wolfe10

We are talking about a couple of minutes, as you refill the system, between adding coolant vs distilled water. Without the extra work of taking loose the dash heater hoses (and motor-aid water heater if equipped) and blowing them out, concentrate is the only way to end up with a 50/50 mixture. I have no issue with doing it either way, but many do not insure that the system is completely drained, and still use the pre-dilute. That guarantees for the life of the coolant that they have a less than ideal coolant mixture.

DBianchini, Yes, welcome to the FMCA Forum. Don't know what area of the country you are in, but here is a dealer in Texas with a good selection of Foretravels, couple of Newells, etc. And very good picture albums of each: http://motorhomesoftexas.com/c#/coachesrv/all/default/all/all/all

jleamont, Ya, those acidic coolant readings put him well on the way to purchasing a lot of new cooling system components-- particularly the radiator. I am concerned about the Cummins rep's recommendation for a "pre-dilute" coolant. That either gives a well-less than 50/50 mixture in an RV or requires a lot of extra work. The reason-- you have many gallons of residual water even with a complete drain-- the 5/8" lines from engine to dash heater core and the heater core itself. I always recommend concentrate. Then, after the final rinse (distilled water) add 1/2 system capacity in concentrate and just top off with distilled water. Here are complete "best practices" for changing coolant-- time consuming, but VERY low tech: http://forum.dieselrvclub.org/index.php/topic,6653.0.html

Juan, Not sure any of us can accurately reconstruct what happened, but I tend to doubt that many electrical issues in such a short time as unrelated. A DIGITAL VOLTMETER is your friend when electrical issues occur-- a basic in any RV's tool box. It will tell you instantly exactly what is happening with each of your battery banks. One thing does concern me-- do I understand correctly that you did NOT go back with the Charge Wizard? That turns your "dumb" converter into a "smart" one and is a very good addition.

Roland, Propane is just fine for water heater and refrigerator. Very inefficient to use a generator for that light a load.

The other "almost like a black/gray tank odor" is from an over charging battery (bad cell or too high a charge voltage). So, do the "sniff test" around your batteries as well.

F388216, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Nothing really special about maintenance on the C9. Like any modern diesel, clean fuel and oil and air and proper coolant. But, lots of ancillary things on a DP that need Preventive Maintenance such as hydraulic systems, air dryers, etc. More in-depth info here on the Diesel RV Club (an FMCA Chapter) Technical Website: http://forum.dieselrvclub.org/index.php?action=forum

Ray, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I would be surprised if a broken propane line would do much but cause the access flow valve on the propane tank to cease all flow. Been many years since a motorhome was not equipped with one. Totally agree there is some (minor) risk in driving with propane on/propane appliances on, but same can be said for gasoline! Most would find the risk within acceptable limits, but understand everyone's risk tolerance is different. And, if using a space heater, make absolutely sure that it turns off if not sitting upright. Can see a real fire hazard from a tipped over (and still on) space heater.

The manual primer pump will be on the secondary fuel filter housing. If no pump, there will be a block-off plate held in place by two bolts. Remove the plate and you can install the manual primer pump if you do not have one. The manual primer pump makes filter replacement a lot easier and less messy! This is what the manual primer pump looks like: https://parts.cat.com/en/catcorp/105-2508-105-2508-product More information on fitting a secondary fuel filter and PN's for the manual pump: http://forum.dieselrvclub.org/index.php/topic,6611.0.html

Most likely suspect is clogged fuel filter(s). Absolutely the place to start with your symptoms. Climbing grades requires the most fuel. If fuel flow is restricted, this is where the "clogged filter(s)" issue will show up. Do you have one or two fuel filters? If two, does the secondary fuel filter base have a manual primer pump? BTW, that is not a diagnostic code on the Allison, just an oil level check. To get to diagnostic codes: Key on, engine off, push the up and down arrows on the Allison shift pad. This takes you to the oil level check (where you got the oL-70 code). PUSH THE UP AND DOWN ARROWS AGAIN. This brings you to the diagnostic codes. It will be d-1, followed by the code. If no code, it will be d-1 followed by - -. If there is a code, after recording it, push the mode button to go to d-2. Push D or just turn off the key to exit.

moutonla, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Assume you have tried the e-mail address under "contact": dthomas@rvrover.net

Inverter/ chargers, particularly pure sine wave inverter/chargers are in a far more expensive price range than a smart converter or converter with charge wizard. An inverter/charger would also likely require a larger battery bank to make the inverter effective. So, jegell, please let us know whether you want suggestions for a converter, or inverter charger.

