the unit to factory defaults. The other issue is the initial high current surge when the power is reapplied. So I just let it draw a few mil. amps. A small solar panel or trickle charger covers that and One needs to remember that the chassis, ECM, TCM and other modules are also drawing a small current. Disconnecting the Chassis battery places the ECM into a relearning mode and the system will fail an emission test until driven around 100 miles. Doing that legally could be a challenge or a paper chase in many states. Rich.

Eric, See the leveling system is using power gear equipment. That being the case, power gear installs grease fitting at the bottom of the hydraulic cylinders. The shiny part you mentioned - is called the Ram. The grease fittings are in the cylinder portion. Kind of hidden from view by the foot of the jack when it is retracted. ONLY use white lithium grease to grease the fittings. I have a small grease gun I use only for the job. The grease keeps the seals clean and the hydraulic fluid in. Whip down the shiny portion with silicon when it is extended. NOTE ! only use 2 shots of the grease. !!!!!!!! Cycle the jacks 2 or 3 times. and keep an eye on things for a few days. THE jacks need to be greased after 30 cycles, that information is buried in the power gear jack manual. One of those routine maintenance issues. Rich. Been there done That including the leak ! Many service centers know they need to be greased or that the manual mentions using lithium grease !!!

Carl, There is a reason it's colder if you think about it. Warm summer and the big lakes got warmer then nominal this past summer. Got to think that the real big ponds are also a little warmer and with hot air being lighter then cold air. That leaves the door wide open for the cold air to drop in. Regarding the Great Lakes - areas around them are setting record snow levels. Hope that I mixed enough 911 into the diesel on the last fill up and fuel filter change. Will also fined out if the block heater will do it's job. Then there is the job of removing any snow build up off the top of the coach, if we need to stop because of weather. The state police do not take kindly to snow and ice flying off the roof of any large vehicle. Rich.

Rick. Nice job! I Did not know that there was a wire raceway running the length of the enclosed bay area> That sure saved some time and parts. As you mentioned , a project like that enhances ones knowledge of how things are wired and where those wires run. Rich.

The Blade has a pin at the left end that hols the arm and the right side of the plastic clip locks the blade on the the arm. Pressing down or sliding a small screw driver under the right between the mattle arm and the plastic clip should release the blade. Rich.

Well done JK, Excellent pictures and description! There is a possibility that the wire lug in the fuse holder that you circled is broken. If you look real close the circled lug wire end is inserted farther then the one connected to the heavy wire lug. This might indicate that the fuse holder is damaged and it sure looks like it is part of the relay molding. So, look for an in line fuse holder and just bypass the circled unit. The good thing is it is just a fuse holder and not connected directly to the energizing coil wiring directly. The color of the day for the wire was yellow, even though the relay coil label says White / Purple and is the grounded lug. The black strip on that wire was put there most likely by the installer. He got some black line on the relay label. One can read the circuit wire number the fuse is wired to --- 163716-01-000 and another circuit wire is labeled 163106-01-000. With the wiring number chart / this ID's the what and where of the circuit. Much more reliable then the wire colors in most cases. Real good job and not simple to fine these little snakes. Remember the devil is in the details !!!!! Rich.

Would the sound still be coming from the transformer even when I turned off the inverter and charger? YES, The reason is AC power is going into the unit from either the line directly or through the 30 amp breaker in the power panel. There should be no buzz when not connected to shore power or when the circuit breaker feeding the unit is off. Do check the ground copper wire to the unit is tight as well as the ground points / connections at the breaker box and the chassis frame. That should not change things, but it is always good the check them - things just giggle loose driving down the road. Rich.

Carl, I have the feeling that the road might just have some snow on it now ! June is a lot different then December and January in the Smokes ! All the talk about good videls and we are stuck in the cold and icy road zone for a few days. The trade off was spending some quality time with the kids and grand kids. Now we just wait for the warm air to run North for a few days so we can get on the road. Rich.

Went back to read your original post. The Inverter / Charger is OEM equipment. So - the humming sound is being generated from the transformer. After time the steel plates used to make the transformer start to vibrate / buzz. This is caused by the brake down of the lacquer used to isolate them. It do not effect the operation of the system, but they do buzz. No real fix for that problem - for the majority of owners or even the service centers. Should you send the unit back to Xantrex - they could replace the transformer. The Total cost of the labor and shipping gets to a point close to replacing it. So I would just use it until it has electrical issues and then replace it. Think you will find it is a 2500 Watt / Modified sine-wave unit. They are still in production and used frequently in many new coaches. The Pure sine wave units are more expensive, but do have the ability to be used with the newer electronic equipment that use Computer style circuits and control systems. Hope this information helps answer your question(s). Rich.

