wolfe10

Clearly, if a hot spot is encrypted, no booster will get you in. The job of any antenna/booster is to bring in a signal. Whether you can connect to that signal depends on whether their site is protected or open. Sitting right here at the house, I can pick up 15 hot spots. But, all but two are neighbors and they are password protected. In the motorhome or boat, this is less of a problem, as many public wi-fi sites are not encryption protected.

Steve, Short answer is YES. We have used it inside the motorhome and even down stairs in the sailboat-- we used it all winter on the sailboat in the Bahamas to stay connected without having to lug the laptop into a marina. Clearly, you can pick up more distant hot spots the higher and less obstructions there are, but the antenna/booster is quite a lot stronger than any antenna built into a lap top that you don't have to get carried away with antenna placement. Brett

To add to Chuck's post, batteries with a bad cell can cause boiling and fuming, even with a perfectly working alternator, isolator and/or battery charger. The charging source knows it is supposed to maintain 13.2+ VDC. If the battery has a bad cell, the charging source will try to charge a 10 VDC battery (one dead cell) at 13.2 VDC. So, though the charging source is maintaining exactly the correct voltage, the battery(s) will boil and fume. IMPORTANT: Have you actually measured voltage at the battery? If so, what reading do you get? Brett

Craig, To very different sources for water leaks on roof top A/C's: 1. A/C to roof seal leak. Leaks when it rains, as well as when A/C running (assuming when A/C running that the condensate drain drains onto the roof). In many cases, you can slightly tighten the 4 bolts accessible by removing the lower unit cover. Do NOT overtighten-- this is a compressible gasket and either too loose or too tight will leak. 2. The condensate drain is clogged. Leaks only when the A/C is running. Requires clearing the condensate drain clog-- could be nothing more than a leaf or spider web in the drain.

Curley, Because of the different designs used by different coach makers for suspension, jacks, slide mechanism, etc, there is no "one procedure" works for all coaches as to the proper order in which to dump air, level and extend slides. No right or wrong order, but what may work fine on another brand coach may do damage to another brand. Please contact Winnebago or look in your Winnebago owners manual for the proper order for YOUR coach. IF, repeat IF someone with exactly the same coach happens to respond, that would be great, but, if not, please call Winnebago tomorrow. Brett

The coach/chassis maker generally select and install the gauge package, not the engine maker. So, contact Monaco for advice on troubleshooing-- they can walk you through identifying if this is a sender, gauge, wiring or interface issue. Brett

Gary, When you click on the link I posted above-- should be what you are looking for: Hehr Power Systems Hehr Power Systems, a division of Hehr International Inc., manufactures a wide range of electrical products for the automotive, RV, marine, transit, and emergency services industries--including POWERLINE Heavy Duty alternators, Aqualine marine regulators, and POWERLINE multi-battery isolators. The manufacturing plant is located in Ft. Worth, Texas, and the Division Director, Sales Manager and their staff work closely with OEM's and a strong distributor network for widespread product availability throughout the United States, Canada and other countries. alternator wpe1.jpg (2725 bytes) THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING POWERLINE ALTERNATORS REGULATORS ISOLATORS SPECIALTY APPLICATIONS Other Options from HEHR POWER SYSTEMS Distributor and Service Center directory POWER SYSTEMS Series 24 product applications POWER SYSTEMS Series 25 product applications POWER SYSTEMS Series 28 product applications (PDF file) Powerline alternator product output performance New Powerline products Series 25 Troubleshooting Guide (PDF file) Series 23 / 24 alternator Troubleshooting Guide (PDF file) Online Technical Library Warranty Policies About Hehr Power Systems

Gary, Hehr has some pretty good troubleshooting manuals on their website: http://www.hehr-international.com/hehr%20power%20systems%20index.html Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Since the 2012 Civic is a brand new generation of Civic, the best advice is to look in your owners manual. The previous series Civic was not towable four wheels down-- only the CRV and Fit were towable per Honda. I would NOT take the word of a salesperson or even service person at a dealership-- they are not the ones who would stand behind your new car if towing caused damage. The other option would be to e-mail/contact Honda and ask them to confirm in writing whether it can be towed four wheels down. Brett

Yup, as long as you can access the valve, easy to replace. I get even a little more carried away with the tilting. I tilt the coach TOWARD the side with the valve first and open the valve. After it has stopped dripping, I then tilt it the other way. Have never had to work with any water, etc. And I use pure silicone lubricant on the sides of the slide area of the new valve when I install it-- keeps it operating smooth all season. Brett

Here are two in-depth threads here in the FMCA Forum on the Monaco Trailing Arm Issue (I just put "trailing arms" into the search box at the upper right): http://community.fmca.com/topic/570-serious-problem-on-some-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/page__p__2686__hl__%2Btrailing+%2Barms__fromsearch__1#entry2686 http://community.fmca.com/topic/569-important-safety-problem-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/page__p__2685__hl__%2Btrailing+%2Barms__fromsearch__1#entry2685 Brett

Thanks for the update. Another reason to run the generator monthly for 45 minutes minimum under 50% minimum load. Along with drying out the electrical part of the generator, it keeps fresh fuel in the carburetor. If you can't run it while stored, consider disconnecting the fuel line and with no load on the generator, running it out of fuel. Brett

