wolfe10

In order, I would do #3, then #1 and last #2. With calling a mobile diesel tech probably inserted as the second choice right after #3. To fit the second filter and manual primer pump requires new fuel hoses be made. As stated in that post, fuel goes from tank to present filter (with 10 micron filter element instead of current 2 micron filter element) then to the lift pump, then to the new secondary filter (with 2 micron filter element), then to the engine. View this as a permenant solution, not a "get me back on the road the easiest way possible". An observation for anyone changing filters-- fuel WILL flow if there is a difference in fuel level between tank and filter base. While it is messy for fuel to flow out of the filter housing when replacing a filter element, it is a LOT better to have some fuel flowing out than to have that 25'+ line siphon back to the tank and become filled only with AIR. Repriming with 25' feet of air in the line is really tough. And sadly, very few coaches have a ball valve at the filter on the inlet line which would solve a lot of this "loss of prime" problem. Changing the filter with a full fuel tank, raising the front of the coach and lowering the filter housing all aid in lessening the chance of draining all the fuel from the line. As discussed yesterday be sure to keep the chassis batteries charged up-- some coaches charge the chassis battery from shore power, others do not. Brett

Herman, If this is non-gelcoated FG/FG with very little hard surface over the random fibers/if you can see fibers which give the side "texture", do NOT treat is as one would gel coated quality boat FG. Sanding, compounding or even buffing can make it worse by exposing more of the fibers. Removing some of the gel coat (which is many times as thick as paint) is the prescribed method on quality gel coated FG, but will not work here. The only solution (not a great one) is to clean the surface, removing as much of the dirt as you can. There may be some products what can coat/seal what you have-- I have no first hand knowledge of any of them. Brett

Jim, Your coach maker installs the 12 VDC fuses. It is likely to be in a fuse "box" with quite a few fuses in it. If you don't have the manuals that came with your coach, post what make model and year it is and perhaps someone with the same coach can tell you. OR, call your coach manufacturer. Brett

Jim, You are doing the right stuff. It is just that without a manual primer pump it is sometimes difficult to get all the air out of the system. Let it sit (and battery charge up) and crank it again. As you are doing, do not overheat the starter. It may help to have someone slightly pressurize the tank with compressed air while you crank-- this really helps of the lift pump has air in it or the line to it. There are many of us who feel Freightliner made a poor decision to save a few bucks by deleting the secondary filter and manual primer pump. Evidently enough people felt that way that they went back to fitting the two filter/manual primer pumps on newer chassis. Brett

Jim, At what point does the heater fail. Does the thermostat "click" when you set it to heat and turn up the thermostat? Does the fan start? Have you checked the 12 VDC fuse for the furnace? Brett

Jim, Is your coach set up so that the shore power (using your converter or charger) DOES charge the chassis battery? Many do NOT. If you have a voltmeter, check voltage at chassis and house battery and let us know voltage of each while plugged in. Also, as I mentioned, if you have a boost/combine switch, that allows you to "add" the house batteries to the chassis battery for operating the starter. Brett

This file is from the Cat RV Club Files section and dates back to 2006, so the part numbers will need to be verified: To add an OE Caterpillar secondary fuel filter WITH PRIMER PUMP to a 3126 engine installation that came from a chassis builder with a single filter and no primer pump the following parts are required. The prices listed are over the counter retail-- local prices may vary. The primary filter (the one you already have) should be installed between the fuel tank and transfer pump. The secondary filter (the one you are adding) should be installed between the transfer pump and the engine head (pressure side of fuel system). Fuel hoses will need to be made, but most hydraulic shops have fuel hose with the appropriate fittings or your Cat dealer can have them made. This filter/primer can be mounted anywhere you want for easy access to servicing. This will allow the installation of both the primary and secondary fuel filters DRY. Any diesel you pour in a filter is NOT filtered and could contain particles larger than the 2 microns which can not be seen by the eye, but could affect the injection system. And with the primer pump, all you do is hand pump it until it becomes firm. You have removed all the air from the fuel system so the engine will start right up. My recommendation would then be for a 10 micron primary filter/water separator element along with the Caterpillar 2 micron secondary fuel filter that you are adding. You will experience less filter clogs, as the filtering duty is shared by two filters with the first removing water and larger particles and the new one the small ones. # 1 Fuel Filter 1R-0751 $10.28 #3 Fuel Filter Base 141-5138 $39.56 #3A Insert Fuel Filter 112-6523 $19.64 #10 Plug 9S-4182 $4.59 #5 O-ring for #10 6V-5048 $1.92 Primer Pump 105-2508 $65.87 Primer pump gasket 1P-0436 $0.85 Bolts for primer pump Quantity 1 8C-6561 $0.22 Quantity 1 7X-2501 $0.12 Washers for primer pump Quantity 1 8T-4205 $0.11 Quantity 1 8T-4224 $0.11 Note: The Cat RV Club is an FMCA Chapter. The Cat RV Club Website is: http://catrvclub.org/ The Cat RV Club Technical Website (a Yahoo group) is: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/CATRVCLUB/ Brett

