LivingLikeEachDayIsMyLast
-
Content Count
64 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Posts posted by LivingLikeEachDayIsMyLast
-
-
Near the top of the fluid reservoir, there is a fluid level switch.The fluid level must touch that switch before the jacks down light will go off.My system uses dexron auto trans fluid. Your owners manual will specify what type of fluid your system uses. Also on my system that fluid level switch must be screwed out to fill the reservoir.It's a small hole without much room around it, so I use an eight ounce syringe with a six inch piece of flexible hose attached to the needle end. At least twice a year, I have to add 4-8 ounces of fluid.
-
I've been camping for over thirty five years. I've had a hundred more instances with loud obnoxious teenage children than with the neighbors dogs. However,for those who refuse to pickup their dogs solid waste, I have a special dislike. To me nothing is more distasteful than trying to eat outside my camper while smelling animal waste. I make every attempt to treat my camping neighbor with the respect I expect from him in return.
-
Six years ago Camping World installed every single thing you can imagine on my 33' Southwind to stabilize the steering & handling at a very healthy price. Nothing really did the trick.
Four years ago a neighbor camper in a campground told me to install PST polyurethane bushings in my front & rear stabilizer bars. The wife & I installed them ourselves. The result was amazing.It's a pleasure to drive now. Everytime I hit the road, I am still amazed at how good it drives & handles.
Have a great camping day! Wayne & Deborah
P.S. This company carries polyurethane bushings for the P30 chassis. I'm sure other companies would carry them for other brands of motorhomes.
-
The wife & I like the KOA right across the Cooper River bridge in Mt.Pleasant. A ten minute drive to the old slave mart located in downtown Charleston. Might as well go have a look at the salvaged Hunley sub while you're in Charleston.You won't run out of things to do in Charleston.Have a great camping day! Wayne & Deborah
-
If your carb is a Rochester Quadrajet & bogs when the secondaries open, the secondaries are opening too fast. It's also known that old spark plugs & plug wires can cause the problem you are experiencing.
-
Inside that carburetor is an "accelerator Pump". It is a diaphragm that pushes a little bit of extra fuel into the carburetor when you accelerate hard. It is VERY common for these to go bad over time. The good news is that they are cheap and easy to replace. Look on the carburetor for numbers that are stamped into it. Take them down to your local parts store and ask for an "accelerator repair kit".
The accelerator pump only works for the primaries, not the secondaries.
-
Depending on how your mirrors are set up,sometimes a small car passing on your right will be out of view. Many class A homes such as mine has a small glass at the floor level on the right side. This will enable you to see a car out of view in your mirrors. Sometimes it is hectic even for me while driving on the interstate through the Atlanta,Ga. bypass. Everyone is driving twenty mph over the speed limit & many have very little respect even for a large class A motorhome. Sometimes making a lane change is nearly impossible.
Take your time, keep an eye on your rear view camera monitor, both sets of mirrors & your little right side window especially if you're driving in the center lane on the interstate. I don't drive in the center lane normally, but it's necessary sometimes as I need plenty of time to decipher where the next exit gets off.
My better half does quite well if I,in the passenger seat, help her spot traffic when she is ready to make a lane change.
Of course driving on the open interstate is much easier. Also driving on two lane scenic roads has it's on set of things to watch. Most two lane roads now have a painted line near the edge of the road. By watching that line in your lower right hand mirror you can keep the rig from dropping off the edge of the road. As with any vehicle,if the rig drops off the right side of the road, do not jerk back to the left.Stay straight and ease back on the road.
I have been driving a class a since 1980 and no accidents yet. I am getting older though, so even I have to be more careful. At some point in time the wife will become the full time driver as we don't plan on giving up our travels any time soon.
Have a great camping day! Wayne & Deborah
-
My wife has driven our 33' Southwind a few times.She drives it very well I think, although I get a little nervous if I'm riding with her down a busy interstate with traffic passing on both sides. Setup at the park is fairly simple & she has watched me do it a hundred times. I'll give you a laymans list of how we setup.
First of all, a pull through site is much easier than a back-in site if you are not experienced in backing your rig.Just remember to use your mirrors when driving or backing the rig.Most people at a campground will gladly assist you in backing your rig into a parking site.
#1 - Get the rig parked,being careful that trees or post etc. are not in the way of your slide outs.Also make sure nothing is in the way of lowering your awning. You shouldn't have to worry too much about the position of the water and power supply as you should have ample reach from your water hose & power cord.
