wolfe10

Only safe way to descend any grade in a heavy vehicle is to use the gears/engine, NOT service brakes to hold your speed in EQUILIBRIUM. That is a speed at which your transmission/engine keep you at a speed where you are neither speeding up nor slowing down. If you find you are accelerating, use the service brakes (brake pedal) enough to slow down and shift to a lower gear. Also, with hydraulic brakes, change brake fluid every 2-3 years AND on most, clean and lube the caliper pin slides.

Indeed, some of the issues would make it difficult to start at any elevation/temperature. But, glow plugs are MUCH more critical at cooler temperatures. I will repeat my first post: What are the symptoms? Do the glow plug work (higher elevation usually means cooler temperatures, so glow plugs are much more important)? Does the generator turn over at normal speed? Starts and stalls? Smoke/no smoke?

Jerry, 1) YES. 2. YES, full and Stabil and if you can find non-ethanol gasoline, it stores better than ethanol fuel. http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=WI 3) Better to remove and store above freezing/charge just like house battery, but if left in, disconnect AND don't let it get deeply discharged or it will freeze.

Guymaster, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. As to whether you need a braking system on your toad: 100% of coaches with toads stop faster if the toad has a braking system-- could it be the difference between an accident and avoiding one??? Weight of toad determines the legal requirement for a braking system-- each state sets their limit. And if driving in that state, you must meet THEIR requirements. Won't even get into the legal issues if you have an accident and are not in compliance with the laws in that justification. Basics-- we have a DP (Caterpillar/Allison/Exhaust Brake) and tow a Ford Focus (2,530 lbs). We have a brake system on the toad.

Willis, Please tell us what engine/transmission/chassis you have. Did anything else quit working when the engine quit (such as dash HVAC fan)? Downshifting is a good way to safely descend a grade. And that should lower, not raise engine temperatures-- no load higher RPM so fan and water pump are spinning faster.

What are the symptoms? Do the glow plug work (higher elevation usually means cooler temperatures, so glow plugs are much more important)? Does the generator turn over at normal speed? Starts and stalls? Smoke/no smoke The more details the better

As Richard said, yes, one can open the pressure relief valve and a faucet to reestablish the air pocket, but many times the mineral deposits on the pressure relief valve seat make resealing tenuous. Either method reestablishes the air pocket. If it still leaks, THEN it is time to replace the pressure relief valve.

Jim, If there is no air cushion at the top of the water heater, when heated, water (being non-compressible) will leak out the overflow valve/pressure relief valve. Before looking for parts to replace, pull out your water heater's owners manual and read how to reestablish the air cushion in the top of the water heater. On most: Turn off water pump and disconnect from shore water. Open a faucet to bleed of pressure AND LEAVE IT OPEN and toward HOT. Remove water heater drain plug and drain 1-2 quarts. Reinstall drain plug/anode (depends on brand of water heater-- Atwood nylon plug, Suburban anode). Also, a good time to siphon or flush mineral deposits from the bottom of the water heater.

Sandpc, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. First a question-- have you have the front end aligned with the coach at its "loaded configuration"? While steering products can help, you still need to start with the basic alignment, particularly caster and toe set properly to minimize wander.

John, Bulging batteries indicates a problem. Generally, this is an indication that they have been overcharged. That MAY indicate a problem with the charger (or inverter/charger) but could also be an indication of a weak or dead cell. A 12 VDC battery (whether a 12 VDC battery or two 6 VDC batteries wired in series) has 6 two volt cells. If one cell is dead, your charger will charge at the same voltage. Clearly, charging 5 cells at the same voltage as 6 will result in severe overcharging of the remaining good cells and is a common cause of battery swelling. A fully charged 12 VDC battery at rest (no charging and no discharging) is 12.7 VDC. A 50% discharged battery is 12.2 VDC. Discharging below 50% materially shortens battery life. Given your description of age and bulging, I would replace all batteries. Brett

Yes, some frost is normal. As Tim said, if the door seals are leaking, more humid air gets in and makes the speed of frost buildup quicker. Another thing to check is the condensate drain-- it should have a restriction in the outside end of it. If not, you have an open tube allowing humid, hot outside air to enter the refrigerator. There are some aftermarket fans that go inside the refrigerator and blow on the "coils". This reduces icing up. But, before looking for aftermarket solutions, do the dollar bill test on the door seals and check the condensate drain.

40 MPH in 6th gear HAS to be well under the 1500 RPM you mention above. How low does engine RPM get at WOT (Wide Open Throttle) as you climb those steep grades?

So, how low will engine RPM go before the downshift? As you are driving other than on steep grades, does it shift properly (i.e. keeps RPM between peak torque and peak HP RPM)? And again, have you used the shift pad to check for diagnostic codes?

