dickandlois

Jeff, glad the item was simple when found, The little details can be so frustrating ! Good job and thanks for posting your find. Rich.

Jeff, glad the item was simple when found, The little details can be so frustrating ! Good job and thanks for posting your find. Rich.

Bill, There was no reason to hurry and by only increasing the torque in one lb. steps things settle in over the daily temperature change. Then after a road test and the high to low morning temperatures, the bolts where set to the 32 ft. Lb. level. not much movement, maybe between 1/8 to 1/4 in. of a turn between any of the bolts. Long high quality click style torque wrenches will set things very equally. The practice or habit was formed when I worked in the Aircraft industry when in college as the product moved slowly down the line. Then I had the pleasure of installing the wire safety wires just hrs. before they rolled out the doors for preflight certification. The idea is to build things that do not leak or come loose. Never wanted to be called for an inflight repair. Rich.

Joe, From memory - The OEM flange hole size went through the flange with no real machined surface milled into the area around the hole for the sleeve to set on. The New exhaust manifold for my engine has the same set up as the one you pictured. The sleeves are tight against the manifold - in my case they required 30ft.lbs. They where tightened slowly over a 4 day period of time to the final measurement. Rich.

Designed to help reduce the side / angular loading caused by expansion and contraction. There is also a subtle change in the interior angles. they beefed up that area also. you might check and see if the shoulder hole area has been modified for more clearance for the sleeves also? One key is to keep the mounting hole(s) as clean as possible so the casting can move relevant to each of the exhaust ports. just like the old 454 head problem - they would crack between the exhaust ports. Good high temp anti-seize is your best friend. Rich.

Jmdvison, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! At times the rust build up under the burner can cause intermittent operation. Have you tried to use compressed air to blow out that area? Just make sure your eyes are covered and second have you cleaned the control circuit board contacts with a clean pencil eraser? Have you cleaned the flue stack for the gas section? When things start to get close the set temperature, the flame will throttle down and there could be a draft issue with the lower heat flow up the stack. Circuit connections for the Gas valve can also cause the problem or low voltage at the connection(s) for the valve. Intermittent item(s) can be caused by a control board, but unit all the little details are covered it could still be an issue. Rich.

The up side is that when the 2 coaches get together, the pots and pans plus the spices are all in one location and something good is going to come out of the kitchen's !! Rich.

Well stated Brett! There are a number of the active forum posters that have been through some of these issues in private or public enterprises or organizations that feel the pain of the excellent personal working for FMCA headquarters that get caught in the wash when change is required. A personal thank you to all! Rich.

And Brett thanks for not letting the Wife see the project ! Rich.

The high pressure side switch is located real close to the evaporator coil and the low pressure switch is close to the condenser coil . So it you have a side mounted radiator - the evaporator is often located in the rear. You are asking about a switch and I need to ask it the question relates to the AC compressor not starting? The compressor will not run if the charge is too low and will quit if the high side pressure goes to high. Rich.

DITTO!! Electronic parts do not like those nasty voltage spikes! So make sure they are disconnected. Rich.

Gmazz46, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Leveling systems are always handy and keep the coach steady when parked. They can be added to most coaches, but it is a process to add them after the coach is built on the chassis. One needs to choose between Manual, Electric or hydraulic leveling systems. The manual systems are common on trailers. The electric systems are common on the small Class C and Class A coaches and the hydraulic are common on the Larger Class AD coaches. Rich.

rlaird, You will need to start the process. I do not remember the time line requirements, so start there and then supply all pertinent information, required in the class action suit. Rich.

Regarding the tires, not only does the size come into play, but one needs to know the RIM Width. the Rim information is listed for the Hankook tires and depending on the tire style the Rim width also changes. Think you can call Freightliner with your VIN Number and they can provide you with the Rim width and that could help deciding on tire make and Stile of tires to run. CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE OR CONCERNS Contact our Customer Support Center at 1-800-FTL-HELP (1-800-385-4357) Rich.

pmaytx, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! Think one needs to match the tires to the load range required. You can get into a tire that will ride hard if the ply rating is to high. The link provided offers information on Rim size, load range and pressure for both single and dual applications for Hankook tires. http://www.hankooktire.com/us/files/technical-manual/02_Product_Information_9.pdf Tireman might be the best member to fill in the gaps. Rich.

glsponchos! The thing I would look for is something that got spilled into the burner and the outside surface got cleaned, but the openings and burner fuel orifice is plugged. The DW loves to can items when they are in season and I get a lot of practice cleaning the gas stove. No electric stoves as they do not have linear temperature controls. Rich.

