wolfe10

In a word, yes easily done. BUT, the devil is in the detail. You will need to know if you need a reverse image camera or if that option exists on your monitor (so what is on the left behind your coach appears on the left side of the monitor). You may need adapters to get from camera output to coax-- again no big deal as long as you know what to get. Consider one with IR capability-- that way it will function in the dark. My suggestion is to call RV Cams. They do this for a living. Discuss with them what you have, both in terms of monitor functions and wiring. http://www.rvcams.com/Default.htm

This information is a couple of years old, but will give you a good starting point. I suspect you can also find it pre-assembled-- have seen them at several vendors at FMCA Conventions. High volume water pressure regulator: watts 3/4 n45bu sku# 0953021 $19.95. Watts 3/4 brass hex nipple. A-875 $2.23.one end in the regulator, then female 3/4 to male hose on the other. Male hose to female 3/4 adapter $3.94. Female hose to male 3/4 adapter $2.96 in the regulator, and park hose. Bib.flotec gauge tc2104 $6.79 in the 3/4 nipple. total $ 35.87

A pressure reducer is not important UNLESS (read that as a very LARGE UNLESS) the shore water is at high pressure. If it is, you can easily rupture plumbing in your RV, as it was not designed for the pressure present in a lot of city water systems. So, unless you check the water pressure before hooking up, always use a pressure reducer. There are inexpensive ones that work fine, but do restrict volume and more expensive ones that do a good job of reducing pressure without reducing water flow.

There are several thing you can do that will improve directional stability: 1. Weigh the axles or individual wheel positions (better) and set tire pressure based on the heavier wheel position-- all tires on an axle getting the PSI based on heavier wheel position. Over inflation can lead to "darting". Low inflation can lead to blow-outs. If you find the front end light (actual weight is a lower percent of capacity than rear axle), move weight forward. That will help both ride and handling. Ideal is to have each axle loaded to approximately the same % of GAWR. 2. As Herman mentioned, an alignment can often help. Have caster set toward the high end of spec-- that will aid in both return to center and straight line tracking. Go to a HD truck shop for this, not an RV dealer.

John, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. So that we can give you better answers, please let us know what chassis you have and what you are wanting to change/improve. If, for example you have a Class A on a Freightliner chassis, reports on what a device does on a Chevrolet P chassis would be of little value.

Actually, Revcon used two different drivetrains. The early ones were Olds Tornado 455 with that transaxle. Later ones, after the demise of the large Tornado was a Chevrolet 454 and transaxle from a different source-- German if memory serves. You might join the Revconeers or Google them. There are some very knowledgeable Revcon owners there who can answer your question.

Actually, tire rotation on a motorhome is quite a lot different than on a passenger car, SUV or even light truck. On a motorhome, there is no scheduled time/mileage for a tire rotation. If there is no uneven wear, the tires may well be replaced based on age before rotation is called for. Rotate tires if uneven wear is detected. Run your hands across the tire and then down the tread, particularly on the front tires that are far more prone to uneven wear than the back tires. If a discernible pattern is felt, rotation may be warranted if enough tire life (generally time not tread) remains. At that point, a determination should be made as to the cause of the uneven wear. Some uneven wear, such as rivering and wear of the far inner and outer tread do not call for additional maintenance. Other patterns may call for the need for an alignment, balance/check tires for run-out, shocks, etc. If rotation is called for because of wear on the front tires, move both front tires to ONE side of the rear. Do not locate a worn front tire on the same side of in the rear with a far less worn and therefore “taller” tire on the rear. The taller tire will carry a disproportionate share of the load. Choose the side of the rear that will be moved forward based on those in better condition. This is generally the left rear, as they are less exposed to curbing than the right rear. With the rare exception of a few tires that are directional, tires may be mounted in either present direction of rotation or the direction may be reversed. I recommend putting the side of the tires exposed to the outside/UV mounted facing INBOARD.

