wolfe10

Marshall, For your C7: 860 lf-ft torque at 1,440 RPM. Governed RPM: 2400 For complete information on your engine, call the Caterpillar RV hotline with your engine serial number. If coming to the Pomona FMCA Convention, come to the Caterpillar Engine Maintenance Seminar.

I agree with Ray. Make some provision for charging the chassis as well as house battery bank. Either a separate charger or an Echo Charger which charges the chassis battery when the house battery is being charged by the on-board charger.

Yes, if the chassis batteries are dead, you will need to use the BOOST SWITCH/BATTERY COMBINE SWITCH. That puts the house bank in parallel with chassis bank. If you have a constant duty solenoid for a combiner, you can turn the boost switch on occasionally to allow the charger, through house bank to charge the chassis battery bank. Do not do this is all you have is an intermittent duty solenoid.

motorcyclemania, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. If this is the Workhorse W chassis, it is a well regarded chassis. Mileage is likely be very slightly better than the same coach with the Ford chassis/V10.

Don't know where you guys are located, but if coming to the FMCA Convention in Pomona, CA the end of next month, come to the Suspension Seminar for a little more insight into how your chassis and that supplemental system work.

melodyeann, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. If a gasoline powered coach, looks like the previous owner may have added air bags to the suspension. Look for air bags/air lines over the chassis maker supplied springs. If you can get any brand names from the controller and/or air bags, we may be of more specific help.

There are a number of RV parks with a "10 year age limit". But, the vast majority do not automatically disqualify older coaches. They reserve the right to make a decision when they see one. We are in such a park right now. Were here two years ago in a 1993 Foretravel-- no problem with getting in. By definition, the over 10 years old decision is a subjective one. A well maintained 10+ year old high end coach in most cases is better looking than many newer ones. Age would only very indirectly relate to safety. Said another way, a well maintained 10+ year old coach will likely be in better shape than many 5 year old coaches that have had zero maintenance.

Yes if nothing that normally works with ignition on (i.e. Allison shift pad, dash HVAC fan, etc) the IGNITION SOLENOID is the first suspect.

I will be doing seminars on diesel maintenance (the what needs to be done, why and when, not the "how to") at the Diesel RV Club (an FMCA Chapter) Rally in Palm Springs March 8-13 (http://www.dieselrvclub.org/event-1735866). Getting close to the registration deadline-- probably need to register on-line and use pay-pal. Doubt snail mail will get it done. Also at the Pomona FMCA Convention later in the month.

Yes, Freightliner bought Oskhosh chassis division. I would call Freightliner, Gaffney (Freightliner 800 385-4357) and ask them the support question. Having the VIN would give you the best answer. One of the limiters of installing an exhaust brake is the 4 speed Allison. The torque converter does not stay locked up in lower gears, so you can generate a LOT of heat in the transmission on long downgrades with the exhaust brake on. I would call Allison with the transmission model number to verify what you should/should not do: Allison help line 800 252 5283

Yes, applies to all larger diesel engines. If you will be in Pomona at the Convention-- come to the Caterpillar Engine Maintenance Seminar-- we will go over this in detail as it can be confusing.

If you have the main battery switch on (AKA salesman switch) and other 12 VDC items work, check the fuse for the lights-- check in the 12 VDC fuse box. If that is OK (wouldn't hurt to temporarily "borrow" a fuse from another circuit to test it), next step is to check wiring.

I agree that steer tires do NOT need to match drive axle tires. Were it mine, I would upgrade the two front tires. To evaluate the rear tires, I would look at the revolutions per mile difference and compare our speedometer readout with a GPS. Certainly a small difference in revolutions per mile will not have a big affect, but any change WILL change the effective rear axle ratio.

Diane, Yes, welcome to the FMCA Forum. To further Rich's discussion, let's take this a step at a time: You say you have 120 VAC to the coach. But also say the CG checked their 120 connection, fuses, etc. Do all your 120 VAC appliances and outlets work? Are your lights 12 VDC or 120 VAC? If not connected to shore water, your on-board water pump is 12 VDC. Does it work with the switch on? If not, first thing I would do is check battery voltage. A digital voltmeter is a near-necessity on any RV. You can find them for under $20.

