wolfe10

Never, but I guess I treat it kind of like insurance-- were I to have coach or health problems near one of the "mechanics helpers" or "pinch hit" members it is nice to know that there may be someone with local knowledge/help.

Trikequeen, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. What make and model and year motorhome do your have? What brand hydraulic slide mechanism? Does the motor make any noise when you try to stow the slide?

Will be there-- here is the schedule of seminars I present: Thursday, the 14th Suspension Seminar Thursday, 9:45 am in Seminar 4 This seminar will be webcast. Caterpillar Engine Maintenance 3:00pm - seminar 10, swine barn Diesel RV Club Business Meeting (5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) dairy barn Friday, the 15th Ask The Experts will be on Friday, August 15, at 8:00 a.m. in Seminar 4. This seminar also will be webcast.

I took the liberty of contacting Scott-- sent him a link to this thread. Here is his reply: Hello Brett, I've seen several of these tag assemblies break at the driveline cut out, the later coaches had a tag axle that had a hump in the middle so the axle would not need to be cut and the center section welded in for this very reason. The fix is to get it back straight re weld and ad some additional structure in that area to beef it up that's all you can do Also, this guy needs to make sure the tag air pressure regulator is working properly and adjusted properly if the tag is loaded to heavy it makes the problem worse.....Scott

Actually, a good question. Algae/microorganisms do not grow in clean diesel. And to my knowledge not in B5 or B20 either. They DO grow at the water/diesel interface if there is water present. It starts as black particles in the primary fuel filter/water separator. In bad cases, long, stringy "black slime" is formed. There are two ways to get water in diesel-- and you can reduce your chances by doing a couple of simple things: Fill at stations with a lot of turn-over-- if 18 wheelers fuel there, likely the fuel has not sat in the station's tank for months. Do NOT fuel if you see a fuel truck delivering fuel to the station. Those very high volume "dumps" into the tanks stir up any water or dirt in the tank. When storing your coach: 1. Fill fuel tank to reduce condensation. Any air in the tank when you park will condense its moisture out when the dew point of the air in the tank is reached. So, if you have 50 gallons of hot humid air in the tank and the temperature drops below the dew point, you can condense a cup or more of water. That water, being heavier than diesel falls to the bottom of the tank, where the diesel above keeps it from ever evaporating. 2. If storing the fuel for more than 2 months in the summer or 3 in the winter, add a BIOCIDE. Biobor JF is a very common one. Where you live in Galveston, you can find it at any marine store, as boats have the same issues storing diesel. Biocides will kill any of the microorganisms present, but their "dead bodies" will still be caught and can clog the fuel filter(s).

Out of curiosity, what algacide did you use? Be aware that algacides will prevent the multiplication of more algae, but you will still have to remove the dead bodies of the existing gremlins.

Herman, Yes, the issue with trailing arms was on the 4 air bag Monaco suspension. Unrelated to the trailing arms on his 10 bag suspension. Roger, OK, the engineer who designed the 10 bag chassis now has his own company. I would contact him-- may be tough in the short term, as I believe he is down at the Monaco Rally in Coos Bay, Oregon right now and will be at the FMCA Convention in Redmond next week. Scott Zimmer http://www.rv-chassis.com/about_us.html

Look and see if you could use a rivet to seal the old hole. Put a little clear sealant on the rivet before inserting. You may be able to use touch up paint to match side. If you intend to pain, make sure the sealant you use is paintable.

All tires on an axle MUST be the same size and preferably the same age and tread. The affects braking and on the rear axle, also the rear axle.

