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ClayL

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Posts posted by ClayL


  1. I believe he is talking about the MotorAid auxiliary heater.

    Engine coolant is circulated to a heat exchanger tube welded to the water heater and then on to a radiator with a fan behind it. There is an AUX heat switch on the dash that turns the fan on. This will supply heat to the back of the motor home while the engine is running. It will also keep the water in the water heater hot while you are driving down the road.

    There are a number of places where the fan/radiator is located depending on the floor plan. I would call Winnebago customer service with the VIN and ask them where it is. They will cross reference the VIN to the motor home Winnebago ID number. I would ask them what the ID number is and record it for future reference.


  2. Trade in value will be close to the wholesale value. A dealer may play with the numbers to make you think you are getting more but you almost never do.

    Wholesale used to be about 70% of retail. I suspect it still is.

    Many people expect a lot more than wholesale for a trade-in; however that is how dealers, and all other businesses for that matter, operate. They buy at wholesale and sell at retail.


  3. Winnebago uses a one valve winterizing set up. If the diverter valve leaks, cold water mixes with the hot and drops the temperature. That happened to me.

    Another possibility is that the outside shower valves are on and the shower head valve is closed. That will allow a cold water cross feed. That also happened to me.

    On some models Winnebago uses a mixing valve on the water heater to add some cold water to the hot water. If it is defective the output water temp can be low. I think when a mixing valve is used the water heater water temp is quite a bit higher than the 140 degree (plus or minus a few degrees) setting on the water heaters without one.

    Below is a diagram I drew of the water heater and diverter valve on my coach. I do not have the diverter valve.

    waterheaterschematic.jpg


  4. SNIP

    I'm fairly confident that the ground wire lugs on your breaker panel were loose for some time and eventually built up enough heat to burn the wires right at the connection. You mentioned that the panel remained cool after you made the repair and that is why I am so confident that was your problem. I suggest you remove that panel cover again (with all power off and your shore cord unplugged for safety) and check each connection, both positive, neutral, and ground, on every breaker as well as the incoming power leads from your shore cord or automatic transfer switch. If you do have an automatic transfer switch (many older and most newer coaches do have them) make sure to check those connections as well. Even a half turn on the screw on a connection can cause quite a lot of excess heat as well as current load where the cable is not securely fastened.

    Good Rving!

    Ed

    I agree. A loose connection causes increased resistance and that generate heat.


  5. A guy in the RV park where we spent last winter got a Girard. His instructions said the water temp was controlled by how fast the water went through the unit. To take a shower he had to close the cold water valve and then regulate the temp by increasing or decreasing the amount of water coming out with the hot water valve.

    He was not real happy with that arrangement.

    There is another brand out there that has a thermostat but I don't recall the name.


  6. These guys get good reviews HERE .

    Another one that is okay is RV RANCH in Clifton. It is probably easier to get to the VA hospital from the RV Ranch. It is a half block off the I70 business loop and the loop goes right to North Ave where the hospital is located - 5 or so miles away.

    I have a hip replacement scheduled next Monday and we will be in Palisade (abuts Clifton which abuts Grand Junction) until late November or December 1st. Depends on when the doc releases me so we can head south to AZ for the winter.

    Can't offer you a site to stay on because some good friends are staying with us to help us during the recovery period.

    Although we are full timers, we are 1/3 owners of a commercial peach orchard and we stay here during part of the summers to help with the harvest.


  7. Be aware that the dealer will never give you the retail value of your coach. He may play with the numbers to make you think he is giving you more, but he really isn't.

    He will give you wholesale, which is about 70 percent of the retail value. You may be able to find a NADA book at your local library showing the wholesale or average trade-in value, which the on-line NADA does not for RVs, as far as I can tell.

    In order to make a profit, he has to buy at wholesale and sell at retail.


  8. I have driven my gas engine coach (Workhorse with 8.1L engine) all over the U.S. for seven years - including up and down and back and forth across the Rockies a number of times with no problem. He does not "need" a diesel pusher, he wants a DP.

    Going from Denver to Grand Junction via I70 I do drop down to 25 mph or so for maybe ten minutes on one of the grades but that is no big deal.

    On other mountain roads my speed will often drop to 40 mph or so - again no big deal. All in all during the last seven years I have probably spent less than one percent of my driving time going slower than I would like.


  9. I have the Verizon wireless device as well and have used it successfully for several years, but just on one computer at a time. How do I use it with the router? Do I just connect it to the router rather than the laptop? (I have wi-fi'd us at the house, but not yet in the rig)

    I'm visiting friends right now, so I can't just step outside to try it...

    A special router designed to work with the USB modem is required. A popular one is made by Cradlepoint. I would call the 3Gstore and get their advice.

    Also if you are due for a "New every two" replacement you can now get a device called a MIFI which is a USB modem that will also act as a router and allow up to five devices to connect wirelessly to the internet.

    It will lower your monthly bill to $50 and allow you to get 1X,3G and 4G where available. The disadvantage is that if you are gradfathered with an unlimited data plan you will lose that and have a 5GB per month limit. The good news is that each additional GB (or fraction thereof) will only cost you $10 extra.


  10. The AUX relay/solenoid is usually activated by the Run terminal on the ignition switch or by the Aux start momentary switch. If the relay fails it should not affect the starter. All it does when activated is connect the starting battery and the house batteries.

    Sounds like an ignition switch or bad connection problem maybe.


  11. I have driven that road a lot of times in the last 40 years - in a car or pickup truck. We lived in Grand Junction CO for 12 years and have been coming back to visit family for the last eight full timing years.

    I have seen RVs on the road, not a lot but some.

    Although I have done a lot of mountain driving with my motor homes I would not drive that road in one.

    Could I do it? Sure, but I would not enjoy it. There are 5 mph switch backs, the road is narrow, there are no guard rails.

    I would rather take a different route.


  12. G'Day Brett,

    Couldn't get a reply from VDO. Tried a few times but no good. At one time they referred me to an Australian agency but also couldn't get any where with them either. I was hoping one of the members might have come across these little units. I figure I can give it a go on 12v to see if I get a reading then if that works 24v momentarily. If they are generator type units then a quick test shouldn't hurt them, hopefully.

    Thank you for your reply anyhow.

    Dirk

    If you post a picture I might be able to help.

    It sounds like the sender that was used by a number of companies in the 70's.

    If so it is actually a small permanent magnet generator and requires no power to operate. Try turning the shaft. If you can feel it sort of lock into position (caused by the magnets) maybe 8 times (could be 4 times) per rotation that would be a good indicator that it is a generator type.

    As I recall they weren't made by VDO - maybe Ford or Caterpillar - it has been too many years so I am not sure about that though.


  13. Thanks, Brett for getting back.

    SNIP I have recently noticed an odor from the gray tank through the bathroom sink. I had been keeping the gray valve open due to the fact that we use a washing machine and dishwasher.

    Would leaving the gray water valve open cause this odor? I had heard that this rid-x was a good product, but I questioned it when I found out it was for septics. I am currently using tst in black tank only. Should one use it in gray as well? thanks much.

    Don

    There is usually an air admittance valve (vacuum breaker) under the bathroom sink. It is a screw on device mounted on a stub off the line from the trap. It is supposed to open when you dump and allow some air into the line so the water from the trap is not sucked out by the vacuum formed by the dumping.

    If the flapper in the valve does not seal properly you can get gray tank odors from it. They can be cleaned or replaced cheaply if cleaning doesn't work. They are available at hardware stores.

    I leave the gray tank valve open until a couple of days before I plan to dump the black. Any sewer gas burps go right out of the roof vent so that isn't an issue.

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