wolfe10

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.

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

Are older tires more likely to fail including catastrophic blowouts-- yes. But, there is no hard and fast rule as to an age at which they all start to fail. WAY too many variables. Were they stored out of the sun, only run at correct PSI, always driven frequently vs sitting for months at a time, etc. As with most things, "care and feeding" does make a difference. In writing, Michelin recommends that tires over 5 years old be inspected by a tire expert. Can you replace just the fronts separate from rears-- absolutely. And that may be an option if the inspection reveals no issues with them. While a rear blowout can do damage to the motorhome body, it is from tire blowouts that are more likely to cause loss of control.

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