Since the cooling coils go through the freezer first, then the refrigerator, if the total ability to remove heat is inadequate to cool both, it is always the refrigerator that suffers high temperatures-- so you symptoms are common. And, the hotter the ambient temperature, more the refrigerator side of the coach is in the sun, more you open the refrigerator, the poorer the door seals, the less you have in the refrigerator and freezer, etc the more easily "adequate cooling" can deteriorate to "inadequate cooling". Start by checking air flow in the bottom refrigerator outside vent and out the roof/upper vent. Check for possible bird or rodent nests that are obstructing air flow. Use the dollar bill test to make sure the door gaskets are sealing properly (closing a dollar bill in the door and pulling should give firm resistance all around the door). If your refrigerator is equipped with muffin exhaust fans at the top of the coils, verify that they are working. If you don't have them, this is an inexpensive, worthwhile upgrade. There are many coach makers who do a poor job of installing the refrigerators, leaving too large a gap at the back and top of the refrigerator. Pull out or download the installation manual for your refrigerator and confirm that the proper clearances exist. If not, install diverters to channel the cooling air correctly through the coils rather than allowing the cooling air to bypass the cooing unit. Brett

Ken, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. While my wife is the chef in the family, proving appliances that work is my responsibility. Two approaches: I would first have propane pressure checked to verify that your "whole house" regulator is putting out the 11 column inches of water is should be. Then, using your stove's spec sheet, IF it has another built in regulator (some do) that it is putting out the proper pressure. Then, if the stove is getting the proper propane pressure, but you feel the BTU's are inadequate, best bet is to look at spec sheets on your stove and potential replacements to find out the BTU ratings of the various burners. Some newer stoves do have a high output burner. Brett

I have deleted a couple of posts in this thread-- some that were true when written (Chevrolet Cruze and some models of the Malibu automatic towable four wheels down), a post updating that and a rebuttal that the post was correct at the time it was posted. As I posted in the edit this morning in the first post in this thread, GM/Chevrolet had determined that several models with automatics. Appreciate the original post and the corrections, but deleting the incorrect information (this has just surfaced in the last 10 days) is clearer than having a first time reader try to determine what is right and wrong. Again, thanks to all. Brett Moderator

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Shimmy is almost always the fault of an out of round or out of balance tire. Go to a Toyo tire dealer and have them check RUN-OUT and BALANCE. Best of run-out is under .035" for front tires and best to find a dealer who can balance them on the coach so that all rotating mass is in balance including not just the tire and wheel, but also the hub and brake disk/drum. If the pull started when the new tires installed, have the front tires rotated side to side. If the pull is unrelated to new tire installation, start by checking ride height-- if a ride height valve is out allowing the coach to lean, it can induce pull. If ride height is OK, have an all wheel alignment done. Front caster needs to be a little more on the right side than left to compensate for the crown of the road. When you say tire pressure is "good", I assume you mean it is per Toyo's recommendation for your actual weight. Brett

Joe, Here is a link to Banks Website for the 454-- note, the kit depends on the year model (with carb and single air pump, with carb and dual air pump and TBI). Of course, you could have an even newer model-- we don't know: http://www.bankspower.com/products/show/128/67 Do you see the cable operated device you described? Have you looked under your motorhome to see what the cable is connected to. Would be great for you to post a photo of what it is connected to. Brett

Joe, You are going to have to give us more information on what engine you have. Gas? Diesel? Banks make kits for both. If this is a gasoline coach, it is quite possible that the cable operates an exhaust cutout that would bypass the muffler for less back pressure and a LOT more noise. My suggestion is to crawl under and see exactly what the cable is attached to. Brett

Chuck, You are correct, he could use his current charger for charging the chassis batteries-- I should have looked to see if he had a smart converter in addition to a smart inverter/charger. As you know, most who install a smart inverter/charger are replacing a "not-smart" converter. Thanks for catching that. Brett

Actually, I am not a fan of using a "not-smart" converter (how is that for political correctness) to charge EITHER battery bank if it is to be left on 24/7. Better a smart converter, smart charger or smart inverter/charger to charge the house battery bank. And a smart battery combiner such as the Xantrex Echo charger to use power from the charger and house bank to charge the chassis battery after the house battery bank is up to full/pre-set voltage. Brett

Danny, Take it to a good truck suspension/spring shop. You can assist them by finding out from Ford or a Ford dealership with a service manual on your F53 chassis the correct RIDE HEIGHT. They will have a measurement from some point on the chassis to some point on the axle front and rear. Compare those specs with your actual readings. And clearly, any of your personal gear that you can shift to the higher side of the coach will help. Brett

Mike is correct, the shocks on all RV chassis do NOT carry any of the coach's weight. They are there just to dampen suspension movement. And as he said, give us enough details to be able to respond factually to your situation: What chassis? Workhorse P or W or Ford F53? Have you weighted the wheel positions-- if so, what are they and what are the GAWR's (Gross Axle Weight Ratings) from the plaque in the driver's area. Brett

