wolfe10

I agree with Sundancer. Do not change to a silicone-based fluid. Ford has one of the best brake fluids compatible with your system with a new boiling point right at 500 degrees F. Brett

Bill. Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The first thing we have to determine is exactly what suspension you have. If the B.F. Goodrich Torsilastic Suspension (aka Velvet Ride), discussions about air bags would be moot. If that is what you have, the first thing you need to do is check ride height. Shims are removed to raise ride height. Ralph Andrews, owner of http://www.pioneermetalworks.com/ is very knowledgeable about the Torsilastic suspension and has several upgrades for it, including double shock mounts for the front. Brett

As Bill said, very likely the dash A/C condenser. Trace one of the lines from the evaporator (under "hood") down and see if it goes to it. Brett

What chassis? Your chassis maker fit your gauges and air pressure senders, so that is your first point of contact.

jiffyjet2 is absolutely correct. Since front overhang is dictated by steering geometry/driver's position and rear overhang is dictated by length of drive shift, transmission, engine and in some cases the CAC and radiator, to turn a 40' coach into a 30' coach, virtually the whole 10' is taken out of the wheelbase. So almost by definition, the shorter the coach, the poorer the WB/OL (Wheel Base to Overall Length).

Yes you can use that to fill tires and any other things while parked that require compressed air. If the coach did not come with a hose attached, be aware that there are at least three different chuck styles, though they look similar. I would call Monaco and ask what you need to buy to connect to that chuck that they installed. Brett

Start by verifying 12.0-14 VDC at the TWO transmission fuses in your chassis fuse box. Like any computer, low voltage due to bad battery, discharged battery, poor or corroded connection, etc can cause some peculiar issues. Next, query your Allison for diagnostic codes using your shift pad. Instructions in your Allison manual or here: http://www.allisontransmission.com/servlet/DownloadFile?Dir=publications/pubs&FileToGet=SA3360EN.pdf Also, a good idea to unplug and securely replug the two gang plugs at the Allision TCM and the shift pad. Though it does not fit your specific issue, be aware that if the idle speed is too high, the transmission will NOT go into gear. So, high idle speed/idled up speed for warm up is (and should be to protect the drivetrain) an automatic shift inhibit. Brett

Thanks for those great photos. A poster child for the importance of keeping the CAC/radiator clean. By the time it gets as bad in the photos, it is almost a certainty that you will have to pull them to get them clean. If cleaned regularly, you can usually clean with a garden hose from back AND FRONT. Brett

I agree with Roger-- the majority of tire failures are NOT due to material or workmanship issues. This is particularly true of the smaller tire sizes (i.e. 235 and 255/80R22.5), since these sizes have lower carrying capacity than larger tires, so they are much more frequently overloaded and/or run underinflated. They were generally chosen to save the chassis maker a few bucks, NOT because they were the best choice. BTW, our coach has over 158,000 miles, all on Michelin tires without a single failure. But, I have seen coaches weighing 8,000 pounds more on the same tires! Brett

Small world. I just bought and installed a regular home kitchen sink faucet in our coach today. No problem as long as you VERIFY that the fittings/connections will work. I pulled the old faucet and took it in to match connectors. Found a better quality faucet at a plumbing store than at a box store for the same price. Brett

Not sure I would start by looking for either of those as used parts, particularly the brake master cylinder assist. Have you contacted Monaco for the part numbers? That is where I would start. Very likely you can get the manufacturer and part number information from them. And most radiator shops can repair a leaking heater core if a new one is too expensive.

Like Bill, we look at fuel prices for both coach and toad when planning fuel stops. I won't go out of my way for less expensive fuel, but am frequently able to take advantage of a price war in a particular area we are going through. Here is one of the sites we use: http://gasbuddy.com/ Click on the state. Click on the top line which will be the state's name and "gas prices". That will show you the least expensive gasoline in that state. Click on Diesel and it will give you the same thing for Diesel. On our last trip, there was a gas and diesel price war in El Paso, Texas when we were going through there. Saved over $.25/gal on each over the price for hundreds of miles in either direction.

Bryan, I would contact Silverleaf and/or Cummins for information on those codes. But, I would strongly suggest that you read your Cummins owners manual about your idle times: Recommendations are to start the engine and after 30 seconds or so use the cruise to go to high idle. As soon as the temperature gauge starts to move you can begin to drive at light throttle. Sure, if you are right at a freeway entrance, let it high idle a little longer before putting the "pedal to the metal" And, on shutdown, particularly if you have operated at low speed maneuvering off the highway, into a CG and on to your site, you are good to shut down immediately. If you have been at high throttle before stopping, idle for 3- 5 minutes. BTW, this applies to all modern diesel engines, not just Cummins.