Mark, Welcome to the FMCA Forum!! Welcome also to the learning curve all of us are still on. Coach builders change things and we try to keep up. Do you know if anyone has checked or replaced the Engine Thermostat? I know that sounds to simple, but a few years back, I was convinced it was bad on our coach and Cummins, service centers and repair shops all thought I was nuts. So we drove very slowly to the Factory service center and put the item on our service order. When it was removed the tech paged me to see what it looked like and noted - I do not think it is supposed to look like that. LOL The second item to look at is the engine brake or Pac brake system is free and opening up properly. The devil is in the small details!!! And many have missed a few! They have not come up with a little RED button that pops like they do in the Thanksgiving Turkey yet that says I'm done. Rich.

You may have to reset the programing dip switches. Check in your owners manual for location and compare that information with the information that came with your new thermostat. Rich.

The link below will get you a wiring diagram and information for the system and from what I have been able to find it looks like it could match or come close to the Ford Chassis system. http://www.atwoodmobile.com/manuals/chassis/MPD%2066166%20SP%2011.21.07.pdf Rich. Parts list for Electric leveling system Atwood Jacks-1.pdf

Yep, Charging batteries is one of the hardest items to get right IMHO. As mentioned by Brett, charging a Dead or highly discharged AGM battery requires the use of a low current charger to start the process, since heat will kill them by displacing the water. Another affect of heat on AGM batteries is the ambient storage temperature. The higher the temperature the shorter the life cycle. Where as wet cells can last up to 20 years with good maintenance. The fallowing link might help and the are some hyper links with in the information, but it can be confusing along with informative. http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_heat_and_harsh_loading_reduces_battery_life Rich.

Mike, yes it could be a power transfer switch or an issue in the J Box where the Generator power is connected to the coach wiring going to the transfer switch wiring in the area of the main power panel. Also check all the connections in the Main AC power panel behind the cover plate and the ground wiring between the coach and shore power circuit. Things do come loose. See the image in this link. No power to the coach from the generator or shore power when checking any of the main power connections. Rich. Generator to coach J Box connection issue picture.pdf

Mike, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! Is there or has a Auto Gen Start feature been added to the generator? One needs to mindful that the Onan auto start has been subject to some issues. Also, interestingly, I can hear a relay or the control breaker buzzing when the AC or the microwave are on. All other times everything seems to operate as normal. The dead batteries most likely due to the load, but check the condition of the batteries and that all the connections are clean and tight. Rich.

Hi Joe, Yes the 7100 is almost bullet proof. Longer with a compression section for each Cylinder and no electronic fuel metering. Anyway, my ISB has one of the first VP-44 pumps and the OEM design did not use the correct materials for the fuel compression pistons(time line was 1998 to late 1999) that work off the internal cam and where / are suspect to structural damage, pitting or rust. When they start to fail one needs to remember that the problem first shows up when the pumps get hot. I on the other hand had a DUH moment and totally drew a blank in the heat of the moment. There are no new VP-44 pumps, all are reman. units and not all re builders are equal. The real test is to pour cold water over the back of the pump, that's the end where the injector lines connect. This cools the pump just enough to reduce the friction caused by material damage an heat expansion. this allows the pistons to work freely again. IF you do not get a Code from the pump control electronics !!! Internal structure is 3 compressor cylinders, with 2 solenoids so each one can feed 2 injectors. So 3- compression sections can supply 6 cylinders. The thing is we are always trying to build a better mouse trap and reduce the cost! Engineers always need a challenge to keep them entertained. I have always enjoyed a challenge, but building something cheaper just to save money; did not fit into my mind set. The privet aircraft industry and Uncle Sam tough me well. Build it tough and make things redundant. The one lesson that keeps getting missed, is dissimilar materials connected together or in close proximity to each other is not a good idea in a number of applications. Note, Bosch VP-pumps number tag 04756-XXXX. The last portion of the number is needed to get the properly specked pump for each Cummins Engine application! Rich. Old and still having fun learning !!!

Dave, Think the Lift pump on my Cummins fuel supply runs all the time when the engine is running, but will run only 30 seconds if the engine does not start. That makes them hard to prime after fuel filters are replaced, if one does not pre-fill the new filter, when there is no hand operated priming pump.

Joe, Think I should look into offering your clerical staff a job. Rich.