Some clarification. Yes, there are test strips for "regular diesel coolant". "Regular diesel coolant is low silicate with added SCA (Supplemental Cooling Additive). The SCA is a sacrificial element that is used up to protect the cylinder walls. It's concentration is tested for and more SCA added. Ideal concentration is 1200 PPM. Normal shelf life for the test strips is 6 months. Sadly, difficult to find the test strips in small quantities. For example, Wix Corp PN 24105 contains individual packets each containing 4 strips. But the box contains enough to test all the coaches small rally. If you will be at the Pomona FMCA Convention, I present the Caterpillar Engine Maintenance Seminar. And always have for sale the 4 packs of strips-- $5. These test strips test for: SCA concentration, freeze point and pH. All important attributes of coolant. Now, the bad news-- test strips designed for regular diesel coolant do NOT work on the new generation OAT-based coolant. Totally different chemistry. My strong advice unless you know both the age and kind of coolant in your "new to you" coach is to change it now. If you do go to the new generation coolant as you suggest, assuming it is changed correctly you do NOTHING-- no testing or adding of anything for 6 years (unless you drive over 300,000 miles during that time in which case you add a small bottle of booster). This is double the recommended change interval for regular diesel coolant which also requires testing and addition of SCA.

Actually, many of the large, black hydraulic fluid reservoirs with banjo fittings holding the lid on have THREE stacked filters. I just changed mine this week as preventive maintenance. Be sure to VERIFY the correct fluid. Some use motor oil, some Dexron and some hydraulic fluid. Not a matter of better or worse, just that you do not want to use one not designed for your system.

A good likelihood they are Velvac : http://www.velvac.com/vehicle-segments/motorhome-rv Could also be Ramco: http://www.ramco-eng.com/#!mirror-chart/c1q5z

Part of the equation depends on how well insulated your tanks are. Are they in a protected basement or exposed to the outside? What is the configuration of the tanks/plumbing. Will a single heater work or do you have multiple areas? Tanks (large volumes) are less susceptible to freezing than pipes (smaller volume with more exposure to ambient temperatures. And, temperatures have to dip below 30 degrees for at least a couple of hours before you need to be concerned about pipes freezing.

Since it is turning over, the chances are high that this is a fuel issue. If you have a clear-bowl fuel filter, check for signs if dirt, water or air. First step would be to change the fuel filter. Could also be low fuel level in the tank, or hole in fuel line on the suction side. If older Cummins with electrically activated fuel solenoid, that would be something else to check.

Verify, but Subarus with manual transmissions have been towable for a very long time. Automatics never.

Interesting-- not familiar with Frosties Chapter. Can you post a link to it on the "chapters" section of the FMCA website?

Flnomad, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Out of curiosity, what kind of RV do you have-- running an engine, particularly if a diesel without driving it is really hard on them. Leads to a lot of condensation, as water vapor is a natural by-product of combustion-- the water you see coming out of tail pipes before the exhaust is hot enough to vaporize it.

Herman, I think I initially misinterpreted his issue. In his second post, he says he used another source (i.e. extension cord) and the problem persisted. Unless the other source has the same issue as the original plug, it sounds like the problem is in the Splendide unit itself (its power cable, connection in the unit, etc.

If I understand correctly, it is power to the unit that is going out. If so, could be a faulty breaker, GFI or even a loose wire. It also could be that the Splendide is drawing too much power and/or you are on low enough voltage that the amp draw is excessive. Please confirm what you did to get the unit to turn on after going dead-- reset breaker, GFI, etc. Thanks.

Nerith, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. A little more research may be in order. It is my understanding that fuel on the Baja, particularly northern Baja is actually imported from the U.S. and is ULSD. No so on the mainland. Again, you need to verify, but that is my understanding.