wolfe10

While unplugging (or otherwise forcing the fan to high speed) is an excellent diagnostic tool (just as cwmarch dithermostatd), please do not consider it a long-term solution. You will be giving up way too many HP and MPG. Brett Wolfe

Gibson DOES make headers: http://www.gibsonperformance.com/ And I would call Ford directly with your chassis VIN. I suspect you do have the 460. Brett Wolfe

Molded into ONE sidewall of each tire (could be facing inward) is a complete DOT number. The last four digits are molded in and are the WEEK and YEAR of production. So DOT................2304 was made the 23rd week of 2004. If there are only three digits, the tires were made before 2000. And I am not sure automatic replacement is needed at 5 years, but clearly they need to be checked carefully by a tire professional. You will never wear out the tread on an RV tire-- you will replace them based on age/side wall condition. Brett Wolfe

The wire "out" of the fuse could be wired through a simple toggle switch then back to the "downstream" side of the wire. May be more difficult than it sounds, depending on access to the wire coming out of the fuse block. Another alternative that is not quite as clean is to replace the fuse with two metal prongs. From one side's prong, wire through remove fuse, then toggle switch, then back to other metal prong in the fuse block. With either alternative, all you have to do to disable the fuse is "hit the switch". Brett Wolfe

Yes, it is quite possible/quite common for a chassis model year to be prior to the coach model year. You check by calling your chassis maker (Workhorse) with your Workhorse VIN. And if you are resorting to using the service brakes because of fear of over-reving the engine, the transmission ABSOLUTELY will not allow the engine to over-speed. And if still concerned, a safer approach is to slow down and use a lower gear-- one that holds your speed in EQUILIBRIUM without using the service brakes. Brett Wolfe

Have you verified that the hydraulic system (pump, controller, lines, filter/reservoir and fan) for your side radiator fan is working properly? If the fan is not going to the designed RPM under high-heat conditions, it will cause the same symptoms. Brett Wolfe

This FMCA chapter has done an excellent job of compiling just such information: http://www.nationalrv-centralstates.org/Maintenance.html Brett Wolfe

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It is likely on steep down-grades that you will have slow down (service brakes) and manually down shift to a lower gear than that selected by the grade brake feature. Similar to what those with larger Allison transmissions in diesels have to do-- with, say a 4th gear pre-select, they have to use the service brakes to slow down enough and use the down arrow to select a lower gear. Again, your safe speed of descent is really UNRELATED to curves, etc. It is based on a gear/speed that holds YOUR SPEED IN EQUILIBRIUM. That speed will be faster than loaded 18 wheelers and slower than empty ones. Brett Wolfe

I am not aware of any diesel engine manufacturer who approves of the use of K&N or K&N style air filters. They DO let in more air (and more critically) THEY ALSO LET IN MORE DIRT. I can tell you that Caterpillar specifically recommends against them in each of their maintenance seminars presented at FMCA Conventions. And this is NOT to sell their own filters-- Caterpillar does not spec or sell air filters for RV's-- the chassis makers do that. Brett Wolfe

Carb or fuel injected? What model year chassis?

Please let us know what chassis you have so answers will be relevant to you. What is your GVW and when towing GCW? Do you drive in flat or hill/mountain country? As far as engine tune, best answer is to go to virtually any auto parts house and have any stored engine codes downloaded for free. Brett Wolfe

Mikes, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The brake light switch was fit by Freightliner. Have you called Gaffney with your serial number? They are your best source of information. If you need the information this evening, might call a Freightliner dealer with extended service hours. And it is also possible that someone else with your same chassis will have the answer. Brett Wolfe

This ASSUMES you have a voltmeter and are safe working with 120 VAC. Start by verifying that you indeed have the proper 120 VAC. If on 50 amp, check CG outlet from each outer straight to inner straight and then inner round. Readings whould be 120 VAC. From one outer stright to the other, reading should be 240 VAC. And from center straight to center round zero. If the CG outlet is OK, check at the coach-end of shore power cord. If OK, next place to check is at the ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch). If only inverter powered circuits are not working, check for power in to the inverter. Many inverters have a pass through feature with a small fuse inside the inverter case. Brett Wolfe

