wolfe10

Phil, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I can answer a couple of your questions-- answers will be in SOLID LETTER CAPS. Brett

Yes, a leak anywhere between the vacuum connection on the pump and the brake booster will cause loss of vacuum. Use the "block off" test I posted above to trace it down. But again, each time the Invisibrake is applied, vacuum is restored. Of unless it a significant leak not sure it is a real issue-- Roadmaster would be the one to call on leak down specs.

harp54, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Not sure if this is a problem or not-- Roadmaster could tell you. When the Invisibrake comes on, it is both a vacuum pump to "power" the brake booster and a pressure pump to power the air cylinder that applies the brake pedal. So vacuum is established each time the brake is applied. And, of course when not towing, each time your engine is running, the engine vacuum "powers" the brake booster. But, checking for leaks should not be that difficult. You can block off with a solid object (such as phillips head screwdriver of proper diameter) the vacuum line at various points from pump to brake booster to verify that the system is holding a vacuum. A vacuum gauge T'ed in will give you exact info, but letting it sit for an hour after using the break away switch to power the unit for a minute will give you a pretty good answer.

That is the route we take back home (Texas) from Redmond, OR. No problems, no real traffic. But, it also depends on the time of the year-- no idea what conditions are right now-- we have always done it in the summer.

This in addition to Rich's post. Get this diagnosed before using any more shore power-- if you have a loose connection on a hot leg, it can cause extreme overheating and perhaps a fire. As Rich said, if all is OK on generator, that eliminates the ATS OUT connections, and everything on the coach-side. Try another CG outlet. Check the male end of your shore power cord carefully for signs of overheating (melted plug or discolored prong). If you are safe working around 120 VAC, with all 120 VAC off, open the shore power inlet and ATS and check carefully for signs of overheating and/or loose connections. If you are not comfortable doing this step, have someone else do it.

John, All Allison 3000 and 4000 transmissions have an economy mode option (button on shift pad labeled "MODE"). Please DO check mileage the "old fashion way" (miles divided by gallons less fuel used by generator). The computer can be well off. You are approaching the first scheduled valve adjustment for your engine. If the valves are out of adjustment, that can cause lowered MPG and HP. Air filter minder reading?

John, How many miles on the coach? Air filter minder reading? What is coach weight? Toad weight? Do you drive in "economy mode"? At what speed do you go into 6th gear? what RPM?

Jim, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Have you reset the two breakers on the inverter itself?

For a Foretravel (and I agree on the assessment of their quality): Foretravel Factory MOT (Motorhomes of Texas) PPL (in Houston gets a reasonable number of consignment Foretravels)

No, the link was not spam (by placing the cursor over the link, you can see the web-address before clicking on it), but since we don't know anything about what dishwasher he has, difficult to give meaningful recommendations. And, have never seen that icemaker in an RV.

Please tell us what toilet (Brand and model) you have, as the seal design is different on different toilets.

Dave, No problem with I 10 all the way, but there is a much more scenic route across Texas. Exit I 10 in Van Horn Texas onto U.S. 90. Take it across to San Antonio where it rejoins I 10. Only 25 miles longer. Excellent two lane road with very, very little traffic. Alpine is a cute small west Texas town. Visit Big Bend NP is not in the heat of the summer. Either drive down in the RV, or leave the RV in Alpine or Marathon and drive the toad. Visit the (free) Judge Roy Bean center in Langtry. Then Seminole Canyon State Park (electric, water and dump station). Some several thousand year old Indian cave paintings there and free small museum in the park HQ. Some nice hiking trails in the park as well. For fishermen, Lake Amistad is a good stop-- plenty of RV parks as well. Then Del Rio if you want to cross the border. Not a lot to see in Hondo, but during WW II, that is where they trained Army Air Corp navigators/bombardiers. Castroville has a nice regional park in town, the town settled by immigrants from the Alsace Region.