Yup, I would put in order: 1. Determine towing capacity of your motorhome-- it is often NOT related to hitch rating, but to rating of least strong component. 2. Determine the weight of your motorhome when loaded and subtract that from the GCWR (usually on a sticker near the driver's area). The lesser of #1 or #2 determines what weight vehicle you can tow. 3. Shop for a vehicle that fits your needs that can be towed 4 wheels down. Here is an excellent starting place: http://www.fmca.com/...our-wheels-down 4. And if you read your chassis owners manual, I suspect it will state in plain English that the brakes were designed to stop the COACH, not coach and towed vehicle. So, from a practical standpoint, legal standpoint, etc. yes supplemental brakes are an excellent idea. Remember the weight limit at which towed brakes are required is determine by each state you drive in, NOT your home state, so if you plan on traveling, you need to meet the requirements of the state you drive through with the most strict requirements/lowest weight vehicle requiring supplemental brakes. Brett

Lon, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Couple of questions: 1. Do you have the 4 air bag suspension being discussed in this thread, or the 8 outboard air bag suspension? 2. What tire pressure are you running, and is it based on your tire manufacturer's recommendation FOR YOU ACTUAL WEIGHT? Unlike automobile tires that have a specific PSI recommendation, tires found on large vehicles such as your motorhome have PSI based on weight-- so the same tire may have a recommendation of 80 PSI on an axle of one weight and 110 PSI on a much heavier one. Clearly, if the coach where the recommended PSI is 80 were to inflate to 110 PSI, the ride would be terrible. 3. The next thing to check is RIDE HEIGHT. Monaco can give you the specs for your coach. If the ride height (which is easy to adjust as long as you have safety stands) is out of spec, the suspension can bottom out over bumps if too low and be near the end of suspension travel on extension if too high. So, before considering spending any big bucks on shocks, etc. get these basics dialed in. Brett

Since his "brake pedal to the floor" occurred AFTER stopping for 30 minutes, I doubt boiling brake fluid was the cause. I am not that familiar with the hydroboost brake system that I suspect he has, that is why I did not speculate on the cause of the pedal goes to the floor. Brett

Eric, My suggestion is to run the coach by any shop that works on OTR trucks. They use the same air bags, and they could do a better job of answering your question than our speculation without actually seeing them. That said, air bag failure is very rare unless there is a chaffing issue, puncture from road debris, etc. Brett

Gord, I am sure you will get some good firsthand information on your specific brake failure question. A couple of general comments: Be sure that you change you brake fluid every 2-3 years. As it absorbs water (as it was designed to do to protect the iron parts of you brake system) the boiling point of brake fluid decreases from close to 500 degrees F to 286 degrees F! Temperatures in your calipers under extended hard braking can exceed 286. The proper use of your service brakes while descending a grade is to NOT USE THEM. They are not there to help you maintain a safe speed of descent. They are ONLY to be used to slow you down enough to "grab a lower gear." Though your coach weighs many times what your car weights, brake surface area (dictated by size of wheels) is only slightly larger than on your car. So a very different driving technique is needed. The correct gear to descend a grade is the gear that holds your speed in equilibrium. That could mean 1st or 2nd gear, even if the road is dead straight for 10 miles. If you find that your speed is increasing, firmly apply the brakes enough to slow down enough to "grab a lower gear." Physics dictates that your equilibrium speed is slower than an empty 18 wheeler and faster than a loaded one. We assume that your toad has brakes as well. Your chassis brakes were not designed to stop the weight of the coach AND the toad. If you drive properly, you will not wear out coach brakes -- we have 158,000 miles on original brakes and have driven a LOT of serious mountain roads. Brett

Good idea. I would add to have the front end (grill end) up and protected from sprayed/splashed water. You don't need to soak your plugs and plug wires driving into hurricane force (60 mph) winds with rain. Brett

Eric, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. How old is your chassis? Like tires, air bags can have small cracks and still be 100% serviceable. There are a number of 15+ year old coaches with original air bags. Brett

From an earlier post by Tom Butler: http://www.marxrv.com/rvsalvage.htm

Might be worth pulling the fuel filter and verifying that it is not clogged. Also, many rigs have a sock-filter in the tank. It could be clogging. Fueling may knock the debris off the sock.

With shore power and generator off, go up and remove the cover. Access the electrical area and make sure it is dry. Same for fan motor. After drying completely run for at least one hour to make sure windings, etc are dry. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Very likely unrelated. Assume you have an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch). If it is working correctly, it allows only one 120 VAC power source to access the RV-- either shore power or generator. It is designed to prevent problems arising from two different 120 VAC sources. A starting problem would more likely be in the 12 VDC system or generator itself. Please describe exactly what happens: 1. Does the generator turn over at normal speed? Starter just click? Nothing? 2. Does it start and then die, run rough, other. 3. Runs fine but no 120 VAC to coach? 4. What generator brand and model is this? Brett

To expand/modify a little on Larry's suggestion. You DO need to be careful to not cut into any below-floor beams, wires or plumbing. But once you have "cored" the floor to determine it's thickness, and have checked in the basement that nothing is "notched into" the flooring (very unlikely), you can set a saw to cut through all but the last 1/32" of the floor thickness to give a clean, quick cut. You will need to determine where the support "joists" are in splicing in a new piece of floor, just as if this were a stick built house (or do some "re-engineering" to support it). Brett