wolfe10

Herman, You KNOW that I can't tell you whose toothbrush to use (don't want to share a dog house with you)-- and if you write it here, you may be discovered. Where do you want to sleep tonight? Never tried the HVAC cleaner, but if it is Aluminum-safe I can think of no reason it would not work. But, I have not used it and don't know if it is formulated to cut road grease. And absolutely, do not use high pressure unless you want to bend a lot of the fins in the cooling system. Yes, it a pro's hands, standing back the proper distance with the PSI turned down low you could use a pressure washer. But you can clean it just fine with garden hose PSI and not risk damage to the fins. Brett

Good timing. We just did the maintenance seminar at the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club Chapter Rally this morning and covered that exact subject. Yes, side radiators need to be cleaned, though not as often as rear radiator configurations. If for example, you drove in the rain and the side of the coach is muddy, think of the thousands or tens of thousands of cubic feet of that mud-ladened air that got sucked up by that cooling fan. Lots of that water evaporated on the hot metal of the CAC and radiator, leaving the dirt behind. Air flows from the side of the coach and is pulled into the engine room by the fan(s) so the majority of the dirt collects on the outside element (first thing in the air flow). That may be an A/C condenser, it may be a fuel or transmission cooler or the CAC(Charge Air Cooler). Though in theory it would be best to back-flush from the back, you are not going to be able to clean the outer outside element from the inside-- too many layers of "filters". Open or remove the grill if possible to give better access. If just dirt, use a hose with regular garden nozzle. If leaves or debris, use a toothbrush (NEVER YOUR OWN) to clean it. If any oily residue, use dawn or Simple Green for Aluminum. Also clean from the back, but the vast majority of the debris will be on the outside element. Brett

Ron, If safe working around 240 VAC (50 amp service): If this is a problem with a poor or broken connection in one of the hot wires, everything running on that hot would be affected. In most 120 VAC breaker boxes, that means items supplied by every other breaker as you go down the breaker box would be affected. So, see if all appliances and outlets supplied by that hot are not working. If some are, that would verify that the ATS is not the issue, since power is getting to both hot lugs in the breaker box. Check connections (with power off) at the breaker box as well. Pay particular attention to burned or loose wires. If one of the hot legs is not working and you have verified that the CG 50 amp outlet is correct (see below) with generator off and shore power disconnected, remove cover of the ATS. Check for loose or more likely burned wires to all terminals. Plug in and check for proper voltage on the shore power IN and OUT sides of the ATS. Disconnect from shore power and start generator. Re-check for voltage IN from generator and OUT to coach breaker panel. 50 amp RV outlet: Outer straights are hots. Center straight is neutral. Center round is ground. So from either outer straight to center round or center straight= 120 VAC Center round to center straight= 0 VAC Outer straight to outer straight= 240 VAC Brett

What brand and model of jacks to you have? Exactly what steps do you follow to stow them? And have you confirmed visually that all the jacks are indeed fully stowed (no shiny piston showing)? The reason I ask, the HWH jacks on our coach will do that if I turn them off after the jacks initially come up and the alarm goes off vs the correct way of letting the system turn itself off. Letting it turn itself off allows a few minutes for all the extra fluid in those long lines to the back jacks to bleed back into the reservoir. Turning it off with the switch can trap extra fluid in the lines causing the alarm to trigger. Brett

My understanding is that any of the replacements by the "original" Monaco were the weak design. Andy by Source Engineering or the "new" Monaco/Navistar were acceptable. If in doubt, take a photo and send it to either Source Engineering or Monaco/Navistar to verify. Brett

John, It can not be the crankcase breather. The crankcase breather exits under the engine and is a 1" ID open hose. It could have been extended by your chassis or coach maker to behind the fan shroud, but again would be under the engine. See if you can access the top of the engine through the closet or under bed and trace the pipe. It is highly likely that it is the oil fill tube. And if so and you have driven with it off, that pipe will have had dust and dirt deposited in it. That means it would need to be removed and cleaned and the engine oil changed again. The only good news is that oil goes from the oil fill tube down through the head and block and is picked up by the oil pump and passes through the oil filter before going to the bearings and other close-tolerance parts of the engine. Brett

Ron, Sure sounds like a bad air dryer purge valve/check valve. Indeed, overhaul the dryer or replace with a factory reman dryer. I would not drive it until this is fixed. Were it to stick open, you could loose air pressure. Brett

A non-functioning ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) would result in no 120 VAC to everything in the coach. Do you have 120 VAC to any appliance or outlet when this occurs? And IF (big IF) you are safe working around 240 VAC, let us know and we can talk you through how to check the ATS. Also, does this occur only on shore power or also on generator power. That would help isolate the cause. Brett

You might verify that you have the NEW DESIGN trailing arms. Monaco replace a lot of the faulty trailing arms with the same faulty design. If you have the old design, they need to be replaced with the new design which are much stronger. The old design replacements broke just as did the originals.

Just a suggestion, but approaching any company with an initial "No more Power Gear or Kwikee products for me" would likely NOT elicit help with a problem. An "I need your assistance with this issue that your people have not been able to resolve" is much more likely to garner assistance. Brett (Career as General Manager of large automobile dealerships.)

