wolfe10

Bob, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Run a charge wire from the chassis battery of the coach to the toad battery. Fuse at coach chassis battery positive, 8 gauge wire from chassis battery fuse to toad connection. 8 gauge wire to fuse at toad battery positive to toad battery positive. 8 gauge wire from chassis battery ground to toad connection and 8 gauge wire from toad connection to toad battery negative terminal. When you drive, the coach's alternator will keep the toad's battery charged. You can also get a toad connector with more terminals and run these wires through a single plug along with all other wires from coach to toad.

FYI, Wayne is the chief designer for Roadmaster Inc.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. That would likely be much more a chassis issue than coach builder issue. What chassis? Solid front axle or IFS?

Agree with Rich. While over-speed can cause this, so can way-out of adjustment valves. Check all of them. Other than high RPM, I can't see how the exhaust brake back pressure could cause this IF it is set to proper PSI for your engine . You can check with your exhaust brake manufacturer or Cummins for exact maximum PSI backpressure for your specific engine. I know PacBrake has a port on the side of the brake where you can attach a fitting, hose and gauge so that you can drive with the gauge attached, use the exhaust brake and verify maximum PSI backpressure.

I will address the oil change question. All diesel manufacturers recommend annual oil changes regardless of mileage. Can you go longer using oil analysis without harming the engine-- perhaps. Depends on a lot of factors such as humidity and temperature where stored, highway vs short distance driving, number of miles etc. Disregarding manufacturer's written recommendations would be up to you.

Before concluding that you need a whole new refrigerator, troubleshoot the 120 VAC element and wiring. If the cooling unit is working (i.e. cools on propane) spending a few dollars on a new heating element which is easy to replace or fixing a nick in a wire would be a lot less expensive.

Daffy, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Please tell us what chassis you have. How many miles on it? Have you checked front suspension parts for wear/play? Has your steering box been adjusted (some are not adjustable)?

Raiders, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Are you dry camping or are you on shore power? On either, the chassis battery should last more than two days. But, on shore power, not all coaches recharge the chassis battery from the inverter/charger. So, that is two separate issues-- what is drawing on the chassis batteries AND what charge sources charge the chassis battery, You may need an ammeter to trace down the draw. Your coach maker can tell you whether 120 VAC (shore power or generator) will charge the chassis battery bank.

David, No matter how honest a dealer is, it is always good to keep in mind that it is still YOUR responsibility to check all systems on the coach and negotiate in writing and upgrades or repairs that are needed. It is also important to know the difference between an "as is" coach and a "please camp with us for a couple of days and we will be happy to fix anything that you find wrong". That does not separate a good from bad dealer, most dealerships have BOTH categories of coaches.

Bob, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. What kind of birds-- must be quite small? Not heard of the problem with birds-- mud dobbers yes. You might look at putting hardware cloth just inside of the cover-- it has a more open mesh than screen, but should keep even small birds out.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Suggest you call the manufacturer-- they can certainly tell you fit will fit your toad: http://roadmasterinc.com/contact.html Or, go to their website and see if your model is listed: http://roadmasterinc.com/vehicle_guide/brake.php

Your call, but with a 23 year old water heater, not sure it is worth buying just a tank. As with most things buying one piece by piece is a lot more expensive than buying a new complete unit.

Dale, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. First, please let us know what brand you have-- Atwood or Suburban? How old is it-- that will help determine if it is worth replacing just the tank or more reasonable to replace the whole heater.

Richard, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Two points: 1. With engine running, both chassis and house batteries are charged, so should be no difference in voltage. 2. While I agree you should have a fuse/breaker to protect the wiring and pump, their presence will not affect voltage or cause a very slight drop-- certainly, its presence will not boost voltage. Did they make any other modifications, such as increasing wire gauge from battery to pump motor? That and verifying that connections are clean and tight are about all that can be done to increase voltage available at the pump.

Excellent advice on any coach.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Any shop that works on OTR trucks can do this-- the same oil bath bearings/seals are used on OTR truck front axles and trailer axles. Your really need a dial indicator to set end play, so suggest having a pro do it.

Another excellent source for diagnostic information as well as direct replacements is http://www.rvcams.com/Default.htm The have several full time repair techs in-house.

Randy, Thanks for the update-- glad the solenoid fixed it.

Actually, a brand new propane regulator is likely less expensive than paying someone to check the pressure of an old one-- usually under $25.

Allison help line 800 252 5283

Adjusting the air inlets by sliding is side to side is sure the place to start. But the other cause may be a defective propane regulator putting out incorrect pressure-- don't rule that out. And that one can also be dangerous! Any issues with the furnace on propane? If both are showing issues, suspect and replace the regulator.

Tell us what brand and model (or bulb number and quantity) and perhaps we can help you. But, in general florescents do use ballasts.

Paul, A call to Fourwinds would be my first source.

Russian, Thanks for the followup. Note, you may be confusing two very different things: The tank VENT/overflow and the DRAIN.

Welcome to FMCA and the FMCA Forum. Here is an earlier thead on just that subject-- a good place to start: http://community.fmca.com/topic/966-front-end-diesel-vs-pusher/?hl=%2Bfront+%2Bengine#entry4717