wolfe10

John, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. There are lots of parasitic loads on the chassis batteries (engine computer, transmission computer, usually dash radio, etc). So, with no charging, it is not unusual for the batteries to discharge in three weeks. Are you storing it where you have access to a 120 VAC outlet? Brett

OK, a difficult one for us. We came to RV'ing from off-shore sailing yachts. Had three Pacific Seacrafts (http://www.pacificseacraft.com/html/ps37.html) (click on "galley and salon") over the last 25 years. Yes, dark, spectacular hand crafted interiors were our "home" for many thousands of off shore miles. We love the look, but also appreciate the lightness of the "light look". In fact Dianne and I just spent several hundred hours remodeling to our kitchen in the "stick home" including stripping and painting all 46 cabinet doors and framing in white! So, I guess my answer is "I have to see it to be able to express a considered opinion". Yes, our motorhome has a reasonably dark interior (solid walnut), but with lots of windows. That is not why we settled on it-- I wanted the mechanical "level of expertise" that I was not finding in many other coaches we looked at. Brett

Not sure I agree. 28,000 miles in 9 years says it may have sat for a long time/very long time without use. Far harder on machinery than, say 10,000 miles a year. Remember, we are talking about a diesel powered coach here.

Yes, that should leave you plenty of wires to set up a toad battery trickle charger from your coach charging system. To do it properly, you will need, on the coach end: Handy source of fused 12 VDC-- engine battery is a good source. The fuse should be right at the positive terminal. Than large gauge wire (for less voltage drop) should go to the "always not" side of a simple relay (Under $10 at auto parts houses). A 40 amp would be plenty. Use any "hot when ignition on" wire to activate the relay. That way the charge line is only hot when you are driving. Continue with large gauge wire from the relay "out side" to the coach end of the toad plug. On the toad, use large gauge wire from toad-end wiring loom to the battery positive post WITH ANOTHER FUSE AT THIS POST AS WELL. This second fuse is important, since both batteries are hot and could have a short were the wire to ever touch ground. The ground path needs to be a robust as the hot. Best coach chassis battery to toad battery if you have the wires in the plug to do it. Doing it yourself your parts costs should be under $25 to do it the right way. Brett

Mike, That sounds normal. It doesn't take many amp-hrs of drain to remove the surface charge and return a battery to its true fully charged level (about 12.7 VDC). Brett

Mike, Another common cause of the smell is from a battery with a bad cell. While it is fine to charge a 12 VDC battery at 13.5-14 VDC, if one cell is bad, the regulator/alternator will then try to charge a 10 VDC battery at 13.5-14 VDC. That will severely overcharge the remaining good cells. If these are wet cell batteries, use a battery hydrometer (under $10 at any auto parts house) to check SG (Specific Gravity). If a cell is bad, SG in that cell will be low and easy to identify. Your mention that the voltage drops from 14 to 12.7 when the engine is shut off brings this to mind. While 12.7 is the reading for a fully charged 12 volt battery, generally there is enough surface charge to hold the battery voltage at 13 or higher for awhile (until a few amp-hrs have been consumed). So, if this drop is the instant the engine is turned off, it is a red flag to check the batteries. Brett

Mike, When you say everything is normal, what voltage are you talking about? After they reach full charge, anything over about 13.5 VDC can overcharge a battery. Most alternators/regulators are temperature compensated so they start out at around 14 VDC, but taper off slightly as you drive. If the alternator stays at 14+, yes it can cause overchanging. It can show up as the sulfur (rotten egg) smell and/or excessive loss of water in the batteries. Are you having to add a lot of water? Another source of the rotten egg smell in a gas coach is the catalytic converter. Have you ruled that out? Brett

Denny, Hopefully you will get information on shops that can do the work for you in that area-- sorry, we are in Texas, so not familiar with the FL shops. But, I will ask, have you verified that your coach/axles/wheel positions have the reserve capacity to handle the marble floor? That normally adds a lot of weight to a coach. Brett

I do the same as Peter-- conventional oil in the diesel (Delo 400 15-40 in the motorhome, Shell Rotella T 15-40 in the boat since Shell is easier to find in the Bahamas). Synthetic in my gas vehicles (Mobil 1 5-20)

You are wise to ask, as mixing coolant chemistry is not a good idea in any engine. Sadly, color is not a good indicator. It is within a particular coolant manufacturer, but not across the industry. If the OE can recall where he had it changed, call them and have them pull the ticket. Since most pay for things like that on a credit card, if he is really interested in helping, I suspect he can find out. If not, with the low price of coolant compared with engine or radiator, it may be wise to drain and replace with a coolant you will know-- and yes many of us with Caterpillar engines have switched to ELC (me included). Also, suggest you join the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club, an FMCA Chapter. Their next rally is in Kerrville TX in the spring. Lots of fun and some good technical seminars as well. A good way to learn the "care and feeding" of your engine and whole coach. http://catrvclub.org/