Temporarily use a baggie or saran wrap and a rubber band to seal it off. That will tell you very quickly if that is the source of the odor.

Ron, I assume what you replaced was an air admittance valve???

I would check tire/wheel RUN-OUT-- easy and inexpensive to do. Next "suspect" would be a drive shaft/U-joint issue.

Nope, not a thing wrong with either manual transfer switches (very common on marine applications) or "unplug one source and plug in the other one". In fact, both appeal to KISS theory people (Keep It Simple Stupid).

On a properly wired 50 amp RV outlet with the two hots (L1 and L2) coming off opposite sides of the CG breaker box (the ONLY way you would have 240 VAC between L1 and L2) the neutral only carries the DIFFERENCE between current on L1 and L2. So, if L1 is carrying 30 amps and L2 is carrying 20 amps, the neutral is only carrying 10 amps. The vast majority (over 90% of CG's I have tested over the last decade ARE properly wired. Very easy to check. Turn on the CG breaker. Use you voltmeter between the two outer straights. If it reads 240 you are good to go. If it reads 0, it is not properly wired!

Bill is, of course, correct. This may be a gauge issue or real coolant temperature issue. Has it always read that low? If you have an IR gun, what does the thermostat housing read after driving at least a couple of miles (such that the engine should be at full operating temperature)? But, with the major/expensive issues you can run into with operating a modern diesel at cold coolant temperatures, it sure would not take much for me to throw in a new thermostat. In fact, Caterpillar recommends replacing thermostats every three years-- they ARE wearing parts with metal to metal wearing surfaces.

May be more than one issue. If the engine does not maintain its normal operating temperature, quite likely that the thermostat is stuck open. This leads to poor MPG and carbon deposits in the engine. Bottom line-- thermostats are cheap and easy to replace-- DO IT.

That would be an inexpensive and fairly easy thing to check/replace. And, with the old brushes out, you can look and see if you need to polish the surface they ride on. Again, not a big job.

Tom, Is that 110-112 VAC reading on a good digital voltmeter or on your OE analog gauge (known to become quite inaccurate)? And, on our model, the VAC is electronically controlled. I am assuming that the generator is running just fine (not "hunting" or changing RPM). If it is, then we can discuss a tune-up/clean propane regulator.

Excellent. Thanks, Tom for updating us.

This as been recommended as a less noisy alternative with low restriction (no first hand experience): http://www.magnaflow.com/products?partnumber=12774 The gain from reduced restriction depends to a large degree on how restrictive the OE muffler is/was.

Yes, definitely use the southern-most route= I 10 with the possible exception of U.S. 90 from Van Horn TX to San Antonio TX if not in a big hurry and want a reasonable alternative to "we made good time, but did not see much". Here is a good site for looking at weather conditions (temperatures, precipitation, wind speed and direction) by day parts from today out 7 days.

The broken exhaust past the turbo can make a mess by putting soot in the engine room, but should not cause overheating, as air flows from outside through the CAC and radiator and then into the engine compartment. Other than a loud exhaust, particularly when using your engine compression brake. But, other than perhaps a rattle from loose exhaust, doubt it is the source of the noise you describe. Again, important question is how is the hydraulic pump driven-- trace the large-diameter hose from the hydraulic reservoir and it will lead you to the pump? Also suggest you call Freightliner Gaffney or Tiffin with your VIN. Ask how to force the cooling fan to high. On many, it is as simple as unplugging an electrical connection. That way you could listen to see if the pump on high demand is the source of the noise.