wolfe10

Choose any diesel oil that meets Caterpillar specs (and I will add, "that you can find anywhere"). So, Delo 400 15-40 and Shell Rotella T 15-40 come to mind. There are other oils that meet Caterpillar's specs, but these two you will find at virtually every Walmart in the country as well as at truck stops and auto parts houses. Brett

I ran across this excellent video from Gates on diagnosing defective automatic belt tensioners (for your serpentine belt). So replace them if they display this characteristic. http://www.gates.com/tensioner/tensioner_video.html Brett

Yes, according to FMC magazine's Towables for 2010 article, the GMC Terrain can be towed four wheels down, but ONLY when equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission. As with any new purchase, consult the vehicle's owners manual or get in writing from the vehicle manufacturer (not salesperson) that it is towable and any restrictions. Brett

I will second Passport America: http://www.passport-america.com/. It doesn't take many nights to pay for the annual fee. Brett

Dennis, Welcome to the FMCA Forum-- glad to see you over here. 0810 is the eighth week of 2010. Central time zone, that has been and past. If there is a delay on the left coast, let me know and we can do some serious stock trading together. Brett

Allan, It is after hours in Cincinnati, so no official answer-- I will speculate that the Seminar Schedule for Redmond has not been finalized this far in advance. Here is the schedule for the last Convention in Albuquerque, which may give you some idea of the types of things offered: http://www.fmca.com/index.php/conventions/...e/2916-seminars Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Let's clarify exactly what is happening. Your Allison ECU is programmed with a 4th gear PRE-SELECT for the exhaust brake. That does not mean that it down-shifts to 4th at 70 MPH when you turn on the exhaust brake and close the throttle. What it means is that is down-shifts TOWARD 4th gear, but with the caveat that it will not down-shift to a lower gear until it is safe (from and engine RPM standpoint) to do so. Compare your max RPM from your tach with your engine's no load maximum permissible RPM-- you should be fine. Maximum permissible RPM is NOT the same as governed speed, as your engine maximum permissible RPM under no load will be higher than under load. But, "for the rest of the story", yes any Allison dealer can reprogram your ECU for whatever "exhaust brake pre-select gear" you choose. Cost should be around $100. Higher pre-select gears (like 5th) give a lot of driver control, but require more driver input (use of down arrow) when coming to a stop or on steep descents. A lower pre-select gear (like 2nd) is great for coming to a stop, but often "over-brakes" in regular driving. FYI, ours is programmed for 5th-- just my personal choice. Brett

Solenoid failure is not that uncommon. And if you can locate it outside the battery compartment without adding too much length to those large-gauge cables that is great. Properly gusset them if going through a bulkhead, as they are un-fused. I will make a comment on one of your statements-- you say you start the engine once a month while parked. STRONGLY suggest that you not start any diesel engine unless you can drive it at least 25 highway miles. If the OIL, not just coolant can not attain operating temperature, you are doing more harm than good by starting. And there is no way that a diesel can reach oil operating temperature without a load on it. Also, when parked in one place for an extended period of time, make sure fuel tank is full to minimize condensation. Brett

Dave, Here is some information from an earlier discussion: http://community.fmca.com/index.php?showtopic=55 Brett

Tough drive. What with the following sea and all. Brett

At the top of this page, click on "Chapters/Areas." When that opens, go down and click "Area chapters." Scroll over right and click on the Geographic area in which you have interest OR click on INTERNATIONAL. No, International Area chapters are not overseas. They are chapters that are not geographically based. People from all over the North America with similar interests participate in those chapters. Brett

ABSOLUTELY, the Foretravel roof is very well built and can support several people at the same time-- been there, done that. I installed two new roof A/C units a year ago and with two people and an A/C unit, no flexing at all, and it is a one piece fiberglass room, so no worries about tearing a rubber roof. If the OP has a Foretravel, indeed that is the answer. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I agree with you that inspection of seams and roof-mounted equipment is a very good idea. But whether all coaches (and more critically YOUR coach) are built to standards that support that concentrated weight on the roof is an ASSUMPTION that I would not make. I would VERIFY it with your coach manufacturer. I suspect it will be true for the majority of coaches, but not all. And weight of the individual, as you suggest, could very well play a role in the decision. If you post what coach you have, you may get some information based on first hand experience. Brett

