dickandlois

The alarms are sounding because there is no air pressure. The coach starter uses 12 volts DC. There could be enough charge to power the alarm system, but not enough voltage to power the starter. First check the battery charge. Voltage needs to be 12.5. Most likely over a 6 Month period if not connected to shore power they are discharged. The second issue could be the batteries are low on water if they are wet cells. If this is the case, the batteries are going to need to be replaced. Do you have a meter to check the battery charge? Might want to check all the fluid levels before starting the engine. Oil being on top - then coolant and power steering fluid.Idle engine long enough to build up air pressure and run a complete test of the air brake and air ride system and pressure readings on the gauges and air ride for any air leaks. Then go onto the tire pressures, wet hubs if the coach is equipped with them and you might want to have someone check the differential oil levels and or any of the items you do not feel comfortable doing yourself. Rich.

Tim, I looked for some information on your coach and could only find units that are 30 to 32 ft. and not the Open Road series. You could contact Tiffin at 1-256-356-8661 there main number or 256-356-0261 for parts and service. No 800 number listed ! Might ask them what the ATS part number is and if they have had problems that match you issue. Rich.

Well done!!! Thanks! From the number of guest online at the time, it looks like the up date stirred the pot! LOL Rich.

Will you be including the line(s) on the bottom of the index page that lists the members and others looking at the different subject lines ? Rich.

Squiko, Welcome to the FMCA Forum Benny! Feel free to fire away! You are on a learning curve that every coach owner started at some point and all of us are still learning. LOL Rich.

trishw, You looked at the difference in the roiling resistance between the XZE and the XZA3 tires. What the information means is one should get a little better fuel mileage with the XZA3 tires. The Technical information can be kind of overwhelming the first time you start looking for replacement tires. That is one of the reasons the forum tries real hard to help members! The group wants to help people just getting started get and find useful information and answer any and all questions. The site also offers this information when you click on the different tabs. http://www.michelintruck.com/tires-and-retreads/selector/#!/info/x-line-energy-z Welcome to the learning curve that everyone of us are still on, because things just keep changing. LOL Rich.

You might find some information on inventory from this link, give them a call. (888) 410-0604 http://simpletire.com/about Need to know the size and always ask about build date. Not sure they offer the best price, but never hurts to ask and see where the tires might be sitting in stock. Rich.

Blake, Nice offer Regarding the shocks. Could you post the chassis your coach is built on for the group? Makes it easier for others to compare their chassis info. with your 2005 Monaco. Sometimes they change part numbers over the years! Rich.

There is a file on the power gear sight that pictures the motor lock and how it should work. The Side should come in square! If the slide is square to the side wall, then there is an issue - possibly some thing between the front inside wall restricting the slide in that corner. You might move the slide out and just a little and measure all four corner distances from the outside wall and the slide wall that seals to the main wall. Any difference could indicate an out of adjustment issue. The rug could be loose from the floor and is restricting the front from complacently sealing. Look for the simple things before planing a slide adjustment. Keep the group up to speed on your issue! Rich.

Jim, Welcome to the Forum! The key is to know if your number one cylinder is at the top of the compression stroke or in the exhaust position. It needs to be in the compression stroke !!!!! Both the intake and exhaust valves will be closed. Make sure that no material falls into the cylinder when the plug(s) is removed. A good garage will have a inspection camera that can be inserted in to the cylinder through the spark plug hole an see if the cylinder(number one) is at top dead center on the compression cycle. All the plug wires need to be in the proper order as they run between the distributor cap and the plugs!!!!! Reinstalling the distributor and getting the oil pump drive shaft and the distributor shaft aligned can be challenging!!! NOTE: There is a plastic sleeve that keeps the two shafts connected. Plastic sleeves tend to brake and the replacement one is steel. You might need help from a good mechanic on this one. Good luck Rich.

rfsod48, Welding is always the best way as mentioned. I have not welded a hole in this style hydraulic tank. The key is to work with a clean surface. I use a power hand held wire brush, then check the thickness of the material around the mentioned hole. The material thickness is key to setting the welder to the proper current and voltage. A good welding shop should have no problem getting a good fix. I use a gas shielded mig to fill holes in many items. Rich. Note. I have used JB Weld sticks to repair a number of items when on the road until the coach is back home.

