wolfe10

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Hopefully someone else has experiences these very unusual issues. Did the Caterpillar dealer do a download and find any fault codes that would shed light on the cause of the problem? And ALWAYS when a unique electrical issue, remove, clean and tighten the computer ground stud located just below the computer on the passenger's side of the engine. Have seen some that the chassis maker did not properly secure-- intermittent ground on any computer controlled engine leads to strange issues. Assume you/they have verifies this is not a gauge issue, but an actual intake heater cycling on even after the engine has reached operating temperature. That brings up the last question-- is your engine operating at normal operating temperature? And just a matter of terms, but your Caterpillar 3126 will have an exhaust brake. Yes, it may be made by Jacobs, but is not commonly referred to as a "Jake Brake". A Jake Brake is also known as an engine compression brake and opens the exhaust brake at the top of the compression stroke. And exhaust brake is basically a really strong potato stuffed in the tail pipe-- it creates back pressure on the engine. Ya, it is confusing as Jacobs Corp makes both kinds of brakes. Please let us know what you/they find. Brett

Ron, Be sure to weigh that Dodge truck as well and make sure it does not exceed your coach's towing weight limit OR the GCWR of coach and toad. Brett

Have you done individual wheel position weighing? What did you find?

The towing guide for 2011 shows the lightest Explorer at over 4,500 pounds. That is a lot for a gas chassis unless you just HAVE to have that large/heavy a vehicle. Verify that it does not exceed your coach's towing capacity or GCWR when you add the loaded weight of your motorhome. Also, lots of posts on towing the Escape and it's transmission woes. Just put "Escape" or "Ford Escape" in the search box at the top right of this page. Brett

Rather than talking about side to side (body) difference, suggest you measure the chassis on each side and compare that to your chassis manufacturer's ride height specs. Bring the chassis to manufacturer's specs and THEN measure the body. The other issue could be side to side weight imbalance. What are the differences in side to side weight? If this is the root cause, any chance of moving weight around to better balance the loads? It is common to use shims or to add a leaf to bring the chassis back to factory ride height spec to compensate for a heavy side. I find that a preferable solution to adding air bags which have a different spring rate/travel than do those long leaf springs. Brett

Might also try pure silicone GREASE. That works on a lot of the seals and stays around a lot longer than the spray. Brett

Peggy, Good question. And the answer is YES and NO. YES, most diesel coaches have a battery boost/battery combine/emergency start switch just like most gas coaches do. They serve to combine the CHASSIS to the HOUSE battery bank. They can be combined to bring the battery with more charge to bear whatever you are trying to start-- main engine or generator. But, view this as an emergency technique ONLY. NO, that is not a solution to the chassis battery going dead. Repeatedly deeply discharging a battery materially shortens its life. Jumping the coach to start it (which is in essence what you are doing with the boost switch) WILL allow you to start the engine, but should be viewed as an emergency response, not proper long-term solution. The proper answer is to find a means of keeping the chassis as well as house batteries charged. If 120 VAC available where you store, that may involve a trickle charger or something like the Xantrex Echo charger to maintain the chassis battery. If stored outdoors with no 120 VAC, that may mean a solar panel and controller. If stored indoors and no 120 VAC that may mean totally disconnecting the battery bank during storage to materially reduce the rate of discharge.

Glad it worked out, Art. Ya, Dianne and I will be at the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club Rally in Kerrville April 15-20, 2011. My linkhttp://catrvclub.org/Buckhorn%202012/Buckhorn%20Rally%20Registration.pdf Will have a couple of maintenance seminars and a lot of fun. Brett

http://www.shurflo.com/files/RV-Product-Data-Sheets/4008-Revolution-Pumps/pds-4008-131-A65_E65_.pdf lists but does not picture a check valve for your pump. Brett

Several possible causes, including a leaking city water/tank fill valve and a bad check valve in the pump. With your "pump turns back on" after use on tank water, I would start with the pump check valve. What water pump do you have? Brett

Yes, check transmission fluid with the engine running. Also, look in your Ford chassis owners manual for correct transmission temperature range for testing. Most specify only checking fluid level with fluid hot which means after 25 or so miles of highway driving.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Be sure you are checking with the transmission at proper working temperature per your Ford owners manual. Cold will show lower than when the fluid is warm. And to add fluid, buy pre-made or make yourself a funnel and a couple of feet of clear plastic hose. After use, put it in a Ziplock and save for future ATF use. The hose needs to be long enough to go from mid-windshield level (funnel end) to well into the dip stick tube. BTW, the same concept (clearly different funnel and hose) works for brake master cylinder. Brett