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Let me see if I understand: If you use the down arrow to select a lower gear, what happens? What SHOULD happen when you hit the down arrow once is that the transmission downshifts to the next lower gear (6th to 5th) assuming the shift would not over-speed the engine in the lower gear. If you hit the down arrow 4 times to select 2nd gear at highway speeds, it should drop one gear at a time until second is reached, but each downshift ONLY when it would not overspeed the engine in the next lower gear. If you have the two window Allison shift pad, the left indicates the gear SELECTED, the right the actual gear you are in. Is this a new problem or has it always existed? Have you used the shift pad to check for diagnostic codes? Instructions in your Allison manual. Brett

If it has been properly maintained, the chassis, Cummins C engine and Allison MD3060 are pretty bomb proof. I have no first hand knowledge of the Firan products. What is the wheelbase and overall length-- 34' is quite short for a DP. As with any coach that age, I would suggest you pay for a complete inspection by someone knowledgeable of both chassis and RV systems. And DO expect things to be replaced after 18 years-- appliances can go out just as they will at that age in a stick home.

The answer is that just a straight inverter only takes 12 VDC from the battery and "makes" 120 VAC. But, the vast majority of inverters in RV's are inverter/chargers-- so they do BOTH. If the inverter is just an inverter, then you would have a separate charger or converter.

Drill, A tough one to answer. Many will tell you THEIR favorite-- kind of like a Ford vs Chevy PU discussion. Not sure that will help with your decision. Actually, a good part of the answer will depend on the year model you are looking at. Example: a Chevy 454 Vortec is a big improvement over the one year older Chevy 454 (about 1996). And, since the engine also dictated the chassis, chassis choice comes into play. To make the decision even more confusing, two motorhomes built on the same chassis can handle very differently. One could be a short coach on a long wheelbase chassis with good weight distribution, the other a long coach with poor weight distribution. If you have specific coaches in mind or even a line on your budget, that may help get better feedback.

In that area, we enjoy Monte Verde RV Park in Angel Fire, NM: http://www.monteverderv.com/ It is at 8400' with a beautiful view of Mt Wheeler, which I suspect has already received a dusting of snow. From there, you are on U.S. 64 on across to Texas and U.S. 287 on down to Dallas. Taos is twenty something miles to the west.

Les, No, there is no reason to run the generator while on shore power-- and a couple of good reasons not to. Now as to your slow turnover of the generator-- just like on a car, sounds like bad voltage to the generator or a bad ground from it back to the battery. Pull you your digital voltmeter (if you don't have one, get one-- start under $20 at Sears, Radio Shack, etc): Check voltage between the large positive lug on the generator and any good clean metal part of the generator both static and while cranking. Static-- 12.7 VDC is a fully charged battery, 12.2 VDC is 50% discharged. Repeat test between the positive lug and a good chassis ground. If voltage better, check ground cable between generator and chassis ground.

Drill, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The Chevy 6.2 and 6.5 diesel were some of the least well respected diesel on the market-- do not compare with Cummins or Caterpillar engines. And it would not have come from the factory with an Allison transmission-- it would have come with a Chevy/GM transmission.

If it is tripping the breaker as opposed to the GFI, your battery charger may be on, and if the batteries are deeply discharged, that can pull a lot of power. Same for water heater electric element and several other "not easy to see" items. As suggested, locate your coach's 120 VAC breaker box. It will likely have breakers, not fuses like the 12 VDC box. Turn off the top one (the main). See if it trips EITHER the house breaker or GFI-- let us know what happens and whether it is the breaker or GFI that trips. If it does trip, the problem is in your adapters, shore power cord, wiring to ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) or wiring to the 120 VAC breaker box. If it does not trip, start turning on breakers one at a time. Let us know exactly what happens.

I will restate the question: When were they manufactured?

Most OAT-based coolants (also called Extended Life Coolants) are good for 6 years. Please read carefully on the one you bought to find out about testing and possibility of a booster needed after three years. Cummins, Texaco, etc have information on their coolants on their websites. The only one I have first hand knowledge of is Caterpillar ELC. In an RV (i.e. less than 300,000 miles in three years) it is good for 6 years with no testing and no additional booster. And, replace the air filter every three years, whether it is clogged or not. Remember it is made of glue and paper. They can deteriorate with time as well as dirt collection.

Bill, Check with Freightliner. And, this is a common problem. The plastics in the expansion tanks were designed to be used under the hood of a truck. With the grills on the back of a DP, the tanks are exposed to UV light, which breaks them down. When in storage outdoors, put a sheet of cardboard inside the back grill to reduce deterioration due to UV light.

My concern with many "installations" of magnetic lights is that it leaves the wires on the outside of the toad where the wind can move them around and scratch the paint.