wolfe10

Your Caterpillar owners manual should have the mil-specs for grease, but most quality chassis greases should be fine. I would not grease with the engine going-- nothing to be gained, and have never seen that recommended by Caterpillar or any tech. And, it is much too close to the serpentine belt! The problem with trying to pump too much grease in is that it will blow the seals. So, were it me, I would grease it a little right now and then again in a thousand miles or so. And, as with any bearing, grab the fan (yes, with the engine OFF!) and make sure there is no play in the bearings. If they have never been greased, they may be suspect.

Yup, and the prices are higher than through the FMCA Michelin Fleet program. Wonder how they can get tires and large Michelin tire dealers can not?

If the wire in your shore power cord that was disconnected was the NEUTRAL wire, lots of bad things can happen, as voltage has no "reference" and can very from extremely low to extremely high. If there was a clean break in one of the hots (L1 or L2, all appliances on the broken leg would just not work until you repaired it. BUT, if the break was not complete and you ran appliances on that leg, there could be a substantial voltage drop across the "almost break". And, that likely would have shown as an overheated area in the shore power cord. If you are safe working around 240 VAC, you might check for proper voltage at the ATS and again at the 120 VAC main breaker panel. You could also try these things on generator power. That would rule out wiring past the ATS as a problem since shore power and generator power share the same lines. Let us know what you find on generator power.

Received a PM from Gwallegro09: "Found the issue. Ground wire between starter and battery not connected. Thanks for the chat."

Ian, If you will be in Madison for the FMCA Convention, come to the Caterpillar Engine Seminar. I have some good slides of this and will go over the "how too's". Friday, July 31 1:30 p.m. Caterpillar Seminar: Seminar 7

Ian, As you found out, there is no guarantee that the coach maker even considered access to that area. On many, it IS a dirty job.

"the volt meter dives to 12.8 from 14.0 only when the dash lights are set to bright..." Very likely just a bad/inadequate ground wire for dash lights. Tighten the existing ground wire or run an additional ground wire to chassis metal.

Flow on a side radiator is ALWAYS outside to inside. The fan sucks the air through: Dash A/C condenser on some models Charge Air Cooler Radiator On some hydraulic fluid cooler On some fuel return line cooler On some separate transmission cooler (most have it incorporated in the radiator)

Bill, Working for me.

Yes, most plug into the diagnostic plug. And most coaches have a diagnostic plug in the dash area. I was not concerned with the "gear you are in", a week on the mountains pretty well got me used to knowing. You could also do a speed vs gear spread sheet and tell from speed and RPM what gear you are in. I installed a ScanGauge D in our coach-- plug and play. Some very good choices for what you can monitor for under $170: http://www.scangauge.com/products/scangauged/ Silverleaf offers more, but is also a lot more $$.

1700- 1900 is a good choice for your ISL, particularly if at less than WOT. Peak torque is at 1300 and peak HP is at 2100. I would compare cost of replacing the single window shift pad with the two window shift pad with aftermarket monitor systems that will provide you with that and a LOT of other information.

Likely normal. At what RPM were you during the climb/205 degrees F?

Scotty, For wet cell batteries, in the summer (warm temperatures), you want the float (not bulk or absorption) rate to be in the 13.2-13.5 VDC range. Colder temperatures, a bit higher. 14.3- 14.8 is OK for bulk mode, but would boil wet cell batteries if used 24/7. I assume the 12.0-12.2 VDC range in the morning was after dry camping/ not being on shore power overnight. Might scroll down this Trojan document to the charging section: http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/battery-maintenance/

marte6, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Please tell us what generator you have. Was the sound coming from the generator area or from the area with the ATS?

Jameson13, Yes, if you have air leveling, most systems have a 12 VDC compressor. If it runs for more than a couple of minutes every hour, you have a problem. Could be the compressor, could be the small auxiliary air dryer on it or an air line. Could also be a stuck relay or pressure switch controlling the compressor. I would start by locating the compressor (since it is loud, should be easy). Use soapy water and a toothbrush (never your own) to check for leaks.

Certainly agree that voltage in the proper size, good and charged chassis batteries will decrease while cranking. But a drop from fully charged (over 14 VDC) to 12.0 VDC after trying to start could indicate a battery issue. If they only "rebounded" to 12.0, they could have been in the 10-11 VDC while cranking and that WOULD give slow cranking. Here, a digital voltmeter IS YOUR FRIEND. Check voltage at the chassis batteries before trying to start, voltage while cranking and voltage after the batteries have had time to "rest".

Here is a link to an Air Admittance Valve: http://www.lowes.com/pd_24372-143-85539K___?productId=1069119&pl=1&Ntt=air+admittance+valves

The drop to 12 VDC from a few seconds of indicates weak or discharged batteries. Use of the boost switch should give you an indication of whether the chassis batteries are the problem. If your starter turned over slowly, but battery voltage did not drop that much, then you would want to carefully look for corrosion or loose connections at both batteries and engine-- both positive and ground.

Gwallegro09, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. You need to fully charge the chassis batteries and then have them load tested. Very high likelihood that they are bad if battery voltage drops from fully charged to 12.0 VDC after a few seconds of trying to start the coach. What happens when you engage the boost switch and then try to start it?

rpmattison, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Please tell us what chassis you have. Does the turn signal stay on when you turn it on? Dash indicator light on? Front turn signal work? Rear turn signal work? What troubleshooting have you done?

And, certainly, if there is any moisture in the tire (either from mounting or using air from a non-dryer equipped source), clumping could occur.

Ronnie, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I suspect the original system was wired. I would start by looking for that wire/cable. Even if you have to use adapters between the new camera and a different style cable end, it would be a lot easier than pulling a new cable.

Lots of opinions for and against balancing tires using beads. They ARE easier for the dealer. I am still old fashion enough to: 1. Check tires for runout. Fix if over .035" runout (even a well balanced egg will.... well, it will roll like an egg. 2. Balance front tires ON THE COACH. That way all rotating masses are in balance, not just the tire and wheel.

Couple of points: Access to the fan shroud/fan area to clean the front of the CAC varies by coach. Some access is under the bed, some in closet-- really depends on floorplan. You will find 90% of the dirt to be on the FRONT of the CAC. It acts as the "filter" for air going through the CAC and radiator. To climb a grade at XX speed requires YY HP. If you generate that HP in a lower gear/higher RPM, the fan is turning faster and the water pump is turning faster, so better engine cooling.

I would start (yes before starting the engine) by carefully cleaning and tightening connections at the batteries, and engine. And check the same up front at the ignition solenoid and any circuits that have to do with the Allison or Caterpillar. This includes the negative/ground connections. Clearly if the batteries are new and fully charged (12.7 VDC or above) at the batteries and not "further downstream" there is a problem. A digital voltmeter will be your FRIEND. Use it to verify that you have the same or close to the same voltage at the different points that you have at the chassis batteries. After doing this, I would turn on the ignition (not try to start the engine) and verify that voltage is still 12.2 VDC or more at these various places (voltage under load can drop, particularly if a poor connection between battery and the point you are checking it).