Gary, Glad you got it done. Ya, depending on access your chassis AND coach maker gave you, it can be quite a job. 10 minutes on some coaches and 2-3 hours on others. However, I recommend replacing air filters based on BOTH restriction (air filter minder reading) AND based on time. Remember, the filter elements are made of paper and glue. They degrade with time. Three years is the recommended change interval unless the air filter minder suggest more frequent changes. And when you replace the filter, reset the air filter minder (reset button on the bottom of the minder). Then after a few hundred miles (enough time that you will have been at WOT [Wide Open Throttle] enough to give an accurate max restriction reading) RECORD IT. That way you will know your base line restriction and can monitor changes. The base line restriction (restriction with the new filter) is the "total report card" on the air intake system. The air filter minder reading is affected by size of opening at the side of the coach, plumbing between side of coach and air filter, air filter (both size and condition) as well as plumbing from air filter to turbo intake air "inlet". Brett Wolfe

You make some good points. I will address two of them. First: how condensation forms in the tanks was discussed here on another thread (concerning diesels). Using that as a basis, I will post it here: First, let's look at what happens if you park your coach with 1/3 tank of fuel -- assume total capacity 75 gallons. As you burned the 50 gallons of fuel, that space in the tanks was replaced with AMBIENT AIR, at whatever temperature AND HUMIDITY the outside air is at that time. So you now have 25 gallons of fuel and, particularly, if driving in a hot/humid area, 50 gallons of hot HUMID air. OK temperature drops to the dew point OF THAT HUMID AIR IN THE TANK. It CONDENSES. And since water is heavier than fuel, it goes to the bottom of the tank and contaminates the fuel and/or rusts the tank. Each day, as the temperature rises, air and fuel in the tank EXPAND-- actually, air just goes OUT of the tank through the vent line/charcoal canister. This happens even if the 50 gallons of air in the tank was dry and/or cold. Each night, as the temperature falls, air is sucked into the tank through the breather line. As temperature continues to drop, the water vapor CONDENSES and goes to the bottom of the tank. Repeat 30-100 times. NOT GOOD!!!!! And yes, even if you are a desert area, your tank WILL get down to the dew point and there will be condensation. If you fill the tank before parking, there is a MUCH smaller volume of air to condense. Also, liquid (fuel) expands and contracts much less with temperature change than a gas (air) so there is far less "breathing" of the tank. Second: If you start the engine while storing the coach, you need to run it long enough that the OIL gets up to operating temperature. This generally means 25 or so highway miles. The object of driving while stores is manyfold as you point out, but one of the primary things you are doing is riding the crankcase of moisture. This only occurs when the OIL (not just coolant) gets hot and stays hot long enough to "vent" the moisture (through PCV valve on gasoline engine and through crankcase breather on a diesel). Brett Wolfe

You need a biocide IF: 1. As a remedy if you ever see black slimy "gunk" in your fuel (usually first visable to you in the primary fuel filter/water seaparator). 2. As a Preventive if storing diesel. My basic benchmark is that I use it if I will not be burning a tank of diesel within 3 months. I know of no hard and fast rule that says not needed if XX days but needed of XX plus 1 day. It is merely added to the tank when you fill up. It will circulate throughout the fuel system within a couple of miles. There is absolutely no change in the way anything works. The biocide I use doses at 1.5 oz/ 100 GALLONS. Ask anyone who has had "algae" contamination and they will tell you an ounce (OK 1.5 ounces) of prevention is worth a LOT of $$$ worth of cure. Brett Wolfe

There are three different "auxiliary" braking systems used on different diesel engines.: Exhaust Brakes, Engine Compression Brakes and Variable Geometry Turbo Brakes. Exhaust brake: literally a "flap" which closes off exhaust flow just downstream of the turbo in the exhaust system. This causes back pressure (55 PSI on ours) which generates braking power. With the Allison transmission, it is usually tied with downshifting of the transmission to the "pre-selected" gear (usually 2nd or 4th). Think of it as a potato stuffed in the tail pipe. Engine Compression Brake (aka: Jake brake) The exhaust valves are opened as the pistons reaches TDC (Top Dead Center) on the compression stroke after the engine has done the "work" of compressing about 18 volumes of intake air to 1 volume . If the exhaust were not let escape by the compression brake's opening the exhaust valves (i.e. coasting with brake off), the "compressed air" would mostly be returned as power to the engine forcing the piston back down. With the Jake brake on, the engine works to compress air in the cylinder, then the air is let out. This generates quite a lot more braking force than an exhaust brake. The smallest engines to offer an engine compression brake are the Caterpillar C9 and Cummins ISL. Variable Geometry Turbo: The vanes reverse or aperture closes (depends on engine manufacturer) to create back pressure with much the same effect as an exhaust brake. Another alternative used by Foretravel and some over the road busses us TRANSMISSION RETARDERS (see Wayne's link) on their Allison transmissions. Transmissions with retarders will have an "R" suffix such as 4060R. They generate even more braking HP than exhaust or compression brakes, but are more expensive. Brett Wolfe