Recheck the series / parallel wiring for the house batteries and that the battery wires for the chassis 12 volt batteries are correct. I did rewire mine wrong one time and the charger was not happy. Humbling experience, but if one places there fingers into a mouse trap enough times it will get you. Rich.

Ray, the thermal switch used in the Atwood furnaces might work, they are set to open at 190 degrees.High temp coated wire and some creativity. I feel real bad, you drive all the way to the East coast and its like we are yelling at you to go back home. The temperatures are not expected to get out of the teens for the next 10 to 15 days and into the single digits - some with a mines in front of them up around the great lakes. We got through Christmas and it is now to cold to pack the coach - no quick departure for the sand and sun for a few days. Travel safe. Rich.

bburns, Replying to your voltage readings. Unplugged from shore power, inverter OFF charger OFF Voltage at house banks batteries tested in series: 12.88v Good Unplugged from shore power, inverter ON charger ON Voltage at house banks batteries tested in series: 12.25v A little lower then I would expect, BUT if there is any load Microwave clock, florescent light or some other light load it is well within the nominal range Plugged into shore power, inverter ON charger ON Voltage at house banks batteries tested in series: 14.38v A good float level voltage. Rich.

Just noticed that there are 3000 plus guests on the forum this AM. Early paper has not arrived, the Christmas presents are all opened, or the forum makes for some interesting reading with the first cup of coffee. Sure glad that so many guests might be finding the forum helpful or interesting reading. Welcome and join the conversations. Rich.

Hum, The Moderator takes a few days off. Time out notices will be in the mail. Having an uncle for the Base CO can make for some interesting conversations. Rich.

David, the description would lead me to look at the coach battery connections ! The process would be to clean the battery cable and terminal connections. I do use a Drummel tool with a wire wheel brush. Steel or SS. They also have a nice soft brass wheel and polyester wheel that cleans the finer contacts and wires of oxidation. The Drummel is one of my must have tools that can be used for a number of jobs with the proper bits or brushes. After cleaning the cable and battery connections - spray some battery terminal pant or just some oil on the connections. Isolates the metal from the off gassed acid. Also , protects the battery mounting hardware. Battery condition can be checked with a meter and each cell can be tested using a hydrometer made to test the acid charge level.(Remember you are working with Sulfuric Acid) Same type tool one uses to test the freeze point of the cooling system - BUT they are not interchangeable !!! Rich.

hfgsma, Welcome to the FMAC forum! Rich.

Welcome to the FMCA forum! Model has 4 slides, are you referring to the Kitchen / Dining area as the large slide? When trying to move the slide manually - you mentioned that only one slide moves. You are referring, that only one of the reals is moving, when you turn and motor by hand? This could indicate a broken sheer pin or a damaged system drive. Who supplied the slide hardware ? Is it hydraulic, Electric drive or A cable system ? Rich.

Good Morning Ray ! If you are where I think you are, over the next few days - it might be just a little white. The weather is not bad for the next 12 hrs. maybe? Then the next 5 to 6 days temps will drop into the teens and single digest not to far north of you. Rich.

AH !

AH, Those senior moments ! The thought and wishes is what counts ! The same to you and to ALL a Good Night. Rich.

Joe, You might take a look at this link. Lines Available in SS or other materials They can make about any tube for any make and model vehicle and engine. If they do not - sending them the tubing information and bending pattern / even an OEM line as a pattern and see what they say. They also make Brake lines and kits. Classic tube Lancaster NY 1-800-882-3711 http://www.classictube.com/index.php Rich.

The Coach we bought has 2 furnaces. A 20,000 BTU and a 35,000 BTU. Living at the Northern Latitudes - that was a selling point. With high winds(Big lakes do not restrict them) Ice storms and some impressive snow storms and the loose of power> The Coach is our backup for lost power and extra sleeping space for those family gathering or a warm retreat for others cough with few options. Note, just found this in one of the newer HR owners manuals and I can not remember ever seeing it before. NOTE: It is not advisable to use the furnace to heat the interior of the motorhome during transit. ? Find it interesting, because we have traveled in 10 deg. weather and 400 cubic feet of volume can get cold with only the engine cooling system as the heat source. Rich. Additionally - made up a full sized insulating sheet of Mylar R-4 for the windshield and the entry door. Both have a single pane of glass. Makes a big difference. They do not take up much space when roiled up and very lite weight.