wolfe10

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

First, you need to determine how many amp-hrs of battery you have available. Are the batteries fully charged? Are they reasonably new or old with diminished capacity? For best battery life, do not discharge batteries below 50%. All together, this should give you an idea of how many amp-hrs you have available. Next, you need to determine total load on the batteries. There are lots of other 12 VDC loads than just the TV: lights, refrigerator (even on propane), water pump, furnace, etc. And while you can determine the amp draw of the TV, if a 120 VAC TV, remember the draw from the inverter to run that load is not 100% efficient. A reasonable calculation for a 120 VAC appliance is to determine its power consumption in watts. As an example, let's say 3 amps/360 watts. Watts divided by 12 VDC gives you the amps of 12 VDC (assuming 100% inverter efficiency). So in our example 360 divided by 12= 30 amps @ 12 VDC. Figure 90% inverter efficiency to give you the final amp draw on your batteries. So, in our example, your batteries would provide 33 amps while powering the TV. Brett

It is better for the batteries to NOT deeply discharge them-- discharging below 50% of capacity materially shortens battery life. So, from that standpoint, more frequent running of the generator is better. Most efficient use of the generator is to discharge to 50%, then recharge to 85%, discharge to 50%.... It takes as long to charge the last 15% as it does to charge from 50% to 85%. If boondocking long term, you do need to bring the batteries to full charge at least once a week. Brett

You actually have several factors at work here: Can the dash/engine-driven A/C do an adequate job of cooling-- can it keep me comfortable? Does the dash A/C condenser add heat load to the engine, or is it out of the air flow of the engine cooling system-- important IF the engine coolant temperature is rising above thermostatic control. If the dash A/C can keep you comfortable, the added load of the engine driven compressor still uses less fuel than running a separate motor (the generator). But, if it will not keep you comfortable or adds enough to the heat load of the engine that the coolant temperature rises above thermostatic control, then turn on the generator/roof A/C's. Be sure to put the dash A/C on recirculate when using the roof A/C's so you are not drawing in hot air from outside. Brett

Absolutely, register with Workhorse. Not only to access the manuals, but also to VERIFY what you have and check for any recalls affecting your chassis. Brett

These kind of MPG threads always concern me as they often elicit answers of "what my coach gets" which is a VERY different question than what the OP asked. Meaningful comparisons between different coaches/different drivers are VERY difficult to make, as there a large number of variables other than just the one asked about (see below). Let me rephrase your specific question so we will get fewer "apples and oranges" comparisons: Will a modern turbo, inter-cooled 400 HP diesel IN THE SAME COACH, WITH THE SAME TOAD, DRIVEN THE SAME ROADS, DRIVEN THE SAME SPEEDS, AND OF THE SAME EPA GENERATION, etc, etc, get better MPG than one with a 330 HP engine? Stated another way, since all other variables are assumed to be the same (therefore the same HP would be required to move the coach over each mile of road), can a larger diesel engine produce XX HP more efficiently than a smaller diesel engine. The answer is MAYBE-- it is certainly possible. Unlike gasoline engines, diesel engines are most efficient at lower RPM and lighter throttle settings. So a larger engine, turning slower and at lower throttle settings can be more efficient than a smaller engine turning faster and at higher throttle settings. But, remember, the larger engine will weigh more, so coach weight is up. They will also likely require a beefed up frame (heavier) to handle the extra power. The cooling system will have to be larger (heavier) to handle the higher heat load, etc. Also, few would back out of the throttle of a larger engine while climbing a grade, and a larger engine WILL use more fuel at WOT (Wide Open Throttle) than a smaller one. Larger engines are quite a lot more expensive-- enough more than smaller engines that you could never pay for the difference if fuel consumption even if you agreed to keep your foot out of the throttle. Just a few of the variables, each of which has a material affect on MPG that make comparisons between coaches less relevant when addressing your question: 1. Weight of coach (single slide 36' or quad slide 40') 2. Weight of toad (Smart Car or 4 wheel drive crew cab) 3. Terrain (flat lander or living in the Rocky Mountains) 4. Speed driven (cruisin at 55 MPH or keeping up with the car traffic at 75MPH) 5. EPA "Generation" (older, pre-emission requirement diesel of newer diesel with emissions equipment) Brett