wolfe10

A good website for checking weather-- temperatures, precipitation, wind direction and strength, etc. Can advance to check days in the future: http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/southplains.php

Greg, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Tell us what price range you are in-- that will help us to help you narrow down the field. Said another way, if you are in the under $50k, no point in our listing new coaches.

mohome08, What fluid clutch are you talking about that applies to the OP's side radiator coach?

Actually, I would verify the pump location now. Then just check for looseness/end play by hand. And, if PTO-driven, let us know. There is a well known issue with many of these-- it is a serious issue. Basically, if the pump is going out, you want it fixed/replaced before it puts enough metal in the system to take out the fan motor(s) as well.

Trace the lines from the hydraulic reservoir and you will find the hydraulic pump!

I will say, there are those who appreciate other doing all the planning and those who want to and know how to "do their own thing". No problem with either.

Yes, the CAC is in the "cooling package" with the radiator, so it would be louder on the side with the fans/CAC and radiator. And, at idle, there is little boost. Yes, the hydraulic filter(s) are in the large canister/reservoir. Freightliner can give you the PN's. Were you just having the overheating problem, particularly this time of year on flat terrain (south Texas) my first recommendation would be to change the coolant thermostat. But, with a new and potentially related noise, start with properly diagnosing that. And, one of the "suspects" would be the hydraulic fan pump-- do not know if yours is engine mounted or on a transmission PTO. Let us know which you have and if you can identify it as the source of the noise.

If manual transmission, yes an excellent tow. If automatic, NO.

plweljr, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Have you checked the fluid level for the hydraulic pump/fans? You really need to pin down the source of the noise-- either yourself or a shop. If you tell us where you are, perhaps someone can recommend a shop-- one that works on chassis items. BTW, what chassis do you have?

If you can not drive at least 25 highway miles, DO NOT START THE ENGINE! Other recommendations: Use a biocide such as Biobor JF if storing diesel over 2 months in summer or 3 in winter. If you filled in the summer or fall (i.e. summer grade/#2 diesel) add an anti-gel-- Walmart carries PS brand. Be sure to run generator and drive coach after putting in additives. And absolutely, store with the fuel tank full to minimize condensation.

With your C7, if sitting a couple of weeks, it is possible that fuel pressure bled off. If you have the Caterpillar manual primer pump, would be a good idea to use it (unscrew the knurl nut, pump until hard and screw it back clockwise). And, slow cranking speed suggests low battery voltage. Starting the generator 30 minutes before starting the main engine will allow our inverter/charger to bring the batteries up some. The block heater is a good additional load on the generator and will aid in starting the engine. And, using the boost/combine switch will bring all batteries into the starting circuit-- a good idea unless the house batteries are also deeply discharged. Lastly, do NOT start any diesel engine unless you can drive a minimum of 25 highway miles-- long enough to get the oil, not just coolant up to operating temperature. Anything less just adds moisture to the crankcase.

Bill, I agree, as long as you are not driving at night with the high beams on and dash HVAC fan on high OR have been dry camping and the batteries are low. We have a remote sense thermometer in our residential refrigerator: http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digital-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/39174495. It is a non-issue to drive 4-5 hours with the refrigerator off (meaning the refrigerator temperature does not go over 41 degrees F).

Bill, I would question that a residential refrigerator would run on 5 amps @ 13.5 VDC. Under 5 amps of 120 VAC-- sure.

In a word, no. For any diesel-- if you have shore power-- turn on block heater 1-2 hours before starting. If batteries are not up to snuff, helps to turn on generator to charger batteries AND run the block heater. Doesn't hurt to cycle key (activates intake manifold heater) twice, then start. NEVER use ether with any modern diesel-- ether an red hot intake manifold heaters DO NOT MIX.

Try this link: http://www.fmca.com/index.php?option=com_fmcachaptersearch&view=list&Itemid=

Many refrigerator manufacturers list exact dimensions on their websites. You do have to consider depth and ability to open the door(s). Also, the Xantrex is very likely a MSW (Modified Sine Wave), not PSW (Pure Sine Wave) inverter and some refrigerators may not play nice with them.

Yes, the Vogue Prima Vista is a very nice high-end coach.

With the Caterpillar C7, if coolant temperature is going up, 2000- 2100 RPM at less than full throttle should keep it cool. If it doesn't, suspect the front of the CAC is blocked. The CAC really needs to be cleaned once a year on rear radiator coaches. Also, check belt tension on the water pump belt (V belt that drives just the water pump). It is NOT on an automatic tensioner. Check from below, just to driver's side front of engine (back of coach). Doesn't need to be bar tight, but shouldn't be too loose. Yup, a slipping water pump belt will cause overheating.

