wolfe10

Yes, for the 2007 and newer Cummins ISC, there is an engine compression brake available. BUT, NOT for any Cummins C engine built before 1/1/07. It certainly would not be available for the OP's 2003 model. Brett

Manually is difficult because you are "fighting" a pretty heavy duty return spring. You can disconnect the arm at the butterfly and manually move it. You can also disconnect the positive wire (signal wire) from transmission to the air solenoid at the air solenoid. Apply 12 VDC from any source in the engine room to the solenoid side ONLY (don't "back-feed" the wire). You can also apply the lube just before you drive and turn the brake on/off multiple times. Brett

You have only one of these devices with the C7 Caterpillar. It will be some brand of exhaust brake. Jacobs makes one, PacBrake makes one, etc. They all work basically the same way: You have a switch at the driver's area that turns on the exhaust brake. When the switch is on AND the throttle position switch says the throttle is closed, a relay sends a signal to the Allison ECU. The ECU then does two things-- starts downshifting toward the "pre-select gear" (you will notice the left window/only window of the Allison shift pad goes from "6" to whatever the pre-select gear is with 2nd and 4th being popular choices) AND sends a signal to the air solenoid on the exhaust brake to open the valve which allows air pressure to activate the exhaust brake butterfly. The butterfly does indeed function as a "potato stuffed in the tailpipe" building about 55 PSI of back pressure to slow you down. There are two other kinds of auxiliary braking devices-- an engine compression brake (only available on much larger engines) and an Allison transmission retarder (only available on on Foretravel and OTR busses as far as I know). And the exhaust brake does need lubrication: http://www.pacbrake.com/index.php?page=maintenance-2 Brett

John, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. I have no first hand information on the Sauer Danfoss pump, but you might go to their website: http://www.sauer-danfoss.com/Products/index.htm You could also contact them/their distributor" http://www.sauer-danfoss.com/ContactUs/index.htm Having the pump part number will be a big help. Brett

Thanks, Gary. Reposted Link. Brett

Here is another discussion on just that issue: http://community.fmca.com/index.php?showto...=driving+course Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. This is likely two separate issues. It sounds like you have a pressure reducer on the shore water-- an excellent idea. 1. You may have lost the air cushion in the top of your water heater. Water (like everything else) expands as it is heated. If there is an air cushion, the air absorbs the PSI increase. But if no air cushion, the PSI has to go somewhere-- water isn't compressible! To reestablish an air cushion open the pressure valve (flip the lever) and a hot water faucet (with shore water and on-board pump OFF). That should siphon the water down and reestablish the air cushion. If a Suburban water heater and you have not replaced the anode in over a year, removing and replacing the anode will also reestablish the air cushion (along with doing recommended maintenance). And if an Atwood water heater, removing the plastic plug (and replacing with another Atwood plastic drain plug) and flushing the crud from the bottom of the water heater will also accomplish the same thing (along with doing recommended maintenance). 2. The pump should not be making noise all the time-- only when pumping. Are you sure it is the pump? If you can reach it, put your hand on the pump. Verify that it IS running (vibrating). Also, from a danger standpoint, verify that it is not hot. These pumps are water cooled (from the water flowing through them. With no water flow and continuous running, it could be a fire danger. Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Go to page 7 of this Atwood document for a wiring diagram of your water heater: http://www.atwoodmobile.com/manuals/waterh...PS%204.9.09.pdf Brett

I was not able to find that number on Thetford's website. You might go to this site and identify your model and download the owners manual. http://www.thetford.com/HOME/CUSTOMERSUPPO...65/Default.aspx Brett

Welcome th the FMCA Forum. What brand and model toilet? Brett

Excellent information. Thank you. Brett

The "smell" test is the quickest. Is the smell coming from this under-counter area? If you temporarily wrap the top with plastic and a rubber band, does the smell stop? Depending on how your coach maker installed it, it is likely that you can unscrew it and clean it. Brett

Roy, UV (sun) light is what is breaking down the plastic tanks. Remember in the Ford or other applications for which the tank was designed, it is under the hood, totally protected from sunlight. So, the answer is to protect the plastic from as much sunlight as possible. When in storage, you might consider a sheet of cardboard closed inside the grill to protect all plastic and rubber parts from sunlight. In some applications, a thin metal or black plastic (UV safe) "sun-block" may be easy to make. I am not suggesting getting carried away with this, but the less sun they get, the longer they last. Brett

Nobility, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Are you talking about a VHF (Marine Band) radio or SSB? If VHF, unless you follow marine traffic, it will have limited usability. Because we are sailors, we do throw in a hand held VHF on those trips where we will be near a coast or lake. And if the reason for the VHF is to receive weather reports, there are several popular CB's that do have weather channel. Our Cobra 75 WX ST does.