Indeed, call Xantrex on Monday. And, yes, many voltmeters do not read non-sine wave VAC voltage accurately. I assume this high reading is a new issue. So, until resolved, don't turn on the inverter. Brett

We also belong to both. FMCA for its many benefits (http://www.fmca.com/index.php/join-family-...n/why-join-fmca) and Good Sam for its more widely accepted CG discounts. We attend many FMCA rallies and conventions and belong to several FMCA Chapters. Have not been to any Good Sam events. Brett

A number of people have upgraded their plastic and aluminum Monaco radiator with copper/steel ones. I would look into alternatives before going back with the original design. Brett

NO, the ISL (8.9 liter) is the smallest Cummins that can be ordered with a compression brake, and many of them are exhaust brake equipped. All C engines (8.3 liter) are exhaust brake only. Brett

Dave, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Best advice is to contact IOTA. You will want to verify that you have the wires to the ATS from generator are to the IOTA/Monaco recommended terminals in the ATS. Same for the wires from shore power.

There WILL be some draw on the chassis battery while in storage. Things like the engine ECM, transmission ECM, etc. So an alternative is to provide some small source of charging while in storage. If stored with shore power, a Xantrex Echo charger, Trickle Charger, etc work well. If not on shore power where you store it, even a small solar panel is usually enough to keep the chassis battery charged (not enough to charge a discharged battery, but enough to keep a charged battery up). Deeply discharging any battery markedly shortens its life. Brett

Good advice from Tom with your ISL. You also need to verify that the exhaust brake is not seizing up-- that it freely snaps open and snaps closed. Do you lube your exhaust brake? If a PacBrake: http://www.pacbrake.com/index.php?page=maintenance Sitting for long periods of time also contributes to seizing up. Brett

Silicone di-electric grease is available at most auto parts houses and works well to keep water out of electrical connections. Brett

Bob, I am not clear on what you are saying. I presume it was the old shocks/mounts that were leaking/cracked. And did you replace tires with same size, brand and at same PSI, or was there a change in any of these factors? How old were the tires you replaced? Brett

Glenn, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Yes, it sounds like bad chassis batteries if those are readings at the battery. If readings further "down stream", verify all connections are good and/or check readings at the batteries. But, before scrapping them, verify that the water level is OK (if not maintenance free batteries) then bring them up to full charge with on-coach or external battery charger. Then have them load tested. Brett

Harry, You are very close in left/right weight distribution, and on ride height, so I don't think you have a problem there. And I have not driven a coach with the softer Bilsteins, so I can't comment. But clearly, going from a stiffer Bilstein to softer one would give an improved ride. But, that really doesn't help when comparing shocks by different manufacturers. Brett quote name='harrysusa' date='Apr 26 2010, 04:19 PM' post='7331'] Hi Brett, For the front Freightliner says 10" +/- 0.25". Redlands measured 10.25" on both sides. For the rear they say 9.375" +/- 0.125". Redlands measured 9.50". I guess I should have told them to drop them to the low side of spec but the mechanic did not suggest that. Last time I had it wighted was in 2006 by RVSEF, RF 3825 lbs, LF 3800 lbs, RR 6875 lbs, LR 6750 lbs. I am sure it has changes some over the years but not drastically. I even tried 80 gls of water & 90 gls of diesel last time out & it still rode rough (and that was with Konis !). What do you know about the softer Bilsteins? Harry

Harry, When you say ride height is within spec, how far from IDEAL is it? And on the axle with two ride height valves, if spec is, say, 10" plus/minus 1/8", raising the light side (from 4 wheel position weighing) 1/8" and lowering heavy side 1/8" helps a little with balancing loads. Do NOT go outside specs in an attempt to balance side to side imbalance by changing ride height. Brett