dickandlois

Jack, The ECM should give you a warning when the level drops to a predetermined level by the engine manufacture. That warning can be a little different for different instrument clusters . Check this link for some general information. http://www.rambodybuilder.com/iph/iph2014/ph2014/phdocs/phcc/phwarningsystemdef.pdf Rich.

Joe, the equalizer mode puts a high current and elevated voltage across the battery bank. I have never felt comfortable knowing the batteries are boiling. This condition can cause battery acid to be forced out of the cells, that needs to be addressed with some baking soda and water to wash the complete area and mount. Like some other owners, when the system is in the equalizing mode - after around 30 min. I interrupt the cycle and run a hydrometer reading on all the cells. If they are not equal, I restart the cycle for around 30 more min. and repeat the hydrometer test. Should there be a different reading after 90 min. in any of the cells, it is time to replace the battery(s) with a low reading-if it is 1225 or lower, is may cutoff point to replace. The max reading is 1275 for most lead acid batteries. Rich.

jhagen00, Welcome to the FMCA forum! Think they are referring to the X Miltie Energy Series tires. A new series - Check on the Dual tire spacing requirements compared to the XZE 275/80R22.5 LRH, rolling circumference and Rim size. I did not do a complete comparison. Check this link https://www.michelinb2b.com/wps/b2bcontent/PDF/X_MULTI_ENERGY_Z_DataPg.pdf Rich.

I keep thinking that many times, drivers are multitasking and forget they are in a moving office. Had an incident just a few months ago in the area where one patrol car ran a red light and hit another patrol car. Really messed both of them up. Turned out the one officer was reading the location of a brake in on the computer screen. They realty do not multitask any better then anybody else. Had a USPS truck try to take the front off the coach on Rt.71 about 2 years ago. Had the curb side open to run to, brakes and brown pants. Took a little pit stop at the next rest area. An I now travel with a dash cam ! Rich. I have taken some single pictures off the SDcard of some very nice pictures.

Dave, This is a list of the models for your year coach, could you reply with the correct one. or you can just click on the correct model for an external link. Meridian (P) IKP32T IKP34H IKP36G IKP39F IKP39K Rich.

Well, I finally got to try the steps- using the PM section-open full Editor- the Browse box does not appear? Must have something set wrong. Rich.

Jack, if there is no indication of the head lights or marker lights flashing when you press the switch(s) the switch operates a relay and that relay has a fused circuit. Maybe there is a bad fuse, loose or defective relay or an open wire / connector. Rich.

Joe, I check the batteries on our coach every 3 months for the proper water level. Check them the first week in December before it gets cold up north. Then in February I sneak a quick peek at the water level(depending on the outside temperature range in this 3 month time frame) this is the point where highest evaporation a cures. Then between February to May the batteries need about half as much water replaced. June to August time frame, add just a little water again. September to November a check and I'm back into the December(Check the levels before the cold settles in. There would be a different evaporation rate for each area of the World and how often the load requirements necessitates recharging the batteries from there low point. Battery life for us is about 6 years. I run a hydrometer reading every 6 months on average, unless the expected charge time drops and there is the possibility on one cell in the system adding an internal load to all the batteries. This can degrade the entire bank of batteries in a short period of time. NOTE! when this has happened to us I will Split the battery bank off / out of the bank. This drops to Amp Hrs. but prevents one bad cell from pulling everything down with it. Had to replace one on a trip west, found a NAPA special application 6 volt battery(not the best solution)but we had 80% of the nominal Amp Hrs. to use-and we did not need to replace any other batteries on the trip. Rich.

Joe, Take a look at this link. http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/motorhome-news/2989-workhorse-brake-recall.html Rich.

Gary, The same issue came up on the US side and the court decided, the 5th amendment protects the person from unlawful search of personal information-unless there are extenuating circumstances and that would require a search warrant. Think Canada is testing how far they can push the issue on there side of the border. Rich.

This happened to a Canadian citizen. http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/6/8162337/iphone-unlock-border-agents-canada The line of ones personal rights is getting grayer. Rich.

Looked around to see if I could find a Link to a FMCA Magazine article database some where and could not find anything. There is so much information in the past and present issues, I'm thinking an article index would be very beneficial. Would it be a possibility to create a library index for members and guests? Rich.

Lori, this is not the article you are referring to, but it might offer some insight. http://brokensecrets.com/2010/04/26/understanding-trucker-signals/ Rich.

Joe, this is the link to the dates and location of the area Rallies this year. http://www.fmca.com/chapters/area-rallies.html The Eastern Area Rally was moved to NC this year, often located in Hershey, PA The other option is the Northeast area Rally in Essex Junction, Vermont. Rich.

Ray, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! I see that they still make a model / the overall size is different, but by chance could the DVD / CD unit be replaced if that is the part that failed? Have you looked into the possibility of cleaning the mechanical assembly of the player/ does it spin up? is there a problem locating the selected track? or is it a skipping issue? http://www.magnadyne.com/catalog/part.cfm?PID=612299&CID=36884 http://www.magnadynestore.com/about/contact.cfm http://www.autoservicecenters.net/Elkhart/IN/auto-mechanics/auto-452610.html Rich.