#2 - Once you have the rig in a good overall position for all hookups,apply your parking brake & start up your leveling system.Your owners manual will explain in detail how to level the rig.
#3 - Plug in to the power pole making sure the breaker switches are turned on.
#4 - Hook up your water hose through a regulator if you have one & turn the water on.
#5 - If there is a sewer connection at the site, hook the sewer hose to it & your rig.
#6 - Lower your awning if you desire.
#7 - Inside the rig,cut on the propane safety switch,start your hotwater heater,make sure the fridge is on,bleed the faucets of entrapped air.
#8 - Sit down,take a breather look over your setup check list for anything you may have forgotten.
Note: It is important that you read & remember your owners manuals until you are familiar with your rig. I haven't posted every single thing in detail that needs to be done,I or any others here will be happy to answer all of your questions.
Have a great camping day!
Wayne & Deborah
-
Several years ago the rubber roof on my 33' Southwind did the same thing,plus the seams started to crack. Tony's RV in Lexington,S.C. removed everything on the roof (ie.) both air conditioners etc. & repaired all the problems. Once the bubbles & seams were done, they coated the entire roof with the factory approved sealant. Every thing removed was reinstalled with all new gaskets & sealant.The top looked great & I haven't had any regrets concerning having it done.The worry about possible leaks etc. has been removed from my mental list of possible problems. It took two days to accomplish & cost $1100.00.
-
In this state you would have to register it as a water vessel,carry onboard a paddle,an anchor,life preservers,& install the proper bow & stern lighting. Not to mention finding a clean lake with no rock or stump hazards.I'm getting too old to try & paddle a 30,000 lb.vessel back to shore when the engine quits.
-
That's a real neat motorhome, but I'm guessing it would take the resources of Donald Trump to acquire it. Thanks for posting it. I'll never own one in this life time. LOL
-
You sound surprised.
Actually I thought at the time it would be covered like my house,which is full replacement value. I didn't even consider the value would drop so fast.I'm not blaming anyone but myself,although I would have appreciated my insurance agent explaining how it all works.A lesson learned,ask questions if you don't know.
-
I would think a little bleach sprayed into the pipe would kill any mold there. I wouldn't use much,just enough to wet the pipe down.
-
Seven years ago when I bought my class A motorhome, I insured it through State Farm. It was covered for the value of it at the time of purchase. Today the value is much less than I actually owe on it. In reality if it were totaled out today they would only pay the book value of today leaving me a healthy sum to pay out.
Hopefully I don't get into any serious accidents until it's paid for.
-
Recently the monitor for my back up camera started flipping vertically.There are no adjustment knobs anywhere on the outside of the monitor to adjust.I removed the monitor from the mounting & then removed the monitor from the outer case.After searching for adjustment pods all around the circuit board, I found several,one of them being labeled vertical hold.Common sense tells me this is what I need to adjust as it relates to the problem at hand.
I reinstalled the unit without the case & plugged the harness back up. When I turned the unit back on it was flipping like crazy. With a small screw driver I slowly adjusted the plastic screw & behold,the unit stopped flipping.I shut off the unit,removed the harness & the monitor.I installed the monitor back in the case & the complete unit back in the mounting bracket & plugged the harness back in.The unit was turned back on & is working like new.
I am not an electronics trained person, but this time common sense prevailed & probably saved me a trip to a dealer for repair or replacement.
SAFETY NOTE - Even though these units are 12 volt fed,the voltage at the back of the picture tube is high enough to really hurt you.Be very careful & do not touch this high voltage area. Also it is a good idea to wrap the shaft of your screwdriver with electrical tape to keep from shorting anything out by accident.
Hope this helps someone who has the same problem. Have A Great Camping Day!
Sincerely, Wayne
-
Being a veteran I fully believe in protecting my family from the wackos that exist today with anything at my disposal. However, if you are uncomfortable handling firearms there is a safe way to fend off a perp. Purchase a large can of wasp spray from your local hardware store & keep it handy. It will spray a stream up to twenty feet. Aim for the face & eyes. The toughest hombre out there will scream in pain & probably run into a tree trying to get away.You will have plenty of time to call out for help or dial 911.
