wolfe10

Let's start at the beginning of the 120 VAC system: Because you said "all appliances are working when plugged in", you can conclude that: Shore power cord, ATS and power to main 120 AC breaker box is OK, as are at least some of the breakers and the wiring from them to their appliances. First check is that the 120 VAC breaker for the converter is ON. Yes, some older coaches had only a fuse in the converter itself, and no breaker. Anyway, verify that the converter is getting 120 VAC. Record the voltmeter readings at the battery (I would do this for BOTH chassis and house batteries): Battery at rest, no shore power and engine off: Shore power on: Engine on: Let us know what you find and we can go from there. Brett

Pat, Please tell us what size, kind and number you have right now. That will help us know what will fit. What inverter charger do you have-- MSW or Sine Wave? How many amps of charging available? How much dry camping do you do?

OK, I'll be the first to admit that "best" is a lot opinion rather than fact-based. Background: Lived in Juneau AK for 2 years. Have driven the Alcan 3 times. Have cruised (inside passage, etc) 8 times beginning in 1975 for our honeymoon. There is NOTHING that will beat the scenery of cruising (by water) to Alaska. Bald eagles, whales, sea lions, sea otters, bears, etc and snow covered mountains until mid summer. Temperature on the water does not vary that much early to late season. The Japanese current pretty well keeps temperatures constant (and cool). However, if your plans are to spend an extended period in Alaska, I would sure take the RV. This is particularly true if you are a fisherman and want to do some great fishing.

Let's start at the beginning. You don't mention what chassis you have, but to me, balance is the SECOND item to be addressed on tires. The FIRST is "roundness" or "out-of-roundness". If you have an "egg" shaped tire, it could be perfectly in balance, and it will...... well, it will cause all kinds of vibrations. So, first thing is to check TIRE RUN-OUT. Any reputable tire dealer can check tire run-out with the tire mounted on your coach in less than 5 minutes-- less than 2 minutes if your jacks have the tire off the ground. Run-out more than .035" should be corrected. Causes of excessive run-out: Axle hub to wheel excessive tolerance (particularly common on a whole run of wheels on Ford F53 chassis, but can occur on others. Wheel that is not perfectly round. Tire that is not perfectly round. If you put the "high point" of the wheel and highpoint of the tire together, you have a very out of round ride. That is one common answer to excessive runout is to rotate the tire on the wheel. After getting run-out correct, I like to have the front tires balanced ON THE VEHICLE. Ya, very few dealers do it any more, but some still do. You really don't care that the tire and wheel are in balance. You want ALL rotating masses in balance. That includes not just the tire and wheel, but hub and brake drum or disk. That 80 pound brake drum or disk may be out just a couple of ounces, but that may be enough to give you problems if the tire and wheel are balanced off the coach.

Larry, You are probably thinking of the Alaska Marine Highway, not a barge for going to Alaska by water with a vehicle: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Though it is expensive, I highly recommend visiting Alaska by water-- on a Marine highway vessel or cruise ship. BTW Dianne and I honeymooned on the Malaspina (Alaska Marine Highway Ship) in 1975.

Sounds like it could be a 120 VAC (60 cycles per second) issue bleeding over to 12 VDC system. Set your voltmeter to 120 VAC and check at the battery or 12 VDC outlet.

Is it a rapid flicker, or just dims for a second every couple of minutes? If the latter, many chargers turn off charge (therefore voltage lowers) for a second or two so they can "sense" the true level of battery charge.

Concerning your fuel gelling question: If you filled with diesel in a cold area during the winter, an anti-gel was already in the fuel. If you filled in a warm area anytime or cold area during non-freezing temperatures, it would be a good idea to add an anti-gel. PS brand seems to be universally carried by Walmart, though any anti-gel additive will work.

I can help with the PPL part of the question: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/ Huge in consignment coaches, service and especially in parts. In Houston, TX.

In addition to wheelbase, you need to know the front wheel cut angle to get a realistic answer. Of course, if both are on the same chassis, the shorter wheelbase coach will turn in a shorter radius, while the longer wheelbase coach will handle better, particularly in strong crosswinds. So, how much time do you spend maneuvering in tight CG's vs driving the open roads-- that is really the trade-off.

