wolfe10

Bill, I do lots of mechanical inspections on coaches. Loose connections/screws in the ATS and 120 VAC breaker box are reasonably common. And as you know that leads to heat which leads to more resistance which leads to more heat........ Should an owner make this 10 minute job part of their annual inspection-- IMO YES. Not sure about blame, but the vast majority of these issues are very preventable. Vibrations going down the road (particularly the state of today's roads) makes checking the connections/screws very important. So, not a lawyer's answer as to who is to blame, but from a practical standpoint, it is easy to substantially minimize the issue. Been doing this on my coach for over a decade. A well-spent 10 minutes. Brett

jimann33, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. When you started smelling the hot electrical smell, did you check the tightness of the connections in the ATS? Loose connections are the #1 cause of problems in ATS's and 120 VAC breaker boxes. A VERY good idea to spend 10 minutes once a year and check all connections in ATS and breaker box (of course with shore power, generator AND inverter OFF). Brett

Yes, if you leave the dump valve open and hose connected to the sewer, insects CAN get into the holding tanks. I would not use a petroleum-based insect spray around the rubber and plastic. Guess I would flush the tanks very well with water and drain. Add a couple of gallons of water. Add half a cup of bleach and let sit 30 minutes. Flush with water. Yes, chlorine can also be bad for rubber and plastic, but you are only leaving it in there long enough for the chlorine gas to kill the insects, then flushing it out. BTW, it is not a good idea to leave the black tank valve open all the time. Better to leave it closed until tank is at least 1/2 full and then dump.

Bill, Be aware that the CHASSIS MAKER, not engine manufacturer specs the air filter. All the engine manufacturer is tell the chassis manufacturer the CFM requirements of the engine.

I installed mine (2 8D Lifeline AGM's) in April 2005. They are still going strong.

JoAnna, With an extended service policy, best answer is to call the extended service policy company and ask them for THEIR recommendation for shops in your area they work with. That should smooth out the process and verify that they will cover the repair. Oil change on the generator-- just about anyone who can hold a wrench (assuming you have access to the drain plug (and oil filter IF equipped).

If you are reasonably handy, and can follow directions, installing a new cooling unit is not that complex. Several of the cooling unit manufacturers/remanufacturers have installation instructions on their websites. You would probably be the best judge of whether this is something you want to tackle. Of course, the other question is what is the condition of the rest of the refrigerator. Hate to see you put in a new cooling unit, then be faced with a new PC board, gas valve and burner.

murphydc, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Best advice is to read your chassis manual-- there is a section in the back on recommended chassis maintenance schedules. Basic maintenance is on an annual (one year) basis for oil and filter, chassis lube, check SCA level in coolant, etc.

Igniter clicking for 5 seconds and then shutting down indicates that the thermocouple did not sense a flame. Did you have a flame during that 5 seconds? If not, light the stove to verify good propane flow and try again. If you did have a flame, your thermocouple may be mis-aligned or dirty, have mud dubbers nest on it, etc. Start by cleaning the burner tube and checking thermocouple alignment.

Ya, Chris, not their problem, as they have the electronic controlled Allison 3000. I second the "replace fuel filters FIRST. That is both an inexpensive step and one that causes by far the most issues where power is limited, but engine runs fine at lower throttle settings (when less fuel flow is demanded).

Before deciding to treat one of the symptoms (transmission temperature) please make sure the root cause has been addressed. On a rear radiator DP, start by VERIFYING that the front of the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) is clean. This normally needs to be cleaned annually. Raise the bed. Shine a strong flashlight inside the fan shroud/between fan blades. Verify that the perimeter, particularly lower perimeter is as clean as the center (the fan blades sling the dirt to the perimeter). Often, restricted air flow through the CAC and radiator causes your symptoms and a simple cleaning can restore your cooling system to its original capacity. The Allison MD3060's torque converter is locked up in "high" second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth gear, so the transmission is not a big heat factor, even on steep grades. But, higher coolant temperatures in the radiator DO affect transmission temperatures. As a side note, be sure you grease the zirk on the fan hub on your Caterpillar 3126. It is between the head and the pulley. Brett

Mel, For a LONG time, Allison standard answer is that after the first change to Transynd (or equivalent) , the next change interval is as if it had Dexron III in it. After the second change, THEN go to the extended change interval for Transynd. Brett

Mark, Thanks for the update. A leak within the unit should be VERY easy to both identify and if too short a hose very easy to fix. To identify: Use a golf tee or other solid "plug" to plug the vacuum line going to the engine at the Invisibrake unit. If that fixes the problem, that says the vacuum leak is in the unit. As I remember, all you need to open the Invisibrake unit is an allen wrench. I would NOT suggest anyone do anything beyond checking for a short/leaking hose-- any other work inside the box should only be done by Roadmaster, or at Roadmaster's recommendation. This is just basic 101 troubleshooting!

Tom, No apologies needed. If they fit, the are a very good choice. Brett

Tom, Actually, the Trojan T145 has the same FOOTPRINT as the T125, but is TALLER. T105 is 10 7/8" tall. T145 is 11 1/2" tall. If you have the height available and the cost increment is not excessive, the T145 is a good battery to consider. Brett

Gary, Please tell us what coach you have and what chassis and model year it is.

Terry, Have them try this part number at the Caterpillar dealership: 119-5150

And some have a relay that is switched on and off from the driver's area.

Yes, most block heaters have have a regular 120 VAC plug with ground that would be plugged into a 120 VAC outlet. Many also have a remote on/off switch.

Actually, I much prefer ranchmink's auxiliary cooler, THEN in-radiator cooler unless you are always in sub-tropical climates. A stand alone cooler can OVER-COOL in low ambient temperatures. And, Herman asked some good questions-- let's narrow down what overheats (from transmission temperature gauge if you have one) as well as engine coolant gauge. If it is engine coolant temperature that rises, followed by a rise in transmission temperature, attacking the root cause would be preferable.

Since this is an air filter thread, that raises a good question: what is your air filter minder reading? How old is your air filter? And Cummins dealership, Cummins Southern Plains is on the east loop (610) in Houston.

I think it is well recognized in the industry that turning the refrigerator upside down for 24 hours is NOT a long-term solution. You are likely faced with the "replace with new" or "new cooling unit" decision. Would certainly NOT pay labor to do the inversion "test".

Agree. Many times, the bean-counters make poor decisions on engineering issues.

Bob, What brand and model/style of awning do your have? The locking mechanisms vary with brand and model.

Not sure I would agree with that statement. Both Cummins and Caterpillar recommend traditional air filters over the K&N style filters. And at least in Caterpillar's case, they have "no skin in the game", since they do not make air filters for on-highway applications. It is more a matter that the engine manufacturers want to minimize the dirt that gets to the engine. So, if you are running high air filter minder readings (restrictions in air filter system) my suggestion is to start by "tuning up" your air plumbing: Larger diameter, smooth wall fewer or more gentle turns from side of coach to air filter. Many chassis makers just send the chassis to the coach builder with flex hose, and in many cases there is a LOT of excess hosing that contributes to restriction. If that does not reduce restriction to an acceptable level, look to see if you can fit a larger filter housing in the available space. Take your measurements to a truck wrecking yard and look for a housing that size and inlet/outlet size. Should be very inexpensive. Then just replace the filter element with a new one. Brett