Tom, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I hope you enjoy your travels in the U.S. as much as Dianne and I enjoyed our 2 weeks (way too short a time) touring North Island, NZ. Still remember borrowing a rowing dingy from the owner of a CG and rowing out into the ocean. Dianne had to repeatedly reassure him that indeed I knew how to row-- even in surf. Brett

Betty, Best, in my opinion is to balance the wheel/tire ON THE COACH. After mounting the new tire and wheel on the coach, check for RUN-OUT FIRST. Every tire store worth stopping at has a run-out gauge and this only takes 1-2 minutes. You start here, as even a well balanced "egg" is, well, still an egg and will not give you a smooth ride no matter how well it is balanced. If over .035" run-out correct it. It can be corrected several different ways-- rotate the wheel on the hub. Loosen the lug nuts with the point of most run-out at the top and let the few thousands of an inch play work to your advantage. If still out, have the tires trued. There are still a few shops that do tire truing. And contrary to myth, an absolutely true tire that you removed, say .050" (50 thousandth of an inch) from the high side will last a lot longer than if you leave that little bit of extra rubber on the tire. Next, spin balance the tire on the vehicle. Actually, since it is on the vehicle, you are balancing ALL the mass that rotates which is what you want. You really don't care where the imbalance is-- you want it corrected. By balancing on the vehicle, you account for any imbalance in the hub, brake drum or disk, wheel AND tire. Again, a perfectly balanced wheel and tire mounted on a brake drum that is 4 ounces out of balance (not that much on a 100 pound drum) will NOT have all the rotating mass balanced. Brett

Yes, some electronic equipment is sensitive to AC wave form. Best advice is to contact the manufacturer of the device you wish to run on the inverter and ask them about MSW vs pure SW inverter use. Brett

Betty, First question if you are contemplating changing to a lower load rated tire is have you weighted all wheel positions when loaded to your coach's heaviest weight (i.e. full tanks and just pulling out of Walmart after a BIG shopping trip)? If not, assume that your chassis maker speced the least expensive/lowest load range tires that would meet their GVWR. Therefore, without facts to the contrary, stay go with at least the load range your chassis maker speced. Brett

The chassis maker, not engine maker chooses and installs the primary fuel filter/water separator. Could a Caterpillar or Cummins dealer have the correct one? Sure, but he would have no way to accurately look it up and stocking the correct one for all the different chassis makers (truck as well as RV would require quite a stock). Check with your chassis maker for the correct primary fuel filter/water separator element. And fitting a 2 micron primary followed by a 2 micron secondary is NOT the way to go. A 10 or 30 micron primary along with the 2 micron secondary properly spreads the filtration duty. Brett

John, Diagnosing an engine problem over the internet is not realistic. But, I will say, I DON'T like coincidences-- and the likelihood that a HEUI pump or fuel pump would go out at exactly the same time as the fuel filter change is VERY remote. My strong suggestion is to take it to a Caterpillar shop, not general mechanic. All they deal with for a living is vehicles with engines just like yours. You don't want to pay for a parts changer to guess at the cause at your expense. Brett

We may be getting off track here. The 4000 is air cooled, so a leaking radiator will not be his issue. You might give Onan a call to verify that your generator does give fault codes and/or ask them for advice on troubleshooting: 800 888-ONAN. Brett

Yes, the fans go at the top of the cooling unit. Often removing the roof vent allows easy access to that area. If in a slide, remove the upper vent to access. Also, pull out your refrigerator's installation guide. A lot of RV manufacturers do a terrible job with air flow through the back of the compartment. One of the big no-no's is to leave a large space above the refrigerator-- hot air can be trapped there and significantly reduce cooling efficiency. The installation guide gives good min, max and recommended clearances. Brett

If you are going to install fans, they can be 12 VDC muffin fans. But it is far better to install then at the TOP of the cooling unit exhausting UP. They can be wired to a switch or thermostat. And things like door gasket, plug in refrigerator condensate drain, etc should be checked. Anything that adds to the heat load will only manifest itself when the cooling unit is working the hardest.

Actually, I would start by calling HWH with your jack model number and tell them your symptoms. It could be something as simple as you not using the correct stow procedure (which can trap hydraulic fluid in those long lines to the back)! They are great in walking you through the diagnostic process. And if parts or service are needed and you decide to do it yourself, they can provide that as well. HWH 800 321-3494 or 563 724-3396. Brett

Fred, Give Cummins a call: 800 343-7357. Brett

I suspect he is talking about the ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch), which allow 120 VAC from EITHER shore power or generator to power all 120 VAC circuits in the coach. Brett

You are correct, yet two different ways that coaches can be wired. Our boost/combine switch is on/off, not momentary. Is controls a constant duty relay. And no, except in an emergency you would not want to run an intermittent duty solenoid for long periods of time. The proper emergency "work around" for "driving with an alternator not charging, but generator on and powering the converter, charger or inverter charger which charges the house battery but not the chassis battery" would be to label the wire(s) on one of the large lugs of the boost/combine solenoid. Move them/add them to the other large lug. All you have done electrically is that the system will think the solenoid is passing power from one large lug to the other (i.e. the combine switch is on, but without having to have the solenoid on). Make sure to put them back on the other large lug when you stop or all batteries will stay connected and will discharge if dry camping. Brett