Regan, Welcome to FMCA and the FMCA Forum. Hopefully some who have stayed at the resort can give you first hand feedback. Here is their website: http://www.pinemountain.rvcoutdoors.com/

A re-post of my response to the same question on another thread: I am interested in who may have driven Hwy 550 from Durango to Grand Junction....the Million Dollar Hwy. It looks like it may be difficult with a motorcoach? Ron, That is a very difficult question to answer. Can your coach, with an experienced mountain driver do the road safely-- yes. But, that means you are really comfortable with use of your Allison transmission, engine brake and can "feel" what you need to do next based on changes in grade. I would sure not recommend this to a first-time/inexperienced mountain driver! It would be like starting out in graduate school instead of kindergarten. Sure, many can do well in graduate school, but not if that is where they start. We just drove Highway 7 in our coach/toad from Hot Springs to Harrison, AR-- a great motorcycle route with lots of 7% grade/windy road. Only used the service brakes a couple of times the whole day. But used the up and down arrows on the Allison and the exhaust brake a lot. The owner of the CG just south of Harrison said they see a lot of RV's come by/stop with crystallized brakes that can be smelled as they pull in. Very expensive and very dangerous. Brett

Ron, That is a very difficult question to answer. Can your coach, with an experienced mountain driver do the road safely-- yes. But, that means you are really comfortable with use of your Allison transmission, engine brake and can "feel" what you need to do next based on changes in grade. I would sure not recommend this to a first-time/inexperienced mountain driver! It would be like starting out in graduate school instead of kindergarten. Sure, many can do well in graduate school, but not if that is where they start. Brett

Ron, Two important threads for you: http://community.fmca.com/topic/570-serious-problem-on-some-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/page__p__4026__hl__rr4r__fromsearch__1#entry4026 http://community.fmca.com/topic/2462-ride-enhancement-kit-for-rr4r-chassis/page__p__12519__hl__rr4r__fromsearch__1#entry12519 We also need to start with the basics-- what tire pressure are you carrying, and is it based on your tire manufacturer's recommendation for your actual weight? Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Indeed which ever charging system is set to the higher voltage will determine battery voltage (assuming you have enough light to drive the solar panels-- not likely an issue in a barn). But, it is important on the Heart inverter/charger that it be properly programmed-- if it is it can be left powered up 24/7. Early models called it "setting the dip-switches". Later models were programmed from the Xantrex/Heart remote. Programming includes programming battery bank size (in amp-hrs), battery technology (wet cell, AGM or Gel), ambient temperature (A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE-- IF SET TO COLD TEMPERATURES IN REALLY HOT WEATHER, IT WILL OVERCHRAGE THE BATTERIES). Another cause of battery boiling is a dead cell in the battery. In that case, the charger continues (as it should) to charge the remaining 10 VDC battery at 13+ VDC! That IS overcharging, but can't be blamed on the charging system. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Go to: http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing/204-towing-index Click on 2009. It shows your car as towable 4 wheels down. But, make sure its 3400+ pound weight is within your coach's towing capacity (likely no problem, but you should verify). Check your Saturn's owners manual for the specific steps to take before towing.

Buzz, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Safest answer is to call Cummins tomorrow with your engine serial number. Better than hoping the correct answer for another person's engine is the same as yours. Cummins 800 343-7357

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Not familiar with Tyron brand tires, and Googling came up with nothing. Or is Tryon your RV dealer's nickname for Toyo??????. And, what size tire do you need?

Ronnie, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Best advice is to go to a propane dealer who converts vehicles to run on propane. Review with them the size of additional tank you could fit (permanently mounted) under your coach and how to plumb it to your generator/house. Were you remaining in one place for a long period of time, you could also consider an extend-a-stay. Again, you would need to consult a propane dealer to verify that your generator would operate OK on propane supplied by the remote tank connected by the extend-a-stay (some are Liquid LP generators, some Vapor LP generators).

Larry, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Depends on your installation. I have had good luck on some installations with sliding the refrigerator forward a foot or so (toward the interior). Then remove the roof top vent cover. Access the bottom of the water line from the coach-side access door and the top where it goes into the refrigerator from the roof vent. If mounted in a slide, the upper vent grill may offer you access to the top/ice maker location. On some, you can snake a new hose from Lowes/HD into the 12 VDC heater "jacket". Haven't done it myself on a Norcold, but have on a Dometic-- see if that would work for you.

Actually, as you have found, right here in the Forum is a good place to get a lot of technical information(and it is free). Brett

Let me approach this from another perspective. It is NOT possible to make the gray or black tank smell good. That is just an unrealistic goal. The proper goal is to isolate the tank ventilation from the interior of the coach. Start by trying to identify where and when you get the smell. The where would include sinks, shower drain, wash machine drain, under sink check/vacuum breaks, etc. The when would include when parked, when moving, when vent fan is on, etc. The more details you give us on the where and when the better we can address your issue. Brett

Clicky: http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing/204-towing-index

As Herman said, welcome to the Forum. Suspect you have an inverter/charger. If so, most have several IMPORTANT owner-settable parameters. Pull out your inverter/charger's owners manual and look up your programming options. They generally include: 1. Battery bank size (in amp-hrs). 2. Battery technology (wet cell in your case) 3. Temperature (an important one for you). If, for example it is set to cold temperatures it will definitely over-charge the batteries in really hot weather. Please let us know how yours was programmed and if you changed anything. If you don't have an inverter charger, but separate charger, let us know what it is. Brett

You have heard correctly -- chlorine is tough on a lot of materials. But, let's back up a step. Nothing, I mean nothing is going to make a black tank smell "good." Your objective is not to make it smell good, but to keep normal "bad" odors out of the RV. If this is the issue, you need to look closely at the tank venting. Do you get odors when camping? When driving? The more details, the better we can address the issue.