Ian, No need to freak out. This is pretty easy stuff that we have all had to learn. Just to clarify, you will be cleaning the FRONT (front of coach) side of the CAC (Charge Air Cooler). It is accessed from the bedroom or closet. You need to be able to see and access the fan/fan shroud. EASY to check if this is an issue: Shine a strong flashlight in the the middle of the CAC (easy to see, as the fan blades are thinnest there). Smile, because you will see the clean fins of the CAC. But, the reason the middle is clean is that the fan blades "sling" the dirt to the perimeter. So, though harder to see and harder to clean, verify that the perimeter, particularly the lower perimeter are as clean as the middle. If you do need to clean it, best product is Simple Green EXTREME. It was developed for degreasing aluminum aircraft, and will not harm the aluminum of the CAC. And, if you do fit a catchment under the crankcase breather (aka slobber tube), be sure it does not restrict air flow. Another option done by many chassis makers is to extend the slobber tube to behind the fan shroud/air intake for the cooling system. And, if your coolant temperatures do start to rise on a long grade, the answer is to slow down a little, down arrow to a lower gear and run at higher engine RPM at less then wide open throttle. If you tell us what engine you have, we can even recommend RPM for doing this.

Ken, Another option that many have gone to is a residential refrigerator-- sized to fit your current cut-out. You may already have an adequate battery bank and inverter to power it. A good option UNLESS you do a lot of dry camping. In fact, residential refrigerators were an option on many coaches of your vintage.

With no inverter, yes the generator will have to run to provide power to keep the laptop going. A MUCH better option would be to buy a small inverter-- one rated at 50% more than power demand of what you are going to run on it. That way generator run time would be substantially reduced. You will have other 12 VDC loads that the generator powering the converter will have to replace: water pump, lights, a little bit for refrigerator (even on LP), etc. A digital voltmeter is a near-necessity on an RV and start under $20. When battery voltage falls to about 12.2 VDC, start the generator to recharged the batteries. You will quickly learn how frequently you need to do this. Particularly if you have a 120 VAC element in your water heater, many find it reasonable to run the generator some in morning and evening. Best to load the generator to around 50% load. No idea how frugal you are with water. Having spend several winters in the Bahamas on our sailboat where most of our water had to be carried in jugs in the dingy, we could easily go the full week on a tank of water (unless you have a really small tank). Paper plates and cups help. In Perry, there are also two shower facilities that you can use to stretch your onboard water. Everyone will be parked before the beginning of the Convention and can certainly stay through the end.

David, Will get started on your list: 1. "...when we were driving the fridge continued to run but the electrical outlets did not have power.". When driving (i.e. not on shore power, the outlets which are 120 VAC will only work with generator on or power from an inverter turned on. And on most coaches, not all outlets are wired to be powered by the inverter. 2. "Then we drove 425 miles one day and at the end of the day the batteries were dead." This is an important one-- when the engine is running, the alternator should be charging both chassis and house battery banks. Some coaches use a diode-based battery isolator, some a solenoid-based battery isolator. You/or a tech need to determine if this is an alternator issue, battery isolator issue, or merely a loose connection. Be aware that low voltage can cause the engine/transmission to quit working! Will also cause premature battery failure and "hard time" PC boards that work on 12 VDC. 3. Concerning the roof A/C's, yes you need someone familiar with RV roof A/C's to check it. Could be something as simple as a bad capacitor, connection, etc.

Yes, if a Spartan chassis, contact them with your VIN to verify rear axle OR crawl under and look at the tag on the axle itself. And, the GVWR plaque (usually near the driver's area) will have the OE tire size.

I will be doing three 1/2 day in-depth maintenance seminars on diesel pushers very near you in Columbus GA February 26- March 2 for the Diesel RV Club Rally. http://www.dieselrvclub.org/event-2011388 http://www.dieselrvclub.org/resources/Documents/RallyinthePinesActivities1.pdf BTW, very familiar with hydraulic over hydraulic disk brakes-- had them on last coach and the current one. And their "care and feeding" is a little different than air brakes. But it is a very good system. Heck the Boeing 747 has hydraulic over hydraulic brakes stopping just under a million pounds from a lot faster than we drive! Brett

Good advice. If you can't drive it long enough and under enough load (read that minimum of 25 highway miles) to get the OIL, not just coolant up to operating temperature, you are better off not starting the engine. If you can't get the oil up to operating temperature, running it only adds MOISTURE TO THE CRANKCASE.