ObedB If you have the power gear electric slide system, Check the electric motor locking device is working. It keeps the motor locked so the gears do not move. The gearing ratio is like 50 to 1 to get the power required to move the slides and this also makes for a good breaking system to keep the slides locked in position. Rich.

baileysmom, Buy Simple Green Extreme!! It is made to clean aluminium and the Radiator and CAC are made from aluminium. I have found the 32oz. sized spray bottles at Pep Boy's. The gallon size is often a special order item . Need to mix 1 part extreme to 3 parts water to clean grease off engine and radiator. The Extreme version is FAA approved so an aircraft service center might stock the Gallon size. The bottom left corner - looking from the engine side of the fan is the hardest area to get clean because of the pitch angle of the fan blade. Please WEAR EYE PROTECTION when working the the cleaner !!!!!! Rich.

2mahams, jleamont's thought about call Xantrex is a good one. They are very helpful. They might offer some thoughts and tests for you to run. This is not an uncommon item. The panel LED's come on when the batteries are drawing a charge and the charging current triggers the red, yellow and green lamps. When the charge current drops below a preset level the green LED goes out, as the 12 volt loads draw down the voltage the charge current goes high enough to turn on the LED again. Rich.

I posted a number of links for the Workhorse Chassis on the 27th of March 2015 and have been notified that they no longer work and sure enough the only one still working is the first one. Looks like when Workhorse went out of production the links went also so I will do my best to try and find any and all the information over the next few weeks and see if there is a way to build a folder in the photo gallery with the information. Please keep your fingers crossed as the old computer has been under the weather to say the least - Think its out of the surgery but still in intensive care. Rich

Herman, You would hold the switch down until you have all the codes recorded / saved in the ECM. The Codes will repeat again and again as long as you hold down the key. The Idle speed key will go back one code,with each click so one can record them if needed.. OH, If you press the Idle speed switch - you can increasing the idle speed set point, but only to a max. RPM set in the ECM software or set the speed by using the throttle and pressing the cruse button as posted by the O.P. Rich.

WindsorE, The switches You posted a picture of - do allow you to read the engine codes on the 5.9 Cummings Engine. The Check engine light will flash the codes stored. To Read engine codes on the Freightliner Chassis (The code must be active. i.e. Still showing as a Check Engine or other fault 1. Shut the engine off. 2. Hold the Engine Check switch down. Located down by the steering column. 3. Turn the ignition key to on. Both the Check Engine (yellow) and the Stop Engine (red) will come on momentary. If no fault is active, both lights will come on and stay on. 4. The Fault Code will flash in the following sequence. First, the Check Engine (Yellow) lamp will flash. Then the Stop Engine light will flash the error number's in sequence. There will be a short one or two second pause between each number. When the number has finished flashing, (in red), a yellow light will appear again. The three digit code will repeat twice in the same sequence. The lights flash each fault code out two times before advancing to the next code. To skip to the next fault code sooner, or back to the previous code, touch the switch labeled Idle Increase/Decrease . This is a center off rocker switch located next to the Engine Check switch. If only one fault is active, the same fault will flash again. Rich.

1stmate, Welcome to the Forum also! Could you post the make and model of your electric steps for the group? Rich.