-
Getting old is becoming a burden to me. Today I misplaced my cell phone.I forgot the number, so I started backtracking where I thought I'd been.I checked the motorhome, the car, the yard for forty five minutes. No luck. Finally I called my son on the house phone & got the number. I dialed the cell & behold, it was ringing in my pants pocket.I'm a little embarrased to share this, but it happened & now that I've found it I find it hilarious.
-
If you really want to get aggravated about the most expensive thing you use in our coach's.
Read this.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/08/congressmen-maintain-massive-portfolio.html
It is truly an eye opener.
Hello Pam & Tom, Talking about eye openers,check out what the cost of a gallon of other items cost today.
Gatorade - $10.17
Ocean Spray Cran Apple - $10.00
Brake Fluid - $33.60
Vicks Nyquil - $178.13
Pepto Bismol - $123.20
Scope Mouthwash - $84.48
Evian Drinking Water - $21.19
Printer Ink - $5200.00 This is not a misprint.
-
How nice for you that you have had a "fine ride with abundant memories." What about those of us who are only in our forties and just starting to get the taste of motorhome travel? I bought my first class A last year. Now, I worry that I won't get the chance to travel the country and see the places I have never been. I truly wish that something could be done to regulate fuel prices.
Hopefully things will get better for the newbies out there wanting to experience the road. For me, considering all of the home foreclosures locally, I may set my motorhome up on a half acre lot & rent it out to someone who needs a place to live. At least I can get some monetary return on my investment. Just a thought if fuel continues to rise.
-
With a Ford V 10 engine (32 foot southwind MH) with 40,000 miles, the engine is running fine. Any suggestions to when to change the plugs?
What else can I do to help the milage, about 8 mpg now? I assume there are no points, the air filter has been replaced. Ron
Hello Ron, At forty thousand miles my motorhome ran fine until I took it up into the mountains. As soon as it was under a load climbing a steep grade it would start misfiring badly.A new set of plugs fixed it. If you haven't already changed the fuel filter, do it now. Maintaining tire air pressure also helps mileage.
-
The wife & I were cruisin down I-20 headed for a reserved site for a weeks stay when one of the right rear tires blew. The rubber & steel belts flying around tore off the mud guard & some other non essentials. After calling our roadcare service for a tire change, we moved ourselves up on an embankment at roads edge to keep from being runover by any eighty miles per hour truckers. After about an hour, a large wrecker pulled over & started backing up to the front of the motorhome. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was going to tow the motorhome back to a local town for repair. I informed him that I had asked for a tire change. He said he didn't do tire repair, so I sent him on his way.
I made another call to roadcare telling them I didn't need or want a tow, just a tire change. We moved back up on the embankment. After a two hour wait a tire guy came & changed the blowout with a new tire very quickly. The funny part is we didn't get upset about any of this & even enjoyed our three hour wait watching traffic & relaxing in the cool breeze on the side of the embankment. We traveled on and enjoyed our stay at the park. Memories like this are priceless.
-
I'm certainly glad I only own one home with wheels attached. The wife and I spent all day yesterday performing maintenance on the Southwind. Checking oil levels in the engine, transmission, leveling system tank, auto park brake tank, power steering tank, brake fluid level and coolant recovery tank, and house battery water level. Greasing every fitting from the driveshaft to the front suspension. Many of these systems are located under the home. I'm getting too old to be crawling around under anything.
Next on the agenda, tightening loose screws everywhere from bouncing down some of the worse roads I've ever traveled over in my lifetime. Inspecting tires for wear and checking air pressures. There is plenty more to do, but I'll have to pace myself. Because of my health and age, it probably seems harder than it actually is, but we love to travel and camping, so it's worth it. Have a great camping day!
Wayne and Deborah
-
Thanks Gentlemen, I'll keep on looking.
-
I have factory repair manuals for my daily driver vehicles. These are indepth repair manuals used by the service industries & vehicle dealers.
I have not been able to locate factory repair manuals for my Southwind motorhome or its P30 chassis. I'm sure there are manuals, but none available to the general public.
I have already contacted Fleetwood & General Motors to no avail.
Any ideas?
Veterans Corner forum
in Veterans Corner
Posted · Report reply
Hello Fellow Vets, I always thought it was hilarious that being in the Navy, the only shore duty I ever drew was thirteen months in Danang, Vietnam. From July 1965 through August 1966. Seems like a hundred years ago.
May all of you have a great day & a long trouble free life.I respect each & everyone of you for answering the call of our great nation when it needed you.
Sincerly, Wayne & Deborah