wolfe10

No need to open the relief valve (it is accessed through the outside door to the water heater). It really depends on what type (what fuels) you have. If you have an electrical element, you may just have a breaker on the main 120 VAC breaker panel. But if propane, there will be a switch somewhere to turn in on/off. If not listed in your book, call your coach maker for its location.

expdek570, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Unless the coach only has a few miles on it, dash heater just used for the first time or something else that may have purged air from the system (which is normal) you need to find out where that much coolant went. Be sure to set the level at proper temperature. Many reservoirs have a "cold" and a "hot" level. It does make a difference.

Here is a list of the seminars at this summer's FMCA Convention: http://www.fmca.com/conventions-64/madison-2015/seminars.html That will give you some idea of the offerings.

Russell, Thanks for the follow up. Glad you found the problem AND that it was minor. Suspect this is a Freightliner chassis fuse box. Those with Freightliner chassis, make note.

albwue72, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. What is chassis battery voltage? Do any of the things that normally only work with key on (example dash HVAC fan) work? Wouldn't hurt to unplug an replug the shift pad and the two gang plugs on the Allison ECU.

Can be several sources. Does your A/C condensate just drain onto the roof or is it routed to the bottom of the coach? If routed through a hose, it could be clogged. If it drains onto the roof, the roof seal may be bad or just need a little snugging up. Do not compress it over 1/2 its initial height. Replace if this is the source and gasket is compressed. But, this would likely leak worse when it rains. Another source is that the drain holes for the condensate are clogged. To clean, you will need to get up on the roof and remove the A/C cover and the evaporator cover. If you do this, a good time to clean the evaporator. Get A/C evaporator cleaner from any box store. You would be shocked at how ineffective those foam filters are.

Yes, the "care and feeding" of a diesel is different. Two upcoming events IN YOUR AREA that are an excellent learning experience for diesel owners: http://www.dieselrvclub.org/page-1766837 Rally in the Pines Diesel RV Club with three 1/2 day technical sessions-- not how to, but what needs to be done to maintain a diesel motorhome. Not a gear head thing. Rally in the Pines Start26 Feb 2016 12:00 PM End02 Mar 2016 10:00 AM LocationLake Pines RV Park & Campground, Midland, GA (near Columbus) And, the FMCA Convention in Perry GA: http://www.fmca.com/conventions-64/perry-2016.html

VERY unlikely that there will be much change in diameter between new and one year old tires. Or between one and two year old tires. Sure, if you drive over 50,000 miles a year, please disregard this statement. So, "everyone is correct"-- you do not want ANY difference in diameter on one side of a dual or the "taller" tire will carry a disproportionate share of the weight. And you do not want a significant difference between sides on the rear axle. Again, I don't see same make and series of tires only one year apart in age to be an issue.

Yes, the roof/basement (120 VAC) A/C's have filters just as Carl said. But very unlikely (at least I have never seen one) that your dash HVAC system has a filter.

Brad, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I hate for your first answer to be to send you somewhere else, but there is an avid Revcon group (an FMCA Chapter). Here are some leads: http://www.revcon.org/What/learn-more I am certain this question has come up before on these classics.

Carl, And we escaped Rita on a cruise out of Galveston (our annual extended family "Hurricane Cruise"). We got from Galveston to Jamaica before some made it from Galveston to Dallas. Texas learned a lot from that one!

Carl, I have never believed in a specific time at which a tire goes from OK to "got to replace". I strongly believe that how we treat tires has an effect on their safe life. The tires on our coach are "babied": Never under inflated/over loaded. Always covered if outdoor for more than 2 days Coach stored indoors when not on the road (on plywood to isolate from concrete). Carefully inspected by a REALLY picky guy each time it goes in the storage facility.

See my post above-- let us know what you find on fuel filters/air in fuel system.