Water in diesel should be no worse in rain vs dry-- the water in internal to the fuel system. Could it be water in the plug to it-- yes, exactly the same as with the other engine sensors mentioned. As far as bleeding the air tank(s), please verify that you do have an air dryer. It will be the after the engine-driven air compressor and before the first tank. If you do have one (suspect you do), the tanks drains are basically a "report card" on the air dryer. If anything but clean, dry air comes out, the dryer has failed. So, water, oil or worse, a white powder, you are past due for air dryer service. Air dryer service is generally an every three year item-- perhaps a little longer if you are in the desert SW. Also, with your coach, be sure this IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE as been addressed: http://community.fmca.com/topic/569-important-safety-problem-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/?hl=+serious%20+problem%20+some%20+monaco,%20+holiday%20+rambler%20+ Brett

gaudette67, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. If you have an alarm for "antenna up" that would be my first suspect, as it is on the roof and exposed to "hurricane force" winds. Water can easily be driven into the connections or switch. Other possibilities are the alarm for engine issues-- oil pressure and/or water temperature. If those connections get wet, the resistance can change. Unplug, clean (de-oxit or similar) and a silicone dielectric grease will keep them happy for a long time.

Mark, Have him STOP, pick up the phone and call Gaffney. They are very good at working through the diagnostic tree on things like this.

As cooling unit capacity diminishes, what you experienced is exactly what happens. The "coolant" first goes to the freezer, then to the refrigerator. If insufficient to cool both, this is exactly what happens. Cooling unit capacity can be diminished by a number of things: high ambient temperatures, frequent openings of refrigerator/freezer, unrestricted air flow up the condensate vent, poor installation (actually improper clearances, allowing hot air to accumulate), failure of fan(s) above the cooling unit, particularly in slide out installations. Before declaring the cooling unit dead, be sure that all other factors are in your favor.

If a tire is not rotating (brake on, particularly if not much weight on tag) it can grind away the rubber from the side of the tire on the ground. Same thing in a panic stop where the wheels are locked-- easy to do with an unloaded trailer.

DCotton, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Is this with two fuel fills (filling in one, spilling out of the other) OR is this a single fill? Coming out the vent (filler) or a remote vent? The only time it is reasonable for it to happen is if you fill all the way and then the the temperature of the fuel rises-- like any fluid it EXPANDS as it heats.

Thanks for the information. We are on the road right now. Would really appreciate your posting on this thread when the highway re-opens. Thanks.

Ron, While it is possible your air pump has a separate air filter, it is very likely that your air compressor gets its air (intake) from the engine intake manifold. Trace the large diameter lines from the air compressor. One will go to the air dryer, the other to the intake or filter. Yes, if there is a separate intake/filter for the compressor, it will require changing. Of course, if the air comes from the engine air intake manifold, your engine's air filter takes care of it. This is a common set up, as air in the engine's intake manifold is clean, cooled (Charge Air Cooler) and is usually already somewhat pressurized by the engine turbo. Brett

Gerald, Sounds like air in the system. Open a faucet and see if the pump can prime itself-- is is reasonably self priming.

Yes, all Subarus with manual transmission are towable 4 wheels down. As an FMCA Member, you can go here and look at what the vehicle manufacturers deemed towable 4 wheels down for the last 10+ years: http://www.fmca.com/...ome/towing.html Several companies make tow brackets for the Forester. Here is one: http://roadmasterinc.com/vehicle_guide/tow_bar_brackets.php Click on the part number for the appropriate year and model and you will see the complete installation instructions.

Yes, all Subarus with manual transmission are towable 4 wheels down. As an FMCA Member, you can go here and look at what the vehicle manufacturers deemed towable 4 wheels down for the last 10+ years: http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing.html

Rich, Just got through doing a presentation for the Diesel RV Club-- this is the latest from Cummins: • Allowable Blend • Up to 5% (B5) for all engines • Up to 20% (B20) for engines EPA ‘02 and later • Additional information available: http://cumminsengines.com/every/customer/biodiesel_faq.page

Erniee, We stayed just west in Williams when touring the Grand Canyon-- nice park and a Passport park. And all of Williams (grocery, restaurants, etc) within easy walking distance: Grand Canyon Railway RV Park

One of the main variables is do you do maintenance yourself? Do some of it? Hire 100% of it out. HUGE difference in cost.

Can't answer that. I do not know if Gunk is "Aluminum friendly". VERIFY that before using.

David, Sounds like your cooling fans are on a thermostat. Yes, they can be wired to a manual switch and/or manual switch and the thermostat. Check with your coach builder to see how it is wired now and their recommendation for where to "tap in" a manual 12 VDC positive feed.