wolfe10

Give Blue Ox a call. They can tell you if the 2007 and 2012 brackets are the same (unlikely since the part numbers are different). http://www.blueox.com/bx-r-baseplates.aspx Also, don't know where you are located, but this on Blue Ox's website: *** Blue Ox is offering a free baseplate installation to the first customer willing to bring their 2011 Honda CRV to our factory for the installation. Contact Mandy Johnson for further details. *** Brett

Pain In The "anatomical feature-- not in front"

Chuck, I do not know the answer to your question either, BUT, I would not chance continually cutting off power to the computer that controls the engine. Better to install a disconnect in that fuse that should be pulled. Not difficult to wire. Then you just turn off that one circuit. Brett

banknmak, Here is one-- there are others. Most of the Home Depots, Lowes, etc have them: http://www.oatey.com/apps/catalog/instance_assets/assets/OAT_AAV_SVA_link3.pdf

No "have too's " here, but what most of us do is leave the water pump ON and turn on the water heater 10 minutes before we want water. For the water heater, that means first one up in the morning turns it on. Turn it off after dishes are done. Turn it on when starting dinner prep and off when you go to bed. No gain in running it 24/7.

Agreed, no problem. I plug in my Pressure Pro to check pressures in the morning before we leave and before the sun or other factors influence tire pressure. On the road, Dianne occasionally scrolls through the tire pressures. But I would not want my alarm set too fine-- a cold morning could have a lot of them going off. Ran into that a couple of mornings in the desert SW this winter. 30 degrees at 7am, alarm going off on a tire or two. 60 degrees by the time we left, tire pressure back where it should be.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. As you already posted, the first "suspect" with a rear radiator diesel is a plugged CAC/radiator. Note: CAC= Charge Air Cooler= After-cooler= Inter-cooler-- all names for the same piece of equipment that takes hot intake air from the turbo and cools it down on its way to the engine. Since it is FRONT of the radiator, that is where the vast majority of the dirt will accumulate. Access the top of the engine/fan shroud area from the bedroom or closet. With a strong flashlight, look inside the fan shroud/between fan blades. It WILL be clean-- the fan blades sling the dirt to the perimeter. Verify that the perimeter is as clean as the center. Pay particular attention to the lower quadrant where dirt and debris first accumulate. Insufficent air flow through the CAC and radiator WILL cause overheating. Also, with your 3126, it wouldn't hurt to reach under and check water belt tension-- it is NOT tensioned by an automatic belt tensioner. Let us know what you find. Brett

Actually, it is a little more complex than that. When we bought our coach, for exactly the same price, we could have purchased a new high-end gas coach, entry level diesel or used high-end diesel. We chose a used high end diesel. We have put 135,000+ miles on it-- virtually trouble-free. No right or wrong answers here-- decide what best fits YOUR needs.

Fuse at the coach battery positive TO 8 gauge wire from coach chassis or house battery (the one closer to the back of the coach and/or easier to access) to the large IN lug/terminal of a relay near the back of the coach. Wire from any "ignition hot" source to relay signal terminal (very low amp draw, so any source acceptable). 8 gauge wire from large OUT lug/terminal of relay to gang plug at back of coach. The cable from coach to toad will need an additional wire to carry that charge wire. And 8 gauge wire from front of toad to fuse at toad battery. Sounds more difficult than it is. Cost of parts excluding wire which depends on length of wire run is around $25-- more if the coach to toad cable does not have an extra unused wire.

desertdeals69 That may depend on the brand and style. I agree, the Zip Dee's are bomb-proof-- 168,000 miles in all wind conditions with no issues. Brett

Correct, 360 HP, 800 lb-ft torque.

Sorry, I prefer to feed the toad battery off the coach battery when the coach is running. Many toad ECM's get cranky when continually disconnected from power. Running one extra wire, two fuses and a relay is a more reliable way to go.

Bruce, NO, if one tank goes to 130, the compressor and governor are OK-- that is all they are supposed to do. Are you certain this is an actual air pressure issue and not a gauge/sender unit issue??? If one tank is showing 130 and you turn off the engine and hear no leaks, I would start looking at gauges/senders. Freightliner has had issues with this-- check with them.

