wolfe10

Steve, Do you have a reference to a website that compares insulating qualities of these various options: Single pane "regular" glass Thermopane Laminated glass Any significant difference in weight or other considerations?

Joe, Thanks for the update. Glad you are back on the road with the problem fixed. That damage is a new one on me-- have seen quite a bit of wiring insulation chewed by rodents, but never bushings.

For information on the Allison Mode Button, read my article "Allison Transmission Mode Button": March 2012 page 40.

Air dryers on OTR trucks are the same as on motorhomes. So, look for a truck service facility. Dryers can be rebuilt, replaced with new or with reman units. STRONG recommendation: Because of the importance of your air system (brakes and suspension) I would only go with factory parts (the ones who built your air dryer) or replacements. This is not a place to save a few bucks by allowing them to use "almost as good" parts. If you look at the dryer, you can determine the brand. That will help when you start calling around. Your chassis maker could also tell you what dryer you have.

David, Yes, the charger could be a problem. But, one dead cell in a battery will cause the same symptoms. A perfectly functioning charger will try to charge 5 cells (5 good ones and one dead one) at the proper charge voltage for 6 cells. That WAY overcharges the 5 good ones. That is why you never combine old batteries with new ones. If the old one dies, the result is way overcharging the good one(s).

Bill, Please tell us what chassis/engine you have. Comments about a Chevy 454 with carburetor would be of little help to you if you have a 2006 Ford V10.

Marty, What both Rich and I are suggesting is that this is a 12 VDC high-amp breaker. Nothing to do with the 120 VAC system. Glad you found the culprit. Sounds like you are back on the road--excellent.

Marty, I am trying to understand how any part of the 120 VAC system could cause your engine shutdown issues???

John, The engine manufacturer (Caterpillar in this case) only gives the specs that the coolant must meet. And the specs are the same for Cat, Cummins, etc. The chassis maker chooses the coolant for initial fill. But, at 10 years old, if you don't know for a FACT that the coolant has been changed AND exactly what coolant it is, indeed change it now. BTW, what Caterpillar engine do you have-- I didn't know the Zanzabar came with a 370 HP. If a 3126, it could be a 330 HP/860 lb-ft torque. Brett

Bill, No, just changed it based on time-- I figured every 5 years was reasonable. Brett

Ultraglide, Two such products are discussed in this tread.

That is also what I did with our Rockwell axle-- drained the old and went with synthetic. 120,000 miles later and one additional change after 50,000 miles, no issues at all.

No, Herman, you were right the first time. There should be a fuse/fusable link at EACH positive battery terminal, since any contact with chassis/ground would create a dead short from either battery. Brett

Bill, When in doubt, go to the owners manual (see link below). Meritor (who bought Rockwell) has their manuals on-line. My brief search did NOT find any caution about not using synthetics. Be aware that this is a 240 page document: https://s3.amazonaws.com/helm-arm-lod/mm1.pdf

Larry, Sometimes an outside charge source (your charger since you were on shore power) can interfere with the idiot light working properly. Try unplugging and seeing if the light comes back on. As an aside, it is a good idea to NOT start the engine unless you can drive a minimum of 25 highway miles. It takes that long to get the OIL up to operating temperature and anything less just adds moisture to the crankcase. Brett

While resanitizing (treatment with strong chlorine/bleach solution) may not rid your tank of the material, it will kill it (if it is organic) and then flushing should remove it. I would open the tank drain and then add some water... repeat 4-5 times, THEN sanitize and flush a couple of more times.

Andy, Glad to hear you switched from an engine degreaser to one that is ALUMINUM SAFE, as most CAC's are made of aluminum. And, as you discovered, it is the FRONT of the CAC where most of the debris is located. Cleaning from the back is OK, but you must clean from the front. Brett

These guys have an excellent reputation for blueprinting Sheppard steering boxes to reduce play: http://www.redheadsteeringgears.com/

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I would not consider a car cover while towing-- the action of the wind at 60 mph on a cover could very easily damage the car. Better, look at guards that protect the front of the car and mount to the tow bar and/or the horizontal screens that keep road debris from the motorhome from being thrown up into the car.

Old marine, Many of the larger steering boxes (Sheppard for example) do not have external adjustment for play. Yes, most of the smaller ones on gas rigs do. If we knew what gear he had, we would all be more specific about what needs to be done. Hopefully the OP will come back and let us know the outcome and cause.

Lorntson's procedure of centering the steering wheel, centering the front wheels and then installing the pitman arm is the correct start. And most pitman arms are not keyed, but splined so they can be installed in a number of different positions.

Herman, In his first post, he said he had the steering gear replaced.

Mlaser59, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I have the Adco tire covers from Camping World. Quality is just fine. Anytime our coach is more than an overnight, it has the covers on it. Strongly recommend white-- it keeps the tires cooler than black.

I will add to the excellent advice by Mr Lorntson from Precision Frame (this is what he does for a living): Depending on what steering gear it is (Sheppard for example) once you have the pitman arm/steering gear properly centered, you also have to set left and right total angles that the steering gear turns and absolutely make sure that there is still a gap between the steering knuckle at max turn and the steering stop (or you will bend things!). Very easily done with the two small screws on the outside of the Sheppard steering box. Most axle manufacturers have on-line manuals (I know Rockwell/Meritor does) that describe the process-- it is NOT difficult.

And, if the squeak is between the window frame and the sidewall of the coach, please tell us whether it is bedded in butyl tape. If so, and there butyl oozing all the way around the perimeter, you may be able to just tighten up on the screws a little that secure the inner to outer frame.