wolfe10

Len, You might send him a PM (Private Message). Click on the person's name on the left side of their post. Then click on "Send me a message". Brett

Ed, Excellent. Thanks for the update. Yes, travel is a wonderful experience.

Bill, Two different (very different) issues: 1. Do many follow a natural progression from towables to motorhomes as they "move up" that will add to future FMCA membership? In my opinion-- Yes. If so we need to find a way to introduce them to FMCA and attending a convention is a great introduction. 2. Are we properly welcoming them today/at the Indianapolis convention? I agree with you-- not likely. Brett

Bill, Many, many motorhomers started out in towables. Attending an FMCA Convention would be a GREAT way for them to be exposed to the product, the lifestyle and maintenance issues. In fact, I can't think of a better "Graduation Ceremony". Yes, some start right out in motorhomes. But the majority start in other RV's (or like us boats). Brett

Not sure a fan is necessary, but were you to fit one, you would install a compute muffin fan low and in the inlet side (away from Hydrogen).

Lots of discussions on the Ford Escape. Go to the search box in the upper right corner of this page. Type in "Escape towing". Brett

I agree with Bill. One vent high and one low is best. Yes, Hydrogen which is explosive is lighter than air, but the sulfuric acid vapors which are corrosive are heavier than air. A vent high and low serves both. Orient the vent such that they are in a clean area in terms of road splash and if possible, take advantage of natural air flow when driving, as the majority of alternators are NOT "smart" and will keep batteries at 13.7-14.5 VDC while driving-- the equivalent of keeping the batteries in bulk charge mode all day.

Azwidemind, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The vacuum pump "powers" the vacuum motors that tell the air in your dash HVAC system where to come out, recirculate/not recirculate, etc. And if one of the vacuum motors OR a vacuum line to one has a leak, then, yes, your pump could run all the time. No big thing to trace. Access the back of the HVAC panel. Pull the vacuum line from the pump and block it off. Turn on the ignition. Pump should run and pull a vacuum, then shut off. If not, the problem is in the pump or the line from pump to HAVC controls. In some older installations, there is a remote vacuum switch that turns the pump on/off that also needs to be checked. If it holds a vacuum, reattach the vacuum line and listen for a vacuum leak at the HVAC control. If none start checking each vacuum motor/line to them for a leak. I would ask your coach maker for the name of the company that provides your HVAC controls. Many have on-line diagrams and troubleshooting help. Brett

The generator provides 120 VAC just like shore power and just like in your house. The converter/charger takes that 120 VAC from either generator or shore power and charges the batteries which are 12 VDC. When you turn off the generator or disconnect from shore power, you have no 120 VAC UNLESS you have an inverter. An inverter takes battery 12 VDC and makes it into 120 VAC. Inverters were not standard on many older and lower end coaches. Brett

I did a little research and came up with this guy/company that troubleshoots/repairs Allison shift pads and ECM's: http://www.transmissioninstruments.com 866 439 9779 John Kopalek.

Jim, See response to your refrigerator question on your other post, same issue. Brett

Jim, An easy "suspect" for blowing that fuse is a shorted out heating element. Unplug it (with power off). Put in a new fuse and see if it holds. If so, you have identified your culprit. The heating elements are not expensive or hard to replace.

I am surprised that turning on the bathroom vent fan helps. That would create a vacuum in there in if there is any leak between black or gray tanks and toilet, sink, shower, etc it would suck air from the tank. Again, you need to trace the source of the odor and cure that. Brett

Correct. Navistar/MaxxForce choose to use high EGR and modified engine perimeters to control emissions to meet the much stiffer 2010 EPA standards. Others like Cummins choose to run the engines more efficiently (improved HP and economy) and use a "catalytic converter" to clean up the exhaust-- just like we have had on gasoline engines since 1975. The DEF has to be injected AFTER the engine, as it works in the converter. Burning it in the engine would not work. Let's keep this in prospective: If you have a 15 gal DEF tank and get 8 miles per gallon, that will last you 15 gal times 50 gal diesel/gal DEF times 8 miles per gallon= 6,000 miles of driving on a tank of DEF. Then pull into a Flying J, etc and fill the tank. Your power and MPG will be improved over an engine that does not use DEF. It IS a trade-off-- more complexity and DEF vs not quite as good power/MPG.

No, many RV's do not have an inverter. Because of the variations in how they are wired in an RV, you may just have to search for one. They can range from a small inverter to, say, power a TV to a large one that can power things like a microwave. Older and lower end coaches generally did not come standard with inverters, but many did install one. They also often require a larger than OE battery banks.

Not all motorhomes have ATS's. Follow your shore power cord wiring from side of coach and/or generator wiring to/toward the 120 VAC breaker box. The intersection of generator output and shore power will be the ATS or a plug that will allow you to plug in the "source" you want to use to power the 120 VAC items in your coach. Most generator pickups in the fuel tank are above 1/4 tank so you can not strand yourself by running out all the fuel powering the generator. But, it should not require a full tank.