If the air compressor is working properly and air pressure does not come up, there has to be a massive leak. It could be a dump valve hanging up, air dryer, etc. The other possibility is that the governor that controls the air compressor is sticking and not calling for the compressor to operate. If you can not hear an air leak, consider replacing the governor-- they are not expensive. Brett

Their website (http://www.astoriarv.com/specs.php) shows 360 HP. Same on the Freightliner spec sheet for the Astoria: http://freightlinerchassis.com/images/pdf/Damon/Thor%20-%20Astoria%20Feb%202012.pdf

Have run both XRV and XZE over the last 169,000 miles. No problems with either and certainly no wear issues with either-- always replaced because of age, not wear. Current ones are 255/80R22.5 XZE's and are 7 years old, with a little over 50,000 miles. Yes, they are very well cared for and checked annually. No problems of any kind and LOTS of tread left. Will surely replace these because of age issues as well. But, I will point out that just yesterday in inspected a coach whose 5 year old tires were totally shot. They stored their coach outside in the high desert with no tire covers, and the sidewalls of all exterior tires were badly checked. There is NO XX number of months and you need to replace them. As quoted by Michelin, IF, repeat IF tires are well cared for (proper inflation, never overloaded, protected from UV light when not on the road, no harmful products used on them, etc) beginning at 5 years they need to be inspected by a tire professional annually and absolutely replaced at 10 years. Brett

Rather than go on time or mileage, evaluate shocks as follows: Visual inspection: If leaking (not just damp with oil, but leaking), replace them. If any wear in bushings/attachment points, replace them. Performance test: Go over a speed bump at normal low speeds. If an axle bounces more than 1.5 times, time for new shocks. Brett

Installation times vary WIDELY-- some simple bolt ups, others requiring removal of engine front end. Use this to access instructions and approximate install times for any Roadmaster base plates: http://www.roadmasterinc.com/vehicle_guide/tow_bar_brackets.php I suspect other base plate manufacturers have similar information available. Suggest you look up the one quoted to get a better idea of installation procedure and time requirement.

Stuart, The 75 MPH max speed limit on the tire should be good for the service life of the tire IF a tire is inflated to the proper PSI per tire manufacturer's chart (see below *) which says that: 1. the tire is not overloaded, since weight is ON the tire chart AND 2. the tire is not under inflated. *The tire manufacturer's chart gives the MINIMUM PSI for a given WEIGHT. Most of us add 5 PSI to that MINIMUM to account for those big Walmart shopping trips, PSI decrease with temperature drop, etc.

Stuart, I guess I would ask from the other end-- do you ever intend to drive your motorhome OVER 75 MPH???

Please give us details on what equipment was quoted. There is a reasonably wide range in cost depending on equipment. Not reasonable to lump them all together.

Method of preventing battery discharge also depends on what toad brake you have. Many use the toad battery. If so, the proper solution is to run a charge line from coach to toad battery.

William, Before spending the big bucks, have you verified with a digital voltmeter that the TWO 12 VDC positives are at 12 or more VDC? Easiest to check at the transmission side of the fuses. One is for ECU memory (i.e. is hot all the time) and is the smaller of the fuses (5 amp in many cases). The other fuse is only hot when the ignition is on. If both of these are OK and ground for the Allison ECU is clean and tight, give John (one of my first posts) a call. All he does is work with Allison ECU's and shift pads. Yes, plan C is to get an expert to look at it. Brett

Place to start is to weigh wheel positions/axles and use tire manufacturer's specs for proper tire pressure for that load. Weighing will also tell you if the front axle is too lightly loaded. A too lightly loaded leaf spring, whether on a one ton truck or F53 chassis WILL ride rough. And, no shock will fix that. Feel free to post your actual weights, GAWR (plaque in coach) and your tire size and brand and tire pressure. Then we may be able to offer specific recommendations. Brett

Are the things that aren't working only those things that work with the ignition key in the ON position or do they include things that normally work when the key is not in the ignition?