Agree, we don't know much about trucks. But many of us have that engine. First, changing oil should not be an issue-- either Shell Rotella R 15-40 or Delo 400 15-40 is fine for your 3126. You say he checked the fuel system for tightness. But, with it acting like it is starving for fuel, first thing I would do is CHANGE the fuel filter(s). If you have the Caterpillar manual primer pump on the secondary fuel filter, filters can be installed dry and the manual pump used to prime. And, if the issue is air in the fuel system, turn off the engine and use the manual primer pump. If it is easy to pump, you DO have air in the system (air is compressible). If difficult to pump, no air in the system. Anytime you unscrew (counter-clockwise) and pump the manual pump, be sure to push it all the way in and tighten it back up (clockwise).

Carl, While the engine manufacturer can give both Mil-specs and brand recommendations for coolant, the chassis maker actually chooses what coolant to use (fine as long as it meets the engine manufacturer's specs- which they will). So, until you change coolant, please consult your chassis maker and if you need to add, use what they used OR if your freeze point is OK, always safe to just add distilled water.

Yes, but for a towed vehicle you want the caster at the high end of spec. Not just within spec. What is Left and Right caster and what is maximum spec.

Steve, A quart every 2000- 2500 miles is not excessive for an 8.3 liter diesel. BUT, I would suggest that at the next oil change that you CALIBRATE THE ENGINE OIL DIP STICK. Cummins did not supply the dip stick. You want to VERIFY that you are not overfilling the crankcase and then the engine is just sending it out the crankcase breather. The cost is zero. Let us know if you need instructions.

After 5 1/2 years, I would have them inspected by a tire professional and go with his recommendation. Like most mechanical things, their "care and feeding" has a lot to do with how long they will last: Never overloaded Never underinflated Covered if stored outdoors No signs of road hazards/curbing

I will "third" that. Look on your alignment sheet and verify that CASTER is set to maximum allowable.

johnlanderson, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Yup, cleaning the front of the Charge Air Cooler and area between it and the radiator are an annual maintenance item.

How was coolant level? Suspect either a coolant level issue or sensor issue. Are you able to download engine codes (Silverleaf, ScangaugeD, etc)? If not, have a Cummins dealer do it.

Gmac, Absolutely, get that hitch within 2-3: of being level. That 7" exceeds all tow equipment manufacturers specs. I can see situations where the "pulling up" could change towed vehicle front end geometry. Then, let us know what happens.

Shouldn't be ANY question on how to wire an RV 50 amp outlet: Duplex 50 amp breakers at home main box (two hots, 240 VAC between them). 4 wire: 2 hots, L1 and L2 to the two outer straights 1 neutral from house neutral buss bar to center straight 1 ground from house ground buss bar to center round.

Walt, I took the liberty of forwarding a link to this thread to Roadmaster. Here is the reply I just got back: Brett - thanks for the opportunity to address this. If the towed car's wiring diodes are in a location that allows the input terminals to get wet, then it is possible for electricity to migrate through the water between the diode terminals thereby energizing the braking system. Because the current has to flow through water, the voltage is low. So we solved this "wet diode" problem by changing the amount of voltage required to turn the braking system on. We did this in March of 2012 so this should not be a concern for anything produced after this date. If anyone experiences this on an older model of braking system, an easy solution is to seal the diodes so water cannot conduct electricity between the input terminals of the diode. If there is no shorting between terminals, there is no current to energize the system. -- David Robinson Roadmaster, Inc.

John, No simple equation. It sounds like you have a pretty good grasp of the variables: How many days a year do you dry camp? In full sun, part shade, "in the thees"? Cost of panels and MPPT controller. Cost of installation. Added weight to roof. Likely life expectancy of solar components. Cost to run generator enough hours to reach break even point within coach ownership period. Another option would be to upgrade your battery bank to either more capacity (wet cell or gel) or go to AGM's which will accept a higher charge rate (assuming your inverter/charger can supply a higher rate than current battery bank can accommodate. No right or wrong answers here.