You may need to plug in and recharge your chassis battery (assuming your chassis battery is charged by your converter or charger. If is is not, use a separate charger or the boost switch. Brett

Jim, This works better with two people. Start by slightly pressurizing the tank as I outlined. Have someone else either open the line from fuel tank at the filter housing (better) or unscrewing the filter most of the way. Keep the tank pressurized until fuel with no bubbles comes out at the filter. Tighten line/filter. The reason opening the line is better than just doing the filter is that the air in the line can be forced into the filter, rendering it full of air. Again, long term, consider a secondary fuel filter with manual primer pump. That is what Freightliner started with and returned to after lots of exactly this same complaint on the single filter/no primer pump set up. And as you did, raise the nose of the coach/do this with full fuel tank to minimize fuel siphoning back to the tank. Brett

Jim, With the single fuel filter and no manual primer pump (IMO 2 filters and manual primer pump is the "proper" setup) it is easy to get air into the fuel system when changing filters. About the only thing in your description that I see that you did "wrong" was to not completely fill the filter (so fuel was right at the top of the center of the filter). And even a little air in the lines can cause a problem. Your "I cranked it for 20 seconds and let starter cool for 2 minutes" IS the proper purge technique and will work unless the line from fuel tank to filter is filled with air. If fuel drained back to the tank (i.e. filter housing above level of fuel in the tank) you may have to open the inlet to the fuel filter housing and pressurize the fuel tank (just hold an air nozzle with your hand covering most of the diesel fill. It does not take much PSI to force fuel through the line. Brett

Sounds like your water pump relay is failing. If you have other water pump switches, do they have the same symptoms? Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Hopefully someone who has first hand experience with the 2011 model will respond. The best source of information on whether a vehicle may be towed 4 wheels down and if so what needs to be done is the owners manual. It gives not just the mechanical/practical information, but also what the vehicle manufacturer recommends from a liability standpoint. Information from salespersons, service technicians and even the Ford toll free hotline are not as reliable as reading that section of the owners manual. Brett

Continuing from Herman's post-- indeed the first thing you need to determine is WHAT is leaking? Several ways to tell what has failed: Smelling it. Does it have a strong sulfur odor? If so, it is likely gear oil. If a strong sulfur smell, do you have oil bath front wheel bearings? If so, a leaking seal is the likely culprit. Seal replacement is not something most do-it-yourselfers can do, as a dial indicator is needed to set bearing end play. Be sure to check hub oil level before even driving to a repair shop, as the volume of oil is very small and you sure don't want to have a bearing seize while driving. Can you determine the source of the leak? If the residue radiates from the center of the wheel, again it is likely to the bearing seal. If from a brake component (i.e. brake fluid), it will show a different source and as Herman said, the master cylinder fluid level will be low. Brett

While you can use a diode to isolate the batteries when the motorhome is not running, be aware that the diode-based isolators "charge" about .7 VDC penalty. Said another way, if your motorhome alternator is putting out 13.7 VDC, and you use a diode-based isolator, the most your towed battery will see is 13.0. Subtract from that the voltage loss due to resistance in the wiring and connectors, and keeping the towed battery fully charged is difficult. A relay or solenoid can just as easily be used and has no voltage drop penalty. Large gauge wire from battery to relay/solenoid. Ground from relay/solenoid to chassis ground. Any ignition controlled source to relay/solenoid signal terminal (to only activate the relay/solenoid when the motorhome's ignition is on) and large gauge wire from relay to towed vehicle plug. Brett

Thanks. Great information. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. You have two belts: Caterpillar water pump belt-- from any Caterpillar dealer. Serpentine belt-- speced by Freightliner, as they speced the alternator and A/C compressor that the serpentine belt drives. The serpentine belt has an automatic belt tensioner with square recess. A rachet (no socket) will relieve the tensioner tension and allow the serpentine belt to be removed/replaced. The"inner" water pump belt has a standard adjustable tensioner. Loosen the bolt in the slotted portion and sightly loosen the bolt at the tensioner's pivot point. Remove and replace the water pump belt. Tension properly (not too tight), then fit the serpentine belt. De-tension the serpentine belt tensioner and position the belt over the tensioner. Verify that the serpentine belt is properly centered on all pulleys. And absolutely, with a rear radiator, access is difficult. Mirrors and three hands help. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Yes, it could be a 12 VDC positive issue (switch, wiring, etc) but could just as easily be a ground issue. Temporarily install a second ground to known good chassis ground to the ground side of the lights and see if that fixes it. Brett