Electric blankets take a lot less power than space heaters, but produce far less heat. You should have the amp/watt rating on each to compare. Not that big a deal if you are plugged into shore power, other than increased power consumption with the space heater. But, it could be a critical difference if you are trying to run it off your batteries through an inverter. It would take a HUGE battery battery bank to run a space heater (and really would not be practical because of recharge time). Even the electric blanket would require a fairly large battery bank if you are trying to run this while dry camping. Again, look at the watt rating of whatever you are wanting to run.

Christod, What is your engine serial number? I can call my contact at Caterpillar Corp to determine whether you can fit an effective exhaust brake (i.e. high back pressure brake) without fitting the stronger valve springs. And, yes, to descend a hill with any rig-- gas or diesel, use the transmission to gear down to a gear that holds your speed in equilibrium. If you don't have an exhaust brake on your diesel, you can do this (though far less effectively) by using the down arrow on your Allison shift pad. If you can fit an exhaust brake (depends on engine serial number), particularly a PacBrake PRXB, it is VERY effective. And, I will repeat-- the safe speed of descent is that speed where you are neither speeding up nor slowing down on a long descent-- I call it your equilibrium speed. It is often NOT related to whether the road is straight or with lots of curves. A good reference is 18 wheelers. Your equilibrium speed will be faster than a loaded 18 wheeler and slower than an empty one.

When did you get your Invisibrake? We had one of the prototypes installed two summers ago. We had the same experience. Roadmaster replaced it this last summer in Madison at the FMCA Convention-- It works perfectly. We now have 5,000+ miles towing with the new brake and it is working just as it should. So, it is possible that you have one of the early prototype brakes. Even the look of the compressor unit is very different. Brett

DEF is available in most truck stops, at Walmart, etc. Here is a list of the Flying J's with DEF right at the diesel pumps: http://pilotflyingj.com/pump-def Brett

Herman, The Caterpillar 3116 can be equipped with an exhaust brake, not an engine compression brake (same as Cummins B and C engines-- only large-displacement engines are generally fit with engine compression brakes). Prior to engine production of fall 1992, valve springs would only accommodate a low pressure exhaust brake. After that, they would accommodate a much more robust exhaust brake. Same thing occurred over at Cummins at this same time. That is why I asked for engine serial number. The exhaust brake is wired through the Allison TCM so that when the exhaust brake switch is ON and throttle closed, two things happen. The transmission begins shifting TOWARD, REPEAT TOWARD the pre-select gear (generally 2nd or 4th but can be any gear you want-- I had mine changed to 5th). It drops one gear at a time as soon as it would not overspeed the engine in that next lower gear. At the same time, the butterfly in the exhaust brake closes, creating back pressure that the engine must work against-- kind of like stuffing a giant potato in the tail pipe. If, for example you have a 2nd gear pre-select, it does NOT downshift to 2nd if you are at highway speed. And, if you are at a stoplight and look at the shift pad and it says "6" you are not in 6th gear, that is the gear the transmission will shift to as conditions permit. Here is another discussion on this subject: http://community.fmca.com/topic/665-exhaust-brake-vs-retarder/ Brett

Christod, Well, I had better open the back of the coach and have a visit with my 3116-- it had no idea it was suppose to have issues at around 80,000 miles. Current mileage is 158,000 miles with no failures. And, the 3116 is rebuilt the same as a Cummins B engine. As with any engine, maintenance over the years is an important determinant of engine life. If your valves have not been adjusted and injector timing set in 19 years, they might be correct-- the engine may fail. But, that would be the same on any engine-- do the recommended maintenance and they will last a LOT longer. BTW, you should join the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club (an FMCA Chapter): http://catrvclub.org/ Brett

Christod, Your 3116 has a governed RPM of 2600. 2500 is toward the high end, but certainly not over the redline. I would suspect that your Allison is programmed to NOT allow engine RPM to exceed the 2600 figure. Are you sure you don't have an exhaust brake? If not, what is your engine serial number. Beginning with engines produced the fall of 1992, the Caterpillar 3116 was fit with stronger exhaust valve springs that allowed the use of a very good exhaust brake. Generally, the exhaust brake and transmission downshifting work together when the exhaust brake switch is turned on and the throttle is closed.

One other observation about air dryers. From a cost standpoint, FACTORY reman air dryers are a good, safe way to go. Repeat FACTORY (as in the company that made them), NOT someone else who rebuilds them, perhaps using overseas parts of dubious quality. I have seen examples when working with Bendix of poor quality aftermarket dryer rebuild parts. Brett

floteb1, The Roadmaster Invisibrake comes on only when you step on the coach brake pedal, so use of the Jake Brake will not apply the toad brake. That was a requirement when we looked at systems, as I want the engine brake separate and the toad brake only engaged when I apply my coach service brake.