Like Tom, we have the on-coach hitch. Much easier and lighter to use as most of the weight stays on the coach and you are only lifting individual arms. Also, the toad doesn't have to be burdened with the hitch on the front (which can be damaged by parallel parking, etc) when driving solo. We have a Roadmaster tow bar and brackets, but both brands are excellent. Brett

Be very careful using brake fluid or other really harsh cleaner. There are a lot milder dirt/grease cutters than brake fluid. A lot of the CAC's are aluminum. And with most sandwiched cooling systems (CAC if front of radiator) it is not really possible to clean from the back. You or someone else will have to clean from the front. Yes, I KNOW how awkward that is. The other option, which is a LOT more expensive is to pull the radiator so that you can "reverse flush" the CAC. Brett

Caterpillar does NOT recommend any such coolant additives. Yes, make sure your coolant is not out of date (most coolants have a three year life, ELC coolants a 6 year life) and if a regular/non ELC coolant that the SCA concentration is kept in the proper range. The vast, I mean vast majority of overheating on a diesel pusher is caused by debris being deposited on the front of the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) and blocking air flow to the CAC and the radiator that is behind the CAC. Also, be aware that Caterpillar recommends that thermostat(s) be changed every three years. Brett

First, welcome to the FMCA Forum. Let's look at the 50 amp shore power first: You have TWO 50 amp hots, so you have 100 amps total @ 120 VAC available. If you look closely at the breakers in both the CG outlet box and your coach main 120 VAC breaker panel, you will find two 50 amp breakers pinned together. A generator that has two 30 amp breakers can supply 30 amps PER LEG or 60 amps total. But 60 (generator) is indeed less than 100 (50 amp shore power). Brett

Roger, That does make sense only if they went to a smaller/lower load capacity tire that would put the tires at a high-risk for blowout OR such an oversize that other mechanical components would be adversely affected (gear ratio materially affected, inadequate dual spacing, interference with other front suspension components, etc.). If there is any way for you to follow up on this, would sure be of interest. Determine if the tires posed any of the issues I mention (or others you feel would warrant their decision). Also, the name of adjuster or company so they can be contacted for their reasoning or if they were just taking advantage of a loophole to keep from honoring the warranty. Thanks. Brett

Yes, since they are 12 VDC, there will be a fuse (or should be). Without knowing what system you have, its age, whether monitor works/camera doesn't, etc it is difficult to really assist. Once you have verified that you do have 12 VDC to the system, if it doesn't work, my suggestion is to contact: http://www.rvcams.com/Default.htm They are one of the few places in the country that diagnose and actually repair rear view systems (cameras and monitors).

Paul, The danger with any charcoal-based filter is that it removes chlorine-- and they do a good job of doing that. Removing chlorine is ONLY OK, repeat ONLY OK if you will be using the water immediately. Storing water from which you have removed the chlorine is asking for microorganisms to grow in your tank. Again, use a sediment only filter (I like/use the 5 micron sediment only filters) for water going into the tank. Use a charcoal filter coming out of the tank for drinking water/all water. If you NEVER use the on-board tank and it is disconnected from your fresh water supply, a charcoal filter for all water "in" is OK. Brett

Art, Ya, I would pick up the phone and call both Bilstein and Koni and discuss this with them: Bilstein 858-386-5900. Kevin O’Keefe Koni (859) 488-0339. Jim Ryan You can tell them I suggested you call them. Brett Wolfe

Another Corp park, though probably not relevant for whole season stay. Just 15 miles east of Ft Myers. http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Operations/Branches/SFOO/recreation_camping_wpfranklin.htmMy link We have never stayed there in our motorhome, but stayed there this last spring in the sailboat on our way from the Bahamas back to Texas. The slips accommodate 40' boats and are adjacent to the CG. You can watch boats locking through the Franklin Lock. Brett

Art, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Even if shocks are only 18,000 miles old, they may not be the best shock for your application: They are likely NOT high end shocks such as Koni or Bilstein. They are likely NOT valved for your specific application (sounds like you need more dampening, particularly on rebound). I would contact Koni and Bilstein and see what they have to offer for your M-2 chassis and how it differs from the OE shocks you have (suggest you crawl under and determine exactly what front shocks you have before calling them). Brett

Ya, without a stored code or other symptoms, they would be caching a ghost. If this happens again, be sure to check for other things (such as voltage) that go abnormal at the same time. With a phantom issue like this, it is always a good idea to check electrical connections at the engine for cleanliness/tightness. I have not worked on the MB engine, but can tell you that, for example, a loose ground connection for the engine computer can cause some VERY strange behavior from any electronically controlled engine. Brett

Did you have an MB truck engine dealer check for stored codes? Any other gauges read irregularly at the same time-- such as voltmeter? Brett

Bob, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. What brand jacks do you have?