I have bought all my RV tires (Michelins) from Strouhal-- they DO know RV's and Aluminum Wheels: http://www.strouhaltire.com/ Brett

No, if his coach is wired for 50 amp and his house wiring supplies two hots, a ground and a neutral, he can use a 50 amp RV outlet and connect it to the neutral, ground and each of the 30 amp supplied hots. Here is what it would look like: A hot to each of the outer straights. The neutral to the center straight. The ground to the center round. This way he has 60 amps available-- sure it is less than the 100 from a "standard" RV 50 amp connection, but better than a single hot with 30 amps. IF he only has three wires to that outlet, indeed, one hot, one neutral, one ground with a total of only 30 amps available. Brett

And, before you do re-plug into that shore power outlet, please check that it has one hot, one neutral and one ground AND that they are wired properly. Brett

OK, let me recap: It WAS (since corrected) wired with TWO hots and a ground (i.e. like an OLD house 220 VAC dryer), a ground and no neutral. VERY costly mistake. It IS (once corrected) wired with ONE hot, one neutral and one ground (standard RV wiring). If this is correct, it is probably that any 120 VAC appliance you ran in your coach wile wired the "220 VAC way" is destroyed. This would certainly include your converter, charger or inverter charger as most are wired to power as soon as you plug in. If so, that would account for 12 VDC stuff not working (batteries not being charged). So, after verifying that you have the "once corrected" outlet and that polarity is correct (hot, neutral and ground hooked to the correct terminal of the outlet) you will need to systematically turn on all 120 VAC equipment to access the damage. With a digital voltmeter (from under $20 at Sears, Radio Shack, etc) check voltage at the batteries. Fully charged batteries (but with charger off is 12.7 VDC. 50% discharged is 12.2 VDC. Above 13 means the charger is working. Let us know what you fine or if you need additional help. Brett

OK, let's start with the outlet and verify that it is wired correctly. It sounds like you ran a "regular" 4 wire 50 amp STYLE outlet but instead of 50 amp breakers, you used 30 amp breakers. Is that correct? If so, what you are plugging your shore power cord into is a standard looking 50 amp outlet (3 straight lugs and one round one)-- correct? Or does it look like a 30 amp RV outlet (two diagonal straights and one round)? Once we see how the outlet was wired, we may be able to tell you that it affected in your coach. Brett

Jim, Here is the lighting sequence-- please let us know at what point it fails. 1. The furnace has 12+ VDC to it (check with digital voltmeter at outside access to the furnace. Many models have a fuse on the control board as well as in your 12 VDC fuse box. 2. When the thermostat tells the heater to light, the control board turns on the fan. IF, repeat IF there is adequate air flow to close the sail switch, the control board then opens the gas valve and turns on the igniter. If however, something is blocking the air return or the ducts are kinked, vents closed, etc, the sail switch does not close and the control board does NOT turn on the gas or igniter-- since it knows with inadequate air flow it could cause a fire hazard. 3. In less than one minute (depends on brand and model) the thermocouple must signal the control board that indeed there is a flame burning, or it turns off the propane. 4. The furnace continues to run until the thermostat signals that the set temperature has been reached (or one of the above safety cut-offs takes over). Brett

Jim, In a word, YES. Using adapters to adapt a 50 amp coach "down" to 30 amp or even 15 amp is a common process, particularly for storage. In fact, our 50 amp coach is plugged in exactly like that right now (in storage garage). Of course one has to be very careful with what loads are run on "lesser" amp service. 50 amp RV service is actually TWO 50 amp hots (look at the CG breakers-- there are TWO 50 amp breakers pinned together)= 100 amps available. 30 amp RV service gives you 30 amps available (single hot). In a 30 male to 50 female adapter, the single hot in the 30 amp end is wired to BOTH hots on the 50 amp end so all circuits in your coach will get power). And with 15 amps, you have 15 amps available. Just as in your stick home, the power you have available does not mean you are using that much power-- it just means that that is the maximum that you CAN use. Brett

I am not suggesting that this is not the correct size for your coach. What I am suggesting is that before you make a tire decision that you EVALUATE your tire's carrying capacity vs your actual weights. As I said above, IF your tires are rates to carry more than your actual weights/you DO have a safety reserve between your actual weights and the tire's carrying capacity, you are just fine with the size you have. But, if you are close to your tire's carrying capacity/you have to carry close to full PSI per your tire manufacturer's load/inflation table, THEN it would be reasonable to look into a larger tire/one with more carrying capacity. What are your individual wheel weights (best) or axle weights (not as good-- assumes perfect left/right weight distribution) when loaded as you go down the road vs your tire's carrying capacity? Brett

The venturi vents I am talking about are for the tank vents and create lower pressure in the tanks-- hopefully lower pressure than in the coach interior! Here is an example: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-vent...mbing-vents.htm Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Your sinks COULD be vented to the roof, or they could be vented to a check valve. Just look under the sinks. Next step (sounds like you have already verified water in all the P traps (including shower) is to minimize the vacuum inside the coach when you drive. Driving with side or roof vents open DOES create a vacuum inside and the tanks are one place that tries to "equalize the pressure". Driving with the dash HVAC to vent (vs recirculate) also helps, as it "pressurizes" the interior. Also, there are several brands of venturi style roof vent covers that create a vacuum in the tanks. A good idea of this problem persists. Brett

The first question I ask when starting to look for tires is: Do the current size give me a load rating that leaves me any safety reserve, or are they loaded to the max? If loaded at or near the max, you not only have no safety reserve, but must carry very high PSI to allow them to carry that weight and that gives a harsher ride. On some coaches, you are pretty well limited on what size will fit. On other, you can easily upgrade to a larger size/higher load rated tire. This both gives a larger safety reserve, but allows you to safely carry less PSI for a softer ride. I happen to prefer Michelins-- that is what I personally run on my cars and motorhome-- they have always given me excellent wear, ride and handling. I am not recommending against the Goodyears, but have no personal experience with them. And when it gets down to choosing the specific tire, because it is likely that you will replace them based on age rather than tire tread wear, look for a tire that is less than 3 months old (last four digits of number molded into ONE sidewall of each tire indicates the WEEK and YEAR of production. So 1110 (11th week of 2010) or newer/larger number would be acceptable. Brett