wolfe10

Troubleshooting: With a digital voltmeter, check voltage: 1. House battery bank with inverter charger on, shore power connected: voltage should be from 13.2 to 14.5 VDC depending on whether the inverter/charger is in bulk, absorption or float stage. 2. Check voltage at the chassis battery, same conditions. If Echo charger is working, voltage at the chassis battery will be the same. If #1 is below about 13 VDC, the Echo charger will not "connect" the house to chassis battery. If #1 OK, but chassis batteries are lower than house batteries, check for an in-line fuse to the Echo Charger. If OK, then check voltage IN and OUT of the Echo charger. Your Echo charger book will give you the exact voltages at which it will "connect/combine" the battery banks. Brett

As Tim suggests, check out that other thread. Sadly, there are many coaches that do not charge the chassis battery from the inverter/charger. Many others do. You will need to determine if your does/is supposed to charge both battery banks from the inverter/charger. If not, there are several excellent devices that will keep the chassis battery charged up. Two different methods: A separate small output charger for the chassis bank. A battery combiner such as the Xantrex Echo Charger that combines both banks for charging when certain criteria are met (proper voltage) yet separates them when outside that voltage range so a load will not take down both banks. Brett

Ride and handling are, to a large degree, subjective. There is one FACT: a longer wheelbase coach with everything else being the same WILL handle better. It may also ride better, if the front axle weight is closer to the GAWR than a shorter coach. My suggestion is to ask for axle weights from the seller, as most have weighed their coaches- the closer the percents of weight on each axle are to the axle GAWR (i.e.each axle loaded, to say 85% of their GAWR) the better. You don't want the front axle at 75% of GAWR and the rear axle at 95%, as that would likely ride and handle poorer than one that was better balanced. And more importantly, drive it. A rough road, particularly with a cross wind or 18 wheeler traffic blowing by would be the best test. Brett

Mike, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. There are a couple of ways to answer that: Two 6 VDC batteries in series (i.e. golf cart batteries) are the least expensive way to get deep cycle batteries in the 220+ amp-hr class. They are no better than a true deep cycle 12 VDC battery of the same amp-hr rating, but you will generally pay more for a 12 VDC one or get a "multi-purpose" battery less suited for deep cycle work. Main reason, there are a LOT of golf cart batteries sold, and they are generally good quality to be able to stand up to golf cart use. If $ are not the primary consideration, consider AGM batteries-- either 6 or 12 VDC. They are more expensive, but are maintenance free, long lived and do not out-gas except under extreme overcharging. Here is an example of an AGM: http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/ Brett

Herman, Actually, I hope RV'ers read this and quit trying to make their holding tanks smell "nice". Not possible and some of the chemicals really do harm sewer treatment plants and have an even worse effect on septic systems. RV's are (or should be) designed to keep holding tank odors out of the RV, rather than trying to make a holding tank smell "nice". If holding tank odors are noticeable in your coach, you might post that in the "Water and holding tanks" topic. Brett

http://intellitec.com/pdfs/BATTERY_web/5300066.000.pdf If that doesn't do it, Intellitec's technical contact information is at the bottom of that document. Brett

Herman is correct if you are talking about a recent model gasoline vehicle with sealed gas tank which vents only through a charcoal filter. Ovefilling will contaminate the charcoal vapor filter with liquid gasoline. And that extra vent will cause the vehicle to fail the emissions tests-- at least the ones performed in most metro areas. Best answer is to insure that there are no sags in either fill or vent line and if still an issue, contact your chassis maker/coach maker. This can be more of an issue on coaches where the fill is installed lower than on others. The more elevation drop between side of coach and tank, the better. Brett

I think there would be universal agreement among all TPMS manufacturers that even if you don't buy their system-- buy someones. Kind of like toad brake systems and their manufacturers. Brett

Don, No, not on our coach (36'). Brett

As Dennis said, there is no "this is how they are all wired" answer. But, with 5 minutes and a digital voltmeter you will know whether both your battery banks are charged from shore power. With the coach plugged in, check voltage at coach batteries. Then check at the chassis batteries. If the same and over 13.2 VDC, both are being charged. If the chassis battery is more than a few tenths of a volt lower than the house battery, the chassis battery is not being charged. Check with Winnebago to determine how they wired your coach (call them with your VIN). Brett

Gary, In addition to hitch capacity, if your coach has a frame extension (main frame rails to not come all the way to the back of the coach), you will need to verify with your coach maker the weight capacity of the hitch. And on any coach, remember that even a thousand pounds 10 or so feet behind the rear axle puts well more than that amount of weight on the rear axle and removes quite a bit from the front axle. Verify that you have that much reserve capacity on the rear axle and that removing weight from the front axle will not adversely affect handling. In most cases, unless this is a DP with tag axle, your effective capacity is very limited. Brett

Most of these are just a Caterpillar filter base bolted to the engine and easily relocatable. I know the Caterpillar secondary fuel filter on our coach was located to a compartment just behind the right rear wheel when the coach was built. I have seen the same on some of the Safari products. With the Caterpillar manual primer pump (which will either be on your secondary fuel filter base or have a block-off plate to allow the easy installation of one-- highly recommended) elevation is not really an issue. I have seen some relocations of this filter on Freightliner chassis to the area next to the primary fuel filter in the back. There is quite a bit of information on your fuel system on the Cat RV Club Technical Website: http://www.catrvclub.org/forum/index.php Don't know that you can directly access this without signing in (free) or not, but here is the fuel section: http://www.catrvclub.org/forum/index.php/board,5.0.html Brett