John, You might want to file the water heater tank with a 50/50 mix of water and distilled vinegar,when it is covenant. Fill it using the safety valve opening - remove the valve, drain the tank, fill it with the mixture, replace the valve, start the water heater and let it come up to its shutoff temperature. Let the mix stand in the tank for 4 hrs. Remove the drain plug and the safety valve. Then flush the tank with clean water using a garden sprayer until all the white lime stops flowing out the drain and replace the plug and safety valve. you should see a difference in the water heater efficiency. Also you could see some lime deposits build up in the faucet screens, you have not had the issue all ready. Rich.

Kind of true Bill ! As long as the coach builders meet all the safety standards set by the industry, they can do change things around as needed to get each model assembled in a way to connect all the hardware and systems. Rich

Richard, From the outlet that works, how many outlets are down stream from it that do not work and what do you plug into them? There is a possibility of a bad connection at the connection from the last box that works and or the input connection of the first box that does not work. Coach manufactures use the push in connections instead of the screw connections for the wires. They are much faster to connect that way, but they can tend to loosen over time or corrosion forms between the wire and the retaining spring clip. Rich.

KL, Glad you found a way to start the CA units. The information you posted,regarding the current surge comes real close to the max current the generator can supply per load leg. Adding a hard start cap to each of the AC Compressors will help, but it might only mask an issue with the OEM AC starting circuit. The capacitors and the motor start module are not that expensive - think I missed the Year your coach was built. I have replaced the starting caps on my AC units after one of them failed to start. NOTE! In the process I found a badly burned section of wire that connected the 120 volt AC power to the main Start capacitor and the connection had a large amount of coronation at the connection. This also caused a higher resistance. That resistance also reduced the starting current to the start cap. A capacitor is a current passing device not a voltage passing device. When the cap fails the Motor does not get the kick it needs and the motor then tries to draw more current then the run circuit can supply. The next thing that happens is the circuit breaker trips or the generator safety circuit kicks in. Keep the current below the trip point of the generator the way you did,by disconnection the charger/Invertor . Things work for now. You might want to look or have a service tech check for the same problem on your units Rich. A note to others reading this post ! This coach is equipped with what sounds like AC / Heat pump systems not exposed to hail damage. If you have been in a hail storm - The hail can damage the condenser fins on a roof unit. This causes the high side pressure on the AC system to increase. The higher pressure causes the compressor motor to draw more current. The increased current will then burnout the motor. There is a maximum pressure level for all air conditioning system. So if your not one that likes or can walk around on top of your coach to check for damage. An AC tech with the proper information and training can test the high and low side pressures and see if they are out side the design limits and if they are have the condensers fins visually inspected. Might save you a lot of money out of pocket if your insurance does not cover replacement.

Brett, the OP mentioned the unit was serviced not long ago. Good to know that things work fine on shore power. kind of takes the main wiring out of the picture. With new filters and oil change recently performed, Was the fuel filter replaced at the time? Good point. Did the unit operate properly with a full load after the service? Could the fuel line have been compromised is some way? Sure sounds like there where no issues before the service. No mention of error codes. I might be reaching a little, but there is a small possibility of a loose connection in the J Box connections where the generator wiring is connected to the coach wiring before the transfer switch. Rich.

Carl, From the information you have posted and combining that with Brett's thoughts. You might want to check for any restriction(S) in the exhaust system. Thinking that there is a possibility the glow plugs might be gummed up with soot, along with the exhaust valves. The service was performed not that long ago per your OP. Checking the exhaust system does not require removing the generator, if yours is not mounted on a slid out> Not nice riding around in a cold coach for sure. Might want to ride down towards Key West for a few weeks. Rich.

Klparker, You mentioned that the generator quits when you start the AC. Do you have more then one AC unit? Should you only have one, I would check the compressor starting caps and motor starter module. If you find no problems in that area check the compressor for a shorted winding. I have a feeling the AC compressor is drawing a high current, but if that is the case you might also have a defective circuit breaker in the 120 volt circuit breaker box. Try turning it off and back on - if it feels different then the others have it tested, because a good breaker should trip if the AC is drawing a high current. Let the group know what you find or the service tech finds. Rich.