Herman, Here is a good explanation from Cummins-- several good "clickables" on the page: http://cumminsengines.com/sites/every/misc...ent_System.page Here is a 2 page PDF you can download from Cummins as well: http://cumminsengines.com/assets/pdf/4971166.pdf Brett

The only FACT in the article that I saw as incorrect was: DEF freezes at 12O F, and storage isn’t recommended above 77O F. Clearly, the article is slanted sharply toward their (Navistar) approach to the 2010 EPA emissions-- high amounts of EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) vs use of Urea injection downstream of the engine. Those "of an age" to remember gasoline cars in 1975 may remember there were a few holdouts on going to catalytic converters (which many felt at the time would be the death of the car business). Instead, they choose retarded timing and use high concentrations of EGR to reduce combustion temperatures. And, those manufacturers who did not go the converter route heavily advertised that fact. However, within a short time, everyone switched to converters, as the engines produced more HP, better MPG and better throttle response with the converter than retarded timing and high EGR. Urea injection has been used on diesels in Europe for years to meet their stiffer emissions requirements. Urea injection would NOT keep me from buying a new diesel any more than a catalytic converter kept me from buying a 1975 (and all years after that right up to today) model gasoline car. Brett

Yup, like the majority of RV Parks, it is right on a RR track! Kidding aside, that is really great. Did Lee design/build the model display or did other FMCA members have a hand in it? Brett

Guess I read it differently. Many of us have friends who travel by trailer/5th wheel. Attending an FMCA Convention would be a good way to introduce them to the motorhome/FMCA lifestyle. And, many younger RVers start in towables. After attending a convention, some may decide to move up/over to a motorhome. And then they would be eligible to become FMCA members. I see it as a great recruiting strategy. Brett

Herman, Most inverter/chargers are wired directly to the house battery bank, not through a relay/isolator. I agree, most coaches do have a parasitic draw on their 12 VDC systems-- both house and chassis battery banks. BUT, since he is plugged in, the inverter/charger can and will easily keep up with the draw if everything is working as it should-- certainly on the house bank. And on the chassis bank as well IF it is wired to charge the chassis bank. Many are not wired to charge the chassis bank from the inverter/charger. Brett

Wonder if you are referring to the BATTERY ISOLATOR RELAY (one of the two types of battery isolators used on RV's) . Allows alternator to charge both battery banks, but separates the battery banks when the engine is off so that the house batteries do not discharge the chassis batteries. If so, a failed relay or wire from alternator to relay would keep the alternator from charging either battery bank. I don't think this is the OP's problem, as the alternator is his only means of charging the batteries. Brett

Lots of questions-- let's start with how the batteries are wired. The chassis batteries (two 12 VDC batteries) are wired in PARALLEL. That is positive of battery #1 to positive of battery #2 to house positive. Negative of battery #1 to negative of battery #2 to house negative/ground. House batteries (4-6 VDC batteries): Each pair of 6 VDC batteries is wired in SERIES to make "a 12 VDC battery in two cases". So House positive is wired to positive of battery #1. Negative of battery #1 is wired to positive of battery #2 and negative of battery #2 is wired to house negative/ground. Since you have two PAIRS of these, each PAIR is wired in parallel. There is no way we can tell you where your charging system is failing without more information. Make sure the inverter/charger's breakers (on the 120 VAC breaker panel) are on. Make sure the resettable breaker on the inverter/charger (some inverters have them external, some internal) is ON/RESET. Next, before plugging into shore power, measure voltage at the house battery with a digital voltmeter. Plug in and verify that the voltage rises-- unless batteries are deeply discharged, voltage should rise to 13.2 14.5 VDC. If it does not, check voltage at the inverter/charger. And some coaches have both battery banks wired so they are charged by the inverter/charger, others are wired so that only the house batteries are charged by the inverter/charger. If the latter, you will need a trick l start, Echo charger, etc to charge the chassis batteries. And, indeed, it is bad for a diesel engine to be started UNLESS you can drive it enough highway miles to get the oil (not just coolant) up to operating temperature. Anything less just adds a lot of moisture to the crankcase. Brett

Obviously, the use of a battery charger/tender requires that you have 120 VAC shore power where you store the coach. And if so, as long as the batteries are charged when you put it in storage, a small charger/tender should keep all the batteries on that battery bank charged. BUT, if you have a smart charger or inverter/charger AND IT IS PROPERLY PROGRAMMED, it will do the same thing. You will have to verify that your coach is wired so that the chassis battery bank is also charged or make arrangements so that the chassis batteries are maintained as well. Brett