Using the "search" box at the top right of this page, you need to enter "compressor" and THEN click on "this topic" and change it to "Forums". That will search for any compressor post on the forums.

Yellowstone is a very popular destination. I just put "yellowstone" in the search box and came up with quite a few excellent recommendations: http://community.fmca.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1

Lots of choices out there. Start here-- a list by year for the last 10+ years of those vehicles that are towable 4 wheels down: http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing/204-towing-guides-towing-four-wheels-down Not sure the choices WE make are relevant to YOUR needs.

Give Dennis a call-- he designed them: RVA Company. 320 N. Market Place. Escondido, CA 92029. (760) 746-5732. Dennis Day

BobandBobbie, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. A little more information would help us give meaningful comments: What kind of coach do you have? How long a trip? How do you travel-- move every day or so, stop for a week or so and explore an area??

I would start by contacting Monaco to determine how the coach is/should be wired-- quite likely what you experience is normal for your coach-- no bad breaker or GFI tripped (I say that because everything works on generator and/or shore power). Very, very few coaches have all outlets wired through the inverter. The "fix" could be very easy or quite complex depending on how the coach is wired. If the inverter output goes through a sub-panel that is located near the main 120 panel, the "fix" is as simple as moving the hots AND neutrals from the main panel to the inverter-powered sub panel.

We use http://www.gasbuddy.com/ to find the least expensive fuel on our route. Then Google maps to verify there is room to maneuver the coach. In many cases, it is Murphy Oil/Walmart. The beauty of most diesels is that they can go a LONG way without needing to stop for fuel. Only issue-- when parking/storing, have the tank FULL to minimize condensation.

Biobor JF is what I use in motorhome and boat when storing diesel. Again, having the tank full is really important. Biobor does not eliminate water, it just keeps algae from growing. I have no first hand knowledge of Pri-D.

uechiyondan, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. What is the voltage reading at the fuse for that circuit? While ground issues can also cause low voltage readings, it is unlikely that all those items use the same ground attachment point. Clearly, if they do, that is another place to check. Are all the affected items wired to only work with the ignition on, or do/did they work with the key in the off position or out of the ignition. If only with the ignition on, the IGNITION SOLENOID is another place to check-- voltage at the IN lug and also at the OUT lug. The contact surface of the solenoids can become pitted which causes resistance and drop in voltage.

Algae grows at a diesel/water interface. The key is to keep water out of the tank. Two primary sources of water-- one within your control. Anytime you will be parking/storing it, make sure the fuel tank is FULL. This reduces water from condensation. Example: You have a 100 gallon fuel tank. You used half, leaving you 50 gallons of fuel and 50 gallons of air. When the ambient temperature reaches the dew point of the air in the tank, the moisture in that air CONDENSES and goes to the bottom of the tank (water is heavier than diesel). Each day as the temperature rises, the tank "breaths out" and each night, with falling temperatures it "breaths in". Then moisture in that air can condense. So, add your BIOCiDE, but also make sure that the tank is full. BTW, algae is black and slimy-- is that what you have or is it particulate contamination?

fhuff02, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. You chassis maker specs and installs the air filter. So check with them (Freightliner or Spartan) as to part number and also what is involved in changing it (though the labor may be a little different depending on how the "house" as placed on top of the chassis.

Verjay, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Probably sounds like a funny question, buy where have they been located/used. If in a dry climate, sitting is less harmful-- that is why airplanes are stored around the Tucson area. Has either been operated on salty roads?

dsimmons, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. It is very rare for a motorhome to have perfect left/right weight distribution. And, with a leaf spring suspension (assume what you have-- if not, let us know what chassis you have) it is pretty common for a coach to be lower on the heavy side. First thing is to move you heavy items to the "high side". Then, any good truck spring shop can install a spacer or additional leaf (if quite a lot of weight difference) on the low side. If you have all wheel position weights, would appreciate knowing them. I know RVSEF will be at the Perry FMCA Convention doing all wheel position weighing.