wolfe10

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).

captjima, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. As Ray said, all modern electronic engines are sensitive to very low voltage. You need to find the source of the falling voltage. Could be as simple as a bad connection at a battery post. Could be a failing alternator. Troubleshooting is pretty basic and little different from a 1950's Chevy. Suggest you get it fixed before starting the engine again. Bad voltage/voltage spikes can damage electronics.

Russ, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The chassis maker (Spartan in your case) speced and installed the cooling system. I would call them and ask for their recommendation for a shop in your area. Assume you have checked fluid level and that the hydraulic fluid filters are not clogged/overly old. Assume if belt driven hydraulic pump is on and properly tensioned. That is three easy/inexpensive items to check.

Rich gave a pretty complete list. But, I would start by checking the front tires for RUN-OUT. Takes less than 5 minutes. Even a perfectly balanced, egg-shaped tire will do what you describe. If run-out more than about .035", get it corrected (loosen, rotate wheel and retorque lug nuts/rotate tire on rim/true the tire). Then balance the tire-- preferably balance the front tires on the coach.

Boy, that is the cheapest "coach fix" you could do!

Rich, Actually, it sounds like the opposite-- it starts when cold, but did not start "after being on the road for an hour. Stopped for fuel...."

Rich, I don't believe the FRED has on-board air. So, leaf spring suspension and hydraulic brakes. http://freightlinerchassis.com/component/option,com_servicecenters/Itemid,63/view,oem/ Click on "Previous Model Years" and then on the 2006 Allegro.

Marisa, I don't know if this link will work for you, but it is a breakdown of the fuel transfer pump for our 2003 ISL: https://qsol2.cummins.com/qs3/portal/parts/option_detail.html?path=/qs3/parts/99/z/06.05/fs9340

Marisa, Please tell us what engine you have.

The inspection should be on you-- and they should report to you. If you and the seller are "sharing" the inspector-- it puts him in an awkward position. You want him only in your team. Can the seller be there and/or go over the findings with you and/or the inspector-- sure. I do this all the time. As to whether it is reasonable for the seller to take it to an inspector-- that depends on the individual circumstances-- distance, his time, etc.

With bad Specific Gravity readings (assuming batteries are fully charged, the batteries ARE bad. Even one bad cell can cause a good alternator or inverter/charger to overcharge the remaining good cells to try (unsuccessfully) to achieve the proper voltage. Said another way, charging a 10 VDC battery (two 6 VDC batteries in series with one bad cell) WILL cause the other cells to overcharge. Replace the batteries. Then verify that the inverter/charger is properly programmed for your batteries: Correct type (wet cell/gel/AGM) Correct amp- hr (size of battery bank-- if 4 golf cart batteries, likely about 440 amp-hrs @ 12 VDC) Correct temperature (unless inverter/charger equipped with battery temperature probe. And the fact that both alternator and inverter/charger (shore power or generator) both cause overcharging lends more creditability to having a battery with bad cell.

Here is a link to the various FMCA Area events: http://www.fmca.com/chapters/area-rallies.html

SMARKSEL, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. From the horses mouth: http://cumminsengines.com/biodiesel-faq

tomboy257, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. On a previous coach, we indeed did choose to go with the XZE series. No issues on over 100,000 miles.

talgutbir, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Your chassis maker (? Freightliner?) should be able to provide you with the wiring schematics for that circuit. If Freightliner, give them a call with your VIN: 800 385-4357

johncary, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Wow-- never heard of that. How long have you had the coach? Exactly where is the crack? Any idea what caused it?

Roadmaster made a wide variety of chassis. Is yours the 8 outboard air bag suspension? 4 inboard air bag suspension? What series Monaco Corp product is it and what model year?

chanke, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Please tell us what chassis you have. Is this a front or rear air bag that is leaking down? How long does it take to leak down? Do you have air leveling? Jacks?