Thanks for the update, Wallee. Please share the source so someone else won't have to go through all this research.

Actually, a safer way to temporarily work around a bad ignition solenoid is to label all the wires on one large lug, then move them to the other large lug. Now the solenoid is effectively bypassed. The advantage is that you don't have a high amp hot jumper cable that could short to ground and/or jump off, turning off the engine/transmission. Be sure to return the wires to their original position after stopping for the night.

Does anything else that only works with ignition on not work-- dash HVAC fan for example?

Pat, Frost is a normal part of a NON frost-free refrigerator. Causes of excessive frost buildup: High humidity Lots of opening/closing refrigerator Poor door seal (use the "dollar bill" test all around the door-- there should be equal drag of the bill all around the door. If looser in areas, adjust door). Missing condensate drain restrictor (an open condensate drain hose will allow warm, humid outside air into the refrigerator). Defrosting every couple of weeks is not abnormal, and is a good idea any time ice exceeds 1/4" thick, as thick ice on the refrigerator fins/freezer plates degrades cooling performance.

Have you verified that your coach A/C unit is functioning as it should (both compressors running) and that both condenser and evaporator coils are clean. Basement A/C's are quite prone to clogging the condenser. Brett

Rob, Since both batteries will be charged up, you need a fuse right at each battery, as any contact between the positive wire and either coach or toad chassis would be a dead short to ground. You will have to decide if you want a separate two wire connector, or to upgrade your current 4 wire connector to a 6 or 7 wire connector (so that you will only have one connector to connect/disconnect). And, having the relay that is ignition triggered means you don't have to disconnect the charge wire when camping-- it automatically disconnects when the coach engine is off.

I would use the chassis battery. That is generally the battery that the regulator uses to determine charge rate and it is also much less likely that the chassis battery will be deeply discharged while dry camping.

Rob, Running a separate hot and ground from RV chassis battery to toad battery is likely the best solution, since your toad's parasitic loads are taking down the battery, not the auxiliary brake. Fuse at both ends. Best wiring is to use a relay at the chassis battery that is ignition triggered. That way, your toad is automatically charged when the coach engine is running. 10 gauge wire would be great. 12 gauge probably adequate if all you need to do is maintain an already fully charged toad battery.

Short answer is NO. No tow dolly manufacturer recommends towing a vehicle backwards (rear wheels on dolly). A trailer or possibly a drive shaft disconnect would be alternatives.

Skipwright, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I know it sounds counter-intuitive to refer you to another website, but here are two Safari-specific sites where you might find someone with the same year and model who you can pay to Xerox their for you: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Safarifriends/ http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SafariCoaches/

Would agree that a gallon an hour would be reasonable for a full load on a 6.5+ KW propane generator. But, the OP said he observed that consumption with virtually no load (TV plus minor battery charging amperage) on a 5KW generator.

Michael, Right now, exactly what 120 VAC items does your inverter power? Have you pushed the reset buttons on the inverter?

Michael, You don't mention what generator you have, but most have posted consumption rates. And, over a gallon an hour IS excessive, particularly at light loads. Are you sure the tank was filled to the same level at the "before" and "after" fill-up? But, another thought. It is not energy efficient to run a generator just to power, say a TV and battery charger producing only a few amps. Have you considered running the TV on an inverter and only running the generator to power large items like A/C's and to charge the batteries when they are discharged? Not knowing how your coach is set up, that may involve a larger battery bank as well as an inverter-- you will have to weight the relative costs.

On a rear radiator, front is front of vehicle. And in most applications where you have a SANDWICHED cooling system, the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) is in FRONT of the radiator. Since the fan pushes air from the front and it exhausts out the back, most debris is "filtered" by the front of the CAC. That is why the majority of your cleaning must be done from the front-- accessing the area from the bedroom or closet. On side radiators, air is pulled by the fans from the outside and exhausts to the engine room. Most debris will be on the outside of the CAC-- hence much easier to get to to clean.

John, Yes, a rear radiator/CAC needs to be cleaned at least once a year from the rear AND from the front, as the front is where the vast majority of the debris accumulates. Also, be sure that your crankcase breather hose has been extended to behind the fan shroud or you will add oil vapor to the dirt to insure that you will need to pull the radiator and CAC to get it clean!