Those jobs are routinely part of a LOF. Kind of surprises someone would service any coach and not lube the chassis. Chassis lube is important, as (obviously) is brake service (checking sack-adjusters and lubing some brake designs). I just read a post by a guy who had to replace U joints with only 12,000 miles on them. Of course they were 7 years old and had NEVER been lubed by him (the original owner). Some wounds are self inflicted. Brett

jor, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Go to Roadmaster's website: http://www.roadmasterinc.com/vehicle_guide/tow_bar_brackets.php Enter your toad vehicle data. It shows two different bars available. Click on the part number to see complete installation instructions. Brett

I would look in the owners manual. I am not aware of any mechanical change between 2009 and 2010, but the manual is the proper source. You could also call the Nissan customer hotline.

Gerald, First, a question: Do you do your own routine maintenance or pay for all of it? Makes more difference on a diesel than a gas coach. Brett

We have driven it several times in our coach/toad on the way to FMCA Conventions in Redmond from the Oregon coast. It is one of the easier routes over the Cascades.

I agree. And having them balanced ON THE COACH is a big plus. That insures that all rotating masses are in balance, not just the tire and wheel. That 100 pound brake drum/disk as well as the hub could also be out of balance and affect overall "rotating mass" balance.

No ballast on a florescent sounds strange. What brand and model/what bulbs?

Good advice, BUT, I would not take any dealer's (or salesperson's) word for this. Verify the information you receive from them with the state in which you are considering registering the vehicle. The good news is that most of the statutes are on-line and/or you can e-mail so you have a concrete answer before making final plans.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Have you checked battery voltage at the battery? Digital voltmeters from Radio Shack, Sears, etc start under $15. If battery voltage is OK, you need to troubleshoot your disconnect switch/disconnect relay. Locate the relay. Check for 12 VDC from one large lug (battery side)to any chassis ground with switch in either on or off position. If no power to either large lug, check batteries and wiring from battery to relay. Turn switch on. Check for power to the other large lug only when switch is on. If no power to the second/other lug with switch on, take a small jumper wire from the battery side large lug to the POSITIVE small terminal (some relays have two small terminals, one positive the other ground, some have only one small terminal which is the positive and relay's ground is through the body's contact with the chassis). If you now have power to the second large lug, you need to fix the wiring or switch. If no power to the second large lug, the relay is bad. Brett Brett

Clacy, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. We will need a little information to be of assistance: What motorhome do you have? How many miles on it? Do you do your own work, or pay for part/all maintenance? How old are the tires-- they are a major expense. The food expenses are likely to be the same as at home. If you are used to eating out vs cooking all your meals you are likely to continue that trend unless you make a purposeful attempt to change. Fuel expense will be highly dependent on how you plan on traveling. Driving to a destination for the winter and then back home is different than a new location every night. Most CG's have a daily rate, lower rate for weekly and lower still for monthly rate. There are 50% off discount programs for CG's such as Passport America.

Joe, Wow. we have 150,000+ miles in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and have never been stopped nor talked with any RV'er who had been hassled by the police-- the exception being a single friend who was stopped in Mexico for driving in the wrong/fast lane on a busy ring road around Guadalajara (and he WAS).

Josam has a lot of experience with motorhomes and suspensions. I would suggest that you crawl under with them to determine cause and best fix. There are only a few shops around the country that I can recommend for this kind of work-- and you are at one of them.

Josam is one of the best. I would not twist the chassis (raising the frame with shims or air bags) to compensate for a twisted coach mounting. Look with them for options for re-raising the body and/or call Fleetwood if the attachment method is not apparent to Josam.

Larry, I have replaced several water supply lines for ice makers-- they seem to crystallize. Replacements can be had at many hardware stores. And I find it easier to slide the refrigerator out about 18" and access the top of the refrigerator from the roof or top vent. On the ones I did, I was able to force the new line in from the back/outside. There is mastic around the line where it goes through the refrigerator wall. See if you can push the old line from the freezer side (after it thaws) or pull from the outside before removing the ice maker to access it. I have not worked on your particular model, so I can't guarantee that it is the same.

Excellent advice from Carl. As he suggests, cold is at current ambient temperature before driving-- be it 20 or 100 degrees F. Yes, as winter sets in, you will need to add air to maintain the proper PSI. And with wheel position weights, use the heavier wheel position on each axle to go to your tire manufacturer's inflation table to determine the correct MINIMUM PSI for all tires on that axle. Many of us add 5 PSI to that minimum to cover minor changes in temperature and load. While changes in ambient temperature have a significant affect on PSI, changes in altitude have very little affect-- just straight physics.