Wayne, They are all virtually the same-- a variety of weed killer. And you will NOT find them at trucks stops etc-- fuel storage is NOT an issue for trucks. You will find them at MARINE STORES, since boats have the same diesel storage issues that we do. And since you are in a boating area, no problem. Here is one: West Marine Biocide

Looks like we are addressing to very different, but very important issues in this thread: VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS: Length, number of "trailers," axle weights, etc. These are set by each state and apply to all vehicles operated in that state (i.e. just because it is legal in state A does NOT mean it is legal in state . PERSONAL LICENSING REQUIREMENTS: Vary by state (As in Wayne's example for Texas different licenses are required for GVWR of over 26,000 vs. under). Here, there IS reciprocity between states -- states do recognize other states' licenses. So if you have the appropriate license for your state, you are good in other states. Brett Wolfe

First, let's look at what happens if you park your coach with 1/4 tank of fuel -- assume total capacity 100 gallons. As you burned the 75 gallons of diesel, that space in the tanks was replaced with AMBIENT AIR, at whatever temperature AND HUMIDITY the outside air is at that time. So you now have 25 gallons of diesel and, particularly, if driving in a hot/humid area, 75 gallons of hot HUMID air. OK temperature drops to the dew point OF THAT HUMID AIR IN THE TANK. It CONDENSES. And since water is heavier than diesel, it goes to the bottom of the tank where it can cause "algae" growth and/or rust the tank. Each day, as the temperature rises, air and diesel in the tank EXPAND-- actually, air just goes OUT of the tank through the vent line. This happens even if the 75 gallons of air in the tank was dry and/or cold. Each night, as the temperature falls, air is sucked into the tank through the breather line. As temperature continues to drop, the water vapor CONDENSES and goes to the bottom of the tank. Repeat 30-100 times. NOT GOOD!!!!! And yes, even if you are a desert area, your tank WILL get down to the dew point and there will be condensation. If you fill the tank before parking, there is a MUCH smaller volume of air to condense. Also, liquid (fuel) expands and contracts much less with temperature change than a gas (air) so there is far less "breathing" of the tank. Because I grew up on diesels in boats and KNOW what a problem “algae†can be in diesel that is stored, I do add a biocide if storing fuel over 3 months. Brett Wolfe

Each state and Canadian province sets the legal limits in their domain, and these laws are subject to change. So be careful with taking answers from people who can give information for THEIR state and applying it to YOUR state(s). FMC magazine's January 2009 issue contains a Motorhome Regulations chart that includes a combined length limit for each state and Canadian province. The chart also includes phone numbers of government agencies so you can get more info. Brett Wolfe

In a word, NO. You would be BACKFEEDING the Canyon's electrical system. If there is room in the tail light lenses, you can install an additional socket/light that is fed from the RV, OR You can buy a "diode-based" adapter that would allow you to cut into the Canyon's tail light wiring (may void warranty) to use the present bulbs, OR Use separate magnetic-base lights that are totally separate from your Canyon. Brett Wolfe

Rodney, Is that a Fleetliner or FREIGHTLINER chassis? Lots of Freightliner owners out there. And Freightliner Corp in Gaffney, SC who build Freightliner motorhome chassis are very helpful on the phone. Brett Wolfe

Barnero, There aren't many Overland products out there. While basic air horn wiring/plumbing may have been fit by our chassis maker (let us know what year and make chassis do you have), it is quite possible the switches are coach (i.e. Overland) specific. Brett Wolfe