Thanks Tom! Time to go back to some old text books LOL. The math is dead on, I think! do not have any of my old instructors looking over my shoulder. We have one of those towers about 600 ft. from the house plus or minus 50 ft. So we live fairly close to the flash light. One thing for sure, there is no problem with cell, G3 or G4 signal strength. Good to have some good mentors in the world ! You and Brett are doing your best to keep me honest. Must admit that I'm having more math hick ups as time passes. Could come real close to figuring out LCR circuits in my head for different frequencies or DC circuits and wave propagation at one time. Rich.

Tom, I think that Consumer Cellular operating mod is compatible with AT&T. That being the case, the coverage area would be the same for both. Cricket is one service that I have not really looked into. Have family that work for AT&T, and they also have a second cell phone to help cover areas. I remember when I had the old Analog Phone with a contract that let us use it anywhere, because of all the cross contract services. One was basically never out of range of a cell tower. That was due to the frequency used and cell phones with 5 Watts of transmission power. New units have about 300 milliwatts. Totally different ball game. Note. I love the way people worry about the affect of them on ones brain. Because of the lower power the carriers now have to install more equipment(Towers) and those tows have a radiated signal of around 175watts AND there are how many people living in the RF field, But the government worries about the 300mw in your hand. Got to love it !!! Rich.

dwillia8288, Welcome to the FMCA forum! You did not post the Year, Make and Model of your coach and there are different configurations(wiring) used. The three 12 volt coach batteries, are they deep cycle series? You mention that the 2 Chassis (engine) batteries you are using have a short life span. How long do they last? From my experience this is unusual / what is the condition of your alternator? Regulated output is 13.5 volts in most cases. You can read this voltage by measuring the reading at each of the batteries and checking for clean and tight connections at all the battery connections. Also check the condition of all the ground connections at the Chassis. The Magnum 2000 series charger / inverter should go through a sequence of charging steps. 1-A high current charge rate of approximately 90amps. Red LED 2-A medium current charge rate of 45 amps. Yellow LED 3-A float charge rate to maintain coach battery charge and also be connected to the chassis batteries to maintain a charge level of 13.5 to 14 volts.Green LED You should check the setup of your 2000 using the remote monitoring panel. The term "no Maintenance"is really miss leading- Most batteries have caps that can be removed - exposing 3 cells at a time and there water levels should be checked. I check all of my batteries every 6 months and during the cold weather I check them every 3 months. Reason is that with colder weather the humidity is lower and the batteries are often warmer then the air temperature. This condition allows for greater water evaporation from the cells. When filling the batteries, use only distilled water and remember to work safe. Battery acid can cause sever skin burns. Rich.

Joe, Can you post the Model number for your unit? That might lead to a Owners Manual and some feedback from a member or two. Rich.

Just took the time to see if AAA has any information and this is what I found, now need to take some time to look at there information and compare it. http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/trailer-dimensions/ Rich. A quick review and there are some miner differences between the sights, but over all total lenghts look very close ! Maybe this is an area for FMCA office to look into just what state regulations are. This could have an impact on state bottom lines regarding the Campground industry and travel. Then throw in this and other information from AAA and things really are interesting. http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/trailer-speed-limits/

Keep your eye on me Kay!! Thanks for finding a possible issue- Kind of mentioned installing the correct wire size and fuse, but it was a little vague. Rich.

Herman, IF? I'm reading the information correctly. The Length is for RV pulling a trailer are listed. Not the larger 18 wheelers. They fall under different rules? Rich.

Thanks Kay, Good point and information ! I took the time to read the length information and put together a list for the link. Combined length of a Coach and Trailer by state. New Jersey—Combined length=50 feet. Mississippi----Combined Length=53 feet Maryland------Combined length=55 feet Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Road Island, Wisconsin------Combined Length=60 feet. Utah------------Combined Length=61 feet New Hampshire and South Carolina—Combined Length=Not Specified Indiana---------Combined Length is a little gray, but 60 to 65 feet is listed.(single and double haul involved) The rest of the states are greater than 65 feet. Rich.

Showinoff, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The are a number of variables when determining the turning radius of coaches and then add a trailer with a different stile front (Square or "V" shaped) and things get interesting. One main item is the cut in degrees of the front wheels and then the stile of trailer being pulled in combination. Always felt that it is best to get real numbers, from some practice in an empty parking lot. Hear are some links to information that might help get a close figure on the required radius. Reading them is a little like watching grass grow, but some good information hidden in the pages. http://design.transportation.org/Documents/TurnRadii,GreenBook2004.pdf http://www.ktc.uky.edu/files/2012/09/1991-Development-of-Turning-Templates-for-Various-Design-Vehicles-KTC-91-2.pdf http://nacto.org/docs/usdg/design_vehicles_turning_radii_washburn.pdf Rich.

I purchased a small sine wave inverter(400 watt) to run the smaller electronic equipment or electronic controlled items. Like laptops, notebooks and printers, also works good to charge cellphones. As long as the load is no greater then 200 to 250 watts, one can use the 12 volt accessory outlets in most vehicles. Running items with higher loads-one needs to install a 12 volt circuit with larger Gage wires and fuses to meet the current demanded to operate inverters with outputs of greater then 200 Watts. Items like refrigerators and electric blankets that draw higher current levels require higher wattage inverters, they can be connected in parallel with a MSW inverter(DC input) and serve as a good workaround option. Rich