Any oil filter wrench sized for the diameter of the fuel filter will work. Be aware that you can relocate that filter (secondary fuel filter) to anywhere you like it. Many chassis makers put it in an easy to access bay so you don't have to stand on your head to change it. All it takes is to replace the fuel lines with ones long enough to reach your new location. BTW, joining the Cat RV Club (an FMCA Chapter), with dues of $15/year gets you (along with other benefits) a 10% discount on Caterpillar parts for your RV at Caterpillar dealers: http://www.catrvclub.org/ Brett

Dennis, No question, disconnecting the chassis batteries is the "least good" solution, that is why I mentioned it only if you don't have an alternate way to keep the chassis battery up. But disconnecting is better than allowing to the chassis batteries to toally discharge-- that will kill them in a hurry. Brett

Dennis, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. 2.5 amps is a high draw-- I would pull fuses one at a time until you isolate that draw to determine what it is. That is 60 amp-hrs per day and will take any size battery bank down fairly quickly. But, all modern coaches DO have some draw on the chassis battery. Best solution is to charge the chassis battery. Some are wired from the factory to do this from shore power. Others need a separate charger or relay to charge the chassis battery from whatever device is charging the house bank. So, in storage, either 120 VAC or solar. If neither, you should consider a battery disconnect for the chassis battery, as even at "normal" draw for the engine computer, transmission computer, etc, the battery can be discharged. Brett

Yup, Tim (TLazaroe) is the owner of RV.Cams, so you are talking with the right guy.

Herman, Wait a minute-- isn't that getting a little personal?! OK, seriously, no, definitely NOT on our coach. We have an air dryer and I keep it serviced. This was on a Beaver Monterey that came from the factory with NO AIR DRYER. Just a note that said "Drain tanks daily". I met the owner in an RV park in central Mexico where we were staying-- he was having all kinds of air suspension issues. Opened the drain on his wet tank and shot a stream of rusty water all the way into the next campsite. And, it just kept coming .....and coming..... and coming.

Tim, Thanks very much for posting on this one. Bobby, Tim is owner of http://www.rvcams.com/Default.htm and one of the most knowledgable in the country on troubleshooting RV cameras and monitors. He also happens to be in your back yard (Baton Rouge).

Chuck, You are correct. IF the air system has an anti-coumpounding valve there would be no damage. But, with the wide range of chassis over the years, it might be wise to verify, not assume. Heck, I have worked on coaches with air suspension and air brakes that had no dryer. Draining the wet tank produced several GALLONS of rusty water. Brett

Go to a tire dealer or front end shop that works with OTR trucks/motorhomes. Look for unusual tire wear-- roate tires to the rear and bring best side's rear tires forward if unusual wear (but tires still servicable). Have him jack up the front end and: Check tires for run-out. Even a well balanced egg-shaped tire will...... well, it will roll like an egg. If more than .035", fix it-- rotate tire on wheel, wheel on hub or have tire trued. If need be, swap better tires from the rear to the front. Then have the front tires balanced ON THE COACH. You want all the rotating mass in balance, not just the tire and wheel. If that 100 pound brake drum or disk is out even a few ounces, it needs to be accounted for. If you tell us where you are, perhaps someone can recommend a particular shop.

Interesting. I have virtually the same furnace (Atwood 8535 IV DCLP) which I installed in 2007 and have not experience any issue with it. My suggestion is to contact Atwood directly if you have any further issues or just want to confirm that the cause of your issue has been properly addressed. http://www.atwoodmobile.com/

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Sounds like you have done the correct diagnostics, starting with a confirmation that the engine is running at the correct temperature. Are any other gauges reading "non-normal"? If so, check the power supply to the gauges. Troubleshooting this is really a question for the Monaco techs, as they speced and installed the instruments. It is unlikely that you have multiple bad sending units, so the gauge or voltage to the gauge are the likely suspects.

Sorry, what make and model furnace. And, have you contacted the furnace manufacturer? Brett

Bill, Wow, it is great to see that some manufacturers do monitor the Forum and are here to help with technical advice. As I mentioned, my installation did not require extensions, so I have no first hand experience with them. But, I just got a message from PressurePro: You might mention to Bill-O (as I just read his posts) that if he is looking for reliable extensions, we always suggest Haltec brand. You can find them all over, Myers tire is a large supplier for them. If questions arise from dealers, you can even call Haltec direct and they will be able to lead you to the correct product. They are all American Made, just like PressurePro, hand check every piece for quality, and are very informed on our systems as we work closely with them.

Bill, The senders fit on my original all metal valve stems-- no extensions (Alcoa aluminum wheels). At .6 oz per sender, I don't anticipate a problem. Yes, the longer the extension, more "pieces" to it, and certainly rubber stems, as well as the heavier the sender, the more problems I would anticipate. Also, I may be over-finicky, but I affixed wheel weights opposite the stems/senders (tape on for aluminum coach wheels and regular weights for the car) for the coach front wheels and all 4 car wheels so wheel balance would not be affected. Brett