Can't give advice on the cover, but will suggest that you ONLY fire up the engine if you can drive it a minimum of 30 highway miles. Unless the OIL, not just coolant get up to operating temperature, you are doing more harm than good to start the engine. And when running the generator, make sure it is under at least 50% load. It is better for tires to be on wood or plastic than on other surfaces. I would not use pressure treated wood-- no idea what chemical reactions may occur. On pavement is much better than on grass-- grass will expose the underbody to a lot more moisture. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Have you done a Google or other search for "Ford F53 obsolete parts" and contacted any of the dealers on that list? Brett

Actually, the formula for descending any grade is to downshift until you find a gear that will hold your speed in EQUILIBRIUM-- you are neither accelerating nor decelerating WITHOUT USING YOUR SERVICE BRAKES (brake pedal). It has nothing to do with how straight the road is-- if a 6% grade straight for the next 30 miles, your equilibrium speed may be 30 MPH. A real quick benchmark is the 18 wheelers. Physics dictates that your equilibrium speed is slower than an empty 18 wheeler and faster than a loaded one. If you are passing all the big trucks, YOU ARE GOING TOO FAST. If you find your speed increasing, use the brakes firmly and long enough to slow you down so you can "grab" a lower gear. BTW, the same concept applies to diesels, but they can also factor in the use of the exhaust or engine brake or transmission retarder. Brett

May look like it, but that makes no sense. It is unusual to see a converter AND an inverter/CHARGER in the same system. And, you would never (at least not properly) wire an inverter to power the converter. That would create a closed loop that would quickly drain the batteries. An Echo charger connects house with chassis battery bank. Once a certain (programmed) voltage is reached in the house bank, it will close the relay/Echo charger to allow the converter or inverter/charger to charge the chassis batteries as well. Start by figuring out exactly what inverter/charger you have. An inverter/charger alone (without converter) is the normal configuration if you do, indeed have an inverter/charger. Now, if you have an inverter that does not have a built in charger, a different matter. Brett

Retiredblade, Sounds like several, perhaps unrelated issues. Some coaches are not wired to charge the chassis batteries from the inverter/charger-- is yours? Chassis batteries will discharge over a couple of weeks due to parasitic load, even if fully charged when your park. So for long-term storage, it is best to have a charging source for the chassis batteries such as a Xantrex Echo charger (so the inverter/charger charges the house batteries and the Echo charger then charges the chassis batteries). Another option is to disconnect the chassis batteries. Yes, an inverter left on with shore power/generator off WILL take power from the batteries. Not a lot, but it is in "Stand-by" mode when left on. That is so it is instantly ready to supply 120 VAC if you turn on a 120 VAC appliance that is wired to an inverter-supplied outlet. When parked with no shore power, turn it off. But, with a smart charger PROPERLY PROGRAMMED (battery bank size, battery type, temperature) you should be able to leave it plugged in 24/7 without overcharging the batteries. Once fully charged and in FLOAT MODE, voltage should be 13.2-13.5 VDC. That should not boil a healthy battery with proper water level. As I am sure you are aware, deeply discharging a battery materially shortens its life. Sadly, many batteries sit deeply discharged while in storage-- on dealer lots as well as by the owner, so shortened battery life is not unexpected. Quality batteries treated right (not overcharged and not discharged below 50%) can last many years. The Lifeline AGM batteries I installed over 6 years ago in our coach are working just fine.

Joe, At that age, maintenance will make a great deal of the difference. Can a 454 take you on that trip-- absolutely. The only HAVE TO other than routine maintenance is to change the BRAKE FLUID. Old/hydrated brake fluid boils at under 300 degrees F-- new fluid around 500 degrees. Loosing your brakes in the mountains is not when to decide to change the brake fluid. BTW, our Foretravel is a 1993 with 157,000 miles. Brett

Yes, not harmful-- a 50 to 30 adapter is a VERY common item-- not harmful. Your in-coach 30 amp breaker will still protect your coach electrical system.

Yes, boil over can be caused by several things: 1. Overcharging (Often because the smart inverter/charger that has not been programmed properly-- rendering it DUMB!) 2. Overfilling of the battery cells. 3. Battery with bad cell (so the charger will try to charge a 10 volt battery as if it were a 12 volt battery, resulting